16 Ford Fusion SE ~2 month review

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Sep 9, 2015
Messages
1,064
Hey everyone just thought I'd share my experience with this car so far:

I recently graduated college in December, got hired full time in November and started working in January. Seeing how I'd be traveling 60 miles a day to work and sometimes traveling more during the week to other company facilities I decided I better get a better fuel efficient vehicle. Traveling in the 2.5" lifted jeep with bigger tires was netting me on average 16mpg and was leaving me having to fill up on thursday morning after just filling up on monday morning was getting a bit annoying and the $40 gas bills were not well received.

So thus began my car search. My biggest concerns was reliability and I had some other criteria that knocked a lot of cars off my list. Justified or not, it makes me happy and nothing is more important than the subjective theory of value lol
smile.gif


I was looking for:
1. regular port injected; non-di car
2. regular transmission; no cvt
3. large trunk space
4. less than 30k miles
5. newer than 5 years old

So the Ford Fusion SE met that criteria with the 2.5L engine. The first on my list that I saw was at my local Dodge/Jeep/Chrysler dealership that I've pretty much have always had good relations with - a 2014 Ford Fusion SE. So I go for a test drive and right from the start things seemed not good. Looking around the car it looked fine but wasn't washed or anything. The interior was not cleaned and my father found a fast food bag under his passenger seat... Then I start the car and I get a low tire pressure warning - I mention it to the salesperson and they said "it's fine they're just cold and will warm up". It was 40* that day so I found it a little fishy and did not want to drive it with low tire pressure but I also didn't want to waste time so I bit the bullet and took it - clear as day the car was pulling to the right. I look over the engine after it was warmed up and the coolant wasn't at the max fill line - but the car was completely up to temperature. ANOTHER flag in my opinion. Another little flag was that the car wasn't listed for too long but it was advertised with 18k miles. When I drove it, it had already 20k miles on it - I know they can be taken home by staff or salespeople but still - an extra 2k miles?! After the salesperson not budging on the price I decide to look elsewhere.

Then I found THE car. 2016 Ford Fusion with only 8.6k miles. Cleaned, just got on the lot and has only been listed for two days. It turns out my childhood friend was my salesperson so that made us more comfortable. Did some digging and it was a local lease and the owner just wanted a new vehicle. Test drove it, was great, car was immaculately clean and was detailed before I drove it - still had the new car smell. Turns out the car was only a thousand more dollars than the two year older one at the Chrysler dealership and had 12k less miles! I decided to get to business right then and there because this car was not going to be on the lot for long if I did not jump it. The lowest priced Ford Fusion per value in the area.

So far:
The car has been a DREAM! I'm not a good reference point because I come from driving a lifted 16 year old jeep to a 2 year old car but it just seems like Ford did really good with this model. I'm used to a tired old 4.0 so the slower model 2.5L was no big deal to me at all. It shifts smoothly - I read that people found that the car would hesitate a little when you try to get on the peddle a little on the freeway but I haven't yet experienced that. I feel it has good response - though I think the peddle is a little soft - I like the tension in the peddle of my jeep but no big deal. The trunk space is amazing, and the ride has been good. I actually haven't been able to find a seat that I find more comfortable than my jeep's cloth seats but these seats give a good run for their money. They hug me well and it has plenty of leg room. A big plus for the telescoping steering wheel! Steering is A LOT tighter and more responsive than the jeep.

The on board display I feel is a LITTLE clunky. I feel like I have to press a little harder than what I would like to to select through the display menu. I like the overall interior of the car, a bit simplistic but I'm a simple person
smile.gif
. Being a 4.0 fan, I really like all that room under the hood of the car, there is a lot of room to work in there. I like engine compartments with a lot of room - something I noticed jeep did with the grand cherokee and the 3.6L - guess it's a lot more tight of a fit with the SRT versions though haha!

My total daily commute of 60 miles consists of 44 miles highway and 16 miles city/backroads so the car gets ran well and no short trips. I'm getting about 34 average miles to the gallon so I am happy with that. Having a little over a half of a tank by friday after filling up monday mornings (I never let my gas get below a quarter of a tank). Just last week I hit 10k miles.

