Rotten Rental Car: 2015 Ford Fusion Titanium

IMG_0421
On a recent trip, I was to spend a few days in the greater Los Angeles area, and decided that driving would be easier and less expensive than flying, and I like driving better, besides. Inevitably there is almost always a layover in Las Vegas to get from Reno to LA, and I’ll always get stuck with the middle seat. I’d prefer 7 hours in relative comfort than 5 or 6 hours of overpriced airport food, uncomfortable seats and cranky seat mates in a pressure sealed tube of disease. Once the flight lands in LA, I’d have to rent a car there anyhow, so yeah, driving is better. The scenery between Reno and LA is gorgeous, as you get beautiful rolling hills if you go down I5 and craggy and colorful desertscapes if you go down 395. In my rental agreement, I chose “Chevrolet Cruz or Similar” and headed to the counter to pick up my car for the week. When I arrived, I was told I’d be getting a Fusion and went to the lot to pick it up. When I got there, the car was inexplicably nonexistent, or at least the attendants couldn’t find the keys, so they gave me an upgraded car, the Fusion Platinum 2.0T Ecoboost. So how did it fare?

IMG_0422
It isn’t often that we get the opportunity to drive Ford products here at Hooniverse, or at least not new ones, and not ones that don’t have our respective names on the titles. So when the opportunity arises, we grab the keys in both hands and head for the open road. I was at the wheel of this Ford for nearly 1300 miles, and while I wasn’t exactly sad to see it go back to Avis, the car did serve well during its time in my employ. For a rental car that has already accrued more than 20,000 miles in its life, this car felt really well bolted together. Everything was attached well, nothing was coming apart at the seams, and it was downright comfortable.
IMG_0646
I’ve been a Ford fanboy my entire life, influenced heavily by my father. Blue oval runs deep. That said, I was a bit skeptical of this car before I drove it. I wasn’t sure how I’d like the Ecoboost engine, or the flappy-paddle automated gearbox, etc. I’ve been hearing some great stuff emanates from Ford lately, so I was optimistic, but not overly so. This is a rental car, so it’s probably pretty beige, right? Well, it was in comparison to my normal daily steeds, which never fail to liven up my commute (usually by breaking something), but it also compares favorably to any Camry/Accord/Maxima I’ve ever driven. If I were the kind of person who could deal with leasing a ‘boring’ new car every two years, this would probably be pretty high on my list. IMG_0649
The driving experience isn’t the most engaging, but it’s a large front wheel drive car, so you don’t really expect it to be, do you? The steering wheel is where you expect it to be, and the pedal on the right makes the engine noisier and provides forward motion when you put the knob in the middle to “D”. None of that really matters in a car like this, does it? Okay, alright, I’ll talk about those bits for a minute or two. The most important bit there is the Ecoboost engine. It’s a bit of a zinger, it’ll rev up a bit, and it provides good enough power for the segment. 240 horsepower isn’t blowing anyone away, but 0-60 in just about 6 seconds isn’t terrible. I was impressed when I saw 270 torques, though. There is a bit of lag with the smallish displacement turbo engine that you wouldn’t have in a larger N/A engine, but really it’s the 6-speed automatic that is the real let down here. I think that gearbox is still trying to find the gear that I requested of it in Sacramento.
The ride was firm, but comfortable. Far from engaging, but not soft and floaty. You know what the car is doing, but don’t expect it to do it in a hurry. Brakes are acceptable. Steering is acceptable. While this car is billed as a mid-size, it’s DAMN BIG. I can’t imagine what it’s like to drive a Taurus these days, that thing must be like a tank. Parking this car in the underground parking structures in LA was a huge pain in the ass, but would have been damn near impossible without the included rear-view camera.
IMG_0652
The gearbox aside, the most egregious part of this car is the Sat Nav. Ford charges a whopping 30 Grand as the no-additional-options price of the Fusion Platinum. Platinum is their highest-level package, and should come packed to the gills with features, yeah? It’s got leather and dual zone climate control, and premium 18″ wheels, and a rear view camera, and the bigger, more powerful engine, and available AWD. But why would they program the car with satalite navigation? The big screen is there in the middle, so you can control the radio on a touch screen (don’t even get me started on that…). Who needs Sat Nav? Well, Ford will give it to you, but it’s an $800 upcharge! Ludicrous. Luckily I have a smart phone with google maps on it. Oh wait, I dropped that in a toilet and it went kerplunk. Okay, so luckily a coworker was able to lend me a TomTom and I was able to find my way home.
IMG_0654
As far as the surfaces go, the interior of the Fusion was quite well appointed. This is the premium model, but the “sport seats” were nice, the touchpoints of the car were well crafted and soft. I used to drive a 1992 Ford Crown Victoria, which was probably pretty comparable to this car in its day. Ford has come a LONG way. The doors feel solid and the seats are more akin to seats and less a “couch on wheels”. Granted, a nice bench seat would be cool. IMG_0661
Leather and airbags abound. These shots suck, but it was raining, and I was in a hurry to return the thing before the deadline.
IMG_0662
The steering wheel was probably one of my least favorite parts. There was nowhere on the wheel that was comfortable for hands to go. I normally drive with my hands at 9 and 3, using the little indents there on the sides as thumb holders. I wrap my fingers around the back of the wheel and get a firm grip. The buttons and flappy paddles and other gubbins made that almost impossible. as wide as the bits are where the buttons lay, my fingers just had to sit lazily around the back, and it’s hard to explain, but I just didn’t like it. I ended up driving most of the trip with my hands at 5 and 7, which I personally find odious. The materials were good, and the buttons were useful, but with a different wheel design, this could have been worth another point or two in my personal favor toward the car.
IMG_0663
One thing that I did really like about the car was the fuel economy. Over the life of the car, which has likely been the horrible life of a rental car with asshats driving like madmen, this Fusion has achieved 27.2 MPG, which is above the EPA average.
IMG_0664
On my 1200-some mile trip, this car was over 31 miles per gallon. Early in the trip, over the first 300 miles or so, when I was only driving highway and at reasonable speeds, I saw as high as 38 MPG average. If I’d kept my foot out of it on the return trip, I probably could have had the number up a little higher. In the boost, though, and the fuel starts to burn off a bit faster than it should.
IMG_0666
Man, that right hand screen could have been used for something way more awesome. As it was, you could scroll through the HVAC controls, the compass, and the radio controls. For pretty much the whole trip, I was listening to the first Game of Thrones book on CD (33 hours of CDs, by the way!) that I’d borrowed from the library. The “premium” Sony audio was pretty lost on me. As long as I could hear the dulcet tones of Roy Dotrice telling me the story of Starks and Lannisters and Targaryens, I was happy.
IMG_0667I did not test the phone connectivity, because I dropped it in the toilet. If you’re wearing a button up shirt with a breast pocket, don’t keep your phone there when you lean over to flush. Hey ho, life goes on.
IMG_0671
In conclusion: It’s good, but I won’t be trading in my 1995 Audi S6 on this any time soon.
[All photos ©2016 Hooniverse/Bradley C. Brownell, All Rights Reserved.]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

