cppawlow Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 (edited) *EDIT: I finished the review!* I just got this October 12th and already put 1300 miles on it, so far I only have pictures from when I picked it up but I'm hoping to give it a nice wash this weekend and take some nice pictures! Initial Impressions Exterior: The look is downright gorgeous, I can't tell you how many times I catch people checking this thing out. I've also been stopped by quite a few people with general questions about how I like it. No doubt in my mind this will keep getting attention for a few months if not longer until there are more on the road.Also my dad took a look at it (he's a Quality Control inspector), and both he and I deemed that the gaps in between body panels/doors/etc are really good. Quality of materials is great, I love the chrome accents on the door handles and the Black gloss instead of the matte black makes the car look more classy. The fact that the car doesn't use much chrome is a good thing for me, although the touches here and there are really nice (I'm not a fan of a lot of chrome). Also the wheels are much nicer than the SE, I almost bought an SE but would've upgraded to luxury wheels if I did that. Interior: I LOVE the dual cluster screens with My Ford Touch, and all the materials are very nice as well on the inside. The seats are very comfortable and good for long trips(I took it to pick up my sister from MSU one weekend and they were definitely comfortable for an extended period of time). The ambient lighting is a really nice touch, and covers the wheel wells in the front and back, the map pockets in the front, the front door handles and the cubby hole underneath the front display screen. Intelligent key is really nice, remote start is one of the main reasons I bought the Titanium and it does a good job of warming up the car on a cold Michigan morning. I can't tell you how impressed my friends were with the interior, even though it was all black (I really wanted the dune interior but it's not available on Titanium trim). As for My Ford Touch, the system is overall pretty good, but not entirely perfect. I get glitches with my iPhone audio sometimes where sync won't change to the album even though it says it is going to play it, and for some reason my audio keeps switching from Surround to Stereo. These are minor glitches, as the rest of the system does a good job with controlling the car from a climate/radio/phone standpoint. I didn't get nav but the iPhone nav does broadcast if you're using iPhone audio which is nice. The Sony stereo is awesome, and ridiculously loud, I don't think I need anything louder than half volume since I can probably go deaf if if it is any louder! If anyone gets this, make sure to click "Surround" in the audio/sound section in settings, there's a HUGE difference in sound quality/bass clarity. Power/Ride Quality/Visibility: The 2.0L engine is fantastic, plenty of power! Almost too much for me, I'll find myself cruising 80 without even trying due to the smooth ride. The car feels very planted even with 2WD and braking is smooth and even. The tires are Goodyear, I don't remember exactly what kind off the top of my head but based on my driving and the feel of them they kind of feel like Low Rolling Resistance tires (car coasts really easily and slipped a bit in the rain). I might replace these with better Michelins when the time comes or if my snow traction stinks. Since I didn't get the SE I didn't go for BLIS because the car would cost too much, but the built-in blind-spot mirrors work great, plus I know at least my driver's sideview mirror is electrochromatic so it dims at night which is REALLY nice! Visibility is overall really good, the car has a nice greenhouse and I don't have problems with the large a-pillar since that little window in the corner of the door does help a bit (plus my old Suzuki SX4 had much worse visibility, the a-pillars were even larger than the Fusion!). Backing out of a parking spot is much easier with the back-up camera and sensors, they definitely help me get used to driving such a big car compared to my previous one. Fuel Economy: At first I was dissappointed with mileage, but that's because the engine had to break in (it says in the manual to not pay attention to mileage till at least 1000 miles), I was getting around 24/25 mpg mostly highway since I drive to and from work at least 20 miles highway. Then after a few fill-ups and 1000 miles my last tank was at about 27mpg in the same conditions, I even hit 34.5 mpg at one point when it was all highway approximately 15 miles in, which was exciting but didn't stay that way for long haha. Overall I'm pleased with mpg, especially since the Titanium comes standard with the 240hp engine. Honestly though I wish Ford would let the Titanium come with a 1.6L or at least offer start-stop on the 2.0L. It would be nice to get better mileage without paying $3k more for a hybrid. Verdict When I decided to order this car without driving it first I had very high expectations (I did test drive one before my order came in), and it exceeded all of them! I honestly feel like James Bond driving this car(I fell in love with the Mondeo when I saw it in the movie Casino Royale), and the material/ride quality is fantastic. If you're on the fence on whether you should buy a Fusion over an Escape or Focus, I'd highly recommend you go with the Fusion, it's a whole level above these cars, and the Focus and Escape were great cars to begin with! This is my first new car, and I couldn't pick a better one, I'm very glad I chose the Fusion Titanium! Edited October 26, 2012 by cppawlow 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deadman64 Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Congrats! It's a beauty. Question: Are there 3 or 4 menu options on your RIGHT instrument cluster? (ie. is there a navigation or information selection?) Or is it only phone, entertainment and climate showing there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Strike- Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Oh, so beautiful. I love seeing more of these cars start to pop up on the Forums here that are owned by us! Just adds that little bit of personality to them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elle Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Gorgeous. Have to admit, I love the look of the Titanium! