Posted by Dave Sullivan on November 14, 2012 at 7:22 am
What if I told you you could buy a vehicle that had the capability to haul seven people, could hit at least 30 MPG on the highway, and had all of the creature comforts you would want, such as navigation and Bluetooth; would you buy it? What if there was a catch? Would sliding doors break the deal for you? Would riding in a jazzed up cargo van send shivers down your spine?
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Posted by Dan Hall on September 23, 2012 at 1:22 pm
“I can’t underestimate how important the Fusion is to Ford,” — Mark Fields, Ford president of the Americas, to workers at Flat Rock, Michigan assembly plant.
The mid-size car segment is filled with able competitors and most are either new or recently updated. The oldest, Hyundai Sonata, is a 2011 model and each new model is being launched with a wider range of features than ever before. Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, Toyota Camry, Kia Optima, Volkswagen Passat, Chevrolet Malibu and next year’s Mazda6 represent the best collection of mid-size cars ever available in the United Sates.
What makes this competition interesting is the different approach that each manufacturer is taking. The Nissan Altima enters the race with a cost conscious four-cylinder engine with no turbo or direction injection. Despite this, the Altima has superior fuel economy and excellent power. Add in attractive styling cues from the Maxima, and you get a pretty compelling offering at a great price.
The Ford Fusion takes a different tack with six powertrains, including two hybrids. We got a chance to drive four of them in Santa Monica this week. Our impressions are positive, but we wonder a bit about the complexity of all these offerings.
2.5-liter inline four-cylinder with a 6-speed auto: This might be the best combination of price and attributes of the four we drove. While not as powerful as the EcoBoost options, it works well for a vehicle in a segment where dynamics are less important than price.
1.6-liter EcoBoost inline four-cylinder with a 6-speed manual: While Ford won’t sell a lot of manual transmission Fusions, this vehicle clearly has a European feel and would be our choice for fun. You clearly feel the small size of the 1.6, but pushing it hard and gliding through the gears with the smooth shifter makes this a fun ride.
2.0-liter EcoBoost inline four-cylinder with a 6-speed auto: More fun than the 2.5 liter four, but will buyers in this segment buy-in? Ours had the stand-alone start-stop feature, which worked better than other executions we’ve seen. It’s a good glimpse into the positive future of start-stop fuel saving technology.
2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle inline four-cylinder with an electric motor: As fun to drive as a hybrid! The hybrid version has received an EPA certified 47 miles per gallon for both city and highway driving, giving the vehicle the highest fuel-efficiency of any hybrid in its class. Toyota Motor Corp.’s Camry Hybrid LE gets 43 mpg in the city and 39 mpg on the highway, according to Toyota.
Building a hybrid can get you to about $38,000. A Titanium All Wheel Drive can get to you to $39,000. Start saving now.
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Posted by George Peterson on July 30, 2012 at 12:53 pm
AutoPacific’s Ideal Vehicle Award (IVA) recognizes the vehicle that best hits the target its buyers demand. Winning an IVA shows the product planners, engineers and designers of the manufacturer understand what their target customers want and have created the vehicle to best meet their demands.
F-150 Dominates Chevrolet Silverado 1500 for IVA Win: The 2012 Ford F-150 comes closest to the ideal of any Large Light Duty Pickup. The F-150 edges out the second place Chevrolet Silverado 1500 by 41 rating points to win in this class. Having eighty-percent or more of owners rating a characteristic ideal is outstanding. Achieving a score of ninety-percent is even more impressive. Ninety-percent or more of F-150 owners rate its exterior size, passenger roominess, exterior styling, driver’s seat comfort and ride and handling ideal. Eighty-percent or more of F-150 owners find these additional characteristics ideal: driver’s seat visibility, cargo space, wheels and tires, ease of getting in and out, safety features.
A Few Shortfalls – But None Critical. About 19% of F-150 owners want better infotainment technology. About 25% of F-150 owners want more interior storage compartments.
You can find an Autobytel review of this IVA award winner at http://www.autobytel.com/auto-news/awards/ideal-suvs-pickups-rated-by-owners-in-2012-iva-awards-112117/
For a complete summary of all AutoPacific 2012 Ideal Vehicle Award results contact karin.turner@vehiclevoice.com and title your email “IVA Results”. A copy of the results will be emailed to you within 48-hours.
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Posted by George Peterson on July 30, 2012 at 12:42 pm
AutoPacific’s Ideal Vehicle Award (IVA) recognizes the vehicle that best hits the target its buyers demand. Winning an IVA shows the product planners, engineers and designers of the manufacturer understood what their target customers want and have made the vehicle to meet their demands.
The 2012 Ford Flex comes closest to the ideal of any Large Crossover SUV scoring a close win over the Chevrolet Traverse. Eighty-percent or more of Flex owners find these characteristics ideal: exterior size, exterior styling, passenger roominess, seat comfort, ride and handling, tires and wheels, ease of getting in and out and safety features.
