Come on automakers, how can you call a car a sport and not give it some extra ponies?
other than that i kind of like the fusions.

UNBELIEVABLE 2ND COMMENT AGAIN

LET THE BASHING BEGIN

good spot autonutt, i completely missed that little mistake.

US FORDS SUCK ASS !!!

all it needs is fords new 3.5 V6 and 6 speed DSG and then ill consider. still waiting for the new taurus sho or maybe fusion sho though.

Where’s the SHO?

The Fusion and the title ’sport’ are like water and oil.

I dont know what the sport package is supposed to do but its making this car look dated. Ill rent one and see how it drives Cant be any worse than the Aura

very funny, ford, you really got me with that one. but enough joking around….

tripleonefluffer:
It can, and EVERY commuter coffin IS worse than the Aura. EWhich is like being shorter than Yao Ming, it doesn’t really mean anything.

bland, boring looking

So IMPLUSIVE, has your ass crack ever ACTUALLY rested on the drivers seat of a Fusion? Have you ever driven one? It IS a BIG step above the UJAA (Universal Japanese Automotive Appliance [read CAMRY] that you seem to hold it to)

As they said in ANIMAL HOUSE, “what are you, some kinda moron?”

Driven – this isn’t a Toyota or Honda article. If you remove the badges of this car, you will know its a Ford Fusion, if you remove the badges on the new Honda Accord, you may confuse it with pretty much any other Jap car.

1115 – i actually drove both an Aura and a Fusion the other day…Fusion was ‘good enough’ but the Aura was actually great. I loved the Brown Moroccan Leather or whatever they call it.

commodore, the badge doesn’t change my opinion. Debadge the car and I will still think it is a bland, boring looking car.

Not sure why you bring up Toyota and Honda as they aren’t pictured or discussed in this article. If I see an article on a Toyota or Honda that looks bland or boring I will comment in that thread.

I LIKE the Fusion. Between this and the Aura, the domestic can give the Camcord a run for its money.

Judging from the design, I will take the Ford and Saturn over the Camcord, but not the Mazda6 (Fusion cousin).

I suspect the so call sport package serves as a refresh. A new Mazda6 has just been unveiled, a new Fusion can’t be far behind, unless Ford is pulling another Focus on us. And yes LLN needs to hire someone who can actually PROOFREAD!

I *love* the upgraded interior, but I wish they’d added a turbo on that engine, or better yet, offered a beefy Diesel engine as an upgrade.

A waste, this package isn’t going to do anything to reverse a 21% sales decline. I have to agree that it makes it look a bit dated with the body color fog lamp surround and is there a power boost anywhere?

Driven:

I brought up Toyonda for three reasons:
1. People in this thread (like 1115) were going off topic and after they were done bashing Ford, they went on to bash the rest of the domestic automakers that they hate so much. This ended up starting the domestic vs imports debate AGAIN. People bashed domestics for being this or that so I pointed out that imports aren’t that great either to make this a two sided argument rather than just another anti-domestic bash feast.
2. You called Ford bland which is completely wrong (maybe you don’t know the definition of bland). Bland is when it looks like nothing, when it is indistinguishable from something else. Boring is when it is not exciting, it is uninspiring. Ford’s three bar grille makes it both exciting and recognizable so calling it bland and boring is not fair. Maybe you don’t like that design..that’s fine, but that still doesn’t mean it’s bland or boring.
3. After you wrongly called the Fusion bland and boring, I brought up Toyonda to give you an example of what boring is. Toy and Honda cars are the epitome of blandness and boringness. All Japanese cars look practically the same. It is just angry looking headlights with a normal shaped grille. Nothing exciting AT ALL, no creativity put into exterior design.

cookie4me – Ford sales as a whole are down 20% (Ford division itself is down 15%) and that is mostly because of slowing F150 sales for whatever reasons such as newer competition and of course that housing market but I am not sure if I buy the latter. The Fusion’s sales are actually UP so this car is not contributing to the sales decline. It is helping reverse the decline. No cookie for you.

“Arbiter”, with such a title I would have assumed you had the capacity to judge impartially the irony in using the term ’sport’ (in the superficial lipstick department) without TRULY substantive changes … no, minor suspension tweaks do not make a car worthy of a ’sport’ badge in my book, more so on a family sedan. The changes made here are no different to me than a kid adding a skirt package, stickers and a new muffler to his 92 Civic.

But I suppose for those in the market for a mid-size family sedan, there’s nothing like bragging about paying a little extra to differentiate you from the sea of uninspiring people movers … despite still looking like an uninspiring people mover. I would rather see Ford produce an engine with more power (which is equal to its competition in base 2.3L form and less than equal to its competition in 3.0L form), or more fuel economy (which it hasn’t … in fact, worse highway fuel economy than its competition in base 2.3L form and only equal fuel economy to its competition despite being .3L to .5L smaller AND having an extra gear in automatic).

