2017 vw Jetta se vs 2017 Ford fusion se

[pezzy669]

Personally for me I would go for the Jetta. VW largely corrected its reliability woes in the late 2000's early 201X's. I will say I have always had a soft spot for the Fusion and had a number of Hybrid rentals (never tried any of the non-Hybrids) and I was always very pleased with them, not a bad car by any stretch.

The 2.5 in the Fusion is bulletproof - this was the shared design of the Mazda MZR. Cannot remember who engineered it but I think it was Mazda with Ford doing some of its own components on the engine or vice versa. This engine family is known to be ultra reliable and can run on pretty much any gas or oil - remember the Jetta is probably going to require some specific oil and possibly premium gas.

One thing I will swear by is the VW leatherette, well really any faux leather vinyl. My '06 Jetta with the buttery beige interior interior with vinyl seats, the seats looked brand new when I traded that car in at 5 years and 8X,000 miles. I am a vinyl convert and actively avoid leather. No one ever knew they were vinyl unless I told them.

 

[tig1]

My 2017 Fusion SE has been outstanding. 5 trips to Florida. 1 trip to Colorado, and 1 trip to Maine. Very reliable.

 

[Joe_H]

I have a 2017 Jetta SE and love it. The Jetta requires VW 502.00 spec oil. Most people use full synthetic Castrol 0w40 or Mobil 1 0w40 Euro, both which can be purchased at the local Walmart for around $25 for a 5qt Jug. Recommended fuel is 87 octane which I use with no issue. The 1.4 is a very lively little engine. The turbo hits hard in the lower RPM range where its used the most in every day driving. I have to be careful or I will squeal the tires pulling out of my driveway.

It will achieve high 40s low 50s mpg hypermiling on the highway.

 

[A1O]

First off thanks for all the replies to this thread. I have no problem with driving a Jetta at all. I too believe vw has fixed allot of their quality issues. When you read about them on line alot of problems people have with them is when maintenance is not done when it should be. I work at a shop and have the means to take care of a German/Mexican vw. We use kendall motor oil at the shop so I have access to kendall 5w40 euro and the new 504.00 kendall euro plus 5w30

 

[KGMtech]

Originally Posted by maxdustington
Once you have heated seats you don't want to go back to ice buckets. Jetta also looks less like the Aston Martin's fat sister and more like the German girl in the Porsche from Super Troopers.

If you don't intend on getting a tune on either, go NA.
Originally Posted by KGMtech
In short, the VW will be far more fun to own and drive, but a bit less reliable than the Ford Fusion.
No VWs owned? Check.


I owned a 2004 Passat from new, we put 187,000km on it before it was totalled Feb 2018. Did all the services past warranty myself. So there )

 

[gregk24]

I'd get the Jetta. It's the more enjoyable car to drive, gets better gas milage, and has cleaner lines / more timeless styling.

 

[Kjmack]

I test drove a 2019 fusion sel 2 weeks ago , had to go up to sel to have heated seats . What a cheap feeling vehicle , bad view of road , ho hum is all I could think , 32k lol not likely .

 

[gregk24]

Originally Posted by Kjmack
I test drove a 2019 fusion sel 2 weeks ago , had to go up to sel to have heated seats . What a cheap feeling vehicle , bad view of road , ho hum is all I could think , 32k lol not likely .


I drove a Fusion Titanium model a few years back, it had the 2.0T. I was expecting a lot from the 2.0T but came away unimpressed. It didn't have much oomph and didn't seem to have great gas milage. Also, the steering felt very numb and didn't track straight. They are asking 32K for these? No way!

 

[A1O]

Just got back from driving the fusion they had local with the 1.5 ltr EcoBoost it wasn't bad but the Jetta felt better

 

[Corollaman]

Originally Posted by gregk24
Originally Posted by Kjmack
I test drove a 2019 fusion sel 2 weeks ago , had to go up to sel to have heated seats . What a cheap feeling vehicle , bad view of road , ho hum is all I could think , 32k lol not likely .


I drove a Fusion Titanium model a few years back, it had the 2.0T. I was expecting a lot from the 2.0T but came away unimpressed. It didn't have much oomph and didn't seem to have great gas milage. Also, the steering felt very numb and didn't track straight. They are asking 32K for these? No way!

