gwilks98
03-10-2010, 10:49 PM
2010 Fusion Sport.
I bought almost everything.
263 horsepower
12 speaker 390W Sony speaker system.
Microsoft Sync
Multicolor ambient lighting
Keyless entry
Reverse sensing system
backup cam
rear cross traffic and blind spot alerts
heated side mirrors.
auto-dimming rearview
appearance package w/18" wheels
tire pressure monitoring
Leather seats
full moonroof
dual climate control
Pretty big "toy" upgrade from my 2000 intrepid.
If anyone's interested, here are my thoughts:
I REALLY wanted the VW 2010 CC. That is a SWEET car, but the add-ons really cause the price to jump. Mix that with a tilt-only sunroof and a half-assed bluetooth integration, and I figured the extra 10K wasn't worth it.
Enter the Fusion. Quieter ride, though not quite as fun on the highway. The CC can get away with 4 cyl, but if you want the Fusion to feel more sporty than family, get the big v6.
The biggest "get" for me was honestly it's sync capabilities. Cutting edge and updatable, the system pairs with just about any phone or bluetooth device. It downloaded my iPhone's address book and unlike the CC, allows me to voice dial any name in the address book. (Very valuable for an IT communications guy.) I can also control my iphone's ipod via bluetooh audio, though it doesn't work perfectly yet. There's a USB port in the console for your various mp3 players. I've been able to control and play music from my iphone and creative zen through this USB port and the quality is awesome. There's also an aux jack in the console if your mp3 player isn't compatible. Sync can also integrate with a nav system if you have it. I don't want to forget to add that it can use your phone's ringer and read you incoming texts if your phone can handle it. Really cool system.
The ambient lighting, though a gimmick, adds a bit of nightime flair to the interior, and you have 8 colors you can cycle through.
Blind spot indicator on the mirrors is helpful, but things like guardrails can be false positives. I love the rear view camera in the mirror, but the rear sensors have problems with distance when backing up towards things that are angled.
6 disc CD changer? Yawn. How about Dodge's idea: a flash hard drive that will rip your CDs to MP3 so you don't have to lug a case around?
Sony sound system: Loud and passable. It's not anywhere close to the CC's optional Dynaudio system, but you won't hear to many people complaining. I was a lot concerned that the two subs are not protected in the trunk. Exposed magnets and wires are bad for the speakers and your cargo if you're not attentive.
{updated}Ford's powered passenger seat is a joke. If you have to manually adjust the angle of the seatback, what's the point of powering the bottom half of the seat?
Appearance package really adds some flair to the exterior of the car. I don't like the look from the front, but the look from the side and rear will turn some heads for this class of car.
Storage space: the trunk seems large enough for the class. Back seats both fold down, but release from inside the trunk only. Console is small, and is lit with ambient lighting. Glovebox is small and doesn't appear to have a light.
{added}(It also doesn't lock)
Glovebox is also hard to use with a side passenger in the car. The "cell phone" compartment on the top/center of the dash is useless to me (I keep my phone in my pocket thanks to bluetooth) so it's eating up the space my garmin was going to go.
Roominess: Plenty of headroom for people up to 6', but you're not going to get much rear legroom for tall folks in this class. Honda felt like it was the winner, but Ford's passable.
Interior quality is again passable. (As long as you don't two-tone it with the blue bucket seats) No ugly ass zebra stripes like in the Mazda 6. Not nearly as nice as the CC, but doesn't feel overly cheap. Seats have a snug feel to them, and don't have that bland feeling that I got from the Camry. They must have used some nice dampening materials, as the bigger engine was still much quieter than the CC's turbo 4 banger and I could hear less "small road" noise. (The CC was silent on the highway, though, and gives you the feeling that the highway is its true home.)
Call quality: I have no idea where they hid the microphones, but the people on the other end of the phone could hear little to no road noise, echoing or static. The blinker was the only giveaway I was in a car. They could even hear passengers in the side and back seats, which was a clear improvement over my former boss's acura. (I hope you're not lurking here still, Mikey.) :) This cleary beat out Honda and Mazda too.
Usability: The steering wheel controls work ample enough, but the actual dash control system is very busy. I found myself taking my eyes off the road a little TOO long trying to find the right button. I'm pretty sure there's no all interior lights "on" button so I'm more than disappointed. I thought that was a standard these days. The back seat lights are in the very back (possibly due to the sunroof) so there's no hope of a driver reaching those to look at what fell behind the seat.
{added} Windows are apparently UV tinted.
