[elronino]

My previous Fusion did not have the nice stereo that came in the Titanium (no option to), so I was stuck with a mediocre sound experience. My wife drove an Impala that came with a Bose system and HD radio and I immediately became jelly. When we got our Sierra, we got the upgraded stereo no questions asked. I tend to prefer a higher quality listening experience, especially on longer road trips.

I'm not sure if this is the same stereo setup that was put in the 13-16' Fusions, but I am pleasantly surprised. The initial test drive had my ears melting with love.

• The 12 speakers seem to be very well balanced
• The surround sound setting provides that acoustic elegance you might find in higher end vehicles
• The lows have a great range and display nice punch for your rock/metal or deep rumble for your hip/hop
• highs are crisp, but find them to be a little piercing when volumes creep up
• Mids seem to round off the experience and compliment it's counterparts
• Coupled with Spotify or iPhones EQ, you can further tweak to your style.

What are your thoughts? Better, Worst, Comparable to previous Sony premium stereo? Does it rival some of the higher end Euro sport sedans?

 

[Frizz2112]

I too think it sounds great, but it's also very hard to compare this sort of thing without having the vehicles next to each other. To my ear it doesn't give up much at all to the Bang & Olufsen Premium system in the 2017 Audi A4, but I would have to try them side by side to really know for sure. I read reviews of that system that ranged from "best system I've ever heard" to "massively disappointing" which demonstrates how subjective this can be.

 

[cvap]

I don't know about the upgraded system, but the stock stereo that comes in the 17 Fusion Sport is no better than a stock system from a 25 year old Dodge P/U. They should be ashamed to put that system in a new car. Then they have the nerve to take money from Sirius and engrave it on a button.

 

[JaredC01]

I don't know about the upgraded system, but the stock stereo that comes in the 17 Fusion Sport is no better than a stock system from a 25 year old Dodge P/U. They should be ashamed to put that system in a new car. Then they have the nerve to take money from Sirius and engrave it on a button.

For what it's worth, Sirius sounds like garbage itself. It's basically what the non-HD FM was.

That said, I made a comment on the stereo in my intro post. I believe the word I used was "amaze-balls". Yes, it really is THAT good. I've got two sets of Polk component speakers, a JL amp, and a JL sub just collecting dust right now as there's no need to replace ANYTHING about this stereo. Very happy with the audio quality, especially from my phone. The Sirius does leave something to be desired, and I would say that the audio system being as good as it is really lets you hear the difference. If ever I had a doubt about wanting Sirius, I know now that I don't.

 

[cvap]

Jarod, You must have the upgraded system that comes with the 401A pkg.

 

[JaredC01]

Jarod, You must have the upgraded system that comes with the 401A pkg.

All 12 speakers of it... And worth every penny.

 

[dubie7006]

Yea I'm really liking the upgraded system. Bass hits pretty well when I want it, and sound is great otherwise when I don't. Don't have any complaints.

 

[elronino]

Jarod, You must have the upgraded system that comes with the 401A pkg.

Correct, I to have the 401A... I should have prefaced that. My 14' SE had the stock entry level system and it was okay at best.

 

[elronino]

All 12 speakers of it... And worth every penny.

It makes my eardrums smile

 

[GFunk]

I'll chime in that I'm usually a stickler on factory systems and bought the Sony system to try it, but more importantly have all the speaker mounting points pre-installed for when I swap out for better parts. After receiving my car I have yet to run into a song that I wasn't satisfied with on the stock Sony system. I don't do excessive volumes or bass - I just prefer balanced, clear sounds throughout the frequency range.

I'll be keeping the system stock for quite a while I think.

 

[qwerty3089]

I'm in love with the Sony system in this car!

 

[elronino]

I don't do excessive volumes or bass - I just prefer balanced, clear sounds throughout the frequency range.

This is exactly how I feel. I listen to a fair amount of rock/metal and love a solid bass punch, but don't want to have to listen at deafening levels to get it. The double bass punch out of this system makes the hair on the back of neck stand up.

 

[jayson]

Does anyone else seem to notice that the antenna for FM radio really sucks in the Fusion? Suddenly areas that I had no problem getting clear FM stations in before the Fusion are now constantly getting cross talk from other stations or fading in and out.

 

[dubie7006]

Does anyone else seem to notice that the antenna for FM radio really sucks in the Fusion? Suddenly areas that I had no problem getting clear FM stations in before the Fusion are now constantly getting cross talk from other stations or fading in and out.

I don't have any experience with FM as I listen to XM basically exclusively, but I have noticed that there are about 10x as many "dead spots" in the XM range in this car compared to my old FoST. Really annoying.

 

[lskarha]

FM Radio reception should be better in the 2017 as they added dual receivers. Is the station in question transmitting in HD (Digital)? That may have something to do with it.
https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2016/08/10/2017-fusion-and-escape-dual-fm-radio-receivers.html
-Lee

 

[Frizz2112]

I don't have any experience with FM as I listen to XM basically exclusively, but I have noticed that there are about 10x as many "dead spots" in the XM range in this car compared to my old FoST. Really annoying.

Interesting; I'm getting noticeably better XM reception in the Fusion sport than in my last two XM equipped cars. It might be worth mentioning at your next service, although I have my doubts that your average Ford technician will be able to do much about it.

 

[elronino]

I find the FM to be much better than my 14' FuSE. I do have the upgraded stereo with HD capability... and when you can get the HD, it's great.

 

[BOT_ROCKET]

I'm not much of an audiophile...

I'm not either, which is probably why I thought my '09 fusion and both WJ Grand Cherokees (RIP Wendy Jo) seemed to have better sterios to me. I'm not sure if its true, or if the cars just aren't built as well so you can feel the bass shaking your seat. My '09 and Jeeps really hit you in chest, and I loved that. I think I just need better taste in music so I can enjoy quality music through a dozen speakers without having to have bass dumped on my head. Then again, maybe I just need to stand further away from IEDs when they go off...

 

[falkin42]

I feel like most car audio people will tell you the biggest obstacle to good sound in a car is the absurd noise floor, which is why it takes so much more power than a home system to make it seem the same loudness. A quieter car then, like the Fusion, should have much better audio at lower power and volume levels.
I prefer music louder myself; is this system like having an aftermarket subwoofer and speakers to match? I added one to a couple of my cars and I love the extra volume capability. As in, the stock system could never even dream of being as loud as the aftermarket, but I've never really had an upgraded factory system.

 

[JaredC01]

There are two (what seem to be) 8" subwoofer hanging from the back deck, and they do have a bit of punch to them. For me, it's plenty, but for bass heads, it will probably be a bit lacking.