2013 Fusion Manual Transmission Impressions...

[Zoomzoom5]

I came across what may be the only unspoken for manual transmission Fusion 2013 in the USA: http://www.cars.com/...racktype=usedcc

 

Anyone near Coraopolis, PA want to take it for a spin and post up your impressions? Of course, you'll probably need to wait at least a week until the recall work is done.

 

How in the world did you find it? Looks nice. I don't think my wife will let me take a trip to PA for a test drive. Sigh...thank you for finding it!

[CheesyRider]

How in the world did you find it? Looks nice. I don't think my wife will let me take a trip to PA for a test drive. Sigh...thank you for finding it!

 

I ran this search on cars.com: http://www.cars.com/...28705#105103144

 

Then I looked at the photos to verify that what came up in the search really had a manual. Of the 10 cars that came up, only one actually had a manual. The rest were listed as manuals in error.

 

*EDIT* I just checked the VIN of the car in the search that didn't have a photo. It hasn't been delivered yet, but it looks like another 6MT is going to eventually show up in Huntington Beach, CA: http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp?tracktype=newcc&csDlId=&csDgId=&listingId=105029262&listingRecNum=6&criteria=sf1Dir%3DDESC%26mkId%3D20015%26stkTyp%3DN%26mdId%3D21175%26kwm%3DALL%26rd%3D100000%26crSrtFlds%3DstkTypId-feedSegId-mkId-mdId-yrId-trId-transTypeId-photoId%26zc%3D55110%26rn%3D0%26PMmt%3D1-1-1%26stkTypId%3D28880%26sf2Dir%3DASC%26sf1Nm%3Dprice%26yrId%3D47272%26requestorTrackingInfo%3DRTB_SEARCH%26kw%3D1.6l%26sf2Nm%3Dlocation%26isDealerGrouping%3Dfalse%26photoId%3D46724%26transTypeId%3D28112%26trId%3D24929%26rpp%3D50%26feedSegId%3D28705&aff=gogsema&listType=1

Edited December 18, 2012 by CheesyRider

[bongo]

I came across what may be the only unspoken for manual transmission Fusion 2013 in the USA: http://www.cars.com/...racktype=usedcc

 

Anyone near Coraopolis, PA want to take it for a spin and post up your impressions? Of course, you'll probably need to wait at least a week until the recall work is done.

That's about 3 hours due South from me.

[MineralstangGT]

That's about 3 hours due South from me.

 

Road trip!

[Zoomzoom5]

 

 

Road trip!

Cool! Okay, now if only one would show up in Missouri. Have fun!

Edited December 19, 2012 by Zoomzoom5

[Zoomzoom5]

This is a manual transmission question, but how long is the clutch supposed to last? Are the modern manuals as robust as ever?

[chargercrazy]

Does anyone know what the redline is on the 1.6L? The tach shows the red at about 6250 RPM but it keeps going up to 8000 RPM. Will it rev up to 8000? I'm assuming the rev limiter is somewhere above 6500 . . .

[MineralstangGT]

Does anyone know what the redline is on the 1.6L? The tach shows the red at about 6250 RPM but it keeps going up to 8000 RPM. Will it rev up to 8000? I'm assuming the rev limiter is somewhere above 6500 . . .

 

Hopefully someone can answer that question as I would be interested too. It would be great to see some pics of the car and hear some initial impressions of the car with the manual transmission. There are several of us here (who have bought or not) that are really interested to hear how the manual version of the car feels.

[kpeex]

Allegedly there's a two month old MT on a train near me.... Riding along with his reordered automatic twin brother made 10 days ago. (Automatic reordered in it's place was "dealer error".)

 

I will post as soon as I get it. No redline vidcaps for now, though!

Edited December 28, 2012 by kpeex

[aneekr]

Does anyone know what the redline is on the 1.6L? The tach shows the red at about 6250 RPM but it keeps going up to 8000 RPM. Will it rev up to 8000? I'm assuming the rev limiter is somewhere above 6500 . . .

 

Car and Driver says that redline on the 1.6L Ecoboost engine is 6500 rpm. (LINK)

[boatnfish]

Dealer called today that our car is scheduled the week of 28 Jan. 1.6l with manual transmission. We ordered the it the week beofre Thanksgiving.