Handling: I've driven the Accord, Mazda6, Mazda3, Camry, Genesis, and the CC. (Multiple different engines.) The only one that handles CLEARLY better on the test drives was the CC. (No I didn't test 0-60 or 60-0.)
The handling technology has changed so drastically to what I was used to: ABS, traction control, brake assist and mix that with a smaller car and it's hard to draw up a good opinion. The intrepid was so wide that the car had almost no "up and down" motion when turning. The fusion's agile, but compared to what I was used to, it felt like it wanted to roll rather than hug turns. Test drive one for yourself to see what you think of the handling.
{added} The sport version comes with that simulated manual transmission mode for those that like to control what gear they are in. I only found this useful on my Intrepid during snowy conditions when I could use the engine to slow the car down. Now that I have traction control, I dunno if I'll need it.
Powertrain: I'm still in the breakin period, but the powertrain is at times very smooth in shifting. Other times, the car wants to explode out the gates. There's the occasional bump when rolling close to idle then touching the gas pedal. (Something I had on my old car.) If you hammer it, the car gets fast quick, whether it be full of passengers, uphill, at 0 or at 60. Some of you guys are used to 400+ hp. I'm used to 200 in a full size 130,000 mile car, so go easy on my excitement here. :)
The biggest surprise I got was the satellite radio trial. The quality was noticably better than standard def (though not CD quality), and it really added to the fun of this car since I hate every radio station in this one horse town. I never thought I'd say this, but a 50 station subscription might be worth it.
I paid invoice for this car, which is missing only AWD and the Nav system, and I spent 8-10K less than the car I thought I wanted, all while getting 0%.
Things I would like to see down the road:
hard drive music system
enclosures on the speakers
trunk that assists in opening and closing.
push-start with keyless FOB. Seriously, the key is ugly compared to VW and Mazda.
a light in the damn glovebox
adaptive headlights (both for steering and road grade)
back seat power outlet
sexier look from the front - it's come a long way, but not far enough.
How about a glovebox with a power lock/unlock button in the driver seat, operating only with the key in the ignition, with a manual lock bypass? I know I'm dreaming here...
I hope those reading this found my "review" helpful.
I have to admit - it was a ton of fun taking the car, opening up the sunroof and windows at lunch and taking it for a quick run down Page at lunch in our first 70 degree day of the year.
I bought almost everything.
263 horsepower
12 speaker 390W Sony speaker system.
Microsoft Sync
Multicolor ambient lighting
Keyless entry
Reverse sensing system
backup cam
rear cross traffic and blind spot alerts
heated side mirrors.
auto-dimming rearview
appearance package w/18" wheels
tire pressure monitoring
Leather seats
full moonroof
dual climate control
Pretty big "toy" upgrade from my 2000 intrepid.
If anyone's interested, here are my thoughts:
I REALLY wanted the VW 2010 CC. That is a SWEET car, but the add-ons really cause the price to jump. Mix that with a tilt-only sunroof and a half-assed bluetooth integration, and I figured the extra 10K wasn't worth it.
Enter the Fusion. Quieter ride, though not quite as fun on the highway. The CC can get away with 4 cyl, but if you want the Fusion to feel more sporty than family, get the big v6.
The biggest "get" for me was honestly it's sync capabilities. Cutting edge and updatable, the system pairs with just about any phone or bluetooth device. It downloaded my iPhone's address book and unlike the CC, allows me to voice dial any name in the address book. (Very valuable for an IT communications guy.) I can also control my iphone's ipod via bluetooh audio, though it doesn't work perfectly yet. There's a USB port in the console for your various mp3 players. I've been able to control and play music from my iphone and creative zen through this USB port and the quality is awesome. There's also an aux jack in the console if your mp3 player isn't compatible. Sync can also integrate with a nav system if you have it. I don't want to forget to add that it can use your phone's ringer and read you incoming texts if your phone can handle it. Really cool system.
The ambient lighting, though a gimmick, adds a bit of nightime flair to the interior, and you have 8 colors you can cycle through.
Blind spot indicator on the mirrors is helpful, but things like guardrails can be false positives. I love the rear view camera in the mirror, but the rear sensors have problems with distance when backing up towards things that are angled.
6 disc CD changer? Yawn. How about Dodge's idea: a flash hard drive that will rip your CDs to MP3 so you don't have to lug a case around?
Sony sound system: Loud and passable. It's not anywhere close to the CC's optional Dynaudio system, but you won't hear to many people complaining. I was a lot concerned that the two subs are not protected in the trunk. Exposed magnets and wires are bad for the speakers and your cargo if you're not attentive.
