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Honda Accord vs Ford Fusion
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Comments
With decades of history and all the glowing press about it you'd expect the Accord to outsell the Fusion 4 to 1 but its not even close. If Consumer Reports, J.D. Power, etc. are all correct then it could be the Fusion outselling the Accord one of these days...unless people chose more expensive, less reliable, and less appealing vehicles.
And the Fusion owners can make the exact same argument and you'd both be right. So why do we keep going there again and again and again?
Speaking of performance, who was the first to have a 6-speed auto in this class?
Ricey looking altezza style tails, trunk lid is bland, 3rd brake light is your average ho hum version, exhausts are not nearly as defined/finished.
I guess some might see better styling in the Fusion? :confuse:
Personally I can see much greater attention to details on the Accord styling/design and stuffs that indicates less cost cutting (like the 3rd brake light in the trunk lid and the reverse lights, more parts, more wiring required).
Some might find the Fusion more stylish? J.D. Power surveys show LOTS of people do...
Who won the APEAL award for this class in 2006? Hint: it wasn't the Accord.
As a consultant I am not there to change the customers mind, my job is to give them all the information on the vehicles of interest and help them make an informed decision on the 2nd biggest purchase of their lives.
But this Forum is about opinions, and I have a very strong opinion when it comes to the the better car between the Ford Fusion, Honda Accord, and Toyota Camry. I am fortunate to be in a situation where I hear the pros and cons to all three vehicles. I get direct feedback from the customers and I hear what manufactors don't want the public to know. You know little things like the fact that Toyota had more recalls on their vehicles then the total number of vehicles sold last year. You don't hear about that on the nightly news. Or how about this review from a honda customer: "This is by far the worst car I have owned during last 40 years. I would definately put Honda behind all US maufactures in build and quality. Considering the price difference it would be foolish to buy Honda. The transmission lag is most annoying and brakes are soooooo bad." The only pro that this customer could come up with was the resale value. Who wants to drive a car they hate and the only positive thing they can come up with is that they won't loose their [non-permissible content removed] to much when they go to sell it or trade it in.
I could go on and on about these other two, but I have much more exciting things to talk about. The FORD FUSION!!! The Fusion and I share a similar philosophy in life, "If you got it Flaunt it"! The Fusion lives up to that from the bold attention getting look on the outside all the way through the inside and to the back where you find more trunk space then some manufactors have in their SUV's. Fusion has an aggressive but sleek look that begs for you to come out and play. And once you get behind the wheel you will be looking forward to the commute to work. The Fusion doesn't want the attention of drive bys alone, once you slip inside and find the pampering you expect to find in luxury cars you'll be pinching yourself to see if you are dreaming. The contrast stiching (which resembles a Liz Claiborne purse I own)on the opitonal leather trimmed seats are the first thing you will notice. Then you will find the chrome ringed analog clock, woodgrain or piano black instrument panel, plus other luxuries like audio and temp controls on the steering wheel, heated seats, navagation, and the list goes on and on. These are options that you can get on the SEL package, but the great part about the Fusion is the opitons. There is a Fusion perfect for every buyer. You can get automatic, or maual, it comes in an I-4 or a V6, and the Ford Fusion has an available class-exclusive All-Wheel-Drive system. The best part is that whether you are purchasing an S, Se, or SEL package you won't be sacrificing on appearance, the thrill of driving, and it will lesson your stops at the fuel pump. And when the Fusion out slalomed a Mercedes-Benz C55 AMG on the track, autoweek concluded, "Outstanding might be understating it."
I can go on and on about why I feel and consumers feel "It's the best looking car in it's class",(edmunds.com)or about it being power-packed, thrilling to drive, and I haven't even touched on the structure and safety you have with the Fusion.
To me Fusion has no competition. Unfortunately there is a perception gap that domestic manufactures have to overcome.
You have magazines (with paid editors...paid by whom, exactly...) and I have unbiased research. I stand by my claims.
And last time I checked consumer reports are usually what most people turn to when looking to buy any large purchase. I want to hear from an actual owner who drives one every day, someone who knows the car inside and out.
As I said before, it's a perception gap.
What we are doing here is comparing the attributes we see in each vehicle that matter the most to us. What we do not need to be doing is telling others that their opinions are somehow "wrong" because opinions are neither right nor wrong. They just are.
Where did I say anyone was "wrong?" All I did was cite opinions that agree with mine, just like Accord fans are doing...
Even your screen name shows your bias (amer79). You should at least try to be less obvious. It seems your perception is warped. Not the rest of the world's. I would really like to know which comparison test had the Fusion ahead of the Accord.
Let's bring things down a few notches, please
There is no problem with citing unbiased research that agrees with one's opinion. Therefore, there are no notches to bring it down from.
