2006 Ford Fusion SE from North America - Comments

Nothing.

I just purchased the SE model with leather seats. Very comfortable, ride is smooth and the transmission shifts seamlessly. The 220hp V6 has an abundance of power that seems to be available anywhere in the rev range. I imagine this is due to the 6 speed automatic. There is a very minor stumble when transitioning from the brake pedal to the gas pedal at very slow speeds. Other than that, I am amazed at how well a 6 speed transmission can perform.

The most amazing part of this car (to me) is the value. I purchased a very powerful, extremely comfortable car which rivals cars that cost thousands more.

Fit and finish is very good. Some minor components seem a little on the cheap side (dashboard glove box) but overall a lot more car than I thought I could get for the low to mid 20's.

I agree with the comments about the Fusion SE V6. The acceleration once you get out of the initial first gear is outstanding and seamless and the ride is excellent. Compare the ride to all of the supposedly superior Japanese car and you will feel a much different ride. With imports you feel every bump in the road where the Fusion has a very smooth and non intrusive ride. I did have a blowout with my front right tire at 5300 miles and received typically poor service and attitudes from Ford; never did hear from any one involved with Ford regarding my dissatisfaction of having to replace both front tires and my right front rim at a cost of over $500 but I didn't expect a lot. The Fusion is well worth looking at, but see about switching out your tires through Discount Tire to receive blowout protection when you purchase.

Also if you take your vehicle in for even warranty items see if they will charge you for hooking up your vehicle to the diagnostic machine to diagnose your problem. It's $90.00 and they seem to justify it's use under all circumstances. Also I would recommend ABS because my brakes seem just a little soft when stopping at higher speeds.

The Fusion is an awesome car. It's light years ahead of Camry and Accord. As for Ford service...well, unfortunately it is not very good. In our area only Toyota has a worse reputation for poor customer service. I love Fords and have never had any trouble with any of the more than a dozen we've owned, but I refuse to let the Ford dealer even do the maintenance. I do it myself. Luckily I've never had a problem under warranty.

Most Fords are much more reliable than the current disasters from Toyota. Even the highly biased Consumer Reports rates Fusion as better in reliability than Camry or Accord. Car and Driver (also in the back pocket of the Japanese car makers) rated Camry DEAD LAST in a comparison with the Fusion, Accord, and Hyundai Sonata. Recent reports of massive recalls by Toyota for defective airbags and sticking accelerators, as well as endless complaints about defective brakes and faulty transmissions are NOT the mark of a "quality" car maker. I've looked at the new Camry and Fusion, and not only is the Fusion more dependable, it looks much more pleasing. It also rides smoother, is faster, corners better, and costs several grand less. In our area I'm seeing a new Fusion everywhere I go. I've seen a total of ONE 2007 Camry (appropriately driven by an elderly lady). Of course our state is still somewhat more patriotic than much of the country, and American values are still important to our people here. We don't care for sending our hard-earned dollars to other countries and putting our fellow citizens out of work.

Um, the Fusion is built in Mexico, and engineered in Japan, according to "automotive.com". So the previous poster, and folks who agree with that sentiment, might want to find another kind of car to buy. To help out, I searched and found a site (http://www.usstuff.com/cars2005.htm) that seems to have some info on what cars are mostly US-made. No idea if the Fusion's innards come from the US. As always, take internet info with a grain of salt, though. There are probably other sources of info.

I own a Grand Marquis; that's assembled in Canada, but much of its content comes from the US.

I can understand if you are talking about a 1984 or 1992 Civic because for sure you would be without arms or legs or your life! If you got hit in one of those, however the New Civic is not that small anymore like you might think it is and it is actually more safe than a Ford Fusion (NHTSA--I'm not kidding). If a friend or a loved one was t-boned or in a head on collision in the new Civic at least they would not be dead or seriously injured... hitting a tractor trailer would be different, but my sister was hit by one in her VW Cabrio and lets just say it was just a stiff neck and a few bruises.

What the?...I thought this was the Ford Fusion comment area?

I bought a Ford Fusion in April 2006.

I have never been so disappointed in a vehicle purchase. The car has absolutely no guts.

2 weeks after I bought it, I took it back to the dealer to get my money back. He refused, but was willing to give me $11,000 Trade In value. I paid $22,000.

I never felt so taken in my life.

A thoroughly disappointing experience.

"I have never been so disappointed in a vehicle purchase. The car has absolutely no guts."

Although there are some lemons in all makes of cars, I smell a bogus comment from an import fan here. First off, you can tell in less than 10 SECONDS if a car has "guts" or not. Just punch the accelerator.

Last year I test drove an import that was advertised as having over 160 horsepower; about 200 FEET and knew the car was gutless. The dealership had two driveways about 200 feet apart. I floored it pulling out of one drive and knew before I passed the other drive that it DID NOT have 160 horsepower (in their ads maybe, but NOT in real life). I just let off the gas, braked and turned into the second drive... then went and bought a Ford.

If someone really DID take HALF of the purchase price of the car from a dealer TWO WEEKS after buying the car, they have no room to complain. You can run an ad on a two week old Fusion and sell it yourself for almost what you paid for it. They are in high demand, the highest rated in reliability of any car made in the world, and get good fuel mileage. I've driven the Fusion and even the 4-cylinder is anything BUT "gutless". The V-6 is VERY respectable.

I just don't believe the comment is legitimate.

This is hilarious. What started out as a Ford Fusion review as become a free-for-all about how SUV's are safer than cars or vice-versa. Of course SUV's are safer, but only to the occupants of the SUV. If a Civic hits an Expedition, than the results won't be pretty, but what happens if a Fusion hits a Land Cruiser? Will the results be any different? I don't think so. The domestic lovers on here crack me up when they say little imports aren't safe. LITTLE CARS OF ALL MAKES AREN'T SAFE!

I agree with comment 16:41. The laws of physics dictate that NO small car CAN be safer than a larger car... PERIOD... end of that discussion.

As for the Fusion, it is not exactly a "small car". If a Fusion hit a Civic, the Civic would be scrap metal and the occupants mush (and I've had BOTH a Civic and a Fusion, so I have a bit of knowledge about how they are built).

The Fusion is a VERY well built car with far better build quality than any import. Our current Fusion is now in its 5th year and flawless. By that time our Honda had cost more in repairs than it was worth.

Also, our I-4 Fusion delivers better fuel mileage than our Civic. The Civic did good to get 34 mpg. On a 110 mile interstate trip over the holiday weekend our Fusion got 38 mpg (checked with a calculator based on fuel actually used. The computer was off by two-tenths of a mile per gallon).

We're sold on the Fusion. Many others here are as well. The dealers can't keep up with demand and the Ford used car lots are full of 2006-2007 Honda Accords, Acuras and Camrys.