[gemithomas]

'Avocado’!!!! Now what on earth does that mean? What nonsense? After 8k km just thought I should check what they advertise and see whether their claims are right so I just went through their site before writing the review. Before starting I’ll just give you some ‘gyan’ a few aspects.

Service: Average. Not so good and not so bad. Actually I think they just wash your vehicle during the first few service, maybe there is nothing much to be done. But they make you wait till the evening to get the delivery.

Build Quality: Don’t know about what other feel but to me after having owned a FIAT I had a feeling that this is full of pastics. The doors seem so delicate after you’ve experienced the solid closing noise of the fiats. But overall I don’t think its bad. It jus that its aluminum and lots of plastics. Nothing much to complain since the quality and fit/finish is not that bad.

In-Cabin Noise: This is one aspect that might be irritating. Though the engine is insulated from the cabin, the tyres rolling on the roads and the ‘thuds’ of the suspension when you enter the potholes would make you think you are driving some other vehicle. The noise levels of the road under you is quite high for a vehicle at this price range. You would also hear some rattles from the rear side. This could be fixed at your service, but you’ll have to fix it again and again for sure!!!

Seats: The front seats are too small. But this is one thing that you might not notice during your first drives due to the intelligent use of colour by ford. Its only after you’ve traveled for some time and when you feel a little uncomfortable that you might realize that the front seats are too small. The rear seats are better compared to the front and you get better support, but here the ride is much more bumpy.

Now lets look back at what they claimed when they sold it!!!

Stylish Dual tone AVOCADO interiors – Full marks to Ford for this. The interiors are really cool except for the stock steering wheel. I suggest you need to change it to their leather steering wheel with silver finish at around Rs.5k. This would really change the way the interiors feel. I don’t think you would get better looking interiors at this price and you would never feel bored sitting inside. The one minor thing I noticed is the dual tone on the dash (near to the windscreen) makes a small reflection on the front screen which might be just a minor disturbance when the sun is very bright.

Best in Class 1.6 DURATEC Engine – You really need to feel the power of this vehicle to believe it. The response is so good and so smooth that you would really enjoy sitting behind the steering wheel. After you get a feel of the power delivery I don’t think anyone would complain of the F.E Figures which could go down to 8-9km/l in race mode in the city to 15-16km/l in efficiency-drive mode on the highways. I mean you could get anything between the above figures depending on your driving style and driving conditions. One small complaint here would be the loss of power somewhere in between the 1700-1900 RPM range. You might end up coming back on slopes if you are not familiar with this. But overtaking is one thing that you would really enjoy doing frequently.

Never Short on SPACE – You’ll find lots of space inside the vehicle. The colours used would even enhance the feel and you would end up thinking that there is even more space. The boot is as good as a sedan though the exterior design is that of a hatch back. The split folding seats could give you much more space in case you need it. The Front and Rear leg space too is quite more than enough. With the steering adjustment I don’t think anyone would complain of the space there too (while getting in and out). I would say they have claimed the right thing here too.

Thoughtful ideas that will make your drive experience better (The SMART car) – Would you like your car to switch on its park lights and interior lights to invite you every time you open the lock with your remote? Would you feel good if your car turns on the rear wiper for you when you engage the reverse gear on a rainy day? How about deciding at what interval your wiper should work? What if you could decide at what height your steering wheel should be? How about opening the dash and finding a pen in a pen holder? Now you might think who wants to have a pen holder in your car. But just think about how many times you’ve had to keep searching in your dash for a pen? Oh! And if you have space for your coins and your credit / petro cards. What if you could know what distance your car could run on the remaining fuel? Thank you Ford but aren’t you spoiling me with all these very thoughtful ideas? One very small thing that I think is very thoughtful – the rear boot door would open with the remote only if you press it twice. Otherwise you could end up pressing it while trying to open the door and you would always have to go to close the boot or you might even not realize that you are driving with an open boot.

Standing TALL – With a Ground Clearance of 198mm!!!(yes 1-9-8) I don’t think I need to say anything more on this.

After the 8000 kilometers, I just thought they need to add this one more claim.