EcoBoost Gives Flex a Substantial Performance Advantage, but Only 15% of Flex Owners Bought It: About 25% of Flex V6 owners want more power and acceleration, but only 6% who opted for the 355HP EcoBoost 3.5L V6 want more. Clearly, EcoBoost provides surprising power without a fuel economy disadvantage. About 11% of all Flex owners would give up power and acceleration for better fuel economy. So, when it comes to Flex, performance and fuel economy, twice as many owners would take more power and acceleration than would trade off power for fuel economy.
More/Better Technology Wanted: The 2012 Flex is available with SYNC and SYNC with navigation, but not Ford’s new MyFord Touch system. About a quarter of Flex owners want more/better technology than their vehicle has now.
You can find an Autobytel review of this IVA award winner at http://www.autobytel.com/auto-news/awards/ideal-suvs-pickups-rated-by-owners-in-2012-iva-awards-112117/
For a complete summary of all AutoPacific 2012 Ideal Vehicle Award results contact karin.turner@vehiclevoice.com and title your email “IVA Results”. A copy of the results will be emailed to you within 48-hours.
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Posted by Dave Sullivan on September 28, 2011 at 10:20 pm
When Ford announced that the 5.0L V8 was coming back to life for the 2011 model year, the Boss 302 rumors immediately followed. We haven’t seen the Boss 302 name grace a Mustang since 1970. It’s back for the 2012 model year and after a few days in one, it is safe to say it is the must-have Mustang since the last Boss 302.
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Posted by Dave Sullivan on August 22, 2011 at 3:23 pm
If you think back, GM developed the 2 Mode Hybrid system in collaboration with BMW and Daimler-Chrysler. Chrysler had about a two month run of Durango and Aspen hybrids. If you see one on the road you might consider it to be an exotic due to how rare it is. BMW has a hybrid system in their X6, but it is for performance more than fuel economy. Daimler has a RWD hybrid system in the Mercedes-Benz S Class, but the fuel economy hasn’t been anything to make headlines with. While not being much of a success for any party involved in that collaboration, one GM engineer described the 2 Mode hybrid system to me as a “very expensive science project”. What Ford and Toyota teamed up to do today looks to be more than a science experiment.
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Posted by Ty Michael on August 16, 2011 at 9:00 am
The F-150 is the top-ranked Light Duty Full Size Pickup based on owner ratings in AutoPacific’s 2011 Ideal Vehicle Research. As the class winner, owners don’t want much change, but there are some exceptions. Over 35% of F-15 owners want better interior storage, 25% want their truck to be easier to get into and out of. About 20% want larger wheels and tires. Owners like their seat comfort, ride and roominess. The F-150 outpoints the second place Chevrolet Avalanche by a wide margin.
Large Light Duty Pickup
A Light Duty Pickup has a gross vehicle weight ratio under 8,500 pounds and includes the likes of the Ford F-150, Dodge Ram, and Chevrolet Silverado. These pickups can be used for both commercial and personal use and have a wide range of capability and pricing. Towing and horsepower both rank supreme for buyers of these trucks.
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Posted by Ty Michael on August 16, 2011 at 8:15 am
The Flex is the top ranked Large XSUV in AutoPacific’s 2011 Ideal Vehicle Research. As the class winner, its owners identify few things they want changed, but inevitably there are a few. About 30% want better interior storage. Over 20% want more cargo room (!), more power (non-EcoBoost vehicles), and more infotainment technology. Flex owners most like its ride, seat comfort, size, roominess and ease of getting in and out. Flex handily outpoints second place GMC Acadia.
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Posted by Ty Michael on August 16, 2011 at 8:00 am
The all-new Ford Explorer moved from a traditional SUV to a crossover SUV for 2011. It adopted all new styling, package and powertrain. Its owners rate the Explorer highest in AutoPacific’s 2011 Ideal Vehicle Research. As the class winner, Explorer owners identify few attributes they want changed, but there are a few. Ford consciously adopted more contemporary, more modern and aerodynamic styling for the new Explorer. The result is that owners want better visibility and easier ingress/egress. Available only with a 3.5L V6 for 2011, about 25% of Explorer owners want more power. Explorer owners most like its seat comfort, ride, size and handling. The Explorer outpoints the all-new 2011 Dodge Durango and wins by a nose.
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Posted by Ty Michael on August 16, 2011 at 7:00 am
The Fusion is the top rated Premium Mid-Size Car based on owner ratings of changes they want in their car in AutoPacific’s 2011 Ideal Vehicle Research. As the class winner, its owners indicate there is little they would change about their car, but there are notable exceptions. Over 30% of Fusion owners want better visibility and over 25% want their car to be easier to get into and out of. 25% want more power. Fusion owners least want to change its ride or seat comfort. Fusion ekes out this win over the highly acclaimed, and second place in class, 2011 Hyundai Sonata.
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