We recently bought a 2016 Fusion SE AWD with the 2.0. I paid 18,000 with 30,000 miles one owner lease car with full service records. I have to disagree it has plenty of power and even though the model is getting long in the tooth Ford definitely made a great looking sedan. Believe it or not we've had a few people tell us it's a great looking car even though it's 3 years old. The design was something different from the status quo. 7 sec 0-60 in an AWD sedan isn't slow to me, perhaps I'm getting old.

 

[dishdude]

For some reason, the 2019 Jetta reminds me of the Fusion - especially from the side. The 2017 Jetta looks old and dated.

 

[oil_film_movies]

Originally Posted by Corollaman
We recently bought a 2016 Fusion SE AWD with the 2.0. I paid 18,000 with 30,000 miles one owner lease car with full service records. I have to disagree it has plenty of power and even though the model is getting long in the tooth Ford definitely made a great looking sedan. Believe it or not we've had a few people tell us it's a great looking car even though it's 3 years old. The design was something different from the status quo. 7 sec 0-60 in an AWD sedan isn't slow to me, perhaps I'm getting old.
True, "plenty of power" is very subjective, everybody has a diff view of it. I'd say 80% of people would like Fusion's styling over a Jetta's. ( Even though I do like Jetta styling to some extent too. And Jetta is a good driving car, no doubt, not bad at all. )

If you like the AWD Fusion's 2.0T's 245 hp, you'd REALLY like the AWD Fusion's 2.7T's 325 hp !! Or the sister AWD Lincoln MKZ (Fusion) 3.0T's 400 hp !!! ... so fast, a cop's speed radar gun can't even track it.... allegedly....

Originally Posted by Kjmack
I test drove a 2019 fusion ..bad view of road
The OP, A1O, was considering a C-Max like mine. That's where the C-Max Hybrid really spanks the Fusion Hybrid, one thing anyway. ... C-Max visibility is the best I've ever driven. You sit in a position, high enough, sloped hood, to get a view that makes it the easiest-to-drive car I've ever driven.

_____________________________________________
One advantage of a Hybrid (C-Max, or Fusion version, same) is the low-end grunt torque off the line. Electric motors kick it off the line from a stoplight. And help when initially passing something. Extra boost at lower speeds really.

 

[Andrew1972]

The ONLY year of Ford Fusion in Consumer Reports used cars to avoid is 2017. VW Jetta only is there for 2008, 2011, 2015.

I take their stuff with grain of salt. However used cars to avoid list I look deeper.

 

[jeepman3071]

Jetta. More fun to drive and reliability isn't as bad as people say. The body is also galvanized so it will hold up a lot better to salt. My sister's 2013 Jetta 2.5 has been a tank so far.

 

[FordBroncoVWJeta]

Originally Posted by dishdude
The 2017 Jetta looks old and dated.

Thats because it is. My dad bought has 2012 Jetta when I was in middle school. I bought my 17 after I graduated High School. Only real differences between the two are the engine and color.
OP The 1.4T seems to be a great engine. "Lifetime" timing belt. Really small. easy to work on. Lots of low end torque. I get 36-7MPG on regular gas, last time I used premium and pulled 42MPG.

 

[Corollaman]

Jetta. More fun to drive and reliability isn't as bad as people say.

Most people I've known who have owned Volkswagens have complained about their reliabilty, but loved their interiors.

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted by madRiver
The ONLY year of Ford Fusion in Consumer Reports used cars to avoid is 2017. VW Jetta only is there for 2008, 2011, 2015.

I take their stuff with grain of salt. However used cars to avoid list I look deeper.


What was the reason for only that year on the avoid list?

 

[Corollaman]

2017 Fusion electronics had a black dot, of course it wasn't specific as to what.

 

[Vuflanovsky]

I drove a Mark IV Golf for ten years as a second car and in my experience VW, then and now, will always have more niggling problems than a comparable Asian make..but it usually won't be an issue that will potentially leave you stranded. That's my take and how I define ultimate reliability in terms of Volkswagen. That being said, I like VW and wouldn't mind a 1.4T Jetta or Golf with a 6 spd manual.

I guess VW has sorted out coil packs and window regulators and have moved on to other "over-engineered" elements that create problems. It's just what they do in relation to the brands that are associated with "reliability". Not sure the Fusion would be better or worse on that count...

 

[A1O]

Well went to look at the Jetta today and it turned out it was a flood car. The car smelled of mold but I couldn't find any so it scared me off. It's a shame too as I was ready to buy. So on the way home I stopped at a Ford dealer and drove a fusion hybrid and a Buick verano. I really like it but it had 56000 on it and I am looking for something like a cpo now