Ford Fusion

[Legacy777]

I had this car as a rental car last week. It really was a pretty decent car for a ford. TONS better then most of the crap I get from the rental places

http://www.main.experiencetherave.com:8 ... ordfusion/

[entirelyturbo]

What did you rent it for?

I sat in a Mercury Milan at the last car show, and I was impressed with the fit and finish (maybe coz it was a Mercury ). The only thing I don't like on the Fusion are the massive chrome grill (same goes for the Mercury), or the Altezza taillights...

[Kelly]

Kinda nice to hear a decent reveiw of a domestic. Ford and GM are taking such a major assbeatin, I really hate to see so many americans loose their jobs. It will be interesting to see their last ditch efforts, this looks like the begining.

[evolutionmovement]

My Mazda 3's a pretty nice car for the money and they come cheaper than what I paid. It's basically the new generation European Focus. They really should sell it here, especially as it's supposed to be better quality even than the Mazda. The rally car looks sick and is doing well this year. The Mazda's still no Subaru, but that's a damn tough thing to live up to. The domestics just have to get their shit together in terms of deciding what they want to do. Building cut-rate cars is generally not the answer and trying to be in between is even worse.

Steve

[entirelyturbo]

I test-drove a Mazda5 manual last week at my job, and my thoughts were as follows:

1) Like all inline-4's. No low-end torque!!! I seriously had my foot almost to the floor, and it didn't do shit until 4000rpm. Once there, it moved nicely, but God that pussiness down low gets on my nerves. Subaru - 1

2) Rode pretty damn good. It was firm enough that it felt sporty, but not bone-jarring. Handled as well as a small minivan would. This isn't really a fair judgement, as my cars are old, but I've driven new Subarus, and I might have to give this one to the Mazda.

3) Lots of room! Anyone sitting in it (at least the front two rows) would think it's a full-size minivan. We all know that vast improvements have been made in making smaller cars roomier these days, and simply for that, it has to go to the Mazda.

4) Quality? Let's just say that I understood that the 5's were not only recalled, but sales of them were halted because something about the cat convertor gets too hot and the heatshields are insufficient and some cars were catching fire. 5's are 95% built in Japan, that part must be the 5% built only by Ford. This one goes to Subaru.

Then once you throw in the personality that a Subaru has over just about any other car on the market, and Subaru wins.

[evolutionmovement]

A 4 cylinder is too small for a minivan. Try the 2.3 in the 3. (Would love to see the Mazdaspeed6 drivetrain in it) Still less torque and lower gearing than the Subaru in spite of variable valve timing and intake, but not bad. Better mileage at over 100, though. Springs are too soft and shocks a little too stiff, but grips like a mofo comapred to the wagon ... until it understeers and then it just plows or comes back into line, but there's no hanging out the rear end like the wagon. Wagon with fresh GR2s has much better suspension travel, ground clearance, and rides a little better, but at this point with the GR2s on their way out (gone too stiff as a prequel to blowing out) the 3 rides better. For the money, I still feel it's the best NEW car. Already have 14k on it and I drive like an absolute asshole. 100+ every day and lots of redline, still 26 mpg. As fast as the wagon was at it's happiest (~150k) - this car's too damn heavy and not as stiff feeling. I guess I have a bunch of airbags and the stereo kicks the Subaru's ass. I could have an Aston Martin and still find a hundred reasons my Subaru is better. I wonder if I should bother buying an Elise.

If the Euro Ford Focus is better, I'd realy like to drive it. I'll be up on the warranty on this car in another year or so and don't want to spend more than $300/month. Subaru doesn't make a new car that cheap and I need something new to rely on for my job now. I think Ford has the ability to do somehting right if they could only focus it (no pun intended).

Steve

[import_freak]

Having driven a zephyr and milan (i work at a lincoln mercury dealership). They really some pretty nice cars. Front end of the zephyr looks a heck of alot better.

[93forestpearl]

IIRC, the Fusion and the Xypher(sp) use the Mazda6 chassis.

[555BCTurbo]

Kinda nice to hear a decent reveiw of a domestic. Ford and GM are taking such a major assbeatin, I really hate to see so many americans loose their jobs. It will be interesting to see their last ditch efforts, this looks like the begining.

No no, you mean you don't want to see a bunch of Canadians and Mexicans lose their jobs....

Seriously, my friend was asking me what kind of car she should get, but added that her dad said she should buy American, cause it keeps people working...so I said buy a Toyota, because I think they make more cars in America than any of the Big 3.


There is a reason Ford and GM are taking such an assbeating...cause their quality is terrible...and they still like pushrods...

[wiscon_mark]

Kinda nice to hear a decent reveiw of a domestic. Ford and GM are taking such a major assbeatin, I really hate to see so many americans loose their jobs. It will be interesting to see their last ditch efforts, this looks like the begining.

No no, you mean you don't want to see a bunch of Canadians and Mexicans lose their jobs....

Seriously, my friend was asking me what kind of car she should get, but added that her dad said she should buy American, cause it keeps people working...so I said buy a Toyota, because I think they make more cars in America than any of the Big 3.


There is a reason Ford and GM are taking such an assbeating...cause their quality is terrible...and they still like pushrods...

yup

[Legacy777]

What did you rent it for?

Because I needed a car, and that's what Avis gave me

[subawhatsubawho]

Last time I checked Subarus are made in america...right.

[wiscon_mark]

Last time I checked Subarus are made in america...right.

Legacies and Tribecas are.

[Subaru_Nation555]

I still think most American cars are ugly and the Fusion is no exception. I really hate Ford and GM but people losing their jobs is never a good thing.

[entirelyturbo]

Because I needed a car, and that's what Avis gave me

Last time I checked, you have a very nice Legacy you could be driving, and also a Nissan truck

Last time I checked Subarus are made in america...right.

Have you seen my avatar on the other Subie boards?

[subawhatsubawho]

I only belong to this board and Nabisco.

[Legacy777]

Because I needed a car, and that's what Avis gave me

Last time I checked, you have a very nice Legacy you could be driving, and also a Nissan truck

Yes,

But those vehicles were in Houston, I happened to be in Greenville, SC.

[scottzg]

1) Like all inline-4's. No low-end torque!!!

cyl configuration has no bearing on torque output.

Wagon with fresh GR2s has much better suspension travel

Dead struts provide just as much travel as new ones.

[evolutionmovement]

Nothing to do with travel. The struts get stiff as hell prior to blowing out completely. Stiff struts just bang around and the car skips over mid turn bumps like a live axle car. I can still jump islands and blast down dirt roads, it's just a lot less comfortable.

Steve

[wiscon_mark]

1) Like all inline-4's. No low-end torque!!!

cyl configuration has no bearing on torque output.

right. Although you could say that anyone driving a 4cyl isn't very interested in low end torque, and most 4cyl vehicles have I-4s.

[JasonGrahn]

Fusion is a good car, much better then any current USA ford product (europe gets all the cool shit)



http://www.hrsprings.com/site/projects/fusion/body.html

[entirelyturbo]

Yes, gentlemen, but most newer inline-4's have balance shafts to help smooth out their natural vibrations, and they do require energy to turn, and that is energy that's not making it to the wheels. We, having perfectly balance engines, do not need balance shafts.

There are other factors too (like the 5 being a minivan of sorts), but the balance shaft is a big part of it.