Posted on 01/02/2009 8:16:42 AM PST by taildragger
I always like the transition from one month to another as that is the time all the magazines I subscribe to make their appearances.
This month is no exception with the February 2009 issue of Car & Driver hitting the mailbox last night with a cover story titled, "FUEL-SIPPIN' SHOWDOWN! Can Detroit Build A Better Hybrid?"
(Excerpt) Read more at autospies.com ...
The Fusion is a spot on vehicle, FORD NA finally got one right with this car. It was the first time they let NA actually come close to what they’ve been offering in EU for a long long time.
Fords passenger car division has lacked for far too long thanks to a lack of focus on it in the US. With the money and effort been pushed into SUV’s the cars were lackluster for well over a decade. I think the Fusion was finally Ford correcting a lot of wrongs. Hopefully they will introduce more passenger cars that are worth the time of day.
If Ford North America can get their passenger cars anywhere near the calibre of their Full Size Trucks and Vans, they will be more than fine. I think the Fusion was the first car to begin that route. Some would argue the 500/Taurus, but while that is a fine car, I think Ford went a little too conservative on the styling for it.
Fusion was the car that made me at least double take for the first time in a LONG time on a Ford.
Ummmm.... Think Mazda 6. I have other things to say about Volvo but not here....
But why the quality difference if they are tooled on the same assembly line by the same workers? How do we find out if the next car we buy is union or not? Seems like you have a lot of inside information. Thanks for your help.
REally? So are you implying that toyota typically buys all their positive reviews?
These are new models. You will need to check again in a few years.
My only question is, “How long will it last?” My wife’s Civic? 12 years with only brakes and exhaust. My 2001 Highlander? Brakes, oxy sensors. My ‘91 LS400? Still goin’ strong, but don’t drive it too much anymore. It likes Hi-test. My last American car? Astrovan. 5 transmissions in under 80,000 miles. I guess I just don’t trust ‘em. Where is the Fusion built?
T.B. Pickens on Glenn Beck stated the following based on my memory. He proposed his Gaseous Fuel shift to GWB/Cheney and they liked it and said they would do it. To his amazement they did the ethanol route.
My guess is this. They had no support for this massive infrastructure change from the Dem's or the big-3, and they couldn'r do it with the legacy cost. It is 100 bucks to run ethanol vs. many more zeros for a gaseous fuel system. The lack of will or spine at the Federal level also give us the Hybrid because with the regenerative breaking, it can eak out greater numbers regardless of the infrastructure or fuel.
The important factor in evaluating any piece of equipment that you are going to buy and use is life cycle costs for 5 years. One rarely hears those numbers batted about with respect to automobiles. I suspect that Ford’s life cycle costs are higher.IMHO
If we didn’t own a 08 Escape, the Fusion was definitely a looker, hybrid or not. Fuel mileage is very comparable to Toys and Nisses. So is quality. Cost is comparable.
remember. Detroit is building cars GOVERNMENT don’t want us to have. If SUV’s were so unpopular, why did Toyota, Nissan, Kia, and the other so called imports offer their own SUV? Why did Toyota and Nissan offer Pick Up Trucks, which incidentally cost more than the American Original concepts?
Ford better run with this rating. It’s all about marketing and American manufacturers have had some marketing nightmares in the past. Times have changed.
Oh, good. Now that they are producing the cars that people want to buy, I assume that they will make billions of dollars, and all our problems will be solved.
But it's, “Fun to drive”. Which means it goes from zero to sixty in under a minute.
I bought an 08 Taurus. Best car I’ve ever owned. Gets good mileage, looks good, no problems yet, very solid, and well made, yet very roomy. I’m 6’3”, and can’t fit in most cars. This one is a cinch.
Of course, it’s not a hybrid.
The quality difference is largely a figment of people’s imagination. How well you take care of your car and how nice your dealership is to you is a big factor. very few car owners are smart enough to tell what car is better than another. They only know which seat and steering wheel feels nicer and which dashboard is lit up with the prettiest lights.
As for union plants, that’s easy. The union plants are in the north. The non union plants are in the south.
I’m not saying that toyotas are not nice cars. They are exceptional cars.
Even though I now own a Ford with which I am very happy, this is it for any UAW products. Screw them.
And the following....
According to Chubba at C & D the 2010' Mustang is now a real Sports Car.
Add to this the Fusion Victory.
New Taurus and SHO to be unveiled at the NAIAS in about 2 weeks. Daniel Howes on Paul W. Smith's program noted one writer he knows let it slip ( probably embargoed articles) that this Taurus is amazing and Toyota should worry about how this will compete with the Avalon.
New Crossover to be Unveiled at NAIAS.
Fiesta to get here fall of 2009/as a 2010.
IMHO maybe they have some big mo going on here.....
Agreed. Ford makes good products, but they still lose money because of the UAW. The proof is that they are making a profit overseas, where they have to compete even more directly with the foreign makes, but don’t have to contend with the UAW.
My thoughts as well. I personally make sure my car is cared for. I could buy two of my cars for the price of a Toyota. Thanks for the union info stuff. Look for a car with a Dixie sticker- got it.
Bought an ‘07 AWD Fusion. Why? Neither Toyota nor Nissan sold an AWD version of the Camry or Altima. As far as hybrids go they hold no appeal for me. Let me know when Ford starts putting Cummins diesels in the Fusion and I will really take notice. Get the govt to tax diesel like gas and they can take off.
The car is pretty cool.
However, mpg......18/26 v6 auto. Not much better than my truck aside from the highway speeds.
You call THAT a hybrid?
If I get a car, I will have to go foreign because American efforts are a flat joke.
I only wish Honda still sold the Insight. It is absurd nobody has anything approaching that yet, not even the Prius. That sucker would routinely get 70 mpg in America running unleaded, not diesel.
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