The maximum upload file size: 64 MB. You can upload: image, audio, video. Links to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other services inserted in the comment text will be automatically embedded. Drop files here

32 responses to “Rotten Rental Car: 2015 Ford Fusion Titanium”

  1. LEROOOY Avatar
    LEROOOY

    “240 horsepower isn’t blowing anyone away, but 0-60 in just about 6 seconds isn’t terrible.”
    Modern car reviews, man.
    Edit: Not the author’s fault, this is just the trend. I actually loved the review.

    1. Bradley Brownell Avatar
      Bradley Brownell

      Yep. Sign of the times.
      Minivans have 300 horsepower now, man…

      1. Rust-MyEnemy Avatar

        Not in the UK they don’t.

        1. Bradley Brownell Avatar
          Bradley Brownell

          *Saloons and Estates have 300 horsepower under the bonnet now, man…*

          1. Rust-MyEnemy Avatar

            Oh, I see. Ta very much.

          2. mdharrell Avatar

            If it’s any help, the 2.0 Ecoboost has 18.5 taxable horsepower under the standard RAC formulation.

          3. Vairship Avatar
            Vairship

            But how many steam horses?

      2. linkpin Avatar
        linkpin

        240 horsepower and 6.0 0-60 are both better than your S6!

        1. Bradley Brownell Avatar
          Bradley Brownell

          Who you think you talkin’ at, fool? My whip ain’t stock, son…

          1. linkpin Avatar
            linkpin

            It’s just funny that a 6 second 0-60 is considered pedestrian these days. Wasn’t long ago that it was considered almost exotic territory.

          2. Guest Avatar
            Guest

            Exactly.

            It was shocking when 1990 SHO came out, with 20 less horsepower, and a 0-60 time of 6.6 seconds…

    2. CraigSu Avatar
      CraigSu

      That same engine resides in the Range Rover Evoque and does a pretty decent job of hauling all that mass around.

    3. Rover 1 Avatar
      Rover 1

      Ford Sierra Cosworth Sapphire.
      One of the hottest 80s sport saloons and a very successful image builder for Ford.
      A predecessor of the Fusion/Mondeo in a line from the Taunus/Cortina
      with some version of the YB motor fitted, 204 – 224 bhp
      Max Speed: 149 mph
      0-60 mph: 6.5 sec
      Fuel Consumption at 56 mph: 38.2 mpg
      Fuel Consumption at 75 mph: 30.1 mpg
      Drag Coefficient: 0.345
      Kerb weight 1305 kg (1990-1992)
      Length 4.49 m
      https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/FordSierraRSCosworth4x4_1992.jpg
      But, no doubt, the Fusion/Mondeo is much nicer to have a crash in

  2. Rennsport 964 Avatar
    Rennsport 964

    I have had a few rental Fords over the last couple years. That console stack is awful.
    I hate touch screens in general because it forces you to take your eyes off the road to use it. But look below it: the “buttons” for the climate control and audio are just extremely subtle bumps or divots in an otherwise flat plane, and there is no tactile feedback at all. The only usable thing on it is the huge VOL knob.
    GMs and Chryslers are not much better, though. And that represents 99% of the US rental fleet.

