2010 Ford Fusion

[Zenmervolt]

Got a brand-spankin'-new 2010 Fusion SE for this fortnight's rental car. Notes so far:

- They must have re-designed the seats, or at least the headrests, as the latter seem to lean too far forward for my liking.

- The rear decklid seems to have been raised slightly, or maybe it's just my imagination. In any case, the Fusion's biggest problem, horrible vision out the rear, has definitely not been addressed.

- The 2.5 litre 4-cylinder is a very nice little engine. It moves the car smartly and I managed over 34 mpg on the freeway.

- The new 6-speed transmission that replaces the 5-speed previously used for the 4-cylinder car, however, is unpleasant. It takes too long to shift from neutral into drive, allowing the car to roll several feet before engaging. Too much priority was given to making the shifts "soft" or "smooth" and the result is significant indecisiveness that makes it all to easy to catch the transmission flat-footed. Gear ratios, at least, are well-chosen and it does kick down when it should; the indecisiveness only occurs with abrupt lifting of the throttle.
IIRC the V6 cars still use the Aisin TF-80 transmission that was used in the '09 and earlier V6 Fusions which is, in my mind, at least calibrated better.

ZV

 

[Strk]

I read somewhere that the suspension was softened a bit too.

 

[Arkaign]

Good notes. I tested multiple Fusion configs lately, and had an '09 SE Auto (2.3L) as a service loaner. I can 2nd the 5-speed Auto 2.3L as having the same very lazy response that you describe. Sounds like the V6 versions are a lot more interesting to drive, to say nothing of the manual cars.

I am seriously considering a '10 V6 6Spd as a trade-in after testing one, as financing is a lot easier to get at sub-5% than my other choice : an ~'06 G35 Sedan 6MT.

Edit, bolded and added 'Auto' to differentiate against the possible confusion that this might get if someone thought I meant 5MT.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Arkaign
Good notes. I tested multiple Fusion configs lately, and had an '09 SE Auto (2.3L) as a service loaner. I can 2nd the 5-speed Auto 2.3L as having the same very lazy response that you describe. Sounds like the V6 versions are a lot more interesting to drive, to say nothing of the manual cars.

I am seriously considering a '10 V6 6Spd as a trade-in after testing one, as financing is a lot easier to get at sub-5% than my other choice : an ~'06 G35 Sedan 6MT.

Edit, bolded and added 'Auto' to differentiate against the possible confusion that this might get if someone thought I meant 5MT.

The 2.3 with the older 5-speed automatic didn't seem as bad as the new 6-speed does. Though the extra gear does mean that there's one more opportunity to get caught between gears which could exacerbate things.

Personally, after having driven the I4 with the automatic, I think that the SE with the manual would likely be the most fun because, while the 2.5 doesn't make the car "fast", it doesn't feel bog slow like some cars do. In fact, it reminds me a lot of how my old '88 Accord used to feel.

ZV

 

[foghorn67]

The first thing I noticed was the seats. I actually like them better. Not sure if I noticed the difference between the 6 spd and the 5 spd on the your neutral issue. I don't drive automatics enough to compare them. I did notice that the shifts seemed smoother. But it's been a while since I driven a gen I Fusion.
Maybe it drops less revs then the old one.
I actually love the ride. I can't compare it to the old one, since I never driven a garden variety prev gen Fusion with stock tires. (Drove a friends car with dealer installed rims and tires).
The new 2010 I drove was a rental.

 

[sandorski]

When using an Auto, you apply the Brake when initially shifting into Drive. When it kicks in, release Brake, Apply Accelerator.

 

[TraumaRN]

I'll throw my two cents in since I have a 2010 Fusion Hybrid...

The seats are comfy but I agree with you that it took some adjusting but I felt comfortable with the driver headrest.

And the rear visibility is kind of a wash for me, I thought it sucked at first then realized the factory had adjusted the rear headrests up. Putting them down helped alot.

I doubt your rental had SYNC version 3.0 but holy hell, that update alone is simply amazing. I didn't buy the nav system for mine because I feel they are a waste of money...well Sync 3.0 justified that. It'll do turn by turn directions(albeit without a map), traffic to any destination you tell it, and it tells you any alternate routes if the main route is bogged down with traffic, weather, sports, news, etc. 911 assist similar to onstar...simply put an awesome amount of content that is free. And I didn't have to pay for a $1500 dollar option. All you need is your cell phone. And it even works when you are in the middle of nowhere(just need a cell signal)

My only other complaint is my gas mileage is just horrid I'm averaging 45.15mpg long term and my second tank of gas I only was able to managed 721.1 miles before it needed a fill up 😛

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: sandorski
When using an Auto, you apply the Brake when initially shifting into Drive. When it kicks in, release Brake, Apply Accelerator.

