I've been watching these topics since I first spotted the stylish Fusion and wanted to find out all the dirt I could. Once I was pretty happy with the 'inside track' I figured I'd take a further peek and pursue this car. I won't be buying till next fall when 07's come out- I'm aiming for a Fusion w/ the promised AWD (if they're out by then) - SEL V6, leather, and the audiophile stereo.
Heres my story (hang on, this could get lengthy):
To date I have owned 2 Chryslers, a Chevy, and 2 Toyotas and Mitsu. 3000GTvr4. My wife has owned 2 buicks and currently drives Grandmas 93' Ford escort with a 1.9 and 50k miles. Of those, my first Chrylser was an old bulletproof beast with a 318, till I couldn't fix the electrical problems anymore. The newest Chrysler concorde was in and out of the shop more than even any warranty company would dream possible. I loved the ride and handling but not the service area. The Toyota pickup was a bulletproof 4cyl. 4x4. Though it had all of 125 hp, I abused the clutch, motor and suspension like no other. I needed to consistently squeeze every available HP out of it, which kept the tach at a consistent 6000 rpm. It ran like the dickens. Now I currently own a 2000 Toyo 4runner. Except for the semi-bland styling, and that it lacks about 50hp- it's a dream. At 80k miles it has no squeaks or rattles and is solid as a rock, even with the towing I do. I hope to get 250k miles out of this thing. I'm that kind of person. I know what matters on a car and what should last, as well as where the horsepower should be. If you know the VR4, you know what I'm talking about. It's he** on wheels. I keep my vehicles consistently maintained and cleaned. Except for a tiny paint chip or two- they'll look no different then when I drove them off the lot the first time.
All that said- you could see why with regular check-ups, and pretty good automotive knowledge, I want a dependable vehicle. Since the japs havent mechanicly failed me, I didnt want to leave them. But their somewhat odd styling (I prefer european style) left me wanting more bang for my buck. Since my wife loves her escort, the replacement will be the Fusion. Bravo Ford- you'll sell a lot of these.
So I was driving down 'dealer row' with the wife yesterday. We were on the way to other places, vehicle shopping not even on her list. But I had an ulterior motive. I pulled right into the Ford dealership. Low and behold, there sat two Fusions. One Dune Pearl & the other- Silver Frost. Opposite were two Milans (just a glance went their way) I said 'Lets have a look- maybe we'll get a test drive.' I had already looked before, but I needed to get inside one of these for scrutinizing.
I was looking over the car - neither were leather interior.
Within minutes, a salesman came out. Luckily for me, selling was not his high point. I just needed him for a test drive. I asked him if he had any with leather on the lot. He said probably one in the back. He was right. Lucky guess. (Though in green tungsten, yuck). We soon had the keys and I went to town. Again, neither the salesman nor my wife were prepared for my thorough review.
-First Post-
- Let's start with the key fob. Love the integration, but it'll probably cost 300 clams to replace if it breaks. The doors lock and unlock silently. Great but I'd have to rely on a good RF signal for assurance. I couldnt tell if the doors were unlocked, so I repeated the sequence. And I didn't notice a light flash like on my 4runner. Does it need a security system? Surely it will be an option as there are two more slots on the fob that could easily accomodate this and an auto-start function, maybe in 07' or after market?
- Then I open the trunk (wife and salesman were already inside and buckeled) Plenty of room, for even 2 large and 2 small suitcases + more. I'm happy.
- I climb in and out of the drivers seat a few times. Then I do the same with the backseat. I open the rear door and climb in next to the salesman (he just looks at me perplexed) I'm 6 foot. No problem here either. The seats have an easy not too smooth/rough feel. The sit-down height is perfect for the car.
- I start the car and watch the gauges. Smooth response- and only 17 miles on the odo. I played with all the controls- temp/radio (sounded great even with the standard audio system) and steering column tilt and controls. All great. Now the dash and that center extra compartment. Great feature, but cheesy button lock/feel. After cycling it 5/6 times it seemed a little better. The seat controls- very good. I told the salesman it was a bonus the seatback itself was a lever and not motorized, because it was the most used and therefore the first to break. But it needed a little more spring.
- The armrest and shift lever- perfect spot for my drive syle and frame. The cupholders - 6 are great. Including the ones in the doors. The rear seat armrest/cupholders are good too. But let's push the envelope. If I have 3 backseat passengers (We routinely do) Where do we put those needed grande Starbucks?
The drive:
- I then pull out of the space and notice the steering is like my 1980 chrysler. It could be turned with a pinky. A good thing at low speeds and parking lots.
- I go to take a turn and hit the turn signal- and notice the stalk lever is positioned just a bit far from the wheel. making those 'touch-blink' changes difficult while at 9 and 3 or 10 and 2.