    1. Bradley Brownell Avatar
      Bradley Brownell

      The lackluster center stack buttons make the steering wheel buttons all that much more important.

  3. theskitter Avatar

    I drove an Escape with the same motor. It was subversively, wickedly fast. But that also resulted in 19mpg.

    1. JayP Avatar
      JayP

      My Focus ST was right at 20mpg overall.
      On road trips I’d get almost 30mpg… just have to keep off the boost.

  4. CraigSu Avatar
    CraigSu

    9:00 and 3:00 driving position in a modern car can get your arms broken if the airbag deploys. Modern drivers ed classes are teaching 5:00 and 7:00 or 4:00 and 8:00 instead. Now that I’ve gotten used to it I much prefer 4:00 and 8:00.

    1. Bradley Brownell Avatar
      Bradley Brownell

      It’s 10 and 2 that will get your arms broken. 9 and 3 should be reasonably safe.

      1. theskitter Avatar

        And you have imbalance to your inputs (less literal control) at anything but 9 and 3.

    2. Harry Callahan Avatar
      Harry Callahan

      9 and 3 were taught in my recent class. I also notice that just about every clip of The Stig, Clarkson, Hammond, and May reveal hands at 9 and 3. I agree that the redneck one-hander at the 12 position will put a hand in your forehead when airbags deploy.

  5. Maymar Avatar
    Maymar

    Weird question, but how was build quality? Among other things, I’ve seen a current Fusion or two with a bit of that chrome strip below the windows riding around in the back seat, and a month ago I had a brand new Focus (250 miles on the thing when I picked it up) which had misaligned rear doors (both stuck out a little under a half cm from the body).
    On one hand, build quality and reliability are far from the same thing, but on the other, it’s clearly not 1989 anymore, and Ford has a different Job 1.

  6. wunno sev Avatar
    wunno sev

    my FiST has a smaller steering wheel in the same dumb shape. i prefer ’90s steering wheels, with four spokes and the whole thing one color – all that shiny shit on the wheel just cheapens the look, i think. but i do appreciate the decent buttons layout.

    1. Alcology Avatar
      Alcology

      Heading slightly off topic, but what do you think about your FiST? I drive a 1.0L and like it, but that extra grunt would be kinda nice.

      1. wunno sev Avatar
        wunno sev

        absolutely love it. i actually wanted a 1.0 as well, but when i went to test drive it they had a FiST too and i was pretty much sold. didn’t buy that one but a few months later i sold my miata and moved on up.
        i kind of miss the nerd factor of the 1.0. the car i really would have liked, or so i tell myself, is the 1.0 Ecoboost Zetec S sold in Europe, with the FiST steering and suspension. i think the chassis upgrades are the biggest plus compared to the regular Fiesta, more so than the motor. but tbh the extra power is pretty nice too.

        1. Alcology Avatar
          Alcology

          Awesome! Yes, that is the 1.0 to go after! My plan was to start with this and if it got kinda boring save up some cash and start some upgrades. Pumaspeed have some tunes for the US market that can give an immediate boost by just remapping oddly enough. They also sell some components if you want to go higher. Apparently with just stock components the motor is safe up to 170hp. To me, I’m with you. Start with some suspension and braking and maybe a little more power.
          I’ve only seen a couple of FiSTs around where I live and dealers didn’t really have any when I was shopping around. Most dealers didn’t even know there was a 1.0L option so that was an obstacle as well.

          1. wunno sev Avatar
            wunno sev

            i’ve only seen one other FiST in central TX where i live. i had to drive two hours to Dallas to find any, and even then it was way cheaper for me to fly across the country, buy one on the east coast, and drive it back. the only time i ever saw a 1.0 for sale was in Chicago, while visiting my parents. that was the one i test drove.
            i’m surprised by how many of the 1.0s are sedans. seems like the typical 1.0 buyer would tend to prefer a hatch.

  7. engineerd Avatar
    engineerd

    Ford tries not to do SatNav. The entire philosophy behind their Sync system is that they don’t have to be software or computer engineers. Your phone (assuming you don’t try flushing it in a toilet) already has a GPS chip and can be paired to Sync letting you do turn-by-turn directions. It gets map updates more frequently than most auto manufacturers worry about for on-board SatNav systems.

  8. Ross Ballot Avatar
    Ross Ballot

    The seats in the Fusion are good, but the Cake reference was great. Kudos.

  9. Harry Callahan Avatar
    Harry Callahan

    I find most autoboxes maddening, thus the presence of a real shifter between the seats of my new Mazda 6. Give me three pedals…or give me…a motorcycle!

  10. JBsC6 Avatar
    JBsC6

    Nice review of an average mid size sedan. Thanks for the insights, interesting perspective.