Long Time Reader, First Time Owner

[stlouisgeorge]

Hi..

Been reading and posting here for a few weeks. Now I am an owner. I’m going to post my personal observations without debate today..

My purchase criteria was

• Great mileage! I drive 55 miles one way to work). I get 50MPG in my 2010 Honda Insight so the bar was already high.
• Must have ALL driver assist possible (short of Mercedes, Cadillac, etc). I just don't feel safe without it.
• Price under $35,000

You quickly learn that if you want maximum driver assist, you are already at the top of the price list of all vehicle lines out there. Two years ago you would be looking at a $50,000 Infiniti to get what some of what you have in a Fusion Platinum today for a third less. The only car with even close to the safety features for around the same price is a Honda Accord Hybrid — no where near as much car for the dollar.

Looked hard at

• 2017 Ford Fusion Energi. I concluded this 2 ton behemoth may have space shuttle dash controls, but it costs about a $1 in electricity each day in order to save $1 in gasoline. Battery capacity declines every year as the battery ages, and EV range drops dramatically on any day the weather is not “Bay Area” cool and calm or the roads arent level. The 8.5cu ft trunk will not hold a single carry on (saw this on a YouTube — poor Ford Rep driving around his Energi with his luggage in back seat.) The $4,007 tax credit evens the playing field -- but unless you live in the Bay Area, you ain't gonna find a Energi Platinum on the lot.

• 2017 Ford Escape. Not much hip room. My right leg [attached to your accelerator pedal] is pushed in by console. By the time you add ALL safety on the Escape you are nearly at a Fusion Platinum (which has even more driver assist capability such as stop-and-go traffic assist)
• 2017 Honda Accord Hybrid. You can pickup a nice EX-L model with leather interior and almost all the driver assist technology as the Fusion and get 50MPG. Not near as cushy and feature filled.
• Lincoln MKC. Again.. to get ALL the safety you are at the $45,000 Reserve for a $29,000 Escape. They actually retracted the Fall 2016 incentives down to nothing during the “Holiday Sales Event”. I took a screen shot of a “$50.00 Red Carpet Lease” just for fun.

Dealing with my Ford dealer was like a root canal but it's over. I did skip the finance manager because I said I had tickets to Rogue One with the kids. He was all excited to sell me a Progressive extended warranty “accepted everywhere!”. Luckily we missed the movie (which would mean my 14 year old daughter jumping in the car) because the dealership left a razor blade on the buttery virgin leather of my passenger seat at delivery. I found this the next day and tried to contact the owner of the dealership (stomping mad) but was blocked. They even put a sticker on my window "This car protected by Auto Butler". I figured out that they applied Auto Butler exterior treatment before the sale (and planned to sign me up for a full Auto Butler subscription before the car was sold!).

Surprises in first two days of ownership.

• My ear doctor says I have lost a good deal of hearing. (Not unusual for a man of my age.) He told me that if I am in a sustained environment of 90dB (or more) then I would be losing hearing constantly. Using an iPhone decibel meter I recorded:
  • 2010 Honda Insight: Averaged 88dB on a nasty stretch of I-70 running past Lambert International in St. Louis leading East to downtown.
  • 2017 Ford Fusion Hybrid Platinum averaged 66dB on same stretch. [Wow!]
• “Slingshot” effect of changing lanes after following a slow-poke and then "becoming free" to reach your desired cruising speed. (I was following a car doing 51 today on I-70 today and hit the [Accelerate cruise 1 MPH] button up up up. I looked down as I cruised this low speed and saw my desired cruise speed I had set was 84MPH. Interesting.
• The headlight Bright/Low sensor is AMAZING. It is pure engineering genius. It flips on the brights with uncanny precision. Every time an upcoming car came around a corner or over a hill, the Ford switched down to Dims. I used Brights about 3 times a month before — now my Ford computer switches to/from the Brights 25 times on my drive home.
• My battery has only gone over 50% full twice in three days. It never seems to be charging. I need to work on my game.. I am ripping through a quarter tank of gas each day [grrr]. Need a fuelly.com account and some lessons.
• Remember to use your turn signal or you will be vibrating that steering wheel constantly. (Good negative reinforcement). Love the lane keeping vibration -- didn't realize it is meant to emulate the "rumble strip" in the asphalt on the right edge of the highway until I drove the Fusion.
• In cold weather it takes just a few minutes of running before the car is toasty warm. I may never use my heated steering wheel or heated seats. Never seen a car warm up so fast. I actually turned on the seat cooler with 44 degrees outside it was so hot inside.
• The parking package is worth the $ just for the “see all around the car with distance indicators on the display"
• The shifter knob is so intuitive. I do not want to drive another car without one.
• I still haven't found at least 1/3 of the controls. It's wonderful.

 

I am currently looking to get rid of my tires and wheels to a little more sporty look and some run flats (for that 25 minute drive through St. Louis City (#1 highest rate of violent crime in US according to FBI in a 2015 study), then beautiful East St. Louis.

Edited December 29, 2016 by stlouisgeorge