Goodbye Ford Fusion

[Hermann]

Yes, you are right, I just wish the trucks handled better, but that high center of gravity prevents that. Can't fight the laws of physics. When will we see the NEW Chevy El Camino? haha

With a couple of sandbags in the rear inside the wheel well humps, and one in the center of behind the cab to balance the F/R somewhat. You would be amazed how well a 2015-2020 F-150 handles. The double wishbone front suspension is very precise and over 35mph has a modicum of feel through the wheel that doesn't feel artificial. Was very surprised in the handling of my truck. Plus it tracks dead straight down the road with nice feedback as to what the wheels are doing. Combine that with the fake engine noise being pumped in, and those "Boy Racer" feelings come alive.

My next door neighbor has a 2013 Fusion with 125,000 miles on the clock and has been a good vehicle for her. Her only problem is a fan motor that is losing its bearing. It rides decent but has a front suspension that is getting a bit lose and noisy. She has the transmission drain and fill every 30K and it still shifts wonderfully. Overall been a good car

 

[mrsilv04]

We only have about 200 Fusion SE Hybrids in our fleet at work... they've bought them over and over and over.

I guess they'll start buying Escape SE Hybrids next.

 

[corster]

My 2009 Ford Fusion is still going strong.... but good chance my next vehicle is a Mazda 6 now that Ford is out of the sedan market.

 

[Leo99]

Why do some of you want ford to make a vehicle that doesn't sell? That's not good for Ford. It's a trend throughout the industry.

 

[parimento1]

Anyone who wanted a Fusion can get an Escape. Its basically the same thing.

 

[meep]

With a couple of sandbags in the rear inside the wheel well humps, and one in the center of behind the cab to balance the F/R somewhat. You would be amazed how well a 2015-2020 F-150 handles. The double wishbone front suspension is very precise and over 35mph has a modicum of feel through the wheel that doesn't feel artificial. Was very surprised in the handling of my truck. Plus it tracks dead straight down the road with nice feedback as to what the wheels are doing. Combine that with the fake engine noise being pumped in, and those "Boy Racer" feelings come alive.

I added a rear sway bar to my ‘18 and the steering precision has doubled. the handling, for a truck, and even some vehicles in general, is excellent and I /enjoy/ driving it. I prefer it to the typical fwd sedan by a mile, even if it can’t perform the same way. Note: oversteer comes sooner, especially with the taller sidewalls, which makes lending it out a little tricky.

 

[Hall]

but many sedans CAN do most everything most people use their trucks for....

Two weeks ago, I brought home a queen-size mattress and the floor "box" (doubles as a box spring, add legs and it's the bed 'frame' too) from IKEA. It took some creativity and luckily I only had our daughter with me. Only (2) people would fit once I loaded it up !! This was in our '14 Fusion.

Then again, I needed bags of mulch a few months ago and I had to drive my car and my son drove his to Lowes so we could each load up our trunks....

When we had our Odyssey, I brought home 4x4 fence posts, pickets, pebbles, and quik-rete cement to build a fence. Granted, I did this in multiple trips as I replaced an existing fence.

 

[philipp10]

Profit....that is the bottom line. New Bronco should make Ford lots $$$$$$. Dollars they can use to start investing to transition to electric and more hybrids. Without profit, they may be looking for a merger partner in the future if they expect to survive.

You got that right. Apparently a lot of older, can't see past next year people here. We are headed toward two scary changes for both Ford and GM. Electric cars and driver-less, subscription based services. In a decade or so.....good chance Ford has to merge or is out of business anyway. Might as well be as profitable as you can on the way to oblivion.

 

[parimento1]

Ford will be bankrupt soon. They have enormous debt.

 

[CKN]

You got that right. Apparently a lot of older, can't see past next year people here. We are headed toward two scary changes for both Ford and GM. Electric cars and driver-less, subscription based services. In a decade or so.....good chance Ford has to merge or is out of business anyway. Might as well be as profitable as you can on the way to oblivion.

Ford will be absorbed by another automaker within five years. VW has been said to be the major contender-but I wouldn't count out Hyundai/Kia. This IS NOT GOOD NEWS-https://www.fool.com/investing/2020/04/21/ford-is-losing-165-million-a-day-is-it-time-to-sel.aspx

 

[parimento1]

Ford will be absorbed by another automaker within five years. VW has been said to be the major contender-but I wouldn't count out Hyundai/Kia. This IS NOT GOOD NEWS-https://www.fool.com/investing/2020/04/21/ford-is-losing-165-million-a-day-is-it-time-to-sel.aspx

Yup they are a basketcase right now and have been for some time. There are newer articles with even more grim forecasts. I mean Chrysler is a dead man walking and basically a zombie brand at this point. I hope Ford does not suffer the same fate.