According to Consumer Reports, the Fusion has better 60-0 breaking distances and higher maximum avoidance maneuver speeds than the Accord. I'd rather avoid a crash in a 4-star crash tested car than crash a 5-star crash tested one...but that's just my opinion.
There's a slight problem... Fusion owners have cars that are at 1-2 years old. Accord owners stretch back many more years... we all know what happens to cars as they age, things are bound to break. Kudos to the Fusion for being relatively trouble free for new owners though - it is a new design and that is a good thing they are winning these awards. It means their satisfaction among new owners are really good.
How a Fusion ages is only a factor that time will tell us. The Accord is at the end of its current model and all the bugs have been unearthed and many resolved. Yet still more crop up like the recent airbag recall on 04-05 Accords. There isn't even an 05 Fusion, so we never know if in a year or two big problems start to appear - they might, they might not.
As for accident avoidance - VSA (electronic stability control) on the Accords have been confirmed by both the IIHS and NHTSA as invaluable in accident avoidance.
Consumer Reports is open about the Fusion's number being "predicted" reliability. However, they are predicting it based on the problems reported by owners of 2006 Accords vs. 2006 Fusions. Given their history of working with initial quality vs. reliability data and their extenseive analyses of these data, I think they are a pretty good bellweather (sp?).
As to Vehicle Stability Control systems...even with the system on the Accord, it still has slower maximum avoidance maneuver speeds than the Fusion. VSC should help the vehicle maneuver better and at higher speeds to avoid an accident. In the case of the Accord, it doesn't make up for the other ways that the Accord lags behind the Fusion in maneurverability.
It is not a useful measure then of true reliability over time.
As for "predicting" reliability, Hyundai has gotten plenty of accolades for new owner satisfaction, but it has also been reported that over time they break and the satisfaction drops dramatically. So much for "predictions".
Predicted reliability is different from strong initial quality. Your Hyundai example is strong initial quality and I agree this does not always translate into long-term reliability. Consumer Reports didn't say Hyundais would have better long-term reliability than Accords, did they?
Again, paid editors vs. unbiased research...
I test drove a Fusion twice. Tried to like it. I walked away snickering about Ford's weak attempt to compete in this class. Items like poor placement of HVAC controls, 1970s style shifter, plasticy interior, no power recline on the driver's seat. All pretty sad compared to an Accord.
And the Fusion will get outdistanced again in 8 months when the new Accord arrives.
Predicted "outdistancing" means nothing compared to unbiased research... :P
Let's talk about some objective similarities and differences between these vehicles instead of continuing to try to fruitlessly pound our opinions into the heads of those with whom we disagree.
I find the Fusion's interior FAR more attractive than the Accord's and I have never had trouble reaching my HVAC controls, never.
The Fusion - with only an autobox in V6 trim... can't be considered a car for the true diehard performance enthusiast drivers. :lemon:
Yea - Ford just can't come close to the level of Honda when it comes to interiors.
Its basically math. And therein lies the problem... the Duratec 6 in the Fusion isn't a stellar engine. Besides the addition of VVT, its a carryover from the Duratec engines in the 1995-2006 Sable/Taurus. This engine has not proven itself to be rock solid... things happen to them as they approach the 100k miles marker. Even the Vulcan which I had in my Taurus which is considered a more reliable engine than the Duratec 6 had issues. I've read plenty of Duratec woes from Sable/Taurus discussions in my time owning the car. This is something CR I would be isn't looking at in their predictions.
Honda motors OTOH are rock solid... both the K and J engines should easily do the 105k to first scheduled tuneup. I put close to 80k on a new K-series engine before the car got totaled in an accident... never a sign of any problems. The Vulcan I had with only 50k miles when I got the car needed attention pretty quickly. Honda has some of the best engines in the world... everything from lawn mowers, bikes, cars, and now even a jet. That's pretty darn impressive and they had many years in successful F1 racing too. The engine is like the heart of a car.
And I know from first-hand experience that a Honda designed crumple zones/safety structure/airbag combo works!
when i think accord or fusion, i think family sedan.
You can have a family and still enjoy your drive!
back then, my 1989 sho 3.0 v6 redlined at 7200 rpm.
current v6 honda still can't match that. :surprise:
You realize that was a Yamaha engine....right?
i kind of think of the fusion as a possible sho 'lite'.
a v6/manual trans accord sedan sounds like my kind of niche car! i always have liked vehicles that are just a bit different(sleepers).
i will admit that the current accord for the most part has exceeded the envelope of a 19 year old performance oriented taurus. :P
I don't know if I see exactly what they are pointing out but you might get the picture.
my guess is most others don't either, although some do.