Sparks

Did anyone notice this little blurb on the news release: "The Fiesta's award applies to cars built after July 2010 because Ford made design changes to strengthen the outside door handles to minimize the possibility of doors opening in side impact crashes. " This really bothers me. I'm in the middle of purchasing one of these for my wife that was built in April, will Ford do anything to modify my car in order to make sure it has the safety of the newer cars?

Major Brands: Honda Average - 147 Honda - 148 Acura - 146 Ford Average - 156.5 Ford - 159 Lincoln - 147 Mercury - 134 Volvo - 186 Toyota Average - 159 Toyota - 129 Lexus - 126 Scion - 222 GM Average - 188.375 Buick - 122 Cadillac - 148 GMC - 174 Chevy - 185 Pontiac - 220 HUMMER - 221 SAAB - 226 Saturn - 211 Ford is ahead of Toyota in brand average, and second only to Honda--that is a win.

"And so we've found that powerful rear-wheel-drive ride you crave. You know, the drift machine that can be bought on an hourly wage. And we've found it in red, white and blue." http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drive...rticleId=143486

Wizard, BlueII, Igor, Lets hear some detailed specs on the 6.2. Igor--you said before that you think the 6.2 kinda got put on the back burner and now isn't what it could have been, is that information still correct? I really want this truck. I think this is a really good sign from Ford, actually not cancelling this product in these bad times. The SVT Lightning/Cobra nameplate is so uniqe and resonates very strongly in the performance community.

Dear Ford, Build this car now!

For how many months now have we known that he 09 Fusion would be a mostly carryover? There are actually quite a few available options that haven't been available in previous years, and this is for a short model-year. The big changes are coming for MY 2010, this will be revealed later this year. Including new 2.5 engine, hybrid and 3.0 PIP. Do a little research before you start talking next time. And BTW, let me know when you find a pic of an '05 Fusion for comparison.

The NEW Cobalt SS TC is a great car. But GM went through a spell where they were slapping SS on every car and they tarnished the nameplate. I believe you're talking about the Sport Trac Adrenalin with the body-kit comment. It was great in concept, now it is a body kit, but guess what, its not badged as an SVT; that's bc SVT is reserved for serious vehicles. SVT has not been tarnished, it just hasn't been used much. It's still alive with the GT500, and it could find a home in the F150, F100, Fiesta, Focus, Fusion. But really, a car or two and a truck for SVT is plenty. High hp is not enough for SVT, it needs to be an all around performance vehicle.

Please, "Ford needs to have an "SS" like line of models from the Party all the way to the Taurus." This worked so well for the General, I can't wait to go buy a Malibu SS or a Cobalt SS non-sc. SVT is a serious badge and is only worn on serious vehicles. The General realized this and started doing the same for SS now, but it's too late bc they tarnished the nameplate with a bunch of crap vehicles. SVT is a great nameplate, unfortunately Ford hasn't used it much lately. IF we do see a SVT on a Fusion, you can bet it will be AWD, have high hp (EB 3.5) and will stop on a dime. It may even have a paddle-shifted 6-speed. The same would be true for any vehicle that wears a SVT badge.

Has this been reported by anyone else. This would be great news. There is a flaw in the report--the 3.7 L has not been announced as an EcoBoost engine, its the 3.5L.

I'm sure you just grabbed this from the manufacturers claims, but lets look at actual numbers for Toyota... Tundra - 10,238 - 21,727 - (52.9%) I love how Toyota uses "adjusted" numbers.

Escape has less displacement, less horsepower, is lighter, has more gears, and gets less mpg? Toyota -- 3.5-liter DOHC 24-valve SFI Dual VVT-i V6; 269 hp @ 6200 rpm/246 lb.-ft. @ 4700 rpm 19/27mpg 3547lbs Ford -- 3.0-liter DOHC 24-valve SFI (CTA) iVCT V6; 240 hp @ 6550 rpm/223 lb.-ft @ 4300 rpm 18/26mpg 3421lbs I would like to see real world numbers on these vehicles. Is this a case of not enough engine for the vehicle?

Awesome numbers! That is a sleeper of an 99 cobra. Especially considering you're lucky to get 270 rwhp stock. How many lbs of boost are you running?

It looks better than the current Cobalt, but thats not saying much. GM needs to much better than this to compete against the 2011 global focus.