Oh, and I don’t remember EVER mentioning a Camry … are you having nightmares? But please tell me how this ’sport’ version is a BIG step up from an Accord or a Sonata. Actually, save yourself the trouble … you won’t be able to because it isn’t. Funny how the Mazda6 looks the part of ’sport’ title holder without all of these frills added. But boy those red-insert and red-stitched seats sure look purdy … so ’sport’y.

I’ve never seen Animal House … a movie for morons, I imagine … hmmmmm, how appropriate.

It’s like on the news when the girl said “homicide” bomber instead of “suicide” bomber twice.

I think it would be great to download on Forza 2 but don’t forget they have Steeda parts for the “Fusion” now.

Do the people who consistantly get the top comments here wait all day for these articles to get posted? Lame.

Seems to me they are following after some BMW’s sport package plan, like improving the handling and adding a larger size wheel package. They could of used Toyota’s plan which is only to tack on a ground effects kit and call it a day. That’s a lot of gear for $900 installed. Try getting a set of 18″ wheels and tires, a new sportier suspension, and the interior upgrades installed on your own for $900, it can’t be done. This car already handles well, with the new setup it could be a segment leader.

I agree w/ Commodore, however i don’t think Hondas are that bland.

maybe the new accord slightly

BUt the CIVICs?? I don’t think so.

This Fusion is bland and boring. I actually liked this car when it came out but to compare it to the new Accord or Camry shows how dated this is. The interior looks like the 86-89 Accord. Its flat and boring. That was considered good 20 years ago but it doesnt cut it now
On another website they have comparison pics with the Altima, Camry, Accord, Mazda 6, Fusion or Milan (I cant tell from the side), the Sonata and the Malibu
The best looking one was the new Mazda 6 but it has that duratec bs in it so thats out. The Camry and Accord tied for 2nd. The Altima looked good as well. The Fusion or Milan looked old, the Malibu just sucks and the Sonata looked dated but still better than the domestics
No matter what the domestics will be playing a game of catch up
This car will be great to rent but I cant see myself or anyone who has an import buying one

“Nothing exciting AT ALL, no creativity put into exterior design.”

The same can be said about some models in most brands regardless of country of origin. Regardless, it’s personal taste and you can argue till the end of time about that. In the japanese’s case I believe it has more to do with cost savings given the less lines. Of course that translates to more profit. Not to defend them but they always have a reason to make things less.

People keep knocking the duratec without stating any reason. If it is b/c of low end torque, then keep in mind that mid-size sedans aren’t menat to be performance oriented. It is a family car for most and reliability comes first. On that front, I don’t think it is any more unreliable than other mid-size cars. If you want fuel economy, you should have bought the 4-cyl model instead of the duratec.

Fusion is also one of the few mid-size sedan that offers an AWD system.

For $895 I think the springs, struts, bars and wheels are a good value. It would be a challenge to do the upgrades for that cheap in the aftermarket, not to mention the interior.

Ford barfs the “Sport”

Chevy whores the “SS”

Toyota craps out a Corolla “S”

It’s all marketing. Nothing else.

You have to hit over $60K for the letters mean something.

It needs the turbo-4 from the Mazdasport6 or the 3.5L V6 from the MKZ. Without extra horsepower, larger wheels and aerodynamic add-ons will actually make you go slower.

Anybody remember the Ford Tempo Sport? Deja vu all over again! Not a bad looking car, but just too vertical a design to warrant a spoiler. Sleek cars with lower trunks like the Altima can pull off a spolier, but the Fusion looks silly with a rear wing.

This car makes me tingle with excitement: what lines, what engine, my gosh it has nice wheels! Now they gonna peddle it at the Hertz as a sport classic or a sport sedan for an extra buck a week.
Get Real, I happen to disagree with 60K performance minimum. M3 is less then that and if you want thrills try Lotus Elise. It 42K plain motor or super charged for extra 10. It was quite exciting even in a cheaper version that I drove.

The whole idea makes me ROFL.

I don’t think the Fusion looks that bad, but it definitely needs an upgraded engine or it’s no better than a Corolla “S.” Also lose those stupid tail lights!!!

Like my grandpappy always said, you cant polish a turd.

The letters STI and MR can be had for less than $40k, do they mean anything?

The Mini Cooper S and Civic Si have engine upgrades.

R1GHT30U5 you have good genes!

The Fusion doesn’t look bad to me. But it’s a perfect textbook example of normal body proportions for a sedan. There’s nothing special aside from the grill, wheels, headlights and taillights. It would be nice to see the car lowered just slightly more, the 3.5 liter engine and the interior…

What I think they need to do to the interior is make more accents and sweeping lines, especially on the door and dashboard. Make sweeping trim on the dashboard, not something that’s very flat and straight. Add chrome accents to the doorhandle, and maybe even simple lighting accents in the interior that match the trim.

Veda:
“The same can be said about some models in most brands regardless of country of origin.”

Ain’t that the truth

MikeFX; No spoilers on commuter coffins. Ever.

