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Contour vs. Fusion?

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96RedSE5Sp

Hard-core CEG'er
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How does the Contour design stand up to more modern cars like the Fusion? Is the Fusion more advanced and/or a better car than a comparably priced (adjusted for inflation) Contour would be?

Suppose there was a brand new fresh out of the factory 2000 Contour SVT on the lot alongside a new Fusion. Would the Contour be outdated or outclassed ?

I think one advantage with the Contour is that if you like the Fusion, you would have to choose between a 6 Cylinder automatic and a 4 cylinder MTX.
 
I think that the Contour SVT would be for a different type of person then the Fusion. Especially the v6 Fusion. The SVT is a purpose built car in my opinion. It's for the performance enthusiast. I mean sure it comes with leather and a cd player, but it doesn't come in an automatic, have heated seats, gps navigation, or anything else thats too fancy. I mean technically in it's day these things weren't standard or even offered as options but I still think it helped make the SVT a more purpose built car. Today it would probly be priced significantly less then a v6 Fusion. It might be considered an entry level sedan, but I thin some of it's amenitieswould be dropped. Like leather and cruise control.
 
96RedSE5Sp said:
How does the Contour design stand up to more modern cars like the Fusion? Is the Fusion more advanced and/or a better car than a comparably priced (adjusted for inflation) Contour would be?

Suppose there was a brand new fresh out of the factory 2000 Contour SVT on the lot alongside a new Fusion. Would the Contour be outdated or outclassed ?

I think one advantage with the Contour is that if you like the Fusion, you would have to choose between a 6 Cylinder automatic and a 4 cylinder MTX.
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Thats one of the things that turned me off from buying an Avenger years ago...

They offered the v6 only in Auto and the I4 in manual. I wanted the best of both worlds, and since that wasn't an opton, I took the pass.
 
96RedSE5Sp said:
How does the Contour design stand up to more modern cars like the Fusion? ...
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Not good.

96RedSE5Sp said:
Is the Fusion more advanced and/or a better car than a comparably priced (adjusted for inflation) Contour would be?
..
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Yes.

96RedSE5Sp said:
Suppose there was a brand new fresh out of the factory 2000 Contour SVT on the lot alongside a new Fusion. Would the Contour be outdated or outclassed ? .
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Yes. It think the hp increase and newer technology of the Fusion will support that.

While I do like driving the Contour and have no plans to upgrade in the near future, I do have to admit, technology changes every year and for the most part, the Contour was a design of the early 90s and the Fusion is at least 10 (maybe 15) years ahead in terms of new technology. :shrug:
 
Other than the extra safety features (surrounded by airbags, mainly), there really isn't anything that the Fusion offers that you NEED, and can't find in the Contour, though.

I thought about that the other day, along with just how sensibly the main controls in the Contour are laid out. Even my wife's Mazda 6 is more confusing to operate in comparison.
 
Jeb Hoge said:
I thought about that the other day, along with just how sensibly the main controls in the Contour are laid out. Even my wife's Mazda 6 is more confusing to operate in comparison.
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Exactly the Contour would be seen more as a base driving option or a purely sporty version of an existing car that is mor epurpose built, with no amenities. The evolution when first offered on our shores came with a radio and basic heat/ac controls similar to the SVT. So I think it would be something comparable.
 
While I have never driven a Fusion, I can't believe that a new Fusion (especially the 4 cylinder) could hold a candle to my '96 Contour SE in terms of price, handling, acceleration or safety - the factors I consider most important.

Maybe I would feel different if I could get a Fusion with a 6 cylinder and a MTX.
 
96RedSE5Sp said:
While I have never driven a Fusion, I can't believe that a new Fusion (especially the 4 cylinder) could hold a candle to my '96 Contour SE in terms of price, handling, acceleration or safety - the factors I consider most important.

Maybe I would feel different if I could get a Fusion with a 6 cylinder and a MTX.
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Like I said, with the multiple airbags and (expected) improvement in crash structure, even though the Contours were very good in that respect, I would give the edge to the Fusion. The other edge is that a new Fusion is just that...new. The newest Contours are still six or seven years old.

