[Chancellorbunchy]

So, I'm sure that you guys have seen AutoVlog's 0-60 video. Yeah, maybe we can possibly see 5.0sec times soon.

We know the car has **** good power, but ford came out of the gate swinging at Audi & BMW with their power claims. Wouldn't it benefit them to be able to efficiently put that power DOWN?

So let's talk about the 6F55...

Has anybody owned a SHO/Explorer Sport/Edge Sport before?

Are the shifts crisp/sloppy/terrible/decent for an automatic, etc?

Why hasn't Ford developed a Dual Clutch for performance variants that don't get manual options?

If they did offer a DCT (among other performance options) as a paid option, would you go for it?

 

[drbob1]

I did drive a Sport yesterday, and the transmission was decent-no big lag on downshifts either with the paddles or just stomping on the gas. Much better than the BMW say, although not quite in the same league as Audi S4 or Merc AMG. Of course, it was running on 87 octane so no idea what it'd be like, healthy.

 

[dubie7006]

My impression so far:

In D, with pure auto, the shifting is really underwhelming. Seems to rev too high (shift late). That's fine...definitely not a dealbreaker, but if I'm daily driving it I want it as low as possible to save some gas. Especially if I'm not hammering the throttle.
In S with auto, it's a little better. But nothing earth shattering. My biggest gripe is...
In S with paddles, I feel like the paddles are connected to carrier pigeons. Upshifts are slow and unresponsive. Downshifts are fine, but there's often less urgency with downshifts. I'll pull the + paddle, wait a second, then things will get going. It's a little frustrating. As part of my recent car shopping experience, I test drove a Jag XE. Those paddles were 100% dead on responsive. Now, of course, that car has quite possibly the best paddle trans on the market in the ZF, and it's probably not entirely fair to compare the ZF to what's in the FuSpo, but it's still an important point. Ford could have really crowned the king with a better performing paddleset IMO.

 

[escape]

As part of my recent car shopping experience, I test drove a Jag XE. Those paddles were 100% dead on responsive. Now, of course, that car has quite possibly the best paddle trans on the market in the ZF,

Interesting, as I am planning to test drive the XE as well. Did you drive the 3.0 version? What did you think about the XE overall? What made you choose the Fusion in the end, pricing aspect aside?

I know the XE is a bit smaller inside with a smaller trunk, but for me personally it probably won't be an issue.

 

[dubie7006]

Interesting, as I am planning to test drive the XE as well. Did you drive the 3.0 version? What did you think about the XE overall? What made you choose the Fusion in the end, pricing aspect aside?

I know the XE is a bit smaller inside with a smaller trunk, but for me personally it probably won't be an issue.

I drove the 25T Premium...don't remember the exact specs but I think that was the 2.0L. I thought it was fine. Quite frankly, I wasn't overly impressed compared to the FuSpo. The XE was plenty peppy and that trans was amazing, but nothing else really stood out. And then we got to pricing and it wasn't even close. Unless you're going for the R-Sport and just don't care about price, I think the FuSpo is at the very least equal to the XE in every way save the trans.

 

[grog]

So I don't have any solid evidence to back this up, but I swear the the transmission improved over time in my 6f50 equipped Ford. At first (<500 miles) the transmission didn't shift well, but it improved significantly after a few tanks of gas. Either the clutches take a bit to wear in, or, as suggested by my salesperson, the TCU (transmission control unit) adapts to your specific tranny and driving style over time. If I remember right it was especially noticeable in the 1-2 and 2-3 shifts.

(The 6f50 should be similar enough to the 6f55 in the Sport to warrant some comparison?)

Moral of the story - transmissions need to be broken in too, I'll be waiting to hear some 5000+ mile impressions and results. Meanwhile, my dealer finally has a Sport in stock, I have an appointment to drive it Thursday morning. I have feeling I would be taking it home if it wasn't totally base model.

 

[drbob1]

Make sure they've filled it with 93 or at least 91, or prepare to be disappointed!