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Detroit News picks Fusion over Camry

05/03/2006, 1:25 PM

By admin

The Detroit News has picked the new Ford Fusion over the Toyota Camry in a review of the two entry-level sedans. “We were startled, and disappointed, by the less-than-sterling assembly quality on our test Camry,” wrote Anita and Paul Lienert. “The Fusion, on the other hand, proved to be a pleasant surprise, with an upscale cabin upholstered in rich perforated leather, with handsome piano-black trim.” When it came to power, ride, and handling, the Fusion was also picked as the leader. For exterior looks, it was a toss-up. Depending on your personal taste, either car should suffice. When it came to safety, the Camry was the clear winner — you have to pay extra for most of the safety features on the Fusion.

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05/03, 1:36 PM

posted by:

bill

of course

it the DETROIT NEWS

05/03, 1:38 PM

posted by:

TW

Lets see what the Tokyo Times has to say.

05/03, 1:43 PM

posted by:

joeb

What bs – if you take a closer look at the article they rigged the competition by choosing the top of the line Fusion and a mid line Camry and then proceeded to downgrade the Toyota because of this… Come on Detroit – not only are your cars mostly crap but your newspaper columns about your cars are too…

05/03, 1:49 PM

posted by:

Jon

05/03, 1:50 PM

posted by:

Derek

Just because two bad journalists cant do a good comparison doesnt mean that all American cars are crap. Seriously, you import fanboys just bash Ford and GM for any little stupid thing. Wait until Toyota is the world’s largest auto maker, they will be taking crap constantly.

05/03, 1:52 PM

posted by:

Micah

Maybe the picked equipment based on price. They knocked the Ford for its lack of safety even though they said more features were available.

That said, you wouldn’t expect the Dallas Morning News to write a article praising the Redskins.

05/03, 1:59 PM

posted by:

Anonymous

The DN is on it’s ass as a paper; you don’t think they had a staff understanding about “crapping in our backyard”. ..but Derek is right too.

Damned if you do – damned if you don’t..

j i m

05/03, 2:02 PM

posted by:

todd b

There’s a surprise! Wow, I did NOT see that coming!! So, you’re saying (pause to choose my words carefully…) that the DETROIT NEWS, the most trusted name when it comes to impartial judgement, especially when it comes to the automotive world, picked the Ford over the Toyota?? Wow. That’s news.

05/03, 2:18 PM

posted by:

Doug

Actually, this is not normal for the Lienert’s tests. They generally slam Detroit products when it’s called for and swoon over most imports. They’re not as bad as Consumer Reports, but I was actually surprised to see them make this pick. It might be more fair than you think.

05/03, 2:18 PM

posted by:

JohnnyBlazE

They should have picked a Euro or Aussie Ford – they can ACTUALLY compete ;)

05/03, 2:27 PM

posted by:

annonymous

It may come as a shocker to you import fanboys, but your beloved brands have been having some quality issues for sometime now and it is surfacing with new and reviews (besides DTN) I’ve read over the last several months. Quality problems are showing in customer concerns at the dealership level. Some mfgs. are addressing the problems and some aren’t.

05/03, 2:41 PM

posted by:

John

I read many reviews by Anita and Paul Lienert, and they are very fair. They are not the Ford-and-GM-is-the-world Detroiters.
This comparison, as the article states clearly, is based on the price of $25,000. (which is much more relevant to a real life buyer than comparing similarly equipped vehicles.)
In a comparison like this, a Hyundai Sonata would probably be a winner too. $25,000 buys more than a fully loaded Sonata.
Note these same reviewers have a separate Camry-only review, that praised the Camry. But the Camry is just too expensive for this comparison. Although note the Fusion was $1384 more than the Camry… they probably can get some better stuff on the Camry with $1384.

05/03, 3:45 PM

posted by:

Patrick

hahaha, what an ‘authentic review’, the DETROIT NEWS found the ford fusion to be better. and they also might have been testing the current gen camry, not the newly redesigned one. regardless though, i’d never trust **** out of detroit news

05/03, 3:48 PM

posted by:

Robert Fleming

Why so much anti-America? Japs buy Jap; French buy French; Germans buy German, etc, etc. Americans are by and large the most easily duped consumers on the planet and buy what they’ve been brain-washed to buy. It’s time real world comparisons came to light.

