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Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan

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Comments

  • savethelandsavetheland Member Posts: 671
    I rented 2010 Fusion but did not notice that compartment. Maps fit pretty well into box on top of dash
  • blumsteinblumstein Member Posts: 38
    I have a 2007 Milan and do not have that compartment. However, we once owned a Mystique with a small compartment, but it was on the far left side. I don't believe that the purpose was identified anyway, but a set of leather driving gloves fit perfectly, so that it what I used it for.
  • subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
    huh, just had to go look in my 1 month old FFH. Not sure what that is for, but the inside is open at the top toward the back. Would the owner manual fit there?

    I have my garage opener in the little tray to the left of the steering wheel.

    -Brian
  • newowner10newowner10 Member Posts: 227
    Not in the case the manual comes in. I even tried to open the door to see if would fit in from the side.
  • jeffyscottjeffyscott Member Posts: 3,855
    I think the far left side compartment in the old Contour/Mystique was for change. At least that is what I always used it for and that is what I use the one in my Mazda6 for.
  • koho955koho955 Member Posts: 97
    You have good eyes. I've been driving my 2010 Fusion for 5 months now and I never noticed that compartment until you mentioned it. Looks good for holding extra sunglasses or something????
  • subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
    I have an I-Pass, so no need for change in the car. Fits the garage opener just fine though.

    That slot on the right of the glove box is an interesting one, that is for sure. Even the owner manuals out of the case they come in don't really fit in there perfectly, and you still have to bend them to get them in. Maybe a CD case holder?

    Edit: it does work well for holding single CD cases, about 3 or 4 fit perfectly in there.

    -Brian
  • newowner10newowner10 Member Posts: 227
    edited April 2010
    I have read the book and gone to "SyncMyRide" is there a place that defines all of the commends? I would expect a glossary list for each commend would be available in the book or on line at least.
    1) Why would you search for a Track and not just play a track?
    2) What does 'Connections "do?
    3) If you want to switch between two cell phones do you use "Connect "?
    4) It you want to listen to conference call but have a conversation in you car that others can not hear do you just say "HOLD" or "Hold On" and "Hold Off"
  • newowner10newowner10 Member Posts: 227
    Update I got "Hold" to work on the phone. The phone I was using was not capable of that function.
    I tried a Blackberry and the "Hold" commend works but it blocks both sides. I listen to long conference calls but I would not like the partties on the other end to hear me. The "HOLD" function prevents me from hearing the call completly. What I need is a "Mute" function.
  • acdiiacdii Member Posts: 753
    This is one item I miss from the Hyundai. It could surely use a mute button on the steering wheel.
  • akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    Press and hold the volume down key. It works within a second or so. Really no need for a separate mute button. I noticed this on our 2008 Edge and thought the same thing until I realized how fast the volume down button responded.
  • newowner10newowner10 Member Posts: 227
    I still want to listen to the caller but not let them hear the noises I make.
  • akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    Sorry - forgot about that part. Can't you use the mute button on the phone? Or is that disabled when using bluetooth?
  • cannon3cannon3 Member Posts: 296
    I own a 2006 Fusion SEL V6. This car now has about 55,000 miles on it. Solid as day 1. No rattles or squeaks to report. We took this car on a road trip this weekend and averaged 29.2MPG!! per the computer, doing about 73MPH on average. I could not believe what I was seeing. It seems this car gets better with age. I may be a bit out of the norm. I keep this car in excellent condition, both inside and out. Would I buy another, Heck yes! in a hear beat. However, I would probably opt for an SEL I4 6spd auto. I want more MPG the second time around.
  • jpp75jpp75 Member Posts: 1,535
    Last week I got a 2010 Ford Fusion SEL V6 for a rental car while traveling for work. The new Fusion is a very impressive car, I drove about 1,200 miles in 5 days and really enjoyed it, in fact I was shocked at how much I liked the car. After growing up with Fords and Lincolns in the 1980's I swore them off, but I have to say Ford got this one right. My parents are on their 3rd Camry and I've enjoyed all of those but the 2010 Fusion is a strong competitor if long term reliability holds up. Good job Ford.
  • temj12temj12 Member Posts: 450
    Could someone, who has put a lot of miles on their Fusion, tell me what kinds of problems you have had? Consumer Reports give them excellent reliability ratings. I am interested in buying a 2010. We recently bought a 2008 Fusion SEL as an extra car and I love driving it. I have an '05 Honda Accord that I have driven 95,000 miles with zero problems. I am really interested in the Fusion, but the Honda has made me love having a very reliable car.
  • eastern1eastern1 Member Posts: 7
    Which big rental companies carry Fusions/Milans? I want to do same as you - rent for a few days on a business trip to really get to know the vehicle but am frustrated in being able to lock one in for a trip. Avis has them but doesn't guarantee one for a resevation so you take your chances. I ended up with a Malibu last time I tried that a few weeks ago. Hertz used to carry mostly Ford but not now. Others?
  • dmathews3dmathews3 Member Posts: 1,739
    Just go into the rental with a open mind. These cars are rented by for the most part uncaring people who can and do use and abuse them.
  • akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    I bought one of the first ones off the truck - an 06 SEL V6. 4.5 years old but only 38,000 miles and not a single problem or rattle.
  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 19,293
    if you honda is a good vehicle, why do you want to change to another one?
    2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
  • jpp75jpp75 Member Posts: 1,535
    I've had Fusions with both Hertz and National. With National you pick the car you want, you just walk out onto the lot, find the correct section for the class you are renting and pick one. That makes it a little easier, but I've found that most companies will give you the car you want if you ask as long as it's in the class you're paying for. They can't guarantee they'll have one in stock when you show up, but if they do they usually accommodate your request.

