Ford Fusion vs Honda Accord

Discussion in 'Accord' started by tww1491, Nov 18, 2007.

  1. tww1491

    tww1491 Guest

    Supposedly, Ford has made a huge step forward in quality and reliability
    with the new Fusion and Mercury Milan. The same is claimed for GM's new
    Malibu. The impediment (says the media) to buyers flocking to Ford and GM
    showrooms to buy these automobiles is the distrust of things domestic built
    up over years of disappointment. While, the Fusion and others may be
    competitive when new, the question I have is what the car will like after 10
    years of ownership -- still comparable to an Accord of similar age and
    mileage.

    I guess I don't see the Fusion in the same light as I see my Accord,
    frankly. But, I may be wrong. Any imput out there.
     
    tww1491, Nov 18, 2007
    #1
  2. I agree with you as far as long-term reliability is concerned. If the media
    is talking about initial quality, the argument holds no water; any car can
    do well at that. The last 2 incarnations of Malibu, from what I read, had
    below average reliability, even despite the last version getting an initial
    quality award from JD Power! And the fact that Fusion/Milan is made in
    Mexico is cause for concern there.
     
    High Tech Misfit, Nov 18, 2007
    #2
  3. tww1491

    Nobody Guest

    Fords don't come with a locking gas cap/door and no air filtration system.
    'nuf said.
     
    Nobody, Nov 19, 2007
    #3
  4. tww1491

    Paul Guest

    Isn't the Fusion basically a Mazda with a Ford badge? There's your quality
    and reliability.

    Not sure about 10 years down the road, but I've had my '00 Accord for 7 1/2
    years and about 93,000 miles and it still feels and drives like a new car in
    almost every respect. I doubt I could say that about any Ford at that age,
    even my '66 Mustang.

    FWIW

    Paul
     
    Paul, Nov 19, 2007
    #4
  5. tww1491

    John Horner Guest

    It is really strange that Ford didn't provide for a cabin air filter on
    the Fusion. I've come to expect just about any modern car to have one.
    The Mazda 6 offers it and that is the base design from which the
    Fusion was built.
     
    John Horner, Nov 19, 2007
    #5
  6. tww1491

    Dano58 Guest

    Well, not necessarily. My '96 VW Jetta was built in Mexico and was an
    excellent car quality-wise. No issues at all, other than problems with
    the door bump strips, easily rectified with double-sided tape. And
    that was when the car had 90k miles on it. The German-made GTI's had
    the same issue.

    I like the design of the Fusion, too bad you can't get the V6 with a
    manual trans. It's a lot less bland than the previous-generation
    Accord. And less ugly than the new generation.

    But the point about buyer wariness is right on - after decades of
    building shit for vehicles, Detroit can't just win everyone back
    immediately. They need to establish a positive track record. I have to
    say, from a styling perspective, the new Detroit cars are much better.
    The Fusion, Malibu, Charger, CTS - they are all very cool-looking
    cars. OTOH, they still make clunkers like the Sebring, Avenger and
    Focus.

    Dan D
    '07 Ody EX
    Central NJ USA
     
    Dano58, Nov 19, 2007
    #6
  7. tww1491

    tww1491 Guest

    Speaking of the Mustang, I had a Sunbeam Tiger -- a 65 which had the 260
    Ford V8. The Tiger -- for those who are familiar with it -- was a Shelby
    inspired Sunbeam Alpine. Mine was slightly modified with a Shelby cam and 4
    bbl Holley. Went like blazes. Should have kept it.
     
    tww1491, Nov 20, 2007
    #7
  8. I have seen the media hype about how the domestics have caught up with
    the Japanese before. The first time I can remember was back in the
    early 1980s with the Chevy Citation, a car that later became the
    poster child for crappy American cars.

    Maybe Ford and GM have caught up with Honda and Toyota, but how would
    we know for at least six or seven years? The problem is that they are
    using the same old media hype and no one is going to believe them. It
    took years for Honda and Toyota to overcome the public perception that
    anything from Japan must be crappy. If GM and Ford have truly caught
    up, they should just shut up and let the 7 - 10 year reliability
    records do the talking. Of course, they may be out of business by
    then.
     
    Gordon McGrew, Nov 20, 2007
    #8
  9. Styling seems to be a very much North America vs the rest of the
    world. Cars 'styled' for the North American market are generally
    considered hideous elsewhere.
     
    Edward W. Thompson, Nov 20, 2007
    #9
  10. Actually, I think you have it just bassackwards!
    I have a 1982 F250 that has seen some hard use (not abuse) and I did rebuild
    the 300 I6 at 145k or thereabouts but other than that just the normal wear
    items like brakes belts, etc. It will fire right up even after sitting out
    thru an Alaskan night without benefit of any heaters (as long as it doesnt
    get down below -30. My Honda Civic would not do that....
     
    Dave and Trudy, Nov 20, 2007
    #10
  11. Havent had my Fusion long enuf to make any good comparisons yet. However, I
    did notice that the appointments, trim fit, etc., will compare with any
    Toyoater, Honda, etc. Perhaps Ford took a page from Jaguar's book.

    DaveD
     
    Dave and Trudy, Nov 20, 2007
    #11
  12. tww1491

    C. E. White Guest

    And this is a bad thing? I hate locking gas caps. The inside latch is just
    an unessesary pain in the ass. Ford used to inflict that ticky tack stuff on
    me, but they finally got wise and dropped it. I have not once missed having
    to go back to the inside of the car to trip the stupid gas door. And I sure
    as heck don't want a key on the gas door or cap.
    Two of my last three Fords did have cabin filters. My current Nissan
    Frontier has one. I haven't detected any advantage to the cabin filters. If
    they were optional, I wouldn't order them. The replacement cabin filters are
    more expensive than the engine air filters - makes no sense to me. The
    cabin filter in the Nissan is totally worthless. I spend a lot of time on
    dirt roads and in fields, and the Nissan filter doesn't appear to stop
    anything. The inside of the truck is coated with dust. And there is a group
    of trees I regularly pass with some sort of nasty pollen that the filters
    never stop.