The Fusion ROCKS!!! – YES the fusion rocks and it rocks just like a boat. I think this could be attributed to the high stance of the vehicle, the hard suspension and the wider tyres on the fiesta chassis. You would be thrown around in the car on bad roads. Especially at low speeds the ride is so uncomfortable that you would think something is wrong with the vehicle. And you cant do high speeds consistently since you feel slightly uncomfortable once you cross the 90-100km/h mark. This should be due to the low weight of the all aluminum!!!

So to wrap up things, if you are looking for space, power(lots of it), luxury feel, sort of unique image, drive pleasure, and ground clearance this car is just for you. But if you are looking for something that could be called Ride Comfort, stay away from this one and await my review on the FIAT ADVENTURE SPORT 1.6.

But before signing out I would just want to say that at the price you get this one, and considering all the goodies you get, its value for money if you could compromise a little on the bumpy ride. Just compare it with the good old Yamaha RX100. You won’t get anything near this in terms of driving comfort but the shocks would shake you!!

[navdeep]

It took me a while to to actually figure out which car this review is all about.. may be monday morning blues ..

I really like its ground clearance truly for made in India roads ..

[gemithomas]

Oh! sorry i forgot to mention Ford Fusion and did not know how to edit the heading. How do you do that can anyone help me.

[benbsb29]

YES the fusion rocks and it rocks just like a boat. I think this could be attributed to the high stance of the vehicle, the hard suspension and the wider tyres on the fiesta chassis. You would be thrown around in the car on bad roads. Especially at low speeds the ride is so uncomfortable that you would think something is wrong with the vehicle. And you cant do high speeds consistently since you feel slightly uncomfortable once you cross the 90-100km/h mark.

You say the Fusion is endowed with a hard suspension, and you also say that you cant do high speeds here as you feel uncomfortable... I thought that this should have helped it with better handling at higher speeds?

I havent driven the Fusion, but was just asking.

[gemithomas]

you can do high speeds a the vehicle handles well. what i was saying that i can drive my Fiat Uno at 110-120km/hr and i wont feel that i'm going so fast. But while in the fusion when i cross 80-90km/hr i can feel that i'm moving fast. I dont know why this happens. I think it should be becouse of the weight, tall design combined with the suspension. Not very sure about this.

[anandpadhye]

What's the servicing cost?
Any other maintenance issues?

[gemithomas]

Originally Posted by anandpadhye

What's the servicing cost?
Any other maintenance issues?

Still under warranty. Luckily did Not have to change anything till now. But sparesa re extreamely costly. For example. A small reflector that you see at the bottom of the rear bumper (something the size of a mobile phone) would cost you like nearly 1K. Some have complains of the steering rack. Have not faced that as of now. Have just completed 11K.

Are you planning on one?

[anandpadhye]

Yes...
Thinking of Safari or Fusion...
Safari - economical spares and service but average engine and overall quality
Fusion - Found a little light even at 50 or 60 kmph + petrol + expensive ford....

[vanchi_s]

I have decided to go for Fusion Petrol. I know about resale, milleage & low speed ride issues. Somehow I like this cross over. Any advice?

[sgmuser]

Vanchi,
Me too waiting for Fusion D. Whats the OTR of Petrol Fusion? Have you driven it already? How about the low speed riding quality, I heard some complaints and even in this thread.

[gemithomas]

guys, if you like the fusion you wont get anything better than this at this price. (except if you dont mind owning the FIAT Adenture). But in return to the exceptional power, handling, interior space and good F.E figures you need to bear with the ride quality on bad roads and the really Bad service centre guys and highly expensive spares. But still IT IS A DRIVERS CAR in every sense upto the 90-100km/hr mark. After that you are kicked into the ALERT!! Zone. Overtaking on higways is a dream with this car.

[vanchi_s]

Please refer the below thread for release date & price of Fusion D.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...-6-lacs-8.html

[abhibh]

Awesome review dude just awesome... I have driven the OLD fusion and didnt had any problem with its handling and slow speed response. Maybe this is something in the new FUSION !!!

It handles just like any other sedan and its not at all scary at high speeds.

[vanchi_s]

Hi all, I heard / learnt from T-BHP that Fusion is priced high. I love the crossover. Hence I am just going by my heart. I booked the car and taking the delivery on Monday. On road with extended warrenty is 7.31. I would have been very happy if the car comes with alloy wheels and music system for this price. But eagerly waiting to take the delivery of the car.

[vabs78]

gr8 review gemi... you are the man!

Now waiting for Adventure review