2004 Ford Fusion 3 from UK and Ireland - Comments

Nothing.

The best thing about this car is its interior space, for a Fiesta sized car it has Focus space inside it.

Thoroughly modern with very comfortable seats.

Purchased in preference to a Focus because of the lower boot entry height.

It has 3 point belts on all 3 rear seats, which is great for the school run.

It has a clutch-less gearbox which is very smooth and returns 38mpg.

I was initially wary about buying a new 'untried' model, but after two months can honestly say I'm delighted with it.

Other bits it has are air con, remote central locking, electric front windows, CD Player, heated front and rear screens and mirrors, electric mirrors.

I am 6'3" tall and can fit comfortably in any of the seats without headroom or legroom issues.

I agree with all your comments on the fusion 3, however I would like to say that anyone buying this car should avoid the new 1.4 diesel version.

On choosing this car I asked to test drive the diesel version, but the garage only had one that was 12 months old to try, I was amazed at how quiet and smooth it was.

Signed on the dotted line and picked my new car up in December.

Few hours later I returned to the garage as the car was very very noisy to drive, was told to let engine run in, told the same at 1000 miles and again at 2000 miles.

Finally was told by the manager that some engines were noisier than others like mine, but to make matters worse he said that ford had stopped lining the engine compartment which kept noise to a minimum 6 months earlier. misled by the salesman I certainly was, the manager said salesman was under no obligation to tell me I was going to get a noisy car. please avoid it like the plague, honestly its so loud its embarissing to drive, ford customer services were useless. i am still trying to sort it out,

Update on my original review.

It is now late June 2005, I have owned my Fusion 1.4 Petrol semi-auto for nearly a year and a half and covered 18,000 miles.

Fuel economy remains 37-42mpg depending on how it is driven.

It is a very versatile little car, daily ferrying me (6'3") and four secondary school children (two are 6') with their bags on the school run.

At Christmas it was used to collect and dispose of the tree, split fold rear seats and a folding front passenger seat.

One warranty claim to replace a faulty rear centre seat belt.

The first (only) 12 month 13,000 mile service cost £140.

Other reviews have complained of noise from the diesel engine, this isn't the case with the petrol which is quiet and willing.

Front tyres will need replacement in the next two months.

Starts first time every time and is an easy car to live with.

I've had a Ford Fusion 3 since Dec 05 being second hand and an 05 model. Having looked and tested several other cars including the Focus and C-Max, I tried the Fusion. It felt perfectly right. I bought the 1.6 petrol as I've heard, and is mentioned elsewhere here, that the diesels are noisy. The petrol versions are OK. A bit more road and wind noise than a normal hatchback, but nothing terrible.

It is not a popular car which surprises me since it's an ideal choice for people who want a small run-about with room to spare. It's looks probably put it in the 'old peoples' category and I do see more middle-aged to older Fusion drivers around. This must be because they, like me, know a good deal when they see one on a car that is ergonomic, efficient and comes with low tax, insurance and servicing costs.

Apart from a broken bonnet catch (why is it plastic?) I've had no trouble and I found the Ford dealership more than helpful.

July 2006 and I've now owned the car for 2 and a half years.

It has 30,000 miles on the clock and the rear tyres are now approaching their wear limits. It continues to be a reliable car with excellent well thought out space.

The semi-auto (clutch-less) gearbox has given no problems, though until you are used to it, the slight hesitation when pulling away from a standstill can be a little disconcerting.

The interior is wearing well and still appears as new when cleaned up, despite the attentions of two dogs and two teenage boys!

May 2007 and I have owned the car for 3 years 3 months and 38,000 miles.

In this time the faults were:

Rear centre seatbelt jammed - replaced under warranty

Water pump started squeeking - fixed under warranty

Auto gearchange mechanism servo broke, still able to drive manually changing gear - replaced under warranty (two months later the car was out of warranty and the repair would have been around £500).

At three years old I serviced it myself for a fraction of what the dealer wanted. It is a very easy car to work on with spare parts cheap and readily available.

Rear tyres last about 36,000 miles front ones half that and cost £40 each fitted.

It failed the first MOT on a discoloured rear number plate, hardly the cars fault, but a new plate and it passed.

This really is a very good car and one of the best I have ever owned.