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Why (Not) the Ford Fusion?

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TrueDelta's "Why (Not) This Car?" reviews of the Ford Fusion, posted by owners, focus on the information most sought by many car buyers: the reasons to buy (or not buy) the Ford Fusion compared to other car models.

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Comparisons: Ford Fusion Preferred

Ford Fusion: Reasons to buy
Safety & braking: brakes work excellently and many safety features come standard
Materials & workmanship: Whole overall interior quality
Powertrain performance: smooth 3.0 V6 matched perfectly with 6spd auto
Quietness: engine sound is quite muted even under high RPM's
Handling: takes curves and corners quite well for a midsize family sedan
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Mercury Milan: Reasons not to buy
Powertrain performance: 2.3 I4 5spd auto was rather sluggish and would be only considered adequate. NOT for someone that likes effortless acceleration, and likes low end power that a V6 offers.
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Ford Fusion: Reasons to buy
Available features: Ford Sync is very useful "out of the box" and it will get free updates in the future which will add on even more features. Rear parking sensors are very convenient and make everything much easier for a klutz like me.
Reliability & durability: It's got a rock-solid rep. 5/5 JD Power reliability rating, plenty of positive auto mag reviews, and Consumer Reports says that it's even more reliable than the Toyota Camry.
Price or payments: You can typically find a good Fusion for less than a Malibu. I got a loaded '08 Fusion SE with ~7,000 miles priced at $14,499 for about $14k after trade-in (my beat-up '99 Cavalier), taxes, and fees.
Exterior styling: Rather than looking ultra-conservative or outrageous and in your face, the Fusion's design strikes a balance between the two - it's bold but classy. The Sport Appearance Package really makes it look like a "guy's car".
Handling: It handles like a race car! The ride is sporty without being rough.
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Chevrolet Malibu: Reasons not to buy
Front seat comfort: I tried the LS cloth, LT2 Ultralux, and LTZ leather seats...all of them were uncomfortable. Too little padding.
Rear seat room & comfort: Very uncomfortable; feels not unlike a park bench. There's no rear seat armrest and you don't have nearly as much leg room as in the Fusion.
Interior styling: The hard plastic, scooped out back seats w/their "net" pockets look cheap. Actually, the whole back seat area is pretty uninviting. There's no overhead sunglasses compartment or rear seat armrest.
Powertrain performance: 4-banger lacks power and seems to get consistently less than EPA ratings. The V6 engine is a beast but it has a widespread shuddering problem at ~1.5K RPM.
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Ford Fusion: Reasons to buy
Exterior styling: It's 2 years old and people still ask us what it is regulaly as it just turns heads.
Handling: Sport without being too rough, I like the happy medium between sporty without being rough as oppsed to the Camry style mushy ride.
Reliability & durability: So far no problems with the car, friends have Camry's purchased same time and have had numerous problems with them.
Powertrain performance: Great performance, 6 speed is much better than all the competitors transmissions we drove before we bought the Fusion.
Dealership practices: Easy dealership to get along with, always work to make sure we're happy.
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Ford Five Hundred: Reasons not to buy
Exterior styling: Not really an appealing or unapealing car. It makes a great car for us on a logical standpoint as it gets great fuel economy, has lots of room, is easy to get in and out of and performs adequitely, it generates no emotion.
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Ford Fusion: Reasons to buy
Handling: The Ford Fusion is rated quite highly for its handling among midsize sedans -- better than Camry and Accord I've read. The driving experience and exterior styling were primary reason for my purchase after the test drive.
Safety & braking: I felt the Fusion was a superior choice for safety and I also found it braked quite well when I test drove it for the first time.
Driving position & visibility: I found the driving visibility in the Ford Fusion to be excellent and I especially liked the size of its side mirrors and what you could see with them.
Fuel economy: The Fusion I-4 has excellent fuel economy and real-world experience has proven it gets better numbers that government testing. The more people I've talked to about the Fusion I-4 say they get an average of 28 mpg instead of the government rated 23-24 mpg
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Ford Fusion: Reasons to buy
Handling: The Ford Fusion is rated highly for its handling -- better than Camry and Accord, I've read. Personally I often have an enjoyable driving experience with the Fusion even for mundane trips.
Safety & braking: The Fusion has good braking capability and my SEL has a lot of safety features that I appreciate. I like that I could get side airbags (and other top-of-the-line amenities like premium audio) with an I-4 automatic.
Driving position & visibility: I find the Fusion has excellent visibility front and back. The side mirrors are also large enough to be effective in seeing around the car.
Exterior styling: What attracted me to the Fusion over other choices was that it had a "professional" or "businessman" appearance. I didn't want to drive a kid car. Some other choices I gave a look at in my purchasing decision either said "pedestrian", or "not me"
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Pontiac Vibe: Reasons not to buy
Front seat comfort: In the Vibe I rented, I had cloth seats and after driving a few hours they made my bottom hurt, like there wasn't as much cushioning as there could be. On shorter trips I couldn't feel this issue.
Driving position & visibility: It took me a while to get used to the front visibility on the Vibe and I think it could be improved. I found the front body pillars ( the A-pillars ) of the car sometimes interfered with visibility, largely because of the rake of the front windshield.
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Pontiac G6: Reasons not to buy
Front seat comfort: As a thin person, I felt uncomfortable with the way the body support is built in the G6. I could genuinely feel the supports in this car. A fat person might feel differently about the G6's support.
Driving position & visibility: Visibility in the G6 was not as good as I had wished. Rear visibility was okay, but the side mirrors were smaller than what I wanted.
Exterior styling: The Pontiac G6's exterior expresses "sporty" very well, but it didn't say "professional" or "white collar". Its styling seemed pretty good for a teenager or maybe a girly, but I wanted to elicit an appearance that I was not blue collar.
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Comparisons: Ford Fusion Not Preferred

