Ford Fusion - 34mpg highway!

I live in Atlanta and wanted to see family in St. Louis for Thanksgiving. My old liftvan would never make it. A dear friend put my fold up wheels in the trunk of her Fusion and took me to St. Louis. It was her first long distance trip in the car and even she was surprised to get gas mileage that good. The ride was OMG wonderful and the trunk and leg space were great. I was under the impression ever American car sucked ass. Boy is that wrong.

Although Fusion is assembled in Mexico by non union workers, the profits help support Union retirees in the USA. You CAN support union workers and still do something to support a move toward greater gas conservation.

Fusion. It's worth a look -- 34 mpg.....and that was a cheap brand of gas.

has made good fuel economy cars and trucks.

That's the class the Fusion is in.

And Ford has gotten some decent results with its Escape hybrid.

And it's getting below 30 freeway.

It has nothing to do with FORD.

I'd like to know why gas mileage hasn't improved in nearly 25 years.

Nothing has been done to change the consumption of our motor vehicles since the early 80's

could make a 1 liter motor that gets 100 mpg if they really wanted to, but people want their 200 horsepower v6s and their massive cars...

Or better yet, new technology to rid us of the oil dependency. We need to send the Car Company Execs to rehab to break their addiction to OIL.

I think that we're just stuck in a trade off. We either get mileage or we get power and the American consumer wants either both (hence the feeble and over-priced hybrids) or just power. I think that the car companies are actually trying to give us what we want rather than what we need.

Look at the new Corvettes, they have 6.0+ v8's with over 400hp and their getting around 30mpg on the highways, and averaging in the low 20's. My Trans Am is the same way.

:shrug:

They are getting equal mileage out of a much larger engine.

The main problem is the weight. Cars have gotten heavier over the years.

In the early 80s, there was no such thing as standard air bags; there were no anti-lock brake systems; no all-wheel drive; no stability control. Believe it or not, these things weigh a LOT. The bigger the vehicle, the lower the gas mileage; simple physics (mass, energy, blah blah blah). Those safety features eat up any energy savings that might be possible in a perfect world.

I always tell folks to take your pick: the latest safety gizmos, potentially keeping you and you family alive in the event of an accident, or little econo-boxes with no safety features that get 40-50 MPG. It's really up to the car-buying public. I do not think I need to tell you what the American public has chosen (hint: safety up the wazoo). In fact, it's amazing the MPG we DO get on these cars with all the additional features they now carry. In a nutshell, I am sooooooo tired of that particular argument...it just doesn't hold water when you look at it logically.

on edit: spelling

and IIRC I got close to 40 mpg and that was 25 years ago.

and it got 50 mpg on the highway

1.0L 3 cylinder

Keep in mind though that since then, a lot more stuff has been added to cars, such as safety features, airbags, and many other conveniences that people expect in cars these days. That adds a lot to the weight and power demands of a car.

I have often wondered why a company like GM couldn't just trot out a new version of the Metro, and that is the explanation I've gotten mostly.

That's not much is it? It's a lot compared to a van anyway. I remember how wonderful it felt to dump my BMW that got 8mpg (13 hwy).

OTOH I am SO HAPPY that your Tday drive was not miserable as so many are...

so 34mpg is SUPPOSEDLY good mileage in a non-hybrid.

Sadly, that is actually the case. Few vehicles these days do better. Which is a f*ing outrage. My '96 Corolla got about 36mpg - why can't we do any better now?

I keep seeing commercials with car companies trumpeting their "good" gas mileage of under 30mpg. RIDICULOUS.

:mad:

A better comparison would be Toyota Avalon and Ford Fusion. I have been in both. The interior and trunk space of both are very close and both have 6 cylinder engines with somewhat comparable power and torque. Avalon's freeway mileage averages well below 30 MPG.

Corolla, small 4 cylinder, is averaging in the mid 40's on the freeway I do believe.

A Toyota Avalon is much bigger than a Ford Fusion. Ford Fusion curb weight is 3158 lbs and length is 190 in. Avalon curb weight is 3,500 lbs and the length is 197 in. Ford Fusion comes with an I4 while the Avalon is only available in a V6. Actually, the better comparison is the Toyota camry. The camry comes available with a 3.5L V6 with 268 HP, while the Fusion is only available with a 3.0L V6 w/221 HP. Why is Toyota able to get and extra 45hp while maintaining the same level of fuel efficiency? The v6 Ford engine is actually the Mazda designed duratec engine from 1996! In over 10 years, Ford has been able to sqeek an extra 10 hp out of their engine. What a feat of engineering by the Ford team!

:sarcasm:


Meanwhile the 1996 camry had a 185hp V6 w/185hp. Its gained 100hp while maintaining the same fuel efficiency.