- I ask my salesman where the usual route is. He says- 'don't worry, go wherever you want.' 8) It must be a slow day. I didn't however, because I'll be back for a more thorough drive another time. Today was just the meet and greet, like a first date. I also took it easy on the drive but did a few slaloms down a less-traveled but bumpy road to see what that was like. Again the steering was very responsive, note not 'mushy' but rather speed sesitive. The easy turn had all but gone away. Not expected in a vehicle with all these options and under 25K. No body roll, I can tell the suspension and tires love a little action now and again.
- The motor & tranny. Despite a few other posts and recognizing I was still in the break-in, I didn't push it too hard. I didn't notice as someone else posted the tranny find-a-gear issue. I was looking for it too, and even tried a wide speed range to find it. Maybe next drive will be different. Power? Above 20mph response is great, and I haven't even been on the highway.
Heres the big rant - I romped on the gas just once pulling from a stop. I know it only had 17 miles, but whats the problem here? It reved to 5000K through 2 gears and about an 100 yards later I was only going about 35mph. Now I wasn't trying to bake my tires, just feel the torque. To put it lightly- theres no go! Is something wrong? I was disapointed. It was like a mirage- could all my dreams be smashed? I don't need 300hp but c'mon something better than that. Our 1.9 escort is better. I'm absolutely serious. But I'm not giving up. It's getting another drive at a later date, with a planned backroads route & highway (hopefully my laid back salesman's still there).
- A car in front of me passes through a muddy puddle and it sprays my windshield. I hit the stalk-wiper-turn-signal lever and low and behold I flick the high beams on by accident. But all i wanted was a mist. How unfortunate.
- Lastly, we pull back into the lot. I don't expect much from my salesman, but he couldn't figure out how to release the seatbacks so I could play with the way they fold down. and see the space. Another salesman comes out and he cant figure it out either. They claim they cant keep these cars on the lot, maybe this is why they're unfamiliar with the details? A few minutes later, the sales manager comes out and berates them. Then he reaches into the trunk and shows us the 2 levers.It was amusing. I then felt like an idiot. I even had my head in the trunk. There they were plain as day, but just slightly out of eyesight. Another great feature though, because you could fold the seat down without going into the back seat if needed, like when my wife buys those rta IKEA boxes that need the precious 54" of length.
So we go in for info. I get a card, brochure and handshake, and tell em' I'll be back. Gloves off next time. For first impressions, I see this car with my last name on the registration. Just give me the torque I need, as is promised in the brochure (multiple times).
Stay tuned for another Test Drive & please let me know what I may be missing as well as the torque issue.
Heres my story (hang on, this could get lengthy):
To date I have owned 2 Chryslers, a Chevy, and 2 Toyotas and Mitsu. 3000GTvr4. My wife has owned 2 buicks and currently drives Grandmas 93' Ford escort with a 1.9 and 50k miles. Of those, my first Chrylser was an old bulletproof beast with a 318, till I couldn't fix the electrical problems anymore. The newest Chrysler concorde was in and out of the shop more than even any warranty company would dream possible. I loved the ride and handling but not the service area. The Toyota pickup was a bulletproof 4cyl. 4x4. Though it had all of 125 hp, I abused the clutch, motor and suspension like no other. I needed to consistently squeeze every available HP out of it, which kept the tach at a consistent 6000 rpm. It ran like the dickens. Now I currently own a 2000 Toyo 4runner. Except for the semi-bland styling, and that it lacks about 50hp- it's a dream. At 80k miles it has no squeaks or rattles and is solid as a rock, even with the towing I do. I hope to get 250k miles out of this thing. I'm that kind of person. I know what matters on a car and what should last, as well as where the horsepower should be. If you know the VR4, you know what I'm talking about. It's he** on wheels. I keep my vehicles consistently maintained and cleaned. Except for a tiny paint chip or two- they'll look no different then when I drove them off the lot the first time.
All that said- you could see why with regular check-ups, and pretty good automotive knowledge, I want a dependable vehicle. Since the japs havent mechanicly failed me, I didnt want to leave them. But their somewhat odd styling (I prefer european style) left me wanting more bang for my buck. Since my wife loves her escort, the replacement will be the Fusion. Bravo Ford- you'll sell a lot of these.
So I was driving down 'dealer row' with the wife yesterday. We were on the way to other places, vehicle shopping not even on her list. But I had an ulterior motive. I pulled right into the Ford dealership. Low and behold, there sat two Fusions. One Dune Pearl & the other- Silver Frost. Opposite were two Milans (just a glance went their way) I said 'Lets have a look- maybe we'll get a test drive.' I had already looked before, but I needed to get inside one of these for scrutinizing.
I was looking over the car - neither were leather interior.