    Ed
     
    C. E. White, Nov 20, 2007
    #12
  13. tww1491

    C. E. White Guest

    I own a 2007 Fusion. My Sister has a 1997 Civic. My son has a 2005 Accord.
    None have required any major repairs. The Fusion is 1 year old and has over
    18,000 miles. I prefer the Fusion to the other two vehicles, but it is a
    personal thing. My family has owned Fords for man years. My old 1992 F150
    was still going strong after 14 years when I traded it on a 2006 Nissan
    Frontier.The F150 was in much better condition when I traded it than my
    sisters 10 year old Civic. Her Civic runs fine, but it is a sad looking
    thing - faded paint, paint off the bumpers in spots, interior faded, plastic
    parts very brittle, engine uses oil, engine compartment is coated with oil,
    etc. - but it still runs. She is happy. In the 11 years she has owned it, it
    has needed two mufflers and one set of plug wires. That is all. Of course I
    think the clutch is due to fail any day now. I consider Fords and Hondas to
    be on a par as far as reliability. If you are going to abuse the vehcile,
    I'd give the edge to a Ford. If you are going to take good care of the
    vehicle, the Honda will hold it's resale value better. I generally find the
    drivers layout better in Fords, but I am a tall/big guy. Just my opinion.

    Ed
     
    C. E. White, Nov 20, 2007
    #13
  14. tww1491

    C. E. White Guest

    [SNIP]
    Not really. It is definitely based on the Mazda 6 design, but it has a
    longer wheelbase, a completely different body structure, and a completely
    different interior. The V6 is a Ford design built in a Ford plant (also used
    in US built Mazdas). The automatic used with the V6 is a Aisin-Warner 6
    speed from the same family as the Camry 6 speed. The four cylinder engine is
    a Mazda design, but built by Ford in a Ford plant. The manual transmission
    is a Mazda item. The 4 cylinder automatic is a Ford design. Of course since
    Ford controls Mazda, it is a Ford design either way.
    When did you last own a Ford? How reliable do you think a 1966 Honda was?
    All cars are much better now, than even 10 years ago. Over the years I have
    owned Fords, Mazdas, Audis, Plymouths, Toyotas, and an assortment of British
    cars. Family members have owned Hondas (3), VWs (2), Mazdas, etc. Currently
    my SO has a Toyota RAV4, her Daughter a VW Jetta, and her son has a Honda
    Civic. My older Sister has a Civic. My younger Sister has an Escape. One of
    my Sons has an Accord. The other Son has a Mustang. My Mother has a
    Freestyle and a Ranger. I have a Fusion and a Nissan Frontier. None of these
    vehicles is especially unreliable. In general everyone seems happy with what
    they have (well except for my SO's daughter, she wants to ditch the VW).
    I've never had an especially unreliable Ford. Can't say the same about
    Toyotas or Audis or Plymouths. My Sister has had good luck with the two
    Hondas she owned, if you don't count the rust, and weak doors of her 1980
    Accord. Personally I'll consider almost any vehicle that isn't built by Land
    Rover, VW/Audi, or BMW. I wouldn't put one of the Korean models high on the
    list, but I would consider them.

    Ed
     
    C. E. White, Nov 20, 2007
    #14
  15. tww1491

    Paul EZ Guest

    Chevrolet has finally belted out a home run with the new Malibu. Most
    reviews are ecstatic, and suggest that the Malibu clearly outshines its
    competitors in many areas. Before anyone rips the Malibu (or domestic
    cars in general) I suggest you have a look at this new Chevy first. It
    just might change your perception. On the other hand, the new Accord's
    reviews have been lukewarm at best. I don't see the new Accord as a
    major hit in any respect, compared to the Malibu. EZ
     
    Paul EZ, Nov 21, 2007
    #15
  16. no, what you're seeing is that the Accord was already so good,
    improvements are by definition incremental. And the Chevy was so bad,
    even moderate improvements are earth-shatteringly large.
     
    Elmo P. Shagnasty, Nov 21, 2007
    #16
  17. tww1491

    tww1491 Guest

    I think it has the standard EcoTech engine which has been described as
    thrashy and not smooth like Honda's I4. Other vehicles like the Soltice
    were greeted with the same estatic reviews and have now been graded as Not
    Recomended by CU. I think this will have to be "wait and see" proposition
    given GMs previous failures.
    I hope it is a "home run" for GMs sake, but initial reviews mean nothing
    until the car has been out there for while.
     
    tww1491, Nov 21, 2007
    #17
  18. tww1491

    John Horner Guest


    Hmmm, I've read a bunch of reviews of both and it didn't come across
    that way at all. I would bet that four years from now the Accord will
    have much higher resale value as well.
     
    John Horner, Nov 23, 2007
    #18
  19. tww1491

    the phelper Guest


    I'm sorry... I'm American... and I wish we built the best vehicles...
    I'm patriotic, but I know when I'm beat...

    Yeah.. The Malibu, come on... seriously... the car you knew america
    couldn't build...

    Just another cadavalier.... Puhleeze....
     
    the phelper, Nov 25, 2007
    #19
  20. tww1491

    Nobody Guest

    What's your address so I can come over and dump some shit in your gas tank.
    The Honda ones work very well. $15 or so every three years for a filter is
    not that expensive and that's the dealer part. Of course, the dealer will
    try to charge you $100 to install it when it takes like 1 minute.
     
    Nobody, Dec 22, 2007
    #20
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