And it's got over a 100,000 miles on it.

I remember those little Toyota trucks -- or is yours a big truck?

My '93 4x4 Toyota with a 3.0 liter 6 gets about 17 mpg in town.

Low power and low fuel mileage. But I figure I drive so little it doesn't matter.

I'm beginning to like the new Dakota's. They jumped up to 302hp over the 230hp 4.7 they had since 01, and they still get about the same mpg. I have an 04 BTW which looks better as far as how it sits where as the new 4x4's look like they sit lower.

I dont even know why v6's are still available in some full size trucks. They're just worthless in that size of a vehicle.

the more value their work is shown to have by increased sales of their product the closer they get to organization and power.

The workers are Ford in the US were non union once too.

IS A UNION SHOP.

I know, shocking... but true

My wife's 6 year old New Beetle got almost 35 on our Thanksgiving trip. It was built in Mexico, and we've had minimal problems (but the dealer stinks). Good ride, leather seats, nice stereo, cd changer, sun roof, PAID OFF!

It's too bad we don't even meet the Jimmy Carter MPG standards. We'd all be better off (except the CEO's of oil companies).

And with 200,000 miles, the motor still spins like a top.

So the Fusion, which replaced the Escort, gets much worse mileage. This is progress?

mikey_the_rat

the Fusion is notably larger. 34 isn't bad by current standards for such a car.

So for a Ford, I'd say it's a pretty good improvement...They of course, can do MUCH better though.

So, in almost a decade, Ford has managed to increase fuel economy by a whopping 3 mpg.

The thing is not only is it an extremely comfortable ride with every immaginable convienence but its also fast and has 4-wheel drive.

40 on the highway at over 80mph is normal. In a car that does everything better than any hybrid.

however comparing cars in the 30 to 55k range to a 17k ford is not apples to apples.

34 is a great improvement in that market space and if more people cared like the OP we would all be better off.

my friend with a Prius-which has the same interior space as my Camry-gets 50mpg on the highway. Plus, both cars were built in the US and they drive like a dream.

Auto manufacturers can do far, far better on fleet fuel efficiency-IF they weren't in bed with fossil fuel interests!

w my Prius. We need to really get standards up quickly.

to start off the focus is not in the same price range as a prius. Not everyone can afford the bump. 34 is very good mileage for a car that accelerates promptly and costs much less.

You can compare a prius to a mercedes e320 diesel and see a car with much more room, more power, better everything, get better fuel economy on b20-80 renewable diesel. However you may not want to pay over 50k for that function.

My point is only that since you obtained 34 mpg in a road test, it's not really fair to compare your actual results with the posted results of other cars since they might also perform better in actuality than the mpg listed.

http://www.fordvehicles.com/cars/fusion/features/specs/

The avalon has about the same posted specs as the fusion

19 city/28highway

http://www.toyota.com/avalon/specs.html

cars produced by any domestic manufacturer according to Consumer Reports. The Ford Fusion has a higher reliability rating than even the Toyota Camry. The Ford Fusion compares competively with any other car in it's class. Now if you want to compare your expensive European cars to the Fusion the Ford has them beat hands down in quality. Last year Consumer Reports recommended avoiding all models of the Mercedes Benz line.

Diesel, I get around 46 mpg on long drives. I'm averaging 42 mpg overall.

get's 30 city, 35 highway.

I love it so far.

n/t

5-speed manual transmission; with AC running, around 29-30 mpg ...trust me, AC is not a "luxury" in the great (and Hot) central valleys of California...

...and dang it, I'm keeping it... holds as much as a small pickup, is great on our 2-lane mountain roads, holds four, or even five- if they don't mind being cozy... best part: no payments.

That thing is absolutely wonderful; very European-like. Fabulous, tight handling. Haven't had one problem yet (I have had it a year). I'm getting the hybrid version when it comes out in '09. The Fusion was my first choice, but the Milan lease deal was better at the time. They are surprisingly roomy for a car for their size. :-)

Some people are stomp and stomp with the gas and brake , highway depends on alot of things , hills , wind , proper tire inflation and the weight of the passengers and luggage .

For the most part there is not much point in increasing HP and get the same milage , what people on average need is milage and enough power to get the job done not 0 to 60 in 5 seconds .

I worked for ford dealerships for 30 years and everyone had different milage experience even with the same exact car .

I can also tell you the fuel we have now does not give the milage as the fuel we had ten years ago , I have the same car m drive the same way and I have lost 5 mpg on average . The car is kept in good shape .

Also milage is one part of the expense , repairs and maintainence adds in , tires , brakes and how you drive all have an affect . Not to leave out insurance . Over drive helps alot on the highway .