So if grandpappy couldn’t polish a turd, how did he go about shining the german war helmet?

… the same way your mom shines my war helmet … with awe, love and adoration … and a whole lot of oral stimulation.

commodore, in response to your itemized explanation:
1. My comment was ‘bland, boring looking’. I fail to see where I debate import vs domestic or make comparisons to Honda or Toyota. You attach my name and rant and rave about Toyondas as a rebuttal to a bland and boring Fusion comment. Since you like to make comments about unrelated subjects (Toyonda in a Ford Fusion comment), my rebuttal is ‘I like pizza’. Pizza has as much to do with the Fusion being boring as Toyonda has to do with the Fusion being boring.
2. I did call this Ford product bland and boring. Although many Fords are bland I did not write that all Ford products are bland & boring. I was only referring to this Ford Fusion model. Bland and boring are subjective comments so you can have your own opinion. Mine is that this model is boring and will not help Ford get out of the sales slump.
3. I did not wrongly call the Fusion bland and boring. I think it the Fusion is too generic. It will become the next Taurus rental vehicle that everyone loves . As I noted earlier I never made comparisons to Toyonda and if there is an article about a car I find bland or boring I will make a comment in that thread.
It makes no sense to rebut a comment about a specific vehicle with generalized statements about the entire line of another manufacturer.

commodore, In your first point you complain about others turning this thread into a debate of import vs domestic and making comparisons to Toyota and Honda. Fact is I never made those comparisons. Yet in point 3 you again bring up Toyota and Honda. It is you that is trying to keep this import debate alive in this thread.

My comment ‘bland, boring looking’ is specific to this vehicle and in no way a comparison to any other vehicle. This Ford Fusion is as generic as they come. Enjoy your mediocrity when you are driving in your new Fusion.

LLN blocked my sarcasm note:
It (Ford Fusion) will become the next Taurus rental vehicle that everyone loves *sarcasm*.

They’re almost there, but SVT definately needs to have a go at this. Black out the housings of the headlights and taillights, change the grills to the dark grey electic razor look that the Rang Rovers have, and signature SVT designed front/rear facias and side rockers. Put red brembos all around inside standard 18s w/ optional 19s, andGet that TT V6 in there with about 350+hp, 6 speed and AWD, then call it a day.

Yeah, terminator. Screw the “Sport” name. Ford’s gotta SVT-en it up.

“No cookie for you”…hahahaha…I love it! That made me laugh out loud, literally!

IMPULSIVE,

I repeat the question, have you ever even sat in a Fusion? Me thinks not.

And yes, ANIMAL HOUSE is a movie for “Morons”…..people who actually HAVE a sense of humor!

Is the MAzda 6 “sportier”…yes, fer sure! Does it sell 20 percent of the Fusion? No, not close! The “Sport” option is aimed at the Susie Creamcheeses of the world, not the corner carving WRC/F1 crowd. Don’t dis them just because they aren’t you.

“All bow before the great and powerful ARBITER!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Don’t like too many Fords but the fusion is great for the $. Everything is good except the steering wheel. That wheel is down right terrible. A smaller 3-spoke made of grippier material w/ less accessory buttons adding weight would define “sport” better for me. After all, true,solid “sportyness” is first felt through the steering wheel.

I do like the Fusion… To make a Sport Package and not up the HP doesn’t really make much sense to me. I do like this one though. I’d get the one they are showing in the pics

“Arbiter”, no I have not and nor ever will step into a Fusion. Nor have I eaten squid. Nor have I had sex with a llama. Nor have I been proven wrong on this site. And that sure as hell won’t change with this mediocre people mover.

As for my sense of humour … reread my post on the 5th at 11:46am … some of the funniest stuff next to Deanster’s gold.

I will continue to ‘dis’ any company that applies the title ’sport’ by adding superficial add-ons that do not connote the true meaning of the word.

You’re out of your league bud … argue with the other monkeys.

Impulsive: “I will continue …”

Do that. If enough people follow your lead, maybe they’ll stop this crap.
I’ll go after faux-luxury divisions

This looks kinda cool, looks cooler than a regular Fusion thats for sure. I’d still take the new Mazda 6, a Subaru Legacy, or the new Accord / Altima before this , but it’s actually a plus for Ford to offer a sport package on a car (for once).

I’ll ask what everyone else is asking though…where’s the SHO?

Impulsive, since when did “sport” mean performance only? There’s plenty of suvs out there that use that term.

“jjt”, deal.

“terminator”, go back and read my post on the 4th at 9:38pm. A pathetic title applied to sell cars.

Lambo:
Improper use of the slash
Accord and Altima are two different cars. The slash should be used to link two versions of the same car.
ex.:
Chevrolet Corsica/Beretta
Honda Accord/”TL”

just got one and it is great the term sport fits because of the suspension it handles better than most the 18 inch wheels are as cool as it gets and at 221 hp and a 6spd I give it aaa