Gee, thanks. I never knew that before. Where would we all be without your exceptionally enlightening comments. Keep up the excellent work. :roll:

The key here would be "when it kicks in". It should not take an automatic more than a half-second to engage Drive when coming out of either Reverse or Neutral. The Fusion I'm driving takes 3-4 times that long. It's a noticeable delay that throws off the timing I've developed from driving other cars with automatic transmissions.

With most automatics you can reverse out of a parking spot, hit the brake to stop the car, throw the lever into drive, and accelerate on one's way. In the Fusion I'm driving, the steps are:

- Reverse out of parking spot
- Hit the brake to stop the car
- Throw the lever into drive
- Wait
- Wait
- Wait
- Accelerate on one's way

Since most cars don't have the "wait, wait, wait" step my normal "automatic" process is to release the brake as soon as the transmission lever is in drive, which, for every other car I've driven, has been long enough for the transmission to engage. In the Fusion, it's not and the car is allowed to roll if there is any sort of slope.

ZV

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: DeathBUA
I'll throw my two cents in since I have a 2010 Fusion Hybrid...

The seats are comfy but I agree with you that it took some adjusting but I felt comfortable with the driver headrest.

And the rear visibility is kind of a wash for me, I thought it sucked at first then realized the factory had adjusted the rear headrests up. Putting them down helped alot.

I doubt your rental had SYNC version 3.0 but holy hell, that update alone is simply amazing. I didn't buy the nav system for mine because I feel they are a waste of money...well Sync 3.0 justified that. It'll do turn by turn directions(albeit without a map), traffic to any destination you tell it, and it tells you any alternate routes if the main route is bogged down with traffic, weather, sports, news, etc. 911 assist similar to onstar...simply put an awesome amount of content that is free. And I didn't have to pay for a $1500 dollar option. All you need is your cell phone. And it even works when you are in the middle of nowhere(just need a cell signal)

My only other complaint is my gas mileage is just horrid I'm averaging 45.15mpg long term and my second tank of gas I only was able to managed 721.1 miles before it needed a fill up 😛

No, my rental did not have Sync, which is actually a complaint with Hertz, not with the car. The 2009 Fusions I've rented were always SEL models with Sync and leather. Most were V6 cars as well. I am disappointed with Hertz for dropping the trim level like that, but it's hardly the car's fault. 🙂

My rear visibility issue is definitely not the headrests. It's that the lowest portion of the rear window is far too high. I was at a stop light yesterday and there was a Saturn Coupe behind me. The rear deck height meant that all I could see of that car was what was above the driver's eyes, everything else was blocked. Now, granted, he pulled up fairly close, but there was still probably a foot or so between our cars. In my Volvo even a car that close would still show everything above the cowl in my rear view mirror. Still, it's something that can be gotten used to.

ZV

 

[mwmorph]

How was the engine?

When I drove a previous gen (2006, new) I4 Fusion, I found it very unpleasant. I'm 5'7, and the decklid was ridiculously high. At one point, almost an entire corolla disappeared, all i I could see was the very top couple inches of glass and the roof.

The 2.3 engine was also very thrashy. There was little forward movement under 2.5k rpms and the sound got fairly industrial and much louder past 3k rpms.

Overall, I found the last gen Fusion to be a terrible car. I actually preferred driving a Focus more. Those cars felt much more solid, visibility was good and the engine even seemed more refined.

All the cars I drove were new also, having worked at a Ford dealership, I'd drive them all the time and the Fusion was by far my least favorite (well except for driving F and E450/550/650s through the freaking parking lot).

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: mwmorph
How was the engine?

When I drove a previous gen (2006, new) I4 Fusion, I found it very unpleasant. I'm 5'7, and the decklid was ridiculously high. At one point, almost an entire corolla disappeared, all i I could see was the very top couple inches of glass and the roof.

The 2.3 engine was also very thrashy. There was little forward movement under 2.5k rpms and the sound got fairly industrial and much louder past 3k rpms.

Overall, I found the last gen Fusion to be a terrible car. I actually preferred driving a Focus more. Those cars felt much more solid, visibility was good and the engine even seemed more refined.

All the cars I drove were new also, having worked at a Ford dealership, I'd drive them all the time and the Fusion was by far my least favorite (well except for driving F and E450/550/650s through the freaking parking lot).

I really liked the previous Fusion, but it's all personal preference.

The 2.5 is much less intrusive than the 2.3, IMO. It's smooth up to redline and the noise is well muted. I actually think that the 2.5 has a pleasant exhaust note when it's wrung out, but I've always liked the rasp of an inline 4. (I don't like fart cans, but I've always thought that a well-sorted, larger, inline 4 has a pretty nice cadence.)