Within minutes, a salesman came out. Luckily for me, selling was not his high point. I just needed him for a test drive. I asked him if he had any with leather on the lot. He said probably one in the back. He was right. Lucky guess. (Though in green tungsten, yuck). We soon had the keys and I went to town. Again, neither the salesman nor my wife were prepared for my thorough review.
-First Post-
- Let's start with the key fob. Love the integration, but it'll probably cost 300 clams to replace if it breaks. The doors lock and unlock silently. Great but I'd have to rely on a good RF signal for assurance. I couldnt tell if the doors were unlocked, so I repeated the sequence. And I didn't notice a light flash like on my 4runner. Does it need a security system? Surely it will be an option as there are two more slots on the fob that could easily accomodate this and an auto-start function, maybe in 07' or after market?
- Then I open the trunk (wife and salesman were already inside and buckeled) Plenty of room, for even 2 large and 2 small suitcases + more. I'm happy.
- I climb in and out of the drivers seat a few times. Then I do the same with the backseat. I open the rear door and climb in next to the salesman (he just looks at me perplexed) I'm 6 foot. No problem here either. The seats have an easy not too smooth/rough feel. The sit-down height is perfect for the car.
- I start the car and watch the gauges. Smooth response- and only 17 miles on the odo. I played with all the controls- temp/radio (sounded great even with the standard audio system) and steering column tilt and controls. All great. Now the dash and that center extra compartment. Great feature, but cheesy button lock/feel. After cycling it 5/6 times it seemed a little better. The seat controls- very good. I told the salesman it was a bonus the seatback itself was a lever and not motorized, because it was the most used and therefore the first to break. But it needed a little more spring.
- The armrest and shift lever- perfect spot for my drive syle and frame. The cupholders - 6 are great. Including the ones in the doors. The rear seat armrest/cupholders are good too. But let's push the envelope. If I have 3 backseat passengers (We routinely do) Where do we put those needed grande Starbucks?
The drive:
- I then pull out of the space and notice the steering is like my 1980 chrysler. It could be turned with a pinky. A good thing at low speeds and parking lots.
- I go to take a turn and hit the turn signal- and notice the stalk lever is positioned just a bit far from the wheel. making those 'touch-blink' changes difficult while at 9 and 3 or 10 and 2.
- I ask my salesman where the usual route is. He says- 'don't worry, go wherever you want.' 8) It must be a slow day. I didn't however, because I'll be back for a more thorough drive another time. Today was just the meet and greet, like a first date. I also took it easy on the drive but did a few slaloms down a less-traveled but bumpy road to see what that was like. Again the steering was very responsive, note not 'mushy' but rather speed sesitive. The easy turn had all but gone away. Not expected in a vehicle with all these options and under 25K. No body roll, I can tell the suspension and tires love a little action now and again.
- The motor & tranny. Despite a few other posts and recognizing I was still in the break-in, I didn't push it too hard. I didn't notice as someone else posted the tranny find-a-gear issue. I was looking for it too, and even tried a wide speed range to find it. Maybe next drive will be different. Power? Above 20mph response is great, and I haven't even been on the highway.
Heres the big rant - I romped on the gas just once pulling from a stop. I know it only had 17 miles, but whats the problem here? It reved to 5000K through 2 gears and about an 100 yards later I was only going about 35mph. Now I wasn't trying to bake my tires, just feel the torque. To put it lightly- theres no go! Is something wrong? I was disapointed. It was like a mirage- could all my dreams be smashed? I don't need 300hp but c'mon something better than that. Our 1.9 escort is better. I'm absolutely serious. But I'm not giving up. It's getting another drive at a later date, with a planned backroads route & highway (hopefully my laid back salesman's still there).
- A car in front of me passes through a muddy puddle and it sprays my windshield. I hit the stalk-wiper-turn-signal lever and low and behold I flick the high beams on by accident. But all i wanted was a mist. How unfortunate.
- Lastly, we pull back into the lot. I don't expect much from my salesman, but he couldn't figure out how to release the seatbacks so I could play with the way they fold down. and see the space. Another salesman comes out and he cant figure it out either. They claim they cant keep these cars on the lot, maybe this is why they're unfamiliar with the details? A few minutes later, the sales manager comes out and berates them. Then he reaches into the trunk and shows us the 2 levers.It was amusing. I then felt like an idiot. I even had my head in the trunk. There they were plain as day, but just slightly out of eyesight. Another great feature though, because you could fold the seat down without going into the back seat if needed, like when my wife buys those rta IKEA boxes that need the precious 54" of length.
So we go in for info. I get a card, brochure and handshake, and tell em' I'll be back. Gloves off next time. For first impressions, I see this car with my last name on the registration. Just give me the torque I need, as is promised in the brochure (multiple times).
Stay tuned for another Test Drive & please let me know what I may be missing as well as the torque issue.
