[Goggles]

I'm seriously considering the Fusion Sport or a 2016 SS. I've driven the SS and plan to test a FS in the next week.

I'm curious if others have cross-shopped these two and why you decided to go with the Fusion Sport. Also, what are your opinions on driving experience between the two?

Out of the box, the difference to me is that the Fusion Sport hedges a bit more on the daily driver practical side whereas the SS hedges a bit more toward performance. Speaking in relative terms between the two cars.

 

[Wildcat Birdie]

This has been discussed quite a bit on this forum. If you can find a good deal and don't need the AWD, I think most people have said they like the SS. I personally am not crazy about the design of the SS, and I needed something for Wisconsin winters. If you can get away with the high power and RWD and like the designs, then go for it.

 

[01Cobra]

Both mag ride. If no need for the awd then Ss all day.

 

[Vert]

I had a Pontiac G8 4 years ago and loved that car and before I bought the Sport I looked at an SS.
Pros for an SS... You can get a much better exhaust note, rear wheel drive and mods are plentiful and fairly cheap.
Pros for the Sport... AWD, lower price and with a tune its faster than an SS with some mods.
My hardest decision was giving up the V8 for a 6 cyl and the RWD. Im happy with the Sport and you might not hear me coming, but you will see fly by in the rain and snow.

 

[Kevin74]

And, do you want a manual transmission

 

[drbob1]

I've still got my 06 GTO, tuned and race suspension... The SS is much cruder a device: RWD, MT6, fairly old chassis. But if you want muscle car grunt, at the discounts Chevy was offering last summer it's a pretty killer choice. Upgrading power is pretty simple with headers, air-box and a tune-maybe $1200? But you are very much traction limited in the 1/4 mile, mine will spin thru much of 1st gear and well into second gear if I don't modulate the throttle.

The FS is more civilized, more modern, more drivers aids available. And with a tune, it's neck and neck with the GTO. Living in the midwest, I just wanted to get back to AWD without the hassle of Audi or BMW. In the south it'd be a much harder decision!

 

[Vert]

I've still got my 06 GTO, tuned and race suspension... The SS is much cruder a device: RWD, MT6, fairly old chassis. But if you want muscle car grunt, at the discounts Chevy was offering last summer it's a pretty killer choice. Upgrading power is pretty simple with headers, air-box and a tune-maybe $1200? But you are very much traction limited in the 1/4 mile, mine will spin thru much of 1st gear and well into second gear if I don't modulate the throttle.

The FS is more civilized, more modern, more drivers aids available. And with a tune, it's neck and neck with the GTO. Living in the midwest, I just wanted to get back to AWD without the hassle of Audi or BMW. In the south it'd be a much harder decision!

Living south solves all the problems and I know if I lived south I would have kept my SC mustang.

 

[Rice]

silly quesition what SS are you referring to lol?

 

[Goggles]

And, do you want a manual transmission

I'm indifferent. Pluses and minuses to both for me.

silly quesition what SS are you referring to lol?

The four door variety.

 

[Vert]

silly quesition what SS are you referring to lol?

This SS

 

[Goggles]

Has anyone autox their FS?

I test drove a FS today and I like the AWD, which I don't really need. It snows here like every other year and its only on the ground for a day or two.

I wasn't able to really push the car, but it definitely felt quick. However, the SS chassis felt quite a bit stiffer. Since I wasn't able to wring out the FS, I'm curious what others think about handling compared to the SS. The FS felt heavier, but certainly no slouch. I'm curious how they'd compare in autox and track day events.

 

[Captain Nemo]

I cross shopped these two but at the time SS was $50k and FS was (also full loaded) $36k and that was a deal for me. There is no single thing that makes SS better car OTHER than personal preferences such as V8 sound and RWD (but I have SRT Charger already so I got that covered) and track handling but just based on magazine reviews as I haven't tried SS on the track.
SS is nowhere worth $14k more than FS. Now with Chevy 20% off deals - different story...

 

[La Flama Blanca]

Has anyone autox their FS?

I test drove a FS today and I like the AWD, which I don't really need. It snows here like every other year and its only on the ground for a day or two.

I wasn't able to really push the car, but it definitely felt quick. However, the SS chassis felt quite a bit stiffer. Since I wasn't able to wring out the FS, I'm curious what others think about handling compared to the SS. The FS felt heavier, but certainly no slouch. I'm curious how they'd compare in autox and track day events.