My jeep has served me really well, getting me from point a to point b since I've been 16 and always doing what I ask of it, and returning that love back. I don't trust anything in snow more than my jeep. It's funny, when I get in my jeep, I feel like I sit so high up like i'm on stilts because the car sits so much lower. It's a bit weird getting reused to it. My jeep is now a weekender, and hopefully will allow me to enjoy more years of it.

Overall, I am loving this car. The price was at a point I could not refuse. Hopefully I'll get to enjoy this car and see it all the way past 250k miles.

p.s. if you made it this far, kudos to you

thanks!
 
Last edited:
Thanks for that; a coworker has 2 fusions and has had good experiences with them; both are 2.5L

It is a good engine for extended OCI IMHO. I just did a 13.7K OCI in my 2.3L Duratech.
 
There's many reasons why the Fusion is a top-selling vehicle. Reliability and simple, robust design is a big part of that. Congratulations, you'll enjoy- I've put right at 100k on my 2011 Fusion in the past 4 years and it's needed nothing but oil & trans fluid changes, and a pair of rear rotors and brake pads. That's it!
 
Originally Posted By: JeffKeryk
Rented one once; a hybrid. Nice car. Easy to drive and I love the look.
I want the Hybrid version! I have that same engine/tranny in my 2015 Ford C-Max now, and the same thing in a Fusion sounds awesome.
Instant torque from the dual electric motors; Hyb Fusions average about 42 MPG; Very smooth with the planetary gearset transmission type.
 
Good review and im glad its working out for you with the new Ford. Your wallet is loving you also with the fuel savings!!!


Dale
 
In the summer (70*+ ambient), I can average 36+ over a full tank on my non-Hybrid, plus I'll never have to pay for a replacement battery pack. My normal driving habits are not really conducive to the PHEV lifestyle, the 2018 Fusion Hybrid I rented for work was always kicking out of EV mode and I actually got worse mileage than my 2011 non-hybrid. YMMV.
 
The Fusion is one of my favorites and the 2.5 is too.....great, long lasting engine (designed by Mazda)...
 
I bought a 2017 Fusion with the 2.5.....bottom line vehicle but came with an appearance package.....fog lamps, spoiler, etc....
The battery has run down twice, right after I bought it. Ford replaced it and after the second time, they replaced the gear selector switch.
There are two recalls, one for the audio control module, the other for the steering wheel nut. (Not me!) The radio will randomly reset itself plus the power outlet below the radio won't shut off.....so whatever is plugged into it, my satellite radio, will stay on.

I am averaging 31 mpg in combined highway/city driving and the engine, to me, has plenty of pep.....this after coming from a 2014 F 150 2wd with a 5.0. The car handles well and overall, I love it.
 
Originally Posted By: SubieRubyRoo
In the summer (70*+ ambient), I can average 36+ over a full tank on my non-Hybrid, plus I'll never have to pay for a replacement battery pack. My normal driving habits are not really conducive to the PHEV lifestyle, the 2018 Fusion Hybrid I rented for work was always kicking out of EV mode and I actually got worse mileage than my 2011 non-hybrid. YMMV.
Unusual experience.

I have the identical powertrain in a '15 C-Max and mine is turbine-smooth (planetarty gearset); EV mode kicks in and out as it is designed to do. Similar to all other hybrids like the Prius for example. You can barely tell when the engine shuts off or there is blended power, very seamless transitions.
Lots of low-end instant torque.

Hybrids are better in non-flat-highway driving. On flat highways going 70+ MPH, mine will only get 35 MPG. Add hills and it gets around 40 MPG going 70+.

In stop-n-go driving urban/suburban style, I'll get 50 MPG. Averaging 44 MPG right now doing mixed driving.

You can get 36+ MPG under the just the right conditions. When many people with 2.0L/2.5L Fusions (non-hybrids) report in over thousands of fill-ups, they get about 25 MPG average. The Hybrid Fusion gets 42 MPG. ... fuelly.com....
 
Nice review. Always like the Fusion, the original models and the current. If the current Fusion Sport had either a manual, or 8/10 speed trans I would probably need one.
 
Awesome review!! The Fusion is popular in my neck of the woods with investigators in law enforcement. I wish there were more vehicles that did not have Direct Injection like the Fusion.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top