Toyota Prius: Reasons to buy
Brand reputation & image: Toyota quality
Discounts & incentives: Excellent pricing was offered on a new outgoing Gen. 2 fully loaded model.
Audio & nav systems: They are excellent!
Reliability & durability: Toyota's Prius has an excellent track record so I know it won't be in the shop on a regular basis
Fuel economy: Averaging 42-45 mpg in first 45 days -
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Ford Fusion: Reasons not to buy
Discounts & incentives: Dealer stuck to factory pricing
Reliability & durability: This is a new car in hyrbid that has no track record
Price or payments: At list price this car offered very little the Prius did not, at a much higher cost
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Ford Focus: Reasons to buy
Handling: Very crisp and positive for a FWD sedan, especially one that sits so tall on its suspension. I have optional 17 inch wheel/tire package.
Fuel economy: Quite acceptable around town, due to light weight. Very impressive on the highway, where I've seen 35-41 mpg depending on elevation and slope.
Powertrain performance: Well-rounded two-liter engine with very responsive drive-by-wire throttle. Quiet at moderate revs and light throttle, with a little snarl when stood on. PZEV cleanliness. MTX-75 geared a bit short in first through third gears, good on hills and stop/go.
Price or payments: $16,700 is quite a bit of money for a two-liter four sedan, but the Focus has build quality and content that justify it pretty well.
Insurance & depreciation: Class-leading crash-worthiness test results yield affordable insurance rates andd some peace of mind.
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Ford Fusion: Reasons not to buy
Fuel economy: The non-hybrid four is pushing a lot of weight, so its city mileage suffers.
Powertrain performance: Too little power for the weight of the vehicle (four cylinder, MTX-75). Sluggish acceleration from a stop.
Price or payments: Payments would have been a bit over my budget for the four-cylinder; out-of-reach for the six (no manual, either, so no sale!)
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Saturn AURA: Reasons to buy
Exterior styling: The car has smooth lines with a hint of european styling.
Ride smoothness: It was a softer and smoother ride than other cars in its class.
Powertrain performance: The standard option 3.5L VVT V6 gave you pleanty of power for a base engine. The 4 speed tranny shifts as smooth as glass.
Interior styling: The materials used and the overall styling was a step above other cars in its class.
Discounts & incentives: I personally liked the 0% financing for 60 months.
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Ford Fusion: Reasons not to buy
Interior styling: It looked a bit on the cheap side
Powertrain performance: There was not enough get up and go with the 3.0L V6.
Ride smoothness: It was a harder/stiffer ride than I perfer.
Insurance & depreciation: I found out that insurance was a little more for this car than other cars in its class???
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Mazda Mazda6: Reasons to buy
Available features: Blind spot monitor, Bose stereo, bluetooth, push button start, Serius satelitte radio
Exterior styling: Very sporty slippery design, very easy to wash.
Control design: Very intuitive steering wheel controls that are easy to learn
Front seat comfort: Infinate seat positions
Ride smoothness: Handles most of the road bumps with very little jarring
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Ford Fusion: Reasons not to buy
Interior styling: very undintiguished vs. other Ford interiors
Available features: No Blind spot monitor but the SYNC system is fantastic-better than the Mazda's bluetooth
Control design: The controls are layed out in such a way that you often have to take your eyes off the road to adjust the heat , stereo and criuse control
Powertrain performance: It is a little dated (minor)-it's gas mileage is as good as my Mazda's but it stins mor on an uphill grade
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Mazda Mazda6: Reasons to buy
Powertrain performance: Since the Fusion and the Mazda 6 are essentially the same car, it came down to which was the preferred version. The Mazda has a very nice shifting 5 speed manual available in the V6.
Interior styling: The interior was much nicer, more pleasing to touch, more sporty and better crafted.
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Ford Fusion: Reasons not to buy
Powertrain performance: Same engine as the Mazda but no manual transmission for the V6? C'mon Ford, you can do better.
Interior styling: The Fusion interior looks nice in the pictures, but horrible in person, especially in comparison to the Mazda. It just felt and looked cheap, while the Mazda had class and refinement.
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Single Vehicle Reviews: Ford Fusion Pros and Cons