05/03, 3:49 PM

posted by:

Jon

I bet the Camry breaks less than the Fusion, and over a long term ownership, the cost is going to be less for the Camry owner.

Jon.

05/03, 5:05 PM

posted by:

atomicbri

Hey guys…. A friend of mine bought a new Camry and already his has been recalled for the transmission. Also the plastics around the radio were a bit shocking too me…It looks kinda cool, TIL YOU TOUCH IT! I think TOyotas are great, however the Japanese are getting very big in the britches….Much like GM and Ford became. They have already gotten rid of their double-sealing doors and went to a single seal…JUST LIKE DETROIT METAL…. Honda still uses double….. It will be very interesting to see in the next few years how Toyota pans out…. cause some of their current cars are feeling a lil less reliable….

05/03, 5:09 PM

posted by:

Jordan

****THIS JUST IN****

The Detriot News just did a review of the 1995 Chevrolet Lumina vs the 2006 Acura TSX, and the Lumina was the cear winner. 4 gears? The Acura doesn’t offer that! The TSX offers a manual transmission… who at the Bingo hall drives a car with a manual transmission? That crap was for the 30’s. The Lumina comes standard with a casette player AND cloth seating. The TSX has all those gameboy and Nintendos and leather. Who wants to get leather??? It’s too much like the vinyl of yesteryear. Also, the Lumina offers a Column shifter as opposed to the TSX’s console shifter, and a bench seat no less. That way, grandma can put her purse beside her, not on the floor where feet go. The Lumina has less power, so that sould be good for better gas milage. Plus, it keeps granny out of trouble.

Seriously though, the Fusion is a huge step in the right direction for Ford, and American cars alike. While I’ll agree that the review seems oddly biased, they could have possibly had a pre production demo.

Baby steps folks, baby steps.

05/03, 6:20 PM

posted by:

Dave

Being from Michigan I read this paper a lot and they are constantly bashing GM, Ford and Chrysler. This WAS a surprise to me.

05/03, 6:30 PM

posted by:

JohnnyBlazE

BTW I’m a Ford nutter, just think NA has a lot of Euro Ford thinking to be doing!

05/04, 12:37 AM

posted by:

SaigonDesign

My main gripe with this article was their picking the top-range SEL vs. the mid-range Camry LE and comparing the optional V-6 Ford and the standard I-4 Camry (the Camry has an optional V-6 they didn’t mention AT ALL), and then “omitting” certain things like the availability of the V-6 in the Camry. If they picked it on price alone, that’s fair, but they should clearly state that the Camry also offers a V-6.
It wasn’t the domestic or import bashing that bugged me, it was the way they tested the two dissimilar cars and omitted key information that made them seem biased and unprofessional. If I was buying a Fusion/Camry/Accord/etc, I’d also be looking at reliability/resale/reputation, especially for a family car. They didn’t mention that either.
Hm well, so much for “professional” and “unbiased” journalists. They seem to be at a premium nowadays.

05/04, 8:59 AM

posted by:

Patrick

Toyota’s cars are not getting less reliable, every vechicle they have on the market has amazing reliability, yes, many cars from many automakers are recalled at some point or another, but not one Toyota vehicle is unreliable. Thats not something many other automakers can claim, save Acura, Honda, Subaru, and Lexus. Oh and look, they’re all Japanese, not a surprise, since the Japanese make the highest quality cars on the road today.

05/04, 11:26 AM

posted by:

Northeasterner

Fleming – Japs buy Jap and German, French buy French, German, Italian and Jap, and Americans buy Jap, German but not French…. my point – “buy American” did not make into this millenium.

05/04, 5:39 PM

posted by:

John

#23, who said all Americans are white? There are plenty of Asian-Americans, British-Americans, and German-Americans. America is not one; it is a place of confluence of many nationalities. Many brands, including BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, etc build and design their vehicles in America. Their executives are American, and their employees are Americans. That is all buying American.

Ford and GM builds many models in Mexico and exports them to the US. Shouldn’t they be more popular with Mexicans than with generic white-Americans?

Do you have the same opinion for cell phones?

 
 
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