Looking at Ford Fusions

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krismoriah72

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In the next month i am looking to buy a used Ford Fusion. On my Radar is the 2010 (refresh) vs the 2013 2nd gens.

I cant find many comparisions of both cars so maybe some Fusion owners will chime in.

Reasons for wanting a Fusion- I have took a new job and my round trip is around 140 highway miles.. My Honda Fit is thrifty but is not a good highway car at all. I am currently getting 33mpg by pushing it hard to and from work.. i believe the Fusion will get the same MPG without working as hard and pushing its limits.

The 2010-2012 thoughts are the SEL which gets me the Sony 12 speaker sound system along with a few luxury items.

The 2013 and up i will have to look at the Titanium to get an upgraded Sony sound system.

With either generation I am ONLY looking at the 2.5 duratec.

Questions- is the Sony system worth the upgrade? or is the base sound 'pretty good'? I am not an audiophile but spending 3 hours per day in a vehicle its nice to unwind and enjoy the trip.

Are the main differences in a 2012 and a 2013 just cosmetic?

From what i can tell the 2013 gets you front MacPherson Struts vs Double Wishbone... better ride?


So in summary- I want a 30mpg highway cruiser that is low maintenance, parts are plentiful and cheap, easy to service, quiet, plush ride, spacious and a bargain yet somewhat fun to drive and not a chore. Is the Fusion for me?
 
Double wishbone is theoretically superior. When it goes into a corner the camber change plants the tire better-- you don't get as good geometry with Macphersons.
 
I would stick with the '10-'12. Better suspension and easier to work on.

DON'T focus on the Sony stereo. It sucks. All is adds is 2 "woofers" in the back deck and a center speaker. You can put together a stereo that sounds better on your own. I have yet to hear a Sony stereo in any Ford product that sounds good. It's unfortunate that you're only looking at the 2.5, if you went for an MKZ you could get the THX stereo. That, in my opinion, is worth getting. It sounds worlds better than the Sony.

2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid

You could always go after the unicorn... the one year only (of that style) MKZ hybrid!
 
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Originally Posted by Danno
What's your budget?


Dont really have a budget. I pd $12K for the Fit which was a great end of the year deal at the time and have gotten 60K trouble free miles except for brake quirks and the impossible to find tire size.

Under $14K sounds reasonable.
 
Originally Posted by 14Accent
I would stick with the '10-'12. Better suspension and easier to work on.

DON'T focus on the Sony stereo. It sucks. All is adds is 2 "woofers" in the back deck and a center speaker. You can put together a stereo that sounds better on your own. I have yet to hear a Sony stereo in any Ford product that sounds good. It's unfortunate that you're only looking at the 2.5, if you went for an MKZ you could get the THX stereo. That, in my opinion, is worth getting. It sounds worlds better than the Sony.

2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid

You could always go after the unicorn... the one year only (of that style) MKZ hybrid!


I saw that the MKZ is a high end Fusion... im kind of old minded that the Lincolns have much more complex electricals and gadgets to go wrong...and causes things to be more complicated than i need. Perhaps that has changed.. I just like that the Fusion is also a heavy fleet use car and parts are cheap and plentiful.
 
Originally Posted by krismoriah72


I saw that the MKZ is a high end Fusion... im kind of old minded that the Lincolns have much more complex electricals and gadgets to go wrong...and causes things to be more complicated than i need. Perhaps that has changed.. I just like that the Fusion is also a heavy fleet use car and parts are cheap and plentiful.




That's exactly what it is, but the underlying systems are the exact same. I can't imagine there's anything "extra" to keep you out of a Lincoln vs. a Fusion. The parts are the same, so finding them won't be difficult. Also, the prices are basically the same now BUT the Lincoln's will, on average, have less mileage on them. Just a suggestion!
 
I own both a 2007(2.3) and a 2017(2.5) Fusion. See my sig below. Both cars are sold(no rattles) and handle very well on the Interstate. I have driven the 2007 to Florida 21 times, once to Maine. I have driven the 2017 to Florida 3 times, and once to Colorado, and once to Maine. The 07 still runs great, with no oil consumption in my normal 10K OCI. The 17 is the same. The 17 has been trouble free, and the 07 has had a few minor problems but nothing serious. Great cars and it's a shame Ford is going to stop making them. A friend has a 2010 Fusion with about 200K and it still runs great. PM me for more details.
 