When I first test drove the car I was very surprised how heavy it felt, actually had me second guessing the purchase.
It's a really nice riding car, not sure about auto crossing it though.
And when you test drive a sport, I'm sure most people will agree it most likely has 87 octane in the tank, fill it with 93 and it's a whole different animal.

 

[dlm1984]

My suspicion is the the SS would perform better in an autocross environment. I haven't driven an SS, but the feel and ability to supply some oversteer with a RWD car seems like a substantial advantage.

When I've pushed my Fusion Sport, it's quite evident that it's a heavy FWD biased car. I've also had a few incidents where the car doesn't behave as expected on hard acceleration from a stop or slow roll while making a hard turn - IE beating oncoming traffic onto a highway on ramp or at a traffic light. It's certainly capable of putting down power a lot more effectively than my 14 Ti, but there are limitations.

I'd probably choose the SS if snow and price weren't really factors in the buying decision.

 

[Vert]

Has anyone autox their FS?

I test drove a FS today and I like the AWD, which I don't really need. It snows here like every other year and its only on the ground for a day or two.

I wasn't able to really push the car, but it definitely felt quick. However, the SS chassis felt quite a bit stiffer. Since I wasn't able to wring out the FS, I'm curious what others think about handling compared to the SS. The FS felt heavier, but certainly no slouch. I'm curious how they'd compare in autox and track day events.

You need to talk Donjohnk on here since I believe he does autox.

 

[RJA29]

Price would be the key decision maker for me. The FS are available at big discounts right now, probably as much as the SS (unless Chevy has another 20% off promo come along). If the price were the same, AND I didn't need AWD, AND I didn't care about fuel economy, I'd get the SS.

Not sure it's worth another 5-10K, poorer fuel economy, and no AWD.

 

[bigblueshock]

I feel you can't compare the SS and Fusion Sport AWD. They are different type of markets; apples to oranges

The SS is RWD and FuSport is AWD. Different ballgame. If you're looking for only RWD, that opens up a whole new slew of car comparisons.

If you're comparing RWD cars, you have to look at all the SRT vehicles (Charger, Challenger), Ford Mustang GT 5.0, 370Z, Genesis Coupe. etc.. Especially if you're looking 1 year used.

 

[Wildcat Birdie]

I feel you can't compare the SS and Fusion Sport AWD. They are different type of markets; apples to oranges

The SS is RWD and FuSport is AWD. Different ballgame. If you're looking for only RWD, that opens up a whole new slew of car comparisons.

If you're comparing RWD cars, you have to look at all the SRT vehicles (Charger, Challenger), Ford Mustang GT 5.0, 370Z, Genesis Coupe. etc.. Especially if you're looking 1 year used.

Yes and no.

If you are looking for a performance sedan, and don't care if its AWD or RWD, you just want a four door car that can go, they are both in the market. The only other car on your list that fits performance sedan would be the Charger. Only other option would be the CTS-V, but that is a huge jump in price.

People don't just look at drivetrains to decide what to get. Some people require the sedan, but want performance as well.

 

[bigblueshock]

Yes and no.

If you are looking for a performance sedan, and don't care if its AWD or RWD, you just want a four door car that can go, they are both in the market. The only other car on your list that fits performance sedan would be the Charger. Only other option would be the CTS-V, but that is a huge jump in price.

People don't just look at drivetrains to decide what to get. Some people require the sedan, but want performance as well.

That makes sense, I did not factor coupe and sedan differences. Personally, I wanted a new automatic Performance AWD Sedan in the 30-35k price range. Only sedans I could compare with were the Taurus SHO (after rebates), Charger SXT, Subaru WRX, and Legacy 3.6R. There may be a couple of others but still, not a whole lot around 300HP +/-

 

[Wildcat Birdie]

That makes sense, I did not factor coupe and sedan differences. Personally, I wanted a new automatic Performance AWD Sedan in the 30-35k price range. Only sedans I could compare with were the Taurus SHO (after rebates), Charger SXT, Subaru WRX, and Legacy 3.6R. There may be a couple of others but still, not a whole lot around 300HP +/-

I did forget about a few cars that could be added to the list, but like I said, it all just depends on the needs and wants of the buyer for what cars are in the list. For me it was all about something that was sporty but I could also drive in the winter, and the Fusion Sport hit those aspects plus had a lot more of the tech and comfort levels over the Evo I was looking at, as well as at a better price, so thats what I went with.