Wednesday, July 29, 2009
FW: The Tale of Two Fords
Within 24 hours of turning in a Ford Focus at the SLC airport I rented a Ford Fusion in Mesa for a trip to California. Hence a little critique. The Focus seated four adults comfortably. The trunk was surprisingly large for an economy car. It was a peppy performer around town. Freeway passing was adequate but did not exactly fill you with confidence. Engine noise at freeway speeds was almost nonexistent which was pleasant for a four cylinder. The trip computer lead me to believe I was getting 42/44 mpg SLC to Rexburg. A gas top off on the way back proved to be closer to 38/39 mpg. This was at 70/80 mph so I was pleasantly surprised at that.
The Fusion SEL was not only pleasing to look on it was sporty to drive. This was the first time I had driven a car with a six speed automatic. This tranny seemed to always be in the right place at the right time to keep you on top of your driving game. This Ford delivered 26/27 mpg at 70/80 mph which is good but not at all outstanding for this size of car. The gold standard for full size cars remains the Chevy Impala which has always gotten me [+] [-] 30 mpg. at fwy speeds.
Conclusion; The Focus exceeded my expectations for an economy car but the Fusion was actually fun to drive.
Well there you have it, All the information you didn't ask for but got anyway. EB
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
We just sold our 2000 Ford Focus earlier this year. I'm not a fan of American cars, and living in NY we bought it for $3900 as something to drive in NYC, so we wouldn't care if it got beat up. In the end I was sad to see it go. (except the gas mileage was pretty bad 20 city 29 hwy, they must have improved that) If something broke It was easy and cheap to fix myself. When I sold it (for $3100) everything worked perfectly at 110K miles. It drove well. Fit in small parking spots. I wish I could have kept it. However I was very disappointed in renting a Fusion. When we first sat in it the seats felt like cardboard, and honestly, that caused my outlook to be pretty negative for the rest of the trip.
We now have a 2005 Dodge Caravan, the most impressive thing about it is how fast it is. It's the SXT with 6 cylinders. Its very easy too squeal the tires. It needs some mechanical work, but we're pretty happy wit hit.
Post a Comment