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSKershaw Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 I have a quick question regarding the tail lights. Does the red part light up? Do they only light up with you have your headlights on? I know when you hit the brakes the white part lights up with red LED's I'm just not sure how the red outer part of the light Illuminates Can you take a pic and show me how it looks? BTW Great looking car. I love the Ruby Red and can't wait until mine shows up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkeRetribution Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 I have a quick question regarding the tail lights. Does the red part light up? Do they only light up with you have your headlights on? I know when you hit the brakes the white part lights up with red LED's I'm just not sure how the red outer part of the light Illuminates Can you take a pic and show me how it looks? BTW Great looking car. I love the Ruby Red and can't wait until mine shows up. I'm wondering the same thing...the one i saw around town today didnt have the red part lit up at all lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cppawlow Posted October 26, 2012 Author Share Posted October 26, 2012 Thanks everyone, I appreciate the positive Feedback! Question: Are there 3 or 4 menu options on your RIGHT instrument cluster? (ie. is there a navigation or information selection?) Or is it only phone, entertainment and climate showing there? For MFT without Nav there are only 3 options on the right instrument cluster, I think this has to do with the fact that they don't want you messing with settings while you drive, plus you have some stuff on the left cluster (such as MyKey, easy entry, global opening settings etc). I have a quick question regarding the tail lights. Does the red part light up? Do they only light up with you have your headlights on? I know when you hit the brakes the white part lights up with red LED's I'm just not sure how the red outer part of the light Illuminates Can you take a pic and show me how it looks? I'll have to double check, but I'm pretty sure that the tail lights turn on as night time running lights as well as when you unlock the car. I'll have to double check that and I can take a picture of it. Also DarkeRetribution: I think the reason it wasn't lit up was because their headlights/parking lights weren't on. I saw another car that didn't have them on the other day, I think they just forgot to turn the automatic lamps on (perhaps they don't know they have them? I think it's standard on all Fusions). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmp180psu Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 Any more pictures since you picked up the car? I am on the fence between switching to a Titanium Hybrid tonight, and the more pictures and better. I am iffy about the wheels and wonder if I will have to find a way to get different ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deadman64 Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 (edited) Any more pictures since you picked up the car? I am on the fence between switching to a Titanium Hybrid tonight, and the more pictures and better. I am iffy about the wheels and wonder if I will have to find a way to get different ones. Yeah I'm not a fan of the stock Titanium rims....so I would of had to fork up for the 5 spoke dark ones (awesome) or buy something else down the road Edited November 8, 2012 by deadman64 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmp180psu Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 (edited) Yeah I'm not a fan of the stock Titanium rims....so I would of had to fork up for the 5 spoke dark ones (awesome) or buy something else down the road Yea, if I switch my order, i may ask if they can put the appearance package rims (they are available as an accessory) into my deal (at a lower cost since i am buying the car from them) and just switch the tires onto the new rims before delivery. Stinks the 19" h-spoke rims aren't available for the hybrid Edited November 8, 2012 by lmp180psu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbmstng Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 Suuuure, rub it in that you have your car and we don't. Lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cppawlow Posted November 8, 2012 Author Share Posted November 8, 2012 I'll see if I can get some more pictures for you guys this weekend, the days are getting really cold really fast here in Michigan. This morning my car looked like a frosted flake, thank God for remote start. Anyways I'll do my best to give it a wash and take some more pictures. As for Titanium vs SE, here are some Pro's and Cons: Pros Intelligent access w/ push button start Remote start integrated into intelligent key (not a separate key fob) Leather is easier to clean than cloth (available on SE though) Heated Seats (also available on SE) My Ford Touch with 390 watt 12-speaker Sony Stereo (best sound on Surround setting in the Audio settings) LED Tail lights with Red Ring instead of reflectors (I've heard about this from previous forums) Ambient Lighting (impresses friends, haha) Gloss Black painted plastic on the outside, instead of the matt black plastic makes the car look more high-class (ie fog light surrounds, back of the car by the exhaust, etc) 18in rims standard, I like the ones that it comes with though I love the Y-spoke ones. I would've gotten those if they were available. Cons 2.0L required - I'd rather pay a bit less and have better fuel efficiency No start-stop - Due to the 2.0L there's no start-stop available. Not sure why they won't put it on the bigger engine since it would be nice to have better fuel efficiency. Black interior - I much prefer the Dune colored interior, the black is a bit bland Might be harder to find - I hear Titaniums are in shorter supply due to a shortage of 2.0L engines, this is what my dealer told me. No HIDs - this is neither an SE or Titanium specific complaint, I think the Fusion should offer HID lights as an upgrade, with LED DRL's like the Escape. I think this is a differentiating factor to make people trade up to the MKZ. I am strongly considering the Mondeo lights if they can be retrofitted to this once the parts are available. My Ford