[MineralstangGT]

Sorry to bring this one back up, but my desire to still get the 6mt in the Fusion didn't reallen dampen with the 1.6L issues and I wanted to see if Charger (or anyone else who has received their 6mt already) could report any mpg numbers. Just looking at the two 1.6l magazine comparisons I saw, car and driver got 19 with the auto and motor trend got 24 with the manual transmission. Maybe its easier to get good real world mileage with the 6mt and the eco boost motor? I just wanted to see if anyone had mileage numbers to see if there is a correlation or not.

[chargercrazy]

I have almost exhausted the dealer's tank of gas (53 MTE) and the computer says 26.1 MPG. I would say about 50/50 city/highway driving. I did sit stopped in traffic for 45 minutes yesterday on my way home from work, so I'm sure the MPG would normally be a bit higher. I am not sure on how many gallons it says I've used. I'll post with more info when I fill it up tonight.

 

As far as how the manual transmission shifts and feels -- it is very smooth and the clutch is great. It took some getting used to for when it engages in the pedal travel (which goes for any clutch) and it catches a lot closer to the middle of the pedal travel than my '97 Ranger which catches at the top of pedal travel. There is a strange feeling upon downshifting into second gear, almost like a hindrance of some sort. It seems to happen most of the time except when I am going extremely slow. I don't think it's anything to worry about. I'm used to this type of thing upon trying to shift into first gear if you aren't stopped, but it's not nearly that bad. Just a little catch of sorts. It still shifts into second fine and takes no extra effort. It almost feels like a slight vibration through the shifter.

 

The throw of the shifter is a bit longer than I expected but it is very smooth. If you have anything in the cup holders it can interfere with shifting slightly (say a tall cup or bottle of water).

[MineralstangGT]

Thanks for the info. Have you just been casually driving it? Or does that include a little fun in those numbers as well?

 

Hopefully the long throw can be remedied pretty easily with a shifter swap. Does anyone know if the 6MT is the same as the one in the Focus ST?

[MKII]

Does anyone know if the 6MT is the same as the one in the Focus ST?

The Focus ST 6 speed is the MMT6, and the Fusion 6 speed is the B6.

Ford Europe also uses the MMT6 in their 2.0L TDCi (diesel) equipped vehicles,and the B6 in the gas engine vehicles.

I assume the MMT6 was used for the ST to handle the increase torque loads.

Edited January 8, 2013 by MKII

[MineralstangGT]

The Focus ST 6 speed is the MMT6, and the Fusion 6 speed is the B6.

Ford Europe also uses the MMT6 in their 2.0L TDCi (diesel) equipped vehicles,and the B6 in the gas engine vehicles.

I assume the MMT6 was used for the ST to handle the increase torque loads.

Thanks for the information. Does the B6 have a positive/negative reputation that you know of?

[chargercrazy]

Thanks for the info. Have you just been casually driving it? Or does that include a little fun in those numbers as well?

 

 

There's a little fun in those numbers. Here are the numbers on my first fill up.

 

I drove 369 miles on the dealer's tank, which I am not sure was all the way full when I took delivery. The computer said I got 26.8 MPG and used 13.67 gallons. I filled up when it said 5 Miles To Empty.

 

I put in 15.101 gallons with a very slow fill. Based on 369 / 15.101 I get 24.44 MPG. I guess we'll see on the next tank because I know the tank was full this time.

Edited January 9, 2013 by chargercrazy

[MKII]

Thanks for the information. Does the B6 have a positive/negative reputation that you know of?

The B6 in Ford Europe vehicles is paired up with the 1.0 EcoBoost and 1.6 EcoBoost engines.

The reviews and owners report positive experiences with this transmission. I have not read of any issues.

My own experience is some test drives in the Focus 1.0EB and found the B6 to be very smooth shifting, I like the over all

action of the B6, well done tranny for sure.

[Moushigo]

Stick shift review:

 

[CheesyRider]

I am now the proud owner of a six-speed manual transmission Fusion! Okay, that is a little white lie. It is actually my wife's car. But, I don't think she reads this forum, so I'm going to pretend it's mine.

 

I have only put about 15 miles on my car so far. Here are my first impressions:

 

The shifting action is very smooth. First to second is a tiny bit clunky but the rest of the gears are smooth as can be. On second thought, I think I'm selling the first to second shifting action a little short. It is also quite smooth, but the rest of the gear changes are super extra awesomely smooth. So, it only seems a tiny bit clunky by comparison.