 

[csandste]

i simply don’t get why most folks buy trucks. my dear grampa was a ford man and a union carpenter. he hauled himself, a friend and their tools to worksites all over wmass in his one family vehicle, a ford sedan, summer and winter (with snow tires). the price of a new, tarted up truck or suv now seems to match the annual salary of most buyers, i.e. a poor financial decision. i wonder how many of these buyers have fully funded their 401k and ira each and every year?

As a certified oldefart I approve of this statement. Cars depreciate. If my Kia died a violent death I'd probably buy another one.

 

[CKN]

As a certified oldefart I approve of this statement. Cars depreciate. If my Kia died a violent death I'd probably buy another one.

While I don' totally disagree with your statement-there are those who can afford the vehicles they drive-and don't want to drive penalty boxes because life is too short.

I realize on this forum-buying a used vehicle and driving it to 300,000 miles is considered to be the pinnacle of "automotive excellence".

As for me-I will just replace them as I always have -right before 100,000 miles. Never had to deal with "issues" using this method.

 

[zzyzzx]

Another victim of the crossover/SUV market takeover. Too bad, they were decent cars for the money.

If my choice is a made in Mexico Fusion or a made in USA Escape, I'm getting the Escape.They cost the same and I can fit a decent amount of stuff in the Escape.

 

[JeffKeryk]

My cowboy friends tell me, "Ya ain't shxx if ya ain't got a truck."
I agree.

 

[john_pifer]

I’ve always thought there were much better choices for 4-door sedans than the Fusion.

But, then, my tastes tend towards Japanese, having owned 5 Japanese sedans - a 1987 Maxima 5-speed, 1990 Accord (automatic), 2004 Accord (5-speed), 2016 WRX (6-speed), and, now, the wife has a 2018 Civic Hatchback (6-speed).

The Fusion did offer a 5-speed manual for a while, but, with the 4-cylinder only. And it wasn’t what I’d call sporty, at all.

Yes, the Japanese sedans (Accord, Camry, Altima) have always been more $$$. But, IMHO, well worth it.

 

[xBa380]

I have never had any desire to own a truck, but I can see their benefit if you do a lot of Home Depot runs and hauling equipment, boats, etc... I'd say most people who have them hardly do that, though.

While big SUV's are nice for things such as road trips and whatnot, I prefer a (good) car any day of the week. Primarily due to driving dynamics, in which I want my car to drive like a go-kart, planted around turns and not feeling 'floaty'. I tend to actually get motion sick in many cars with soft suspensions, which is why even when I leased my Camry Hybrid, I went with the "SE" for a firmer suspension and the larger wheels. The standard (my Dad has one) is just way too floaty and soft. My Scion xB I bought in 2007 I ended up adding front/rear sway bars, larger wheels, lower/stiffer springs, etc... It was harsher, but I absolutely loved it.

Parents also have a 4-Runner TRD lease which is ending soon, and when I used it to pick up a new grill, it was also too floaty (and super loud). The Highlander they had years ago was real nice, but again... I can't see myself owning one.

Then you got the Prius, which my Dad had for many years and probably the worst of them all suspension wise. Horribly soft suspension, hated it. It drove like a SUV/Truck...

(Brother worked at Toyota for a long time, so my parents and him rotated through many Toyota leases over the years...).

I am sure some SUV options exist with far more firm suspensions, but you can't defy physics... The tall COG will never allow for the performance you get from being low. It was the biggest selling point, for me, of the Camaro I ordered. The handling was just flawless.

Sad to see sedans and such go away... It's just insane driving around and seeing the endless Jeeps, C-SUV's, SUV's and Trucks everywhere. It's getting more and more rare to come across normal sedans/coupes.

 

[Andrew1972]

Ford is not a relevant car maker however they are in the SUV and Truck area.

They are a one trick pony automaker.

 

[A_Harman]

Ford is not a relevant car maker however they are in the SUV and Truck area.

They are a one trick pony automaker.

And just a few short years ago, they won at LeMans with the new Ford GT.
And their Mustang is an excellent sport coupe. Maybe Ford can stretch the platform and make a 4-door sport sedan. That would be a whole lot more genuine than the Mustang Mach E, which is all about putting a silk purse name on a sow's ear car.
Not long after Ford announced that they were going to stop making cars, except the Mustang, GM started getting out of the car market, too. I took that as meaning that Ford is ahead of the curve. Trucks and SUV's have higher profit margin, and the automakers have to maximize income if they are going to survive.

 

[Hall]

Why do some of you want ford to make a vehicle that doesn't sell? That's not good for Ford.

Should Ford stop making the Expedition, Edge, Flex, and Mustang too then ? 'cause they sell more Fusions than those models.