sledhead Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 As a new member i would like to say you guys have a great forum. I have definitely decided to purchase a new 2010 Fusion SEL but am unsure as to whether it be a 2.5 I4 or 3.0 V6. Aside from the obvious differences of fuel savings vs extra power, can anyone comment on real world experiences between the two powertrains? I test drove both and found the 2.5 more than sufficient with acceleration but noisier than the 3.0. The 3.0 seemed silky smooth and very quiet with awesome power. Also of concern is fuel economy, as a highway commuter in rush hour traffic i'm aware of the posted mileage ratings but these are usually better than real life. Also, I would like to compare the predicted durability ie. the I4 working harder to produce same results as the V6. Sorry for the long winded post but would appreciate any input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
transitman Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 (edited) As a new member i would like to say you guys have a great forum. I have definitely decided to purchase a new 2010 Fusion SEL but am unsure as to whether it be a 2.5 I4 or 3.0 V6. Aside from the obvious differences of fuel savings vs extra power, can anyone comment on real world experiences between the two powertrains? I test drove both and found the 2.5 more than sufficient with acceleration but noisier than the 3.0. The 3.0 seemed silky smooth and very quiet with awesome power. Also of concern is fuel economy, as a highway commuter in rush hour traffic i'm aware of the posted mileage ratings but these are usually better than real life. Also, I would like to compare the predicted durability ie. the I4 working harder to produce same results as the V6. Sorry for the long winded post but would appreciate any input. I'm very happy with my 2.5L. I average 22/23 mpg around town and see my post #36, page 2, in the Non-Hybrid Topics for mpg from a trip I took last summer. The only mechanical problem I've had is a sloshing sound that comes from under the dash. It's been widely discussed on the Ford Fusion Forum. I had my coolant system purged under warranty and the sound is much less noticeable, but still there at cooler ambient temps. Either way I'm sure you'll be happy with the 2.5 or the 3.0. Good luck. -edit- sledhead, check out this mpg pic. This was on I-80 in Nevada. Edited March 21, 2010 by transitman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smsfordman Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 If fuel is a factor in your decision then get the 2.5L engine . More than adequate power. The 3.0 L is very robust and smoother however if you are in commuter traffic alot then all that extra power is of no value and you are just paying a the fuel pumps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nelsonlu Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 As a new member i would like to say you guys have a great forum. I have definitely decided to purchase a new 2010 Fusion SEL but am unsure as to whether it be a 2.5 I4 or 3.0 V6. Aside from the obvious differences of fuel savings vs extra power, can anyone comment on real world experiences between the two powertrains? I test drove both and found the 2.5 more than sufficient with acceleration but noisier than the 3.0. The 3.0 seemed silky smooth and very quiet with awesome power. Also of concern is fuel economy, as a highway commuter in rush hour traffic i'm aware of the posted mileage ratings but these are usually better than real life. Also, I would like to compare the predicted durability ie. the I4 working harder to produce same results as the V6. Sorry for the long winded post but would appreciate any input. Hybrid not something you are considering? Power-wise, it would be the best of both worlds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sledhead Posted March 21, 2010 Author Share Posted March 21, 2010 thanks for the feedback, to make my decision more 'real life' can anyone post mileage at fill up and gallons used. thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nelsonlu Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 thanks for the feedback, to make my decision more 'real life' can anyone post mileage at fill up and gallons used. thanks again. Assuming I understand you correctly... I get about 600 miles between fill-ups in my Hybrid, and it averages out about 37 MPG overall, at about 75% highway, using the "gallons / miles at fill-up" method, while about 39 MPG overall from the onboard computer. (Both methods have their issues, that's why I'm mentioning both.) When I rented a V6 SEL and drove it for about 800 miles last fall on a trip, I got about 28 MPG on that trip, driving nearly all highway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GusHerb Posted March 27, 2010 Share Posted March 27, 2010 Our 2010 SEL V6 got an average of 35 MPG cruising down a highway at 65 MPH last week, this average includes accelerating like a bat out of hell too. and the MPG at 60 was 45 MPG. Cruising at 40 MPH showed up to be 55 MPG. and average MPG for us doing mostly city driving and city expressway driving usually comes out to 23.6 MPG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtb3 Posted March 27, 2010 Share Posted March 27, 2010 (edited) thanks for the feedback, to make my decision more 'real life' can anyone post mileage at fill up and gallons used. thanks again. sledhead, I bought a 2010 Fusion SE, with the 3.0 V6, about 2 weeks ago and am totally amazed by this car! I thought I wanted the 