ZV

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: sandorski
When using an Auto, you apply the Brake when initially shifting into Drive. When it kicks in, release Brake, Apply Accelerator.

Gee, thanks. I never knew that before. Where would we all be without your exceptionally enlightening comments. Keep up the excellent work. :roll:

The key here would be "when it kicks in". It should not take an automatic more than a half-second to engage Drive when coming out of either Reverse or Neutral. The Fusion I'm driving takes 3-4 times that long. It's a noticeable delay that throws off the timing I've developed from driving other cars with automatic transmissions.

With most automatics you can reverse out of a parking spot, hit the brake to stop the car, throw the lever into drive, and accelerate on one's way. In the Fusion I'm driving, the steps are:

- Reverse out of parking spot
- Hit the brake to stop the car
- Throw the lever into drive
- Wait
- Wait
- Wait
- Accelerate on one's way

Since most cars don't have the "wait, wait, wait" step my normal "automatic" process is to release the brake as soon as the transmission lever is in drive, which, for every other car I've driven, has been long enough for the transmission to engage. In the Fusion, it's not and the car is allowed to roll if there is any sort of slope.

ZV

You're welcome. If you're rolling Back, you're releasing the Brake too soon.

 

[Mermaidman]

On a related topic . . . Is the following truth or myth?

I was taught long ago never to engage the transmission in the opposite direction of the car's motion until the car has come to a true stop. I cringe whenever someone slams a car into 'D' while it's still rolling backward.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: sandorski
You're welcome. If you're rolling Back, you're releasing the Brake too soon.

Since you didn't pick up on the subtlety the first time, I'm going to go with "No fucking shit, Sherlock" this time around. The point that the transmission should not take 2-3 seconds to engage a Drive when coming out of Reverse still stands.

If you've nothing to contribute, you really ought to stop trolling. This isn't P&N.

ZV

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Mermaidman
On a related topic . . . Is the following truth or myth?

I was taught long ago never to engage the transmission in the opposite direction of the car's motion until the car has come to a true stop. I cringe whenever someone slams a car into 'D' while it's still rolling backward.

Both.

You obviously don't want to throw it into reverse while going 25 mph down the street. However, at 1 mph in a parking lot when backing out of a space it's not going to do anything.

ZV

 

[TraumaRN]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: DeathBUA
I'll throw my two cents in since I have a 2010 Fusion Hybrid...

The seats are comfy but I agree with you that it took some adjusting but I felt comfortable with the driver headrest.

And the rear visibility is kind of a wash for me, I thought it sucked at first then realized the factory had adjusted the rear headrests up. Putting them down helped alot.

I doubt your rental had SYNC version 3.0 but holy hell, that update alone is simply amazing. I didn't buy the nav system for mine because I feel they are a waste of money...well Sync 3.0 justified that. It'll do turn by turn directions(albeit without a map), traffic to any destination you tell it, and it tells you any alternate routes if the main route is bogged down with traffic, weather, sports, news, etc. 911 assist similar to onstar...simply put an awesome amount of content that is free. And I didn't have to pay for a $1500 dollar option. All you need is your cell phone. And it even works when you are in the middle of nowhere(just need a cell signal)

My only other complaint is my gas mileage is just horrid I'm averaging 45.15mpg long term and my second tank of gas I only was able to managed 721.1 miles before it needed a fill up 😛

No, my rental did not have Sync, which is actually a complaint with Hertz, not with the car. The 2009 Fusions I've rented were always SEL models with Sync and leather. Most were V6 cars as well. I am disappointed with Hertz for dropping the trim level like that, but it's hardly the car's fault. 🙂

My rear visibility issue is definitely not the headrests. It's that the lowest portion of the rear window is far too high. I was at a stop light yesterday and there was a Saturn Coupe behind me. The rear deck height meant that all I could see of that car was what was above the driver's eyes, everything else was blocked. Now, granted, he pulled up fairly close, but there was still probably a foot or so between our cars. In my Volvo even a car that close would still show everything above the cowl in my rear view mirror. Still, it's something that can be gotten used to.

ZV

Well thats quite a load of crap! The new SYNC 3.0 is awesome. Although not sure you could get certain features on a rentals, given that you'd have to register the car on syncmyride.com and all that.

 

[Chunkee]

can you get sync 3.0 on a 2009 version? They are making better deals on those?

 

[waffleironhead]

Are you sure this is typical of all fusions or the fact that the previous renter was doing neutral drops?

 

[TraumaRN]

Originally posted by: Chunkee
can you get sync 3.0 on a 2009 version? They are making better deals on those?

I'm not sure....probably not. The reason they have this sync 3.0 is because the 2010 models have a built in GPS receiver whether your choose to have nav system or not.