{updated}Ford's powered passenger seat is a joke. If you have to manually adjust the angle of the seatback, what's the point of powering the bottom half of the seat?
Appearance package really adds some flair to the exterior of the car. I don't like the look from the front, but the look from the side and rear will turn some heads for this class of car.
Storage space: the trunk seems large enough for the class. Back seats both fold down, but release from inside the trunk only. Console is small, and is lit with ambient lighting. Glovebox is small and doesn't appear to have a light.
{added}(It also doesn't lock)
Glovebox is also hard to use with a side passenger in the car. The "cell phone" compartment on the top/center of the dash is useless to me (I keep my phone in my pocket thanks to bluetooth) so it's eating up the space my garmin was going to go.
Roominess: Plenty of headroom for people up to 6', but you're not going to get much rear legroom for tall folks in this class. Honda felt like it was the winner, but Ford's passable.
Interior quality is again passable. (As long as you don't two-tone it with the blue bucket seats) No ugly ass zebra stripes like in the Mazda 6. Not nearly as nice as the CC, but doesn't feel overly cheap. Seats have a snug feel to them, and don't have that bland feeling that I got from the Camry. They must have used some nice dampening materials, as the bigger engine was still much quieter than the CC's turbo 4 banger and I could hear less "small road" noise. (The CC was silent on the highway, though, and gives you the feeling that the highway is its true home.)
Call quality: I have no idea where they hid the microphones, but the people on the other end of the phone could hear little to no road noise, echoing or static. The blinker was the only giveaway I was in a car. They could even hear passengers in the side and back seats, which was a clear improvement over my former boss's acura. (I hope you're not lurking here still, Mikey.) :) This cleary beat out Honda and Mazda too.
Usability: The steering wheel controls work ample enough, but the actual dash control system is very busy. I found myself taking my eyes off the road a little TOO long trying to find the right button. I'm pretty sure there's no all interior lights "on" button so I'm more than disappointed. I thought that was a standard these days. The back seat lights are in the very back (possibly due to the sunroof) so there's no hope of a driver reaching those to look at what fell behind the seat.
{added} Windows are apparently UV tinted.
Handling: I've driven the Accord, Mazda6, Mazda3, Camry, Genesis, and the CC. (Multiple different engines.) The only one that handles CLEARLY better on the test drives was the CC. (No I didn't test 0-60 or 60-0.)
The handling technology has changed so drastically to what I was used to: ABS, traction control, brake assist and mix that with a smaller car and it's hard to draw up a good opinion. The intrepid was so wide that the car had almost no "up and down" motion when turning. The fusion's agile, but compared to what I was used to, it felt like it wanted to roll rather than hug turns. Test drive one for yourself to see what you think of the handling.
{added} The sport version comes with that simulated manual transmission mode for those that like to control what gear they are in. I only found this useful on my Intrepid during snowy conditions when I could use the engine to slow the car down. Now that I have traction control, I dunno if I'll need it.
Powertrain: I'm still in the breakin period, but the powertrain is at times very smooth in shifting. Other times, the car wants to explode out the gates. There's the occasional bump when rolling close to idle then touching the gas pedal. (Something I had on my old car.) If you hammer it, the car gets fast quick, whether it be full of passengers, uphill, at 0 or at 60. Some of you guys are used to 400+ hp. I'm used to 200 in a full size 130,000 mile car, so go easy on my excitement here. :)
The biggest surprise I got was the satellite radio trial. The quality was noticably better than standard def (though not CD quality), and it really added to the fun of this car since I hate every radio station in this one horse town. I never thought I'd say this, but a 50 station subscription might be worth it.
I paid invoice for this car, which is missing only AWD and the Nav system, and I spent 8-10K less than the car I thought I wanted, all while getting 0%.
Things I would like to see down the road:
hard drive music system
enclosures on the speakers
trunk that assists in opening and closing.
push-start with keyless FOB. Seriously, the key is ugly compared to VW and Mazda.
a light in the damn glovebox
adaptive headlights (both for steering and road grade)
back seat power outlet
sexier look from the front - it's come a long way, but not far enough.
How about a glovebox with a power lock/unlock button in the driver seat, operating only with the key in the ignition, with a manual lock bypass? I know I'm dreaming here...
I hope those reading this found my "review" helpful.
I have to admit - it was a ton of fun taking the car, opening up the sunroof and windows at lunch and taking it for a quick run down Page at lunch in our first 70 degree day of the year.