Touch is great tech, but far from perfect - the fact that it uses Resistive touch is just flat out annoying, especially in the new smartphone generation where everything is capacitive touch. Why make the center stack capacitive touch but the screen resistive touch? This makes no sense to me. Weather Tech doesn't have mats for it - Heavily considering Husky Floor Liners I'll see if there are any other pro's or cons I have and edit this later 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jinx8402 Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 My Ford Touch is great tech, but far from perfect - the fact that it uses Resistive touch is just flat out annoying, especially in the new smartphone generation where everything is capacitive touch. Why make the center stack capacitive touch but the screen resistive touch? This makes no sense to me. Yeah, I think if they went with a capacitive touch screen for MFT, there would be a lot less complaints about responsiveness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elle Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 Anybody here old enough to remember the movie Airplane, with the lady in the bathroom putting on her makeup during all the turbulence? I can only imagine that using a capacitive screen in a moving car would be a little bit like that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timf Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 I for one prefer the resistive touch screen so I can use it without taking my gloves off. This is especially important since there's no voice command or tactile button to turn on the heated seats. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSKershaw Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 Anybody here old enough to remember the movie Airplane, with the lady in the bathroom putting on her makeup during all the turbulence? I can only imagine that using a capacitive screen in a moving car would be a little bit like that. This is the exact reason why it is resistive touch. Mainly for accuracy while driving. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jinx8402 Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 I would think with the interface designed for a vehicle, the accuracy difference between resistive and capacitive touch would be extremely minimal. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of small buttons that you need to push. The fact that capacative screens are much more responsive would be a benefit that outweighs the minor difference in accuracy. There is a reason high end phones use capacitive screens and not resistive. If I can type on a keyboard on a 4" screen, selecting options on an 8" screen with a UI designed for a vehicle should not be any harder, from an accuracy standpoint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmp180psu Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 I think I read somewhere from a guy at Ford who worked on the MFT system said the reason for the resistive system was that it had to stand up to extreme temperatures. In a way i can see it since how often are cell phones subjected to really hot or cold weather? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSKershaw Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 Try placing a tablet mounted in your current car when the car is in motion, on a fairly flat road surface with some bumps your hand will still be moving all over and more difficult to touch the icon on a screen. With resistive you can actually place your finger on the screen at the desired location then push. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
expresspotato Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 Yup this is true. Resistive touch screens are in fact pressure sensitive - the touch action sensitivity can actually be changed in software. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheesyRider Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 That red sure looks nice - congratulations! I'm starting to think Ruby Red is my favorite color on the Fusion. We're still getting blue however as that's what my wife wants. Oh, the sacrifices I must make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cppawlow Posted November 9, 2012 Author Share Posted November 9, 2012 That red sure looks nice - congratulations! I'm starting to think Ruby Red is my favorite color on the Fusion. We're still getting blue however as that's what my wife wants. Oh, the sacrifices I must make. Thanks! And when I spoke to the dealer I heard that blue is the most popular color, although I haven't seen many blue ones on the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cppawlow Posted November 10, 2012 Author Share Posted November 10, 2012 (edited) Here are some pictures of my car, below is a link to the Flickr slideshow. Let me know if you're looking for anything in particular! Here's a slideshow, I have too many pictures to share: http://www.flickr.co...ith/8173352664/ Edited November 10, 2012 by cppawlow 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkeRetribution Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 (edited) god look at those tail lights....cant wait for my hybrid titanium...I WANT THOSE LIGHTS on EVERY NIGHT. Those lights are so significant to me because most car companies like to make their lights look like they wrap around by showing some of the plastic housing on the side but the lights are in fact only viewable from the back...when I found out my hybrid SE had the entire red wrap around area just reflectors I was a little crushed....but looking at your photos makes those lights seem so much worth having. The way the LEDs actually flow off the back of the car and you have to walk to the side of the car to see the rest of them....or standing at the side of the car and having to move to the back to see the full lights...that's just beautiful and signature for the Fusion right now...love them. love your new car. Enjoy! Edited November 10, 2012 by DarkeRetribution 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
expresspotato Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Me too I was very upset when they revealed they're not the same as the SE Hybrid (even with the luxury package). I will be ebay'ing or salvage yard'ing them eventually... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.