<flame suit on>
Finally got a chance to test drive one today. While it is a lot of power for the money, I don't think I will be buying one for a number of reasons. I realize most of this is personal and extremely subjective, so please be sure to test drive it yourself and come to your own conclusions.
Here are some of these reasons, in no particular order:
1. Transmission - TCU programming does not seem to be well sorted out, even in sport mode. Upshifts aren't quick enough and responses to paddle shifter inputs are also slow. Maybe it's just the inherent characteristics of this transmission, or maybe an aftermarket TCU tune will fix this, but in its stock form it just does not feel sporty enough. This is in comparison to trans programming in cars like the 340i or the XE.
2. Suspension - felt kind of soft overall, even in sport mode. Again, this will be great for hwy cruising, but for tearing through twisty roads, it does not feel tight enough.
3. Steering - somewhat vague, numb.
4. Interior - my biggest gripe is with the interior color. It is just too light. Ford really needs to offer another interior color option here.
5. Exterior - as superficial/shallow as it may sound, the fact that this car looks just like tens of thousands of other fusions on the road wouk bother me eventually. I owned an Accord once, and seeing a ton of other Accords all around me while driving it just did not sit well with me. Call it snobbery, but I want my car to stand out just a little more from the crowd. Again, this is very subjective.
6. Sound effects - others commented on this already... while it does not sound bad, it does sound fake inside.
Some might find it ridiculous that I made comparisons to much more expensive cars. The reason for this is that I wanted to find out if I could save a lot of money and still get comparable performance/excitement. With this Fusion Sport, unfortunately the answer is no, for me.
</flame suit off>
Finally got a chance to test drive one today. While it is a lot of power for the money, I don't think I will be buying one for a number of reasons. I realize most of this is personal and extremely subjective, so please be sure to test drive it yourself and come to your own conclusions.
Here are some of these reasons, in no particular order:
1. Transmission - TCU programming does not seem to be well sorted out, even in sport mode. Upshifts aren't quick enough and responses to paddle shifter inputs are also slow. Maybe it's just the inherent characteristics of this transmission, or maybe an aftermarket TCU tune will fix this, but in its stock form it just does not feel sporty enough. This is in comparison to trans programming in cars like the 340i or the XE.
2. Suspension - felt kind of soft overall, even in sport mode. Again, this will be great for hwy cruising, but for tearing through twisty roads, it does not feel tight enough.
3. Steering - somewhat vague, numb.
4. Interior - my biggest gripe is with the interior color. It is just too light. Ford really needs to offer another interior color option here.
5. Exterior - as superficial/shallow as it may sound, the fact that this car looks just like tens of thousands of other fusions on the road wouk bother me eventually. I owned an Accord once, and seeing a ton of other Accords all around me while driving it just did not sit well with me. Call it snobbery, but I want my car to stand out just a little more from the crowd. Again, this is very subjective.
6. Sound effects - others commented on this already... while it does not sound bad, it does sound fake inside.
Some might find it ridiculous that I made comparisons to much more expensive cars. The reason for this is that I wanted to find out if I could save a lot of money and still get comparable performance/excitement. With this Fusion Sport, unfortunately the answer is no, for me.
</flame suit off>