100 miles in a new Fusion: meh

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I picked up a new fleet Fusion SE in Columbus yesterday and drove it back to our base.
It was pretty nice, although the steering seemed too direct for interstate driving and ride quality was overly firm for what is in no way a performance car.
As compared to our '12 Accord, this is a tiny car with no rear seat room and limited width for driver and passenger.
It's also noticeably slower than our Accord although it might loosen up with use, since it had but a hundred miles on it.
The Fusion was impressively quiet.
All in all, a really decent car for the money and it remains on my list of might buys for the purchase we'll make this year.
 
The Fusion was a perfectly nice car.
It did have a very comfortable driver's seat and it was impressively quiet.
It is not a Honda, but we've had and have other Fords and they've usually been very good machines.
The Fusion impressed me as not being as good a car overall as an Accord, but it still seemed to be a very good car.
An Accord also has room for four adults along with a car seat for a toddler. The Fusion doesn't, and would be not very comfortable for four adults alone on a long trip and we aren't tall. It has about the same interior space as a gen six Accord.
If we buy a Fusion, it'll be mainly a commuter and maybe a traveling car for me and my wife.
It would work well for that.
 
have a '15 one for work. Still has the normal shifter lever on the console. For '17 (and maybe '16 ?...) they went to those ridiculous dials for gear selection. Anyhow, I concur with your assessment except that the susp on the one assigned to me feels "just right", but then I like firm suspensions. It's a dog in "D" but slip the shifter back into "S" and it wakes up a bit and isn't bad at all for a four cyl. "S" feels like a very harmonious and optimal relationship between engine and trans, whereas "D" or normal mode feels kind of neutered. "D" will lug the engine at lower speeds until you press in half inch or so of travel on the pedal to force a downshift, else it keeps the car in the taller gear too low in the rpm range. I'm 6'2" and ingress/egress is a biatch.

Oh, and yes they are pretty quiet inside for a car of that trim level. Also sound very solid, tight, and substantial when you shut the doors. Can't drive with driver window the only one down or you get the wump-wump-wump buffeting sound above about 30mph. have to crack the rear's open a bit to relieve the turbulence.
 
The Fusion comes in 3 engine choices...2.5 NA, 1.5T and 2.0T.
The 2.5 may not be a race car but it's a very durable engine. The 2.0T seems to be the 'hotrod' of the group.

PS: Honda Accords were the best in the late 80s and early 90s but I'm not sure that's the case anymore...the fragile A/T in my 2001 was a turn-off.
 
The lack of width in the driver seat has been iritating me alot lately in new cars. Who wants a giant console blocking all the legroom?! I dont understand the trend...makes it hard for me to consider a new car.
 
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Originally Posted By: pbm
PS: Honda Accords were the best in the late 80s and early 90s but I'm not sure that's the case anymore...the fragile A/T in my 2001 was a turn-off.


You can put 350K miles on a 2010 Accord 2.4L transmission, they are that good.
 
Originally Posted By: bubbatime
Originally Posted By: pbm
PS: Honda Accords were the best in the late 80s and early 90s but I'm not sure that's the case anymore...the fragile A/T in my 2001 was a turn-off.


You can put 350K miles on a 2010 Accord 2.4L transmission, they are that good.


No one is getting 350k out of any auto transmission.
 
Originally Posted By: dishdude
Originally Posted By: bubbatime
Originally Posted By: pbm
PS: Honda Accords were the best in the late 80s and early 90s but I'm not sure that's the case anymore...the fragile A/T in my 2001 was a turn-off.


You can put 350K miles on a 2010 Accord 2.4L transmission, they are that good.


No one is getting 350k out of any auto transmission.


Actually, some are.

I recall the million mile Tundra which was big news in the Automotive press awhile back, which had the original drivetrain in it.

There was a fellow on a 4Runner forum who was approaching 800k on his all original drivetrain automatic transmission '99 4Runner, several years ago. If he still has it, he's likely exceeded one million miles by now.

Interestingly, both owners were in a similar line of work.
 
Originally Posted By: dishdude
Originally Posted By: bubbatime
Originally Posted By: pbm
PS: Honda Accords were the best in the late 80s and early 90s but I'm not sure that's the case anymore...the fragile A/T in my 2001 was a turn-off.


You can put 350K miles on a 2010 Accord 2.4L transmission, they are that good.


No one is getting 350k out of any auto transmission.


Really?! Our work car, a 96' Crown Victoria has 320,xxx miles currently with the same transmission/motor that came from the ford assembly line.

You want to place any bets on that 350k? Let me know,I'll gladly take your money!
 
The car did seem very well screwed together and the driver's door shut very solidly.
The A-pillar does swoop back quite a bit and is closer to the driver's head than what I'm used to.
Still, a very pleasant car overall and one that would probably give long service with little trouble.
A Fusion would be a car I could be happy with, especially considering the blowout deals you can get on them.
Cars in the current fuel price environment are a great value since everyone seems to think that they really need some thing truck-like instead.
 
Thats a lot of cars ! Where will you park them all. Do you have a parking strategy like this car will be at the end of driveway etc.:)
 
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I test drove a new Fusion when I was car shopping most recently and the seat just didn't like me. They are dealing on them, some local dealers had $6k or more off on new '17s.

There are 5 drivetrains I think...the 2.7 EB and there's a hybrid too, as far as I recall, in addition to the ones listed.
 
Hybrid and the Energi plug in ... we laughed to see them pushing a new Energi to the charge station when I bought my Hybrid - guess they shipped it dead.
 
Originally Posted By: dishdude
Originally Posted By: bubbatime
Originally Posted By: pbm
PS: Honda Accords were the best in the late 80s and early 90s but I'm not sure that's the case anymore...the fragile A/T in my 2001 was a turn-off.


You can put 350K miles on a 2010 Accord 2.4L transmission, they are that good.


No one is getting 350k out of any auto transmission.



333k on my Rav4 so far. And you know I don't change the fluid.
 
Originally Posted By: dishdude
Originally Posted By: bubbatime
Originally Posted By: pbm
PS: Honda Accords were the best in the late 80s and early 90s but I'm not sure that's the case anymore...the fragile A/T in my 2001 was a turn-off.


You can put 350K miles on a 2010 Accord 2.4L transmission, they are that good.


No one is getting 350k out of any auto transmission.
I disagree, The Getrag 4HP22 in my first 528e was going strong when the car was retired at 350K miles. The other 5 I had were just as stout.This was was the plain vanilla version. The "electronic" version was nowhere near as tough.
 
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