2.5 I-4 with manual shift (for simplicity) but after test driving it, I felt it was not for me. The 2.5 is nice but I don't like the 4 cyl "sport car" sound when at full throttle. Yet the gas mileage it gets is fantastic. I have owned 1 - Gen. 2 and 2 -Gen 4 Tauruses and liked the V6 engines but that Taurus line is gone and that left the Fusion as the size of car I wanted. My new Fusion had 400 miles on it a few days ago and I took a 150 mile trip....when I left home I reset the gas mileage indicator and when I got home it was reading 32 MPG! And believe me I had trouble keeping my right foot off the "go button"! The car is far more car then I had hoped for. I am a Ford man, but I think Ford out did themselves with this car! It honestly seems like I am driving a car that would cost 3x more than what I paid for it! I purchased Fords extended bumper to bumper warranty just in case. ( I've had a tranny problem with one of my Tauruses) As Chevy says " May the best car win"......they are right ! And as Greg Biffle said " Just drive one of the new Fords.. then you'll know"! Edited March 27, 2010 by jtb3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betaiota Posted April 16, 2010 Share Posted April 16, 2010 Having owned a V-6 and currently driving an I-4 Fusion, I can attest that the above posters are dead on. My previous-gen V-6 had a great tone under acceleration, and real-world driving would average about 19mpg. I bet the new V-6 porbably gets a little better than that. Right now, I'm at 26mpg. When I say 'real-world' that means I don't reset the mpg meter every day, or even month. That way it gets a good long-term average. I'll reset it after Memorial Day when we finally get our summer gas around here, and it'll probably go up another point or so. The I-4 is perfect for an everyday commuter, and will get even better when $4 per gallon gas returns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mettech Posted April 16, 2010 Share Posted April 16, 2010 MPG with the 2.5 is very good.. Wife gets 32-34/ tank with 90% 50-60 MPH driving. Some people are having transmission issues. I am one of them. 3.0 is an old engine. May not be around in a year or two. 3.5 is nearly the same MPG as the 3.0. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted April 16, 2010 Share Posted April 16, 2010 Our 2010 SEL V6 got an average of 35 MPG cruising down a highway at 65 MPH last week, this average includes accelerating like a bat out of hell too. and the MPG at 60 was 45 MPG. Cruising at 40 MPH showed up to be 55 MPG. and average MPG for us doing mostly city driving and city expressway driving usually comes out to 23.6 MPG. 35 I can believe. But 45 and 55 mpg from a V6? Only if you're going downhill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2010SEL Posted April 26, 2010 Share Posted April 26, 2010 35 I can believe. But 45 and 55 mpg from a V6? Only if you're going downhill. It isn't hard to get the computer read-out to show numbers like that. But it is usually optimistic, and those would obviously be short-term numbers. No way you are going to see those kind of numbers for an average. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcsgrp35se Posted April 26, 2010 Share Posted April 26, 2010 I have been driving my sport for one year and I have 17k miles. I am running about 23.5mpg for the past 1,000 miles with a mix of very short (less then 5 mile) around town driving and on the weekends some 70mile trips. On the highway, with the a/c and doing about 70mph up and down hills, I am slightly over 30mpg. Sitting in traffic is a killer with the 3.5, had the same issue with my 3.5 altima, good highway numbers (26.4mg) but in traffic it went down to 19.6mpg. I can't complain all that much about the sport's mpg. I am happy I don't have t run premium like the altima. My wife's 2.5 altima gets on avg about 28.9 overall with mostly highway and very little local driving Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mettech Posted April 26, 2010 Share Posted April 26, 2010 I have found that the computer is .5 MPG high. Has anyone else checked? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueOval5.0 Posted April 26, 2010 Share Posted April 26, 2010 I have found that the computer is .5 MPG high. Has anyone else checked? I don not recall the exact parameters of the computer but I believe it calculates the average MPG based on the last "X" number of miles driven unless it has been reset. It does not go back forever. I have never reset mine and it currently reads 27.9 MPG. I have manually calculated each tank since day 1 and I have an average of 28.2 MPG which hasn't really changed at all. The computer has ranged from 26.2 MPG to 30.1 MPG during this time - I drive approximately 75% highway at 60 MPG, the rest is bumper to bumper traffic on the highway. Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Hybrid not something you are considering? Power-wise, it would be the best of both worlds. What about the 3.5 engine in the Sport? I get about 21 MPG with mostly city driving. 2010 Fusion Sport- Black on Black. Nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nelsonlu Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 What about the 3.5 engine in the Sport? I get about 21 MPG with mostly city driving. 2010 Fusion Sport- Black on Black. Nice. I haven't driven a Fusion with a 3.5, but it is still my contention that the 2.5 Hybrid configuration provides the best of both worlds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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