Well to he honest, I have not voted myself. I have a Fusion, but not sure if that is the reason to vote for it. FIATs have always been my first love and narrowly missed getting a Palio 1.6 (see my signature). Today I don't regret it. The Fusion has turned out to be a much better all round car for me.
1. Extra space when I need it.
2. Great mileage too (10.5+ consistently in Bangalore City Traffic).
3. Excellent highway abilities
4. Handling that can hardly be matched by anyone besides the Punto and Swift.
5. Excellent responsive steering that can throw Swift out of the contention from point above.
6. Best (across several classes) ground clearance.
7. And a lot more.
But would I recommend it for any new small car buyer in that budget? Well certainly not. Fusion drivers in India are a different breed. Slightly eccentric if you may. They don't agree to typical stereotypes that big cars should have a boot. The Fusion is an enthusiast's car.
Now talking of features. Well when it was launched, the Fusion (forget even the +) was loaded. Everyone here is talking of Punto, i20, Ritz and the likes. Yes the i20 has 6 air bags, but how many i20s you see on the road have so much as front fog lamps? Or Swifts with rear power windows?
Yes the Fusion is old now. But then even the basic model ones have sufficient features that hold it above base models of the names you mention. Having a fully loaded flagship makes no sense if hardly any of the cars sold belong to that trim.
And yes, Fusion+ (loaded except for Airbags) retails (with discounts) for a shade over 7.5 Diesel and 7 Petrol in Bangalore (from what I last heard)
Back on the vote. Well. For most buyers, I would recommend a Punto. But for those who want something different. Nothing can beat a Fusion.
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Originally Posted by amit V8 when it was launched, it was ok (not good though) but now, it has shown it's age. the european market has a refreshed one, the american market has a sedan, but the this one is really bad. i vote for the sexy beast-the punto. |
As already mentioned by Glass. It is the same version as the one in the EU. Except for a few gizmo and safety features being removed. Mechanically it is identical. Even the engines and their respective outputs. They just have a 1.6 TDCi Diesel too that is the best of both worlds.
The US Fusion is a whole different machine and it does not share anything except the name and the shape of the headlights. They are totally different, ground up!
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Originally Posted by filcord If Ford gives the Fusion+, with ABS, alloys, and a 3-year maintenance guarantee like GM has, at around 6.5-7 lakhs on-road, I would buy it for my next car. |
The Fusion + already has ABS and Alloys and it had those well before any hatch (most sedans too) had any of those.
Actually had written a mail on the Fusion group on my ideas of how to refresh the Fusion and bring it up to date:
1. Most Fusions that sell now are the Diesel. Now people don't rank it highly in performance, only in Mileage. The FIAT (Vista, Swift) MultiJet Diesel 1.3 is a much better Diesel. And so is the Hyundai (Verna, Getz) 1.5 CRDi. Petrol Fusions are now made to order (at least what we heard).
2. The Fusion has been around half a decade with no major changes. So it is "old" as compared to those. Back then, it's feature list marvelled (+) and no car in the segment had half as much. Sadly when Ford introduced the renewed version, it had taken off the +. And when the + did come back, it still has several features missing of the older + (rear cig lighter, leather steering+gear knob, body cladding, all seats have map lights, baggage net etc.). Now new cars like the Fabia, i20, Jazz and Punto have a lot more to offer (atleast on paper). All have airbags... atleast 2 (i20 has 6)
3. This is what Ford needs to do. Get a new + or ++ or whatever. Load it to the brim with features. Airbags are a must and so also leather knob+steering (Fiesta 1.6 has them), map lights, rear cig lighter socket, cladding etc. Other features like rear parking sensor (yes it does come after market, but OE is always better), power fold mirrors (not necessary), climate control, 16" alloys (now even Punto has the 15" alloys), climate control AC, leather seats (Fiesta SXi has 'em), follow me home headlamps, steering mounted controls (for OE stereo), single touch power windows, etc. will add to the "WOW" factor. Of course it will not be on all models, but as long as the flagship has it, people consider it highly. Even the specific variant they buy does not have half of the trip.
4. Get the 1.6 TDCi (excise waivers be dammned). How much more will it cost than the 1.4? They can safely drop the 1.6 DuraTec then! Will silence all performance hatch wannabes for good. They can use that engine elsewhere too (Fiesta/Focus?)
5. If they can, get a 1.2 petrol for the excise norms
and drop prices (optional). Take off gizmos, central locking, rear power windows, fog lamps, and other value adds that an econo concious customer will not consider.