Refreshed Ford Fusion: More Horses, Six Gears, Better MPGs
Rather than let the Fusion expire on the proverbial vine, Ford is rolling-out updates to the midsize, Gillette-faced sedan that racked-up 149,552 sales last year (up 4.9 percent from '06). The Fusion's 2.3-liter four-cylinder workhorse is headed for a condo in Florida. The new four-pot: a 2.5-liter I4 mated to a six-speed automatic (booya!). No word if a manual will still be available, but the magic 8 ball says "don't get your hopes up." Meanwhile, Ford was raising dealers' expectations, promising best-in-class fuel economy for Ye Olde Fusion. That'd be north of 32 mpg highway. Power also rises from 160 to 170 horsepower (the unrevealed torque curve will really tell the story of the bump in displacement). Ford also announced they're preparing a more powerful V6 mill for the Mariner and Escape SUVs, most likely a version of the corporate 3.5-liter V6. If true, the Fusion and Milan would also probably upgrade to the new V6 (although this was not announced at the dealer event).
Immensely bored law student. I've also got 3 dogs.
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Thanks, Ford, for warning Fusion shoppers that they should wait a few months for the '09 model so they can have ESC (like the competition has had for a couple of years) and, better yet, wait until the 2010 model comes out if you want a competitive four cylinder engine and six-speed transmission. We would have been kicking ourselves for buying an '08 that's inferior on performance, safety, economy and trim quality. Dearborn, you once used the slogan "Ford has a better idea." It could still be a good line, but it would need to be updated to "Ford has a better idea but it's being kept on the shelf." Oh, and Detroit1701 -- omitting a heat gauge was cheap of Ford. Just goes to show it's time for a revival of the Boyce Moto Meter!
I think you will have to go to the new Mazda 6 for the manual tranny. And that will be out this summer. I believe it's a 2.4 L. Don't know if it's a Ford engine like the Dura-puke in the last 6-cylinder Mazda 6. Hopefully not. Hopefully it's a stroked and tuned 2.3 from the current gen Mazda engines. Same deal, though, more performance, better mileage in the new 6. Wagon? My dealer says yes, but that's probably just to get me back on the lot.
The Fusion would make an interesting plug in hybrid Volt killer would it not? Why are they too scared to be first to market with the plug in Escape?
100% absolutely agreed on the previous "Made in Mexico" point. Heck, Ford might as well make 'em in China and save some REAL money. Mainly, though, Fusion is essentially just a list of "what you can't get that Honda/Nissan/Toyota has had for years." The bugger for me is a "six-way power seat." For crying out freaking loud. I guess it's like a stupid thermometer -- when was the last time you saw even a feaking COROLLA without one? A decade ago? Ford, it's very simple: Just COMPETE. Or choose to remain second-rate, even if it may be in what you consider to be "insignificant details." Those details might well be the tiny little things that help people remember that your car is made in Mexico.