I'd be very tempted by a top-line Fusion with the V6/6spd auto combo.
 
old technology

old technology

The Fusion has old technology with honda prelude tail lights and headlights
from over five years ago!Its very close to the ford mondeo from 3 years past .The same v6 can be found in the mazda6 with a manual trans.The fusion with rank at the bottom of its class.The AWD fusion will cost more than most would want to pay for a FORD.
This is the Ford I,d like to have!and it has a 3.0v6 manual too.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:2007_Ford_Mondeo_Pre_Launch.jpg
 
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my mom just picked up an '07 Fusion with the 2.3L and i gotta say...that 4cyl. does its job, it moves for what it is and i love the interior, but i agree with the prelude tail lights, but overall i like the car a lot and it would be an excellent 4 door SVT canidate
 
I test drove a V6 Fusion while helping a friend car shop. I was more than impressed by the acceleration. The 6sp ATX was much better than I expected. To put it bluntly, the car hauled ass. The leather interior was quite nice and comfortable. I really liked the dash. I agree the tail lights need to go. Maybe crack 'em open and paint the chrome body-color. All in all though, I'd still rather do the shifting myself.
 
I wish they would do something to the fusion tail lights like they do with the EVO or IS200(vinyl or colored plastic covers.)
 
Of the many rental cars I drive, a Fusion is one of them. Overall, I like it. It is a nice car.

Two things bother me about it though. First, the handling is not as nice as my stock SVT, and second, there is insuffecient control over the transmission. A dual gate trans would help a lot.

Also, it is underpowered by today's competitive standards. It does run better than my SVT, but not by much. It is competig with similar sized cars with a lot more power.

It seems to have what it takes to make the basis for a nice factory hot rod, if they would give it an "SVT" treatment.

Consistantly, the best running rental I've had lately is the Hyundia Sonata.
 
If Ford wants to make the new Fusion competitive, they should drop in their duratec 35 (3.5 or 4.0 liter). It is designed to fit in the same space as the 3.0, and it would put the Fusion in the "whoa" category.
 
I suspect that it will be optional next year. It is already the only engine in the Lincoln MKZ. Last years MKZ (Zephyr) had the same engine that the Fuzion does now. They needed to give the Lincoln some exclusivity for at least a year. We can hope that when they do put it in the Fuzion they will upgrade the handling as well.
 
I think the fair comparison would be the Fusion to the newly released '07 Mondeo. But, I suspect no one here has driven one, so that's not realistic.

I don't think this has been posted here but...

On Friday, Mulally hinted at his frustration at finding the Ford brand was actually six or seven different brands scattered around the world -- each with its own product lineup. He pointed to Ford of Europe's new Mondeo sedan, which was recently featured in the James Bond movie, "Casino Royale."

"Why aren't we driving that here?" he asked. "Hello! It's a great car."
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For those that don't know, Mulally is Ford's new CEO.

source: http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070113/AUTO01/701130370
 
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If only they would have continued the SVT line instead of letting it slip away. The rumors of an SVT Fusion had me drooling from day one, and being a Ford A-Plan guy I most likely would have bought one no questions asked, even came close to getting the mazdaspeed6, but couldn't do it. Wound up with the MKZ, and while it is faster in a straight line than my SVT, its a whole different type of car as comparing a SVT to a Fusion isn't quite fair, the SVT will run circles around it in the twisties and has a much higher fun factor, but thats not the point of a Fusion, would I like to see Ford build a kick ass sports sedan, of course, but they are putting all their eggs in the Mustang/Truck basket. Just my $.02
 
That's an nice article.

I'm spending part of this week in Seattle with an aircraft related company. The local person that I'm working with tells me that the overall feeling within Boeing is that Mulally was passed over to lead the company and absolutely should have had the job. Further, that he was well liked by people throughout the company, from every level. Boeing employees are rooting for him to pull Ford's fat out of the fire. They all believe he can.

From what I've heard about him so far, I'm sure he will.

It won't be the first time Ford hired great talent from outside the industry to save the company. Anyone remember the "Wiz Kids"?
 
I bought a fusion SEL v6 last year and have friends with svt contours. I have a contour as well and I'll say the fusion is a different kind of beast. the power/weight ratio is better on the stock sel v6 but then the 99 svt has better handling a lot less body roll and more feedback from the road then the fusion. I noticed that the fusion was kind of dead with the road and yes it can handle very well it doesn't seem like you can tell what the car is doing because of the lack of feedback. I actually enjoy driving the contour more than the fusion. I'll tell you that when me and my friend george went to dragway 42 in west salem ohio the fusion manhandled his stock 99 svt tour. I haven't had the chance to take it out on a road course or anything like that to see what kind of lap times she gets but I'm sure it'll hold it's own. the build quality is a lot better to, well at least from my 97 to this 06 i'm not sure about the late model tours (haven't cracked one open yet.)
 
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