BearCat

Yeah, I am not sure the Hybrid is my best bet, but I wish to exhaust all my possibilities prior to making a purchase. Plus 3K can purchase a lot of gas too. I drove an I4 2010 Fusion and was delighted with the drive. (about 500 miles as a rental). I got 28 MPG while driving about 80+ most of the way and then some very short bad 5 mile drives from the Hotel to the mill. I would be going for a I4 SEL, no SE.

Do you startup cold, drive two miles and see that display?

I am looking for fuel efficiency. However part of my daily drive is a horrible 1.6 mile drive to work and from work. So 3.2 on the day just for work. Yes, I know...brutal on a car. But because of how the roads are bicycling is out of the question and walking is even worse. Does anybody do this kind of brutal driving? How bad does the MPG dip? I know its not enough time for the engine to warm and EV kick. Just trying to get an idea if I would be better off saving the 3000 price point between a Fusion Hybrid or a Fusion SEL I4.

I keep mine about 10. That way I can pay the car off, have a year or two no payments and then buy the wife a car and the trend continues. I LOVE cars, but they are the biggest waste of money. I would be keeping my Maxima if rust had not set in on the wheel wells.

I think this is a similiar arguement to those that want to turn off the seat belt warning.

I guess I am not the "classic" person. I enjoy a connected to the road feel. In fact I have owned ONE automatic in my 20 plus years of driving. My four door sedan is a 5 on the floor row your own variety. I would have a manual in my wife’s SUV if I could find one that offered it with the necessary options. I have an 91 MR2 that has aftermarket suspension (stiffer). My Maxima has aftermarket suspension (stiffer). I put that stuff on (after the OEM stuff wears out) because I enjoy that "non-floaty" feeling. I toss my cars around. I also go over speed bumps slow because they tear cars up regardless what type of suspension is on them. You should use reviews as a reference, not gospel truth. Use it to help narrow or be a devils advocate to your decision making process. Relying on a magazine article to tell you something is "perfect" or "for you" is not the best methodology. When was the last time you agreed with a movie review? As for the other references to TV media and music; you were given a hand to operate the channel/station. Change it. I agree with the content and my “choice” is to find something else. I think there is a generational issue at hand more than anything else, which isn’t a build construction/design/implementation issue. And I agree with the above posters. CHECK THE AIR. However given the statements seen here and the timeframe of cars referred to, I doubt it will make enough of a difference.

This quote is pretty much dead on. The cars of the "60's" were tanks on 13" to if you were lucky 15" rims mounted on sloppy underperforming, uninspiring suspension. The cars you reference are decades upon decades old. The TV you watch isn’t the same. The radio you listen to isn’t the same, so on and so forth. As technology (and somewhat taste) progresses, things have changed. And no offence to the OP, but you should have easily been able to determine ride quality prior to purchase. I have a set of 17” and 18” rims for my Maxima. When I put on my 18” I get a REAL reduction in road comfort. A LOT. More and more cars are having larger rims put on them, but in the case of the Hybrid the rim isn’t “that” large. This isn’t a FOMOCO thing guys. This is where cars are today. You can pick which side you want (just be honest with yourself in your desires for ride quality). If you want sloppy uninspired driving, go get a Camry or a Malibu. I have driven both of them ('10) and they are the soggiest, boring non-drivers car out there. However, it seems that type of suspension is still desired by some. That predicament in not necessarily a good or a bad thing but it does point that this issue is not a manufacturing problem. It’s a buyer’s problem. Not enough research/driving/understanding prior to purchasing the car. If anybody has read any of the marketing of the Fusion, it’s not a "Caddy" or "Buick" or other such vehicle that "slops" around. Ford, in their own way right/wrong/indifferent, has tried to market this car as a "sporty" sedan. I know prior to purchasing a car and spending that LARGE amount of money I drive it city, highway, dark, light and in the rain if possible. My cars have to last a long time and being "stuck" with something I am unhappy with makes the additional time spent irratating sales people worth it. Being that it’s the Hybrid, the OP has the smallest rims available (largest sidewall/cusion). His only hope is to give up and get rid of it (like he indicated) or replace suspension pieces (not cost effective).

I cant agree more. I understand the need to make it as MPG friendly as possible but great googly moogly. U G L Y rims.. I would be HIGHLY curious to have someone weigh a rim/tire and then at least we can look up the tire weight on a place like tire rack to back calculate the rim weight. I honestly dont expect there to be a huge difference, if at all. Those rims have been available on the milan for a while. Plus while helping my MIL look for a new car I was told that the Milan S/Fusion S have "special" tires (versus the smaller diameter rim) that cause the increase of EPA 3 MPG (31 versus 34). I was thinking it was the 16" versus the 17" or greater.

I was a huge Ford guy. But I have not owned a Ford/American in 10 years due to crappy quality. My wife a 2007 Toyota Rav. For the "premium" price I paid for the Toyota I am not overly satisfied. The interior squeeks constantly and the dealers "cant" fix it. I ended up having to address it myself. To me this is a waste of money. Why pay the "premium" for quality when I still cant get it fixed and have to do it myself. It should squeek in the first place and dealership experience is probably the same across manufactures in the non-premium market. I also agree with the comments above saying Toyota is "resting" and Ford it "trying". While not perfect, I have watched the Ford brand over the last two years. My brother has an 08 Edge. I am happy with what I see and am looking to replace my Maxima in the next two years. I was going to do it this year but the economy took a poo on my plans. So that gives me the chance to see what upgrades are coming for the FFH (Hoping HID and more choices of colors and rims) and what might happen with EV Focus. Ford has my attention again. They are not out of the fire, but they are sure trying (at least it seems that way) Cliff Notes: I dont think Toyota "Quality" is far superior to Fords at this time. Ford is swinging up to try to regain reputation. Toyota is "riding". However its hard to removed ones perception of "quality" once it is lost.

We have one person say that EV is available from the get go if no "heating" cabin requirement is set. Others are saying that gauge on the dash need to have a minimum reading. The "taste" for a hybrid for me as a VERY short commute (nder two miles) and I was hoping for EV mode as because of this short commute a standard ICE never leaves closed loop. Could other post up what they see and the "environmental" conditions such as outside temp, speed and distance?

I could not help but crack up at this comment. :hysterical2:

I wish I could get teh FFH front end with a MMH rear end. I dont like the look of a "blank" trunk lid that way.

Its not the wattage, its the difference between a "burner" and a "filament" and how the light is generated. However throwing a HID burner into anything other than suitable cabinet, like you so indicated, (which hopefully be in the later FFH/MMH will be) will cause scatter and glare and you will not get the true useful output of the light. And the fact its REALLY annoying and easy to pick out.

Now THATS the kind of information I am looking for.

warranty or...? The reason I am getting rid of my current car is rust. Seeing that kind of rust already seems disheartening.