fusion37 Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 My car has all options except the color seat inserts. I've had it about a month but to be totally honest, I miss the Fusion Sport I traded. I missed the torque/power of the Fusion. Too many black screens that transform into "Performing Schedule Maintenance" The transmission, at times, seems to have a mind of it's own. Although I like the shift button on the knob better than the "gate shift" on the Fusion. Mileage hasn't been great, but I've only got about 1K on the clock, so I'm expecting it to get better. And, did I mention the rattles in the dash and sunroof? All that said, while I don't really want a manual for in-town driving, I may have to give the ST a serious look because of the power and transmission woes of the Titanium. I do get lots of comments about how good the car looks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aneekr Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 But in this thread, it was suggested that no actual owners of the U.S. Mk3 Focus with PowerShift had complaints about the tranny. Only members of the media. :rolleyes: Within Ford's USA passenger car lineup, it's hard to top the Fusion for build quality. Anyway, I hope you get the problems afflicting your new Focus resolved to your satisfaction, fusion37. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 Okay - one owner. Let's check back in a week or two and see if that's still the case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ackbar Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 I traded a 2010 Fusion for a 2012 Focus Titanium as well. I did find that I missed a few things at first, mainly the backup camera (I didn't get the parking option) and the lower-end torque when accelerating to highway speed. Sync/Navigation on the Fusion was also a lot more reliable and a little snappier, although the graphics and some features are not as advanced as compared to MFT. And of course, being 6' tall, the ability to put the seat way back on the Fusion gave me a lot more leg room - it took me awhile to get used to being so much closer to the dash with the smaller Focus. Now that it's been well over a month, I've mostly gotten used to the changes and I really like how the Focus handles, especially in the city. The acceleration is decent in S mode, but it does require getting the RPMs up there. It's definitely easier to park, and since I have the hatch, I actually have more cargo room for larger items that wouldn't fit in a trunk. I did have some instances where the transmission was jerky early on, but it's smoothed out a lot over the last 3 or so weeks. Overall, I'm happy with the change and find this is a more livable vehicle since I drive primarily in the city. Good luck with yours, hopefully with the MFT update and further break of the transmission it will get much better for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
transitman Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 (edited) I also traded a 2010 Fusion SEL for the 2012 Focus 5-door SEL. The things I like more are the mpg's, cargo space, overall handling, styling and the quite ride. I also like that it doesn't feel like I'm driving a compact car. I've had one screen blackout and lost connection to my usb ports three times, other than that my MFT has worked fine. The one thing I do miss is the extra side to side driver's leg room. I've learned to use a combination of D and S depending on the situation and with 19XX miles on it, my trans has smoothed out as well. I can see why fusion37 misses the performance of the Sport, but my main concern is economy, so I'm very happy with the change. I lost about $1750 by trading in at the dealer vs. selling it myself, but I used my excellent trade to negotiate the price on my Focus, so... Edited July 15, 2011 by transitman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 Smooth shifting powershift trannies? Say it ain't so....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
transitman Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 (edited) Smooth shifting powershift trannies? Say it ain't so....... Oh, it be so, at least in my case. In S it shifts very smoothly and as I stated above, mine has smoothed out with more miles. At slow speeds with acceleration, slowing and acceleration it seems to have to search for the correct gear and it may seem to be shifting rough, but it's just shifting. I've learned not to be fooled that traffic is starting to move and just keep my speed constant until I have to stop and it doesn't shift so much. Of course it drives the driver behind me nuts, but why hurry up to stop. Edited July 15, 2011 by transitman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zetasoul Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 I thought I wasn't going to like the transmission the first few weeks I drove it. Coming from a V6 Honda Accord, I missed the power. However, I am starting to like revving it high and it provides plenty of power. Actually, I think that high-rev is exactly what you're meant to do with this car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fusion37 Posted July 28, 2011 Author Share Posted July 28, 2011 (edited) Since I started this thread, I thought I'd update it. Going on two months with the Focus. Definitely liking the Titanium sedan much better. Mileage is indeed going up and am using (and enjoying) the Sport mode shifting. As I said earlier, I find the "button" on the Focus preferable to the shift gate on the Fusion Sport, and even more so than on my wife's Infiniti G35 with paddle shifters. The paddles seem oddly placed - not close enough to the wheel or something. Because the Focus is so quiet and doesn't have a loud exhaust note, it's easy to rev it high in first gear, which is there just to get the wheels rolling! I get the MFT black screen about every third time I start the car. Awaiting word on what some of you on this board have to say the latest software update. Edited July 29, 2011 by fusion37 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwillum Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 Since I started this thread, I thought I'd update it. Going on two months with the Focus. Definitely liking the Titanium sedan much better. Mileage is indeed going up and am using (and enjoying) the Sport mode shifting. As I said earlier, I find the "button" on the Focus preferable to the shift gate on the Fusion Sport, and even more so than on my wife's Infiniti G35 with paddle shifters. The paddles seem oddly placed - not close enough to the wheel or something. Because the Focus is so quiet and doesn't have a loud exhaust note, it's easy to rev it high in first gear, which is there just to get the wheels rolling! I get the MFT black screen about every third time I start the car. Awaiting word on what some of you on this board have to say the latest software update. I currently have a Fusion Sport and am thinking about a Focus Titanium for my next car. However, feel the opposite of you when it comes to the transmission. As a long time stick-shift driver, I like the Fusion's gate shift as it's the closest I can get to what I would prefer to have. I had a 2008 Fusion SEL with a manual transmission before my 2010 and loved driving that car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgc333 Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 Smooth shifting powershift trannies? Say it ain't so....... We have a bit over 1800 miles on our SEL now and the powershift tranny has been smooth since the get go. The only idiosyncrasy that I have found you need to adapt to is if you are coming off the line with very light throttle then decide you need more get up and go the tranny is some times already in second or third and it takes a fraction of a second for it to down shift back to first and get the rpm's up into an area where there is enough power for decent acceleration. This is not really an issue in Sport mode since it stays in each gear to a higher rpm before shifting and you don't often catch it in the wrong gear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSA Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 We have a bit over 1800 miles on our SEL now and the powershift tranny has been smooth since the get go. The only idiosyncrasy that I have found you need to adapt to is if you are coming off the line with very light throttle then decide you need more get up and go the tranny is some times already in second or third and it takes a fraction of a second for it to down shift back to first and get the rpm's up into an area where there is enough power for decent acceleration. This is not really an issue in Sport mode since it stays in each gear to a higher rpm before shifting and you don't often catch it in the wrong gear. Is that what that is? It's been driving me crazy, every "now and again" I'll be at a light or crossing traffic or something, where I'm at a stop or going super slow.. and I'll give the car gas and it sits there for 3 seconds doing nothing, then kicks in and scoots me across.. it's pretty bothersome and borderline dangerous if your timing is off though. I'll try it in Sport mode all the time and see if it fixes it.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fusion37 Posted September 5, 2011 Author Share Posted September 5, 2011 (edited) Three months in: Fusion Sport forgotten! Just returned from a 1000-mile trip in the Titanium sedan: *35 mpg at interstate speeds *nav system steered me around a couple of serious interstate backups *radar weather interesting & useful as I traveled through rains from Tropical Storm Lee *seats remarkably comfortable *PowerShift transmission great in mountains Edited September 6, 2011 by fusion37 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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