    Also, as another poster mentioned, rentals are often abused. Both of my recent fusions were at the 6,000 mile mark and were rattle/squeak free.

    I will say the 2010 seems much better than it's predecessor, I had a 2009 Fusion for a rental a few months ago and was much more impressed with the new model.
  • neile457neile457 Member Posts: 65
    I have a 2008 Fusion SE with 4 cyl, and I have 73000 miles on it. No problems so far, has been great for me. I drive mostly highway miles.
  • temj12temj12 Member Posts: 450
    That is a legitimate question. I like to trade sometimes.
  • savethelandsavetheland Member Posts: 671
    I rented one with I4 for a week. It is more refined than earlier Fusion. When I drove it off the lot I thought it is running on electric motor. After I parking I checked the badge to be sure that it is not a hybrid. Thats how quite and refined it feels. Ergonomics and interior design might be better though. it is not a VW for sure. But seats are very supportive and handling is excellent. If it is better than Accord I do not know - I did not drive latest Accord. Honda engines are class leading. But Accord is also a bigger car. BTW there is the midsize sedan shootout in last MT and Accord was rated lower than Fusion because they felt it is a noisier car and for some other reasons like packaging problems - smaller trunk in a bigger car. I think that Fusion has advantage on both Camry and Accord - it feels as quiet and refined as Camry but handling is better that on Accord or Camry. Well may be you can compare it with Altima - i do not know I did not compare all these cars. I drove Maxima but it felt not as refined as Fusion - more like a muscle car.

    Regarding reliability - I have more confidence in Ford than in Honda or Toyota in light or recent events and nagging problems with Honda transmissions. My friend had several Camrys and had problems with all of them. On the other hand I drive Mercury Sable for 8 years, bought new and well maintained - with 135K miles it did not experience a single problem.
  • hackattack5hackattack5 Member Posts: 315
    "if you honda is a good vehicle, why do you want to change to another one? "

    I was a Honda guy and had really good luck until 2008 when I bought a new Accord. It was a terrible car. My personal opinion is Honda built great cars all the way through 2007 after that they decided to make some additional profit. All you have to do is go over to the Honda Accord form and search. You will notice a ton of complaining about rear brakes that are wore out at 15,000 miles, Vibration, key fobs that don't work and it is hundreds of people complaining. If you look at this forum you will find mostly praise and little complaining. I have a 2010 fusion SEL and love it.
  • savethelandsavetheland Member Posts: 671
    It is interesting that you mentioned brakes. My Sable still runs on original brakes for almost 130,000 miles and I estimate another 30K miles probably. But I drive mostly freeways and rarely brake because try to drive smooth to save fuel. But 15,000 miles for non-sport car is ridiculous. On sports cars brakes are more effective but also wear much faster.