Originally Posted by ZZman
If budget allows look at the 2010-2012 Fusion Hybrid.


Budget allows..but why would i look into the hybrid? Has the CVT which i do not want. More stuff to go wrong as well.
 
Originally Posted by krismoriah72
Originally Posted by ZZman
If budget allows look at the 2010-2012 Fusion Hybrid.


Budget allows..but why would i look into the hybrid? Has the CVT which i do not want. More stuff to go wrong as well.


Hybrid CVTs are totally different than belt driven CVTs. They are actually simpler and more reliable than traditional automatics.
Doing this many miles daily, I would definitely consider Fusion Hybrid. They use the same system as Toyota, but sellers don't demand the same premium as for Toyota. You will be getting 40mpg plus in a comfortable, mid-size sedan. I would at the very least compare the prices of Hybrid vs. non-hybrid versions in your area. If they are close, I would seriously consider one. They are not any less reliable than the non-hybrid versions.
 
The 10-12 Fusion seems to be popular on here lately

You might also like the Mazda 6.

A good Accord should be possible for 14k range. The 13+ Accord has indirect TPMS, so tire replacement will cost less (no need to change sensors in the wheel every few years), and the 4-cylinder Accord should still be simple enough in terms of maintenance.

The Civic can do 40 mpg highway.

For the radio, you can always get an aftermarket one from Crutchfield, and get Android Auto/Apple Carplay

14k could get you a brand new car.
 
Here is a good mpg comparison between the 2012 2.5L four cylinder model and the 2012 2.5L hybrid. I like using fuelly for this as it give real world results.
As you can see, the average difference is about 10mpg improvement. Pure highway may be a bit lower, but then again, looking at the graphs, regular Fusion tops out at 34mpg, while the hybrid version has many reports of 44+ mpg.

2012 Fusion SE mpg.jpg


2012 Fusion Hybrid mpg.jpg
 
Originally Posted by 14Accent
Originally Posted by krismoriah72


I saw that the MKZ is a high end Fusion... im kind of old minded that the Lincolns have much more complex electricals and gadgets to go wrong...and causes things to be more complicated than i need. Perhaps that has changed.. I just like that the Fusion is also a heavy fleet use car and parts are cheap and plentiful.




That's exactly what it is, but the underlying systems are the exact same. I can't imagine there's anything "extra" to keep you out of a Lincoln vs. a Fusion. The parts are the same, so finding them won't be difficult. Also, the prices are basically the same now BUT the Lincoln's will, on average, have less mileage on them. Just a suggestion!


another vote for the MKZ Hybrid.
A work mate had one and it was a tank: quiet, good window glass tech/not hot in the summer, comfortable
low prices and low miles.

Only question: is this part of the airbag debacle?

P.S. Tig1 has a LOT of knowledge about Fusions.... hence why his newer one has the "classic" 2.5
 
Can you get a '13 or newer in Titanium trim with the 2.5L engine ? It may be technically possible but I'll bet they're rare. Just checked the '14 "brochure" I have (we have a '14 Fusion) and it's not possible after all. On the Ti trim, the only engine available is the 2.0L Ecoboost. You do need the Ti trim to get the Sony audio system.

Differences between the Generation 1.5 and 2 are quite a bit - in the 2013+, the engines are all new except the carryover of the Mazda 2.5L. I think the chassis is all new as well, although it might just be an 'update' and not drastic change. The 2013+ also introduced many 'technology' related options (adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, etc).
 
Last edited:
Have a 2014 Fusion Hybrid Titanium …nice car but trans went out at 80k …
Think it had been fleet/rental …
Ford replaced trans despite being out of warranty ... I changed the ATF fluid at 107k …
Probably would not get a Hybrid …
 
Originally Posted by eljefino
Double wishbone is theoretically superior. When it goes into a corner the camber change plants the tire better-- you don't get as good geometry with Macphersons.


Don't disagree but he's doing a 140 commute not a run in the twisties. His question was which rides better, which means different things to different people but he mentioned plush ride. Maybe Tig1 can comment?
 
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