 

The lever throw is a touch on the long side, but not so much that I'd want to spend the time or money on a short shifter if/when one becomes available.

 

The clutch action is excellent. It has the second best clutch engagement characteristics of all the manuals I've driven. You can be fairly sloppy with clutch engagement and not risk giving passengers whiplash. The only car I've ever had with a more forgiving clutch was the Jetta SportWagen TDI that the Fusion replaced.

 

Gear ratios are well chosen. If I was nit picking, maybe 6th could be a little bit taller. But, overall, very good.

 

Power seems about the same as the 1.6 automatic in normal driving. I'm waiting until the engine breaks in to really have some fun. At that point, I expect the manual will perform a little better as it will be easier to keep the engine in its power band.

 

I have put a number of miles on some recently produced manual transmission vehicles. So, I thought it might be helpful if I give my opinions of them to give you an idea where I'm coming from in case you've driven any of the following cars:

 

2010 Jetta SportWagen TDI & 2013 Fusion (tie) - The VW has slighlty better clutch action and the Fusion has a slightly better shifter. Both are very good.

 

2011 Kia Sorento - They only offered a manual in this CUV for half of a model year. Shifting action was a bit notchy, but not too bad. Takes a while to get a smooth 1st-2nd shift as perfect clutch engagement is needed. Gear ratios are well chosen. Gear whine is noticeable. It isn't as bad as I make it sound, but it just isn't in the same class as the Fusion and Jetta.

 

2010 Subaru Outback - The worst manual transmission I've ever driven and I'm someone who has owned a 1988 Dodge Lancer. Gear ratios are awful. 1st gear is way to tall and 6th gear is way to short. Somehow the sifter was even notchier than an '88 Dodge Lancer. It did a weird "rev hang" thing when changing gears. Somehow they manage to make it so in order to properly push in the clutch pedal, I had to have the seat forward enough to cramp up my right leg. Words cannot describe how awful the manual in that car is.

 

Overall, I give the manual Fusion a big thumbs up! And, I doubt anyone who orders one will be disappointed. I'll post up more impressions of the manual Fusion if I think of anything more to add once I put on more miles.

[kpeex]

^^ Wow, Cheesy took the words out of my mouth.

 

The 1-2 shifts aren't my normal "smoother than an automatic" shifts. Yet. I've also done a couple of accidental 5->4s when looking for sixth.

 

Sixth could be a tiny bit longer so that fifth would properly be the workhorse. I'm coming from a five-speed Honda that way undersold it's engine. It is equipped with go-cart handling and a nice smooth clutch/tranny with silly gear ratios. It has a stump puller first and a buzzy, whiny, noisy fifth that's just begging for a sixth gear to knock 2000 rpms off the engine. Or, it could a real world "we understand manuals" five-speed. It is neither.

 

The Fusion 6-speed seems carefully chosen for the motor. You ain't gonna get any rubber or accelerate much in sixth, but you could superslab all day with about 2500 rpms on the tach and get there very, very rapidly while just sipping a bit of fuel. Nice car!

Edited January 13, 2013 by kpeex

[MKII]

Great to get some feedback from Fusion manual tranny owners. Thanks

[Zoomzoom5]

I am now the proud owner of a six-speed manual transmission Fusion! Okay, that is a little white lie. It is actually my wife's car. But, I don't think she reads this forum, so I'm going to pretend it's mine.

 

I have only put about 15 miles on my car so far. Here are my first impressions:

 

The shifting action is very smooth. First to second is a tiny bit clunky but the rest of the gears are smooth as can be. On second thought, I think I'm selling the first to second shifting action a little short. It is also quite smooth, but the rest of the gear changes are super extra awesomely smooth. So, it only seems a tiny bit clunky by comparison.

 

The lever throw is a touch on the long side, but not so much that I'd want to spend the time or money on a short shifter if/when one becomes available.

 

The clutch action is excellent. It has the second best clutch engagement characteristics of all the manuals I've driven. You can be fairly sloppy with clutch engagement and not risk giving passengers whiplash. The only car I've ever had with a more forgiving clutch was the Jetta SportWagen TDI that the Fusion replaced.

 

Gear ratios are well chosen. If I was nit picking, maybe 6th could be a little bit taller. But, overall, very good.

 

Power seems about the same as the 1.6 automatic in normal driving. I'm waiting until the engine breaks in to really have some fun. At that point, I expect the manual will perform a little better as it will be easier to keep the engine in its power band.