Ford Fusion: Reasons to buy
Audio & nav systems: The Sony system in the Fusion Sport reminds me of a similar system in my Acura. Very accurate with good bass and sterling highs. The SYNC system is great in that it's free for the first three years and bluetooth phone and iPod integration is perfect.
Interior styling: Nice materials and easy to use explains it all. Much better than the Honda or the Toyota.
Materials & workmanship: Everything seems to be put together well and this is coming from a Toyota Camry and Acura TSX owner. The only gripe is color choices, but charcoal gray is better than not having any choices at all.
Powertrain performance: Having owned many performance cars (including several Taurus SHO's, Mustang GT's, and others), I find this car superior in many aspects. It runs good and the new SelectShift transmission bests Chrysler and Acura slushboxes.
Quietness: It is a quieter car than many larger vehicles. In fact, it seems quieter than the Toyota Camry we owned for some time.
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Ford Fusion: Reasons to buy
Exterior styling: Front end restyling and back end restyling
Interior styling: Quality of materials, fit and finish, available features
Color choices: Good selection - love the tuxedo black
Audio & nav systems: excellent nav system very complete. Sync is awesome! Sony stereo is great
Materials & workmanship: fit and finish are excellent both inside and outside of car
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Ford Fusion: Reasons to buy
Exterior styling: I think that its a very one of a kind car, that you can spot a mile away. The Fusion doesn't blend into a parking lot like a lot of other midsize cars. Its a great looking car.
Interior styling: I love the black leather with contrast white stitching its a attractive feature. The gauges are awesome, they look great and are bright and easy to read. The blue back lighting to the switches is a great touch. Its has a great looking interior.
Powertrain performance: I find the 3.0 Litre V6 to be a very quick and refined motor. Its powerful and its has a deep angry growl that I love. The 6 Spd select shift transmission is excellent, I love using the manual feature very handy. 240hp is more than enough power!
Reliability & durability: I had a 2006 Ford Fusion SE V6 before my 2010 and it was an excellent car, and only got the 2010 because I fell in love with the looks of it. I put 65,000km on my 06 Fusion in 2 and a half years and no problems. It was a great and very reliable car.
Past personal experience: I had a 06 Fusion SE V6 before my 2010 that I loved. It was a amazing car that I loved to wash and fuss over. I do the same thing with my 2010. I bought the '10 because I loved my 06 so much. I fully expect my '10 to be great car as well.
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Ford Fusion: Reasons to buy
Powertrain performance: smooth, fun to drive
Price or payments: cheaper than toyota or honda
Quietness: very quiet ride
Available features: Moonroof, sync, safety features
Audio & nav systems: sync is great
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Ford Fusion: Reasons not to buy
Insurance & depreciation: does not hold resale value
Brand reputation & image: worried about long term reliability
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Ford Fusion: Reasons to buy
Exterior styling: Unfortunately vehicle aerodynamics and the need for good fuel economy have made most cars look very similar. The Fusion has managed to have its own look without sacrificing these.
Handling: This is the first front wheel drive car that I have driven that almost makes you forget that you are in a front wheel drive car. Nice tight handling without harshness,
Ride smoothness: This car is able to cover great distances with very little driver fatigue
Powertrain performance: The V6 has more than enough power and the 6 speed automatic always seems to know what you want to do. I almost don't miss a manual transmission.
Audio & nav systems: Sync has turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. My Blackberry works very well with it, and I really like being able to use a jump drive for music in an intelligent manner. The voice commands work well also.
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