[cos]

I'm lovin' my new Fusion! I can't believe that such an amazing car can sell for under $16K OTD (with $1K rebate and 0.9% financing). Then when you consider all the standard equipment on this midsize it's almost an impossible value to beat. Did I mention that it's the best looking 4 door sedan on the road, is fun to drive, has a super smooth engine, great shifter/clutch and excellent brakes? Well it does.  8)

The only option I ordered was the Safety & Security package (side curtain airbags & alarm) which adds about $555 to the above price.

 

[chris06fusion]

I just got mine lastnight and I love my car! I have been driveing a sport trac for the last 3 years and it s such a treat to drive a car that drives so smooth. Congrats on your purchase.

 

[Metallicat]

Congrats on your purchase! How do you like the manual trans? I love mine! And yes, the engine is very, very smooth for a 4 cylinder and even smoother than some 6's of the not-too-distant past.

 

[shadowfall1976]

mine's not a stick, but I love the 4, I have the SEL so I did pay more around $21,000, but still I love it.
I had a V6 in my Ranger I last had and it only had 154Hp and didn't have the kick this car has at 160Hp
only 6Hp difference, but being a truck and this a great handling car, the difference was very noticable.
plus the gas mileage is more than doubled in the Fusion as opposed to the Ranger.

 

[cos]

Metallicat,

The manual trans is great.     I had this same trans (G5M) in my Escort ZX2 and ran it with synthetic fluid (Redline D4 ATF then Specialty Formulations MTL-P) and it while it shifted quite well it still wasn't as good as my Fusion's G5M and I just have 200 miles on it! I wonder if Ford improved/beefed up the trans some for this new application?

 

[Metallicat]

I didn't even know the ZX2 used the same trans as the Fusion. Did you notice any difference with the synthetic trans fluid in your Escort? How does your Fusion compare to the ZX2 in terms of straight line power? I drove a ZX2 auto and thought it was pretty quick for what it was. I think you'll like the 2.3 - I have over 3000 miles on mine now and am still amazed by its smoothness and refinement.

 

[cos]

My 5 speed ZX2 was almost definitely faster, it had a 4.10 axle as stock but boy did that cause to it rev high on the hwy. I'm sure the ZX2 was the quickest car in it's class. The car mags had it listed at a 16.2 ET in the 1/4 (mine had a modded air box, Iceman intake, Accel coil and 180 thermo). The Fusion turns about 500 rpm less at 70 MPH and is MUCH quieter. While the Zetec 2.0 was the model of reliabilty and got great gas mileage it made a hell of a racket at high rpm and the car had no sound insulation under the hood or on the firewall  so it was NOT quiet. The Zetec, as most four bangers are, was simply not as refined as our s-m-o-o-t-h  8)  Duratec 2.3. As for the synthetic fluid - yes it improved the shifting feel but more importantly it didn't breakdown and degrade shift quality like the OEM fluid (plain 'ol Mercon) did in only 8k. I think the Factory fluid in the Fusion's trans is Motorcraft Full Synthetic Manual Transmission Fluid XT-M5-QS.

 

[Metallicat]

The Fusion manual has a 4.39 axle ratio, but it probably weighs 500 lbs more than the Escort. I think the auto 2.3 has a 3.86 ratio. Full synthetic fluid sounds good to me! I'll have to see when they recommend changing it.

 

[cos]

4.39, I didn't know that. Interestingly the Fusion Owners Guide specs NON-SYN 75W90 gear oil. I wonder if that was a mistake in the manual. I'd guess if we have the Motorcraft Full Synthetic Manual Transmission Fluid  then it should be good for 100K. I'll probably change it out after 50K if it is indeed XT-M5-QS, a hell of a lot sooner if it's not.

 

[Metallicat]

16.2 in the quarter for a ZX2! I don't think our 2.3 Fusions can match that (at least not from the seat of the pants feel). That is about what my '95 V8 TBird ran, although it was a slug until 3000 rpm and was dead above 5000rpm. That car had a pretty narrow powerband for a V8, far less performance than a Fusion V6. I think I will eventually add a CAI to my car as well as a good 87 octane tune.