23rd Nov 2010, 17:56

WRONG. J.D. Powers ranks Ford ahead of ALL Japanese car makers in initial quality. (Ford ranks 4th, Honda 5th and Toyota WAYYYYY down at 21st). From day one Consumer Reports has rated the Fusion higher in reliability than Accord or Camry (Camry ranks average, Accord better than average and Fusion MUCH better than average).

I strongly suspect this review is bogus. As the owner of a 2006 Fusion, I know beyond a doubt there is simply no way anyone who actually owns one of these cars could possibly refer to them as poorly built. My Fusion is more solid, smooth and quiet after 5 years of rugged use as a 3rd car than a brand new Camry or Accord.

As for resale, no one goes by Kelly Bluebook (which is always considerably behind sales trends). My Fusion is currently worth exactly the same as it was two years ago, and current resale values for it (and all Fords) continue to rise as Toyota values drop like a brick. I recently saw a one-year-old Camry advertised for the same price as a 5-year-old Fusion. That pretty much says it all.

24th Nov 2010, 09:30

Needless to say, I'm quite lost as to what went wrong with the Fusion. All the reviewer did was bash it.

24th Nov 2010, 12:18

"WRONG. J.D. Powers ranks Ford ahead of ALL Japanese car makers in initial quality."

So what you're saying is that your Mexican car is better built than any Japanese car?

24th Nov 2010, 12:39

"WRONG. J.D. Powers ranks Ford ahead of ALL Japanese car makers in initial quality."

As someone who tends to keep cars 10-15 years on average, I am not really concerned about initial quality, since any car should have decent initial quality, but long term dependability is far more important.

24th Nov 2010, 18:56

"I strongly suspect this review is bogus."

Really? Then how do you explain the recent test of the Honda Accord, Ford Fusion and Toyota Camry in which a 2007 Camry with 100,000 miles was pitted against a brand new Accord and Fusion. The Camry came out on top straight across the board. I for one do not think this review is bogus. Having driven and worked on many Ford Fusion's, it sounds pretty typical if you ask me.

24th Nov 2010, 19:55

I am a mechanic of 31 years. Master ASE. I read the review and the comments. People often ask me: "What is the best car". Honda is the best car, Toyota second. American cars are improving a lot, but they still need more.

American trucks are to my opinion better in many areas than the Asian. Medium trucks that is. I know about the Toyota acceleration problem. American and European cars also have problems (recalls), but have not had the publicity the Asians have. I suspect a campaign by Obama (I like Obama) to make people buy more American cars. Very patriotic, but I see a flaw. If you really want people to buy more American cars, then have them made here 100%. Period. I know many Americans want to show their love for this country by supporting the American manufacturers. But have you asked yourself if the owners of these factories love this country? Why do they source out so many jobs?

US could make the best cars in the world, but they are not yet doing it. I see many improvements. But I see these improvements have been forced by the almost collapse of the automotive industry, not their desire to provide the American consumer with a premium product.

Ask friends and relatives. Do not believe everything you read...

Pedro Talavera

CMT of Miami.

25th Nov 2010, 00:51

Initial quality tends to be a very strong indicator of the car's reliability in later years. A poorly built car with lots of initial problems, such as Toyota, will likely be a source of trouble through out its entire life.

25th Nov 2010, 17:59

Initial quality in fact has very little to do with long term quality. Initial quality is about defects the owner notices in the first 90 days. It has nothing to do with the durability of the power train components, which is really what determines the long term usefulness of a car.

The JD Power dependability survey from 2009 shows the 3 year results. Note that Toyota is the top brand.

Personally I think a 3 years is too short, but looking much further back doesn't capture what you might be getting.

Personally I think Ford is engaging in deceptive advertising. Yes, they have improved, but they have a LONG way to go, and it takes time to establish a reputation. You don't erase memories of the Explorer and Pinto by running some commercials.

And 'projected' resale? Give me a break. I've projected a lot of things in my life that haven't come to pass. Show me a decade of actual beating Toyota resale values, and you will have some credibility. Projection is what you do when you buy a lottery ticket.

26th Nov 2010, 11:22

Resale values have much to do with a car's perceived build quality. Since 2007 Toyota has had very poor build quality, as evidenced by Consumer Reports pulling Camry's "recommended buy" status (though it has now been restored), and the recall of millions of cars, as well as numerous Grand Jury subpoenas for deceiving buyers. This sort of thing does not bode well for a car's resale value in years ahead.

A perfect example of this is the aforementioned Ford Pinto. It was involved in only 73 incidents (not millions, as with Toyota) and was redesigned to prevent further problems. In spite of this, people were afraid of it and steered clear of it. Likewise the incredibly well built and safe Corvair of the mid-60's was killed by a few isolated incidents involving early 60's models. In spite of a total redesign in 1965 that made it a great handling and sporty car, now sought after by old car buffs, the reputation earned by the 1960 models destroyed future sales. If future buyers avoid cars because of a hundred incidents, they will most certainly avoid a car maker with TEN MILLION recalls.

26th Nov 2010, 14:45

"WRONG. J.D. Powers ranks Ford ahead of ALL Japanese car makers in initial quality."

Wrong, wrong... J.D. Powers placed Acura and Lexus above ALL domestic companies in overall reliability. Sorry, check your facts completely before posting! Lexus has more perfect scores than ANY other company.... you know Toyota based Lexus. Toyota ranks low for now, but that'll change after the recall fiasco passes! Seems the recall fiasco hasn't hurt any company for the long term, since they all have had major recalls, and now we are focused on Toyota.

Consumer Reports mentions the Fusion as ONE car that has exceeded the norm for domestics. In fact they came out and said in a very recent article that the domestic companies have made great strides in quality, but still have a long way to go to convince the public that they are as good as the imports. And since Consumer Reports is just that... consumers reporting on their experience, it would be impossible for any domestic to rank higher right now. The Fusion was given a forecasted high reliability rating. This was wayyyyyy back in 2006. Now 6 model years later, they are having tranny problems and other quality issues, so they are on par or lower then any of the competition in reality. The resale is suffering too, if you look at KBB's values.