Front wheel drive is one of the worst ideas they ever can up with .

As for HP, well theirs always going to be a market for high hp cars. The problem is not that engines are getting more powerful, its that vehicles are getting bigger and heavier. Just because a car is rate 300hp doesn quite mean its going to get shitty gas milage, its when you use that power it then drinks alot of gas.

Like I said in a earlier post, the Corvettes have 400+ hp engines now, but if drivin normally they average in the low 20's and can get up to 30mpg easy on the highway. Something that other high performance cars at its level cant match.

Because they can built the entire unit and drop it in . Other than that there is no advantage . It cost more to repair anything since everything is all packed into one area . There is more wear and stress placed on the steering because the front wheels power the car .

As far as more HP goes , this is only because some people like the idea of power , it is more of a hazzard than a benefit since in most places you can't use that power , it's not like the TV adds showing a car zooming around on an open road .

In the late 70's many manufacturers were going to 4 cyl engines and smaller cars for better milage and V-8's were only in the larger cars but the suddenly the V-8 was back and along came larger cars and SUV's and PU trucks designed for construction work became the desire of simple minded fools as a form of status .

My stand is this . People need to look at the bigger picture , cars are not the answer , at one time they seemed to attract the idea of independence and freedom but now and for many years they have become a trap and an illusion . By this point in time we could have had dependable mass transit all over the country and people could have used the time used sitting in traffic to relax and read or talk and would have no insurance or car payments and repairs to deal with .

Now everything is based around the auto , roads and parking lots , meters , tickets , fast food drive throughs , the list is as endless as the millions of gas stations peppering the landscape and it's ALL based on big oil and the auto companies holding hands and the selling of endless lies that people buy into .

All one has to do is view the traffic photo's taken from the air everyday and the lists of accidents and deaths and time wasted to see just how insane this has become . It's like some sort of mass hypnotic state that people have been caught up in , give me my car or give me death .

I could go on forever having dealt with people and their cars for over 33 years being in the repair field from a tech to a manager .

Cars simply are not built to last , I could tell you stories of horror on just how cheap and fragile many of the new cars are and it all began with these 5 mph accidents that went from collapsable bumpers to one section plastic front and back ends that are now more costly to repair than the old cars ever were . This was more to kill the steel and bring in the plastic (oil based product) than it ever was for safety .

For all the restoration buffs , what is there left when plastic over time decomposes into dust , there are no more vintage cars of the future . It has just become another part of the toss away society .

to a rear drive car. I remember those days, putting chains on carrying sand bags in the back and still getting stuck in a drift at zero degrees. No thanks I'll keep the fwd.

I'm in the northern tier of states (snow belt), so the FWD has actually proven much easier to work with over the changing of seasons. I was a die-hard RWDer for years though, keeping sand in the trunk/bed to balance my weight, and kitty litter to provide traction when stuck. I've been won over by FWD over the years in snowy conditions though. It just works better, and I don't carry the non-essentials in the back anymore.

Now - if I lived in L.A., I'd have a power RWD coupe/sedan in a heartbeat. :-)

It hardly even snows here north eastern NC. But the couple times I'v driven on snow covered roads in my camaro, I didn't have much trouble as long as I took it slow and easy. And those cars do not handle well AT ALL on wet and snowy roads! Now that I have a 4x4 Dakota, it'll handle snow covered roads better and safer.

Most RWD drive cars are downright dangerous in snow and slick conditions. As an example, I once had a compact car that was RWD. That thing got stuck in my driveway! My next car, a FWD, never had the problem - cut through snow like butter.

Granted, RWD is nice in warmer climates, but I know that people living in snowless southern states who cut down FWD as a farce have absolutely no idea what they're talking about. Perhaps when you desert dwellers finally run out of water and come crawling to us Great Lakes folk, then finally we'll be recognized as more than crazy people who live in snow-barren fly-over land.

I had a Toyota Corrola that got that kind of mileage.

Seems that after 30 years of technological innovations there should be a huge improvement. BUt alas, people want their big cars so even if the technology is out there, the buyers aren't. Sigh.

Mz Pip
:dem:

The fusion is built on the body of the mazda 6, which explains everything.

Went with an '07 Altima instead. I loved the Fusion though, it handled really nicely, was V6, and the car was fucking loaded (had all available features and was a showroom model). The only downside is that the dealer was a pain in the ass to deal with, so I got the Altima instead.

those mexican workers ARE UNION workers

I know it may seem incredible, but the UNIONS are STRONGER in Mexico than they are in the US

So yes, they were assembled by MEXICAN UNION WORKERS

What, you think only the US has unions?

Boggles the mind...