Might have to get rid of the Fusion, but not for reasons that you might think..

[Aquineas]

Our Job 2 2013 FFH has been excellent. Not a single issue other than the initial paint issues that were corrected by Ford. We're at 40.3 lifetime, which isn't as good as some, but still above the 40mpg which is kind of my threshold for satisfaction.

 

[short version]

Fusion is awesome, not enough room for all the stuff we want to carry on road trips with 2 adults and 2 kids and their double stroller, pack and play, and bags.

[/short version]

 

 

[long version]

The issue is space. With my two daughters (17 months and 5 months) and all their stuff, fitting everything we need for travel (Pack N' Play, travel bags for us, extra changes of clothes for the kids, their favorite toys, double stroller), there just isn't enough room. My Genesis is a little bigger, but we bought the Fusion so that it could transport two adults and the munchkins on the highway and not put so many miles on my beloved Genesis. So in that sense, the Fusion works, but barely.

 

Before having children I used to scoff at SUVs. I looked at them with disdain, especially when I'd see a 6000 pound Suburban or Tahoe driven by a 110 pound housewife and no other passengers. The passenger roof compartments for most of them aren't strong enough to hold up in case of rollover (with the Volvo XC90 being a notable exception), and this is compounded by the fact that the higher center of gravity makes them more prone to rollover to begin with. When I was a kid, the big sedans that were still around from the 70s could easily swallow 2 adults, 2 kids, and all the stuff you could muster because the trunks were colossal! In my naiveté, I wanted to make a statement about how SUVs were unnecessary.

 

You know what? As has been the case more often than I'd like to admit in this life, I was wrong. Like I said it's a struggle getting everything to fit in my Genesis, let alone the Fusion which is slightly smaller and has reduced trunk space. So my wife and I are having casual discussions about how to resolve this issue. At this point it's the tradeoff between taking a beating on selling the Fusion and getting a new SUV or larger "CUV", or just picking up a used minivan, SUV, or CUV for trips and keeping the Fusion as her primary driver (I'm holding onto my Genesis, at least until 2016 and the next generation AWD Genesis will have been out more than a year).

[/long version]

 

Anyway, we're not going to do anything for a few months, and may not do anything at all this year. But it's already a discussion we've had more than once, which means it might be coming.. P.S. We almost have 7000 miles on the Fusion! You put on miles quickly in the Houston Metro area.

Edited January 10, 2014 by Aquineas

[tclemmer]

I understand the space issue. Our kids are grown and I can see when the wife and I travel with two sets of golf clubs and the other related items, there is not much room for kids and thier stuff.

 

Our second car is the Ford Edge (Wife's car). It is our second one, had a 2007, now we have a 2012. We love the edge and I think it is one of the best Crossovers out there. I was able to get pretty good MPGs with the edge last summer on a trip around New Mexico. One tank was 30.6 MPGs.

 

Good luck on your decision.

[KLH]

I say sell the kids and keep the car.

 

Just kidding.

[acdii]

Take a look at a used Flex, LOTS of room, not as huge as an SUV, yet can tow 4500#, seats up to 7 comfortably, or transport 2 adults, 2 kids and ALL their junk(I know, I have two of my own). It is a little bigger than the Edge, and has a wider rear seat where if needed an adult can sit between 2 car seats without a seat belt buckle going up their buttcrack like in the edge(which is why I didn't get one or an Explorer, both have the same rear seat). They can get 20's if driven conservatively, and I suggest a 2010 or later as the 09 didnt have telescopic steering.

 

Check out Flex.net forum for any concerns, but I can say after having 2 of them, they are so much fun to drive and have a ton of room, and are VERY comfortable for all. I even had my 6'2" son in the third row with head room to spare. His legs were a bit cramped, but he was still comfortable.

[B25Nut]

This is why Ford needs a FFH (& Energi) Wagon.

[timf]

I'd rather they make a hybrid or Energi Edge than a Fusion wagon.

[hybridbear]

You could look at a C-Max. They have lots more space like a small SUV/CUV, but still get hybrid fuel economy.

[acdii]

I don't think the Cmax would work either. I know what he is going through, been there, done that, and there isn't enough room even in the Cmax for his needs. I have done trips in the Flex with two kids, 3 adults, and all the fixins for a 4 night stay, including a crib and stroller. In the Flex I can have one car seat in the 3rd row, with the other seat folded flat, one car seat in the second row, so the 3rd adult is comfortable, and still had plenty of room for the luggage, crib, and stroller. Might be able to do that in the Explorer, but not the Edge.

[Aquineas]

I do appreciate the tips; but acdii is correct, I don't think the C-Max has enough space. Before we buy anything, we're going to try and load it up with stuff to make sure it all fits. I think the one thing my wife and I have agreed on so far is that although SUV/CUVs are sexier ( especially the Explorer, even if it doesn't rank as high in comparison tests), a used minivan would probably work out better; my preference is a Honda Odyssey (for reliability purposes more than anything).

[acdii]

OR, keep the Fusion and rent something for those few times you really need it. I had given that some thought before we finally settled on what we have now, but we use the Flex more often that first thought. I am just glad it isn't our daily driver, I drove it all last week and had to fill it 3 times. If it is to become a daily driver, might want to give that some thought too.

[Aquineas]

I think keeping the Fusion is definitely the direction we want to go if we're buying something used. If we are buying something new, then we'll be trading in or selling the Fusion. We tried the rental thing once on a drive to Odessa (from Houston) a few months back and it worked out well space-wise, but not fuel wise (as you mention). On that trip, we rented a 2013 Tahoe, and there was almost nothing I liked about it. It drove like a truck, handled like a truck, used gas like a truck. It had 20,000 miles on it and felt 10 years older than what it was. About the only thing about it I liked was the cargo space. Why these things are as popular as pancakes is a mystery to me. I won't even get into how scary it is to me that so many law enforcement agencies across the country have switched to SUVs (particularly Tahoes). The handling on that was a bit unnerving, to say the least.

 

The other thing about renting is, we can sometimes take two or three trips in a month for my wife's business, so it's not economically feasible to keep renting.

Edited January 13, 2014 by Aquineas

[Toz]

well in about a year you can lose at least one of the strollers. It's amazing how the storage requirements go down once the kids are a bit older. We bought a new Dodge intrepid in 2000 just because it has a trunk with it's own zip code, back then we had a new born and a 2 year old. Now our road trip packing is WAY lighter than it used to be. The FFH trunk is smaller than we had, but plenty large enough for how we travel now. If we still had diaper bags, strollers and all of the other baby/little kid stuff to haul around I can see how the FFH might be a tight fit.

[acdii]

Well that is true, with a 6 and 7 yo, and three adults I did drive the HyTi to MN, and all our stuff fit the trunk for a 4 day stay. Another thing that you can think about is a trailer hitch and cargo platform. You can carry the stroller and other large items in a weather proof bag strapped to the cargo carrier. Would be less than a 6 month insurance policy on a mini van.