 

I have put a number of miles on some recently produced manual transmission vehicles. So, I thought it might be helpful if I give my opinions of them to give you an idea where I'm coming from in case you've driven any of the following cars:

 

2010 Jetta SportWagen TDI & 2013 Fusion (tie) - The VW has slighlty better clutch action and the Fusion has a slightly better shifter. Both are very good.

 

2011 Kia Sorento - They only offered a manual in this CUV for half of a model year. Shifting action was a bit notchy, but not too bad. Takes a while to get a smooth 1st-2nd shift as perfect clutch engagement is needed. Gear ratios are well chosen. Gear whine is noticeable. It isn't as bad as I make it sound, but it just isn't in the same class as the Fusion and Jetta.

 

2010 Subaru Outback - The worst manual transmission I've ever driven and I'm someone who has owned a 1988 Dodge Lancer. Gear ratios are awful. 1st gear is way to tall and 6th gear is way to short. Somehow the sifter was even notchier than an '88 Dodge Lancer. It did a weird "rev hang" thing when changing gears. Somehow they manage to make it so in order to properly push in the clutch pedal, I had to have the seat forward enough to cramp up my right leg. Words cannot describe how awful the manual in that car is.

 

Overall, I give the manual Fusion a big thumbs up! And, I doubt anyone who orders one will be disappointed. I'll post up more impressions of the manual Fusion if I think of anything more to add once I put on more miles.

That is a nice review! Thank you! My first manual car was a 1984 Chevy Chevette diesel...the tranny was chunky and about as smooth as a Detroit highway. It crapped out at only 25,000 miles, had it rebuilt, and it crapped out again in only 3,000 miles. The tranny couldn't handle the torque of the diesel motor. Car was so unrefined, but did get 55 mpg. Next on the list was my 1984 Audi GT. That thing was a very nice shifter and fun to drive. It ate up dirt roads, going places where angels fear to tread. The biggest problem with it, was the reverse syncro was going out so you had to hold with all your might when putting it into reverse. Next up, 1986 Toyota Corolla GT-S, this thing was the drifters dreams...hey, I was drifting in that thing before it ever became popular! With 50/50 weight distribution and a posi rear end, this thing was a blast too, like the Audi. The transmission was indented well but longish throws. It held up well and lasted until she was sent to the junkyard in the sky about 5 years ago. I'll jump forward now to a 2003 Ford Focus ZX3 with 16 inch rims and all the bells and whistles, just one step below the SVT. I enjoyed this one as much as the Audi. I really loved the mpgs, getting 38 constantly out of it. Clutch take up was predictable and the manual tranny indents where spot on. Could've use about 40 more pony's, but that's where the SVT comes in, but not near the mpg's. Traded the Focus in for an anemic 2002 four door Honda Accord manual. Tranny was excellent, but the car was such a dog. I had been spoiled by the GT-S, Focus, and Audi. I was so happy when we got rid of that thing! Even with the manual, getting into traffic could be a harrowing experience! Not enough power Captain! Today, I drive, what used to be my wife's, 1994 Mazda Protege LX with the Manual. One of the easiest manuals to use out there, and she's geared for power. The car is almost 20 years old with 315,000 miles and still on the original clutch, pressure plate, slave cylinder, etc. Clutch pickup is effortless and the indents in the tranny are still just right. I have no idea how much more life I have in this thing, but I keep telling the Protege, "Just 3 more years!" I'll have enough saved up for my new car. Once again, thank you for the information on the 2013 Ford Fusion manual transmission! Still love to be able to drive one around here in Missouri...sigh.

[Moushigo]

Just got mine today! it's really sexy up close!

 

As for the transmission review, shifting is really really smooth. The car I have driven before was a 2000 isuzu pickup so I am not really sure if this review is good because it is such a huge gap, almost 10 years.

 

Worth the 4 month wait, and as a poster said before in SoCal where it's import city a lot of people have second glanced it.

[MineralstangGT]

Just got mine today! it's really sexy up close!

 

As for the transmission review, shifting is really really smooth. The car I have driven before was a 2000 isuzu pickup so I am not really sure if this review is good because it is such a huge gap, almost 10 years.

 

Worth the 4 month wait, and as a poster said before in SoCal where it's import city a lot of people have second glanced it.

Would love to see some pics. Congrats!