    Hondas were always famous for their engines and slick manual transmissions, while Fords were famous for handling and good steering feel (in Europe). But now Fords became sophisticated and refined too. I would buy Ford Mondeo hands down, but it is not available in US. It competes directly with and wins Acura TSX which in Europe is known as Honda Accord.
  • kblantonkblanton Member Posts: 1
    someone please tell me how to put the dang front plate brackets on a 2009 ford fusion. has been driving me nuts now for 18 months.
  • temj12temj12 Member Posts: 450
    It is so late in the model year that I am waiting for the release of the 2011. Does anyone know when that will be?
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    It is so late in the model year that I am waiting for the release of the 2011. Does anyone know when that will be?

    In all likelihood, 12 months after the release of the 2010.
  • dmathews3dmathews3 Member Posts: 1,739
    I would think toward the end of Sept., first part of Oct. which is when most new models are released.
  • ggma1126ggma1126 Member Posts: 1
    Just read that mercury brand may be discontinued - shame as I love my Milan !!
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    Other than exterior styling and interior tweaks, chances are you'd love a Fusion too. That's part of the reason Mercury is going away, really.
  • cannon3cannon3 Member Posts: 296
    Took my 2006 Ford Fusion SEL V6 on a road trip and averaged 30.1MPG doing 75MPH!! . This car just cruised right along, taking hills and curves like it was on rails. I just smiled when I saw the MPG. This car now has over 55,000 trouble free and squeak free miles on it. I know now I made the right choice over an Accord/Camry. :)
  • vibsrvibsr Member Posts: 47
    We rented a Fusion SEL for a road trip from Indianapolis, Indiana to the Missouri Ozarks. It was a 4 cylinder with a 6-speed automatic. The car was fairly responsive, great on gas, and it handled well. What took some getting used to was automatic downshifting of the transmission while going DOWNHILL with the cruise control engaged at 65 mph. Here's the scenario: Travelling south of Springfield, MO on state highway 65, we encountered several steep inclines and declines which are characteristic of the area. With the cruise set at any given speed, many cars would creep past the set speed going downhill --- but not this one! With the cruise set at 65, the computer will signal the transaxle to downshift to what seems like 2 gears (6th to 4th) to maintain the set road speed. This is a 4-cylinder doing 2000 silent RPMs at 65 mph, and suddenly jumping to 4500 RPMs to maintain that speed. Yes, it was loud. At least it was far away from the 7500 RPM redline, and the downshifts were smooth. Six speeds offer lots of flexibility in situations like this. I thoroughly understand the logic.

    After putting 1300 miles on the car, my impression was favorable overall. Ford has a real winner here.
  • xmechxmech Member Posts: 90
    I found that cruise control downshift unusual, too. I don't mind it, but never encountered it on another car before. Mentioned it on a Fusion thread and no one thought much of it... I am a little concerned for long term wear and tear on the engine doing all that compression breaking down som long steep hills between San Diego and Phoenix, which I drive a few times a year.
  • subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
    Our '02 MPV did it do an extent (and even the double downshift too), so I think it is more common on recent year vehicles with electronically controlled trannies. I haven't noticed it on our '10 FFH but haven't really had to descend too many steep hills yet.

    -Brian
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    Your redline should be in the 6,500RPM range. Perhaps it was a typo, but didn't want you tearing up your engine (although the electronic rev limiter should save you).
  • akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    I am a little concerned for long term wear and tear on the engine doing all that compression breaking down som long steep hills between San Diego and Phoenix, which I drive a few times a year.

    First, it's braking, not breaking. And you won't break anything by doing it. The computer won't let the transmission shift into any gear that would damage anything. And using engine braking a few times a year certainly won't hurt anything.