I agree with the above. That was a terrible "first drive" review. It sounded like she just wanted to "fit in" with the usual Jalopnik sarcastic humor with everything she wrote and ended up saying mostly nothing. The only thing worth taking from the article is she thinks it handles and accelerates well.

I know this was the same last year, but looking through the order guide I noticed 18/28 city/hwy fuel economy for the Taurus while the Fusion gets 18/26. This is crazy considering the Fusion weighs 416lbs less than the Taurus. The PIP 3.0L better get a significant jump in fuel economy. Does anyone know the weights of the Duratec 30 and 35? (How much more does the 35 weigh?)

This should be a decent powertrain to compete for a year. It compares pretty favorably against what chevy has to offer (main competition). 2008 F150 5.4l (4-speed auto) 300hp @ 5000 365tq @ 3750 13 / 17 - city/hwy 2008 Silverado 6.0l MAX (6-speed auto) 367hp @ 5500 375tq @ 4300 13 / 18 - city/hwy 2009 F150 5.4l (6-speed auto) 320hp @ 5200 390tq @ 3500 14 / 19 - city/hwy (is 1 mpg city and 2 hwy too much to ask of the new tranny?) If the above is true, we'll be down on hp, but up on tq and up on fuel economy. That should hold us over for a year. EDIT: I should probably throw in the 5.3l from chevy even though its not the top engine. 2008 Silverado 5.3 (4-speed auto) 315hp @ 5200 338tq @ 4400 15 / 20 city/hwy It would be nice to see Ford match these MPG numbers since this is a more common engine for the Silverado and Ford trumps this engine on hp, tq, and a better Transmission.

It's funny reading some of the posts on here saying there is no improvement. I actually think its quite a large improvement over the 2008. The front fascia with the trapezoidal lower grill opening is a large improvement over the podgy rectangular opening. And the fog lights are well-integrated and actually look like they belong. The rear fascia is also much improved. It reminds me of the visual difference between the 03-04 mustang gt and the 03-04 cobra. The way the exhaust is integrated into the lower fascia seems more natural. GT: Cobra: That being said, its definitely not perfect. But its a very minor refresh (not changing expensive parts) and its pretty well done.

I'm somewhat torn on what would make a great engine lineup for next-gen fusion. I think the new 2.5 is a great addition for the 4-cyl base model. I really think it's power/efficiency has the potential to put it among the front-runners in this category. After the base model, I think it gets a little tricky. It looks like we're getting the PIP 3.0L (240hp). But there are other options as well. We could do the 3.5 (265hp) or even the 3.7 (275hp). I know the mks has a preliminary rating of 270hp 265tq, but I think at least have 280hp SAE certified. I think the following lineup would be great: 2010 Ford Fusion SE I4 (2.5L 170hp, 170tq; 22mpg city, 33mpg highway) 2010 Ford Fusion SEL V6 (3.5 263hp, 260tq; 20mpg city, 29mpg highway) 2010 Ford SVT Fusion V6 AWD (EcoBoost 3.5 TTGDI, 340hp, 340tq, 18mpg city, 25mpg highway)

It's interesting that they're talking about a styling and powertrain upgrade for 2009. Lets hope that this is Ford's new strategy of revealing new cars shortly before releasing them. I think this would be a great move. The numbers: Toyota Camry 2.4, 6-speed auto 21/31 mpg 158hp 161 tq Honda Accord 2.4, 5-speed auto 21/31 mpg 177hp 161tq or 190hp 162 tq 3289 - 3433 lbs Chevy Malibu 2.4, 6-speed auto 22/30 mpg 169hp 160tq 2008 Ford Fusion 2.3, 4-speed auto 20/28 mpg 160hp 156tq 2009 Ford Fusion 2.5, 6-speed auto 22/31 170hp 166tq This could give ford the edge in gas mileage. I do believe they'll look to hit 22 city and at least 31 highway. I would love to see them get 32 highway and trump the others. And the Fusion would compare favorably in performance (The Accord is a larger car). Also consider that this is the new engine slated for the Hybrid system, so that isn't out of the question. Unfortunately, Ford doesn't stack up so well in the v6 department, even with the PIP. I know, I know, it's not a horsepower war, but people still look at the numbers. Ps. I'm a LONG time reader, but this is my first post. This is a great site, and I'm glad to finally be a part of it.