    Nothing at all to worry about.
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    There's a steep hill that I ascend and descend 4x daily on my way to work (leaving for lunch). So steep that I can floor my Accord at 35 MPH in second gear and it'll simply maintain that speed. It doesn't take more than 15 seconds to climb it (or come down it; its a curve that starts and stops at a traffic light at the bottom of the hill), but to keep my brakes from cooking, I drop my car into "2" every day when descending it. It raises my RPMs to around 3k when coming down it, because I'm usually around 40 MPH at the top of it. No damage done, no burning tranny fluid, and best of all, no cooking brakes.
  • savethelandsavetheland Member Posts: 671
    Engine braking is a preferred technique if you go downhill. If you ever drove car with manual transmission you will understand me. So kudos to Ford for implementing this feature. The last thing you want is to use brakes during long decent. It will overheat brakes and create a dangerous situation.
  • dmathews3dmathews3 Member Posts: 1,739
    I can see using engine braking on a long steep hill but not as a everyday feature as it can cause wear and tear on the drivetrain. I feel it is a whole lot cheaper to replace some brake pads and turn the rotors than to pull and rebuild a tranny or clutch on a FWD car. But again that is my opinion and a few mechanics I have posed the question too. I'm sure this is one of those questions on which is better Ford or Chevy.
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    I think its a matter of using it in moderation. It wouldn't be healthy in the long-run to rev your car to 6000 RPM everytime you slow down on an off-ramp from the highway, but to shift down a gear or two and raise RPMs by 1000 or 1500 or so to assist your brakes is something that shouldn't be particularly detrimental. In fact, my Honda (and many others I'm sure) will drop from 5th to 3rd when the brakes are applied going downhill under 55 mph, raising RPMs from 1800 to about 3000.
  • newowner10newowner10 Member Posts: 227
    Why do you believe that using the engine for braking down a long hill would hurt the engine or transmission? There is no more strain on the drive train going up the hill. The engine is just putting drag on the drivetrain. The engine is just coasting.
  • xmechxmech Member Posts: 90
    Because all the parts (especially like rings, valves) which are primarily subjected to pressure loads, are subjected to vacuum loads. Maybe with modern engines and materials it's not a big deal, but I thought I heard way back when that doing that excessively could cause unnecessary wear and tear. Like mentioned earlier, I'd rather replace my brake pads a few more times over the life of the car than the engine. Of course, when going down a long hill you still want to have brakes left by the time you reach the bottom, so there is a balance thing. Live, die, whatever! :shades:

    Now that I think about it, while running down that long hill compression braking, I was thinking, man, my MPG should go way up, with that 'aggressive fuel cut-off scheduling' I read Ford had worked on for the 2010, but I watched my MPG going down. :cry: Maybe all the fuel running to the front of the tank threw it off.
  • dmathews3dmathews3 Member Posts: 1,739
    Going up a hill the stress is gradually built up where as going down the hill you drop a gear or two and the stress is put on the sytem all at once and it is like a shock to the drive train. Kind of like reving the engine and popping the clutch. Do that to many times and something gives. I just believe it is a whole lot cheaper to rebuild the brakes than to rebuild the tranny. Most likely just the price of pulling the tranny would cover a couple brake jobs. Now if you are the type of person who trades/sell their cars before the warranty goes than it should be cheaper to downshift since at that point in time the warranty should cover the drive train compared to having to pay for new brakes.
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    Well, at 212,000 miles my transmission is still going strong with nary a botched shift. No lie, the rear brake shoes are the ones that came on the car in November of 1995. The discs were replaced at 130k and haven't been since then.

    I wouldn't recommend shifting down to increase the revs by over 2,000 from their current state in the current gear (dropping from 2nd to 1st at 30 MPH is likely a bad idea), but a less drastic drop at that speed, say 3rd to 2nd, should be fine.
  • akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    If it was detrimental to the drivetrain the PCM wouldn't do it. Period.
  • dmathews3dmathews3 Member Posts: 1,739
    Ya right. So since my car can to 6000rpms in second gear and if I leave tranny in 2nd gear it will stay at that speed till the engine blows its ok because the PCM wouldn't let me do that if it was detrmental to the engine. Better think again.
  • newowner10newowner10 Member Posts: 227
    The only difference the engine see is no explosion in the cylinder on the power stroke. I agree with other posters that I am not suggesting down shifting so the engine is at 4500 RPM. The automatic transmission does not bang into the next gear when you down shift the automatic.

    I would agree that down shifting as you come to stop sign is not a good idea, that is what brakes are for. If you are going down a mile long hill you will either have to apply the brakes 5 seconds and coast for ten seconds or shift to third gear.
    We may all agree if you slow the car first and then drop to the lower gear no damage will be done.
  • akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    So you think Ford engines can't run at 6K rpm for a few minutes at a time without blowing up?
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