[ampere]

Originally Posted by Ford5

By the time the diesel came into the Fusion the market had written of this car!

Not to mention the drab showrooms of Ford and eagerness of the salespeople to push the Fiesta diesel back then.

Very true. They got the diesel Fusion only in the second innings. By that time. not just the Fiesta, even the other brands had made good inroads into the hatch market.

[vnabhi]

Sad to see the Fusion leave your garage. It does look fabulous even after so many years!

And congrats on the Duster. We are eagerly waiting for the review.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Sad to see the Fusion leave your garage. It does look fabulous even after so many years!

And congrats on the Duster. We are eagerly waiting for the review.

Thanks! I waited for three months post the booking. But you know what; I never felt for the wait! Because even in those last three months, I very much enjoyed driving the Fusion.
It was a brilliant ride. And surely it was difficult to let it go!

[subraiyr]

@ampere

Congrats on your Duster. Pretty sad to see one more moving out of the Fusion family. It was a car much ahead of its time and never appreciated by most of the value for money public. Having said that, i feel in love with the vehicle the moment i saw it and picked it up in 2006. The last batch of the outgoing Fusion petrol. I wanted a Fusion + but sadly dint get any, but in the last 7 years, i have not had one bit of issue with the vehicle.

It went through its course of maintenance work, battery change in 3rd year, tyre change at 40k, clutch plate change at 33k, break disc at 40k and a weak left arm change at 35k. Beyond that some niggling issues like the dash top cabinet door not working properly and the a/c switch having been dislodged thanks to the a/c vent cleaning.

After having scoured the market for a vehicle as good in drive comfort as Fusion i came back blank. For me the road feedback that the Fusion steering gives is probably the best. The gear shift has been brilliant even after 40k and i can shift with just one finger. That says a lot about the vehicle

I am at a juncture were having decided that i will retain it for another 40k, i am planning to invest in new upholstery, full paint job (Changing it to All black from Silver a request from the missus), 3m floor mats, changing by headlight units (planning on xenon bulbs). My question for the fusion guys here is

1. On headlights - what is the best option for xenon lamps. Should i change the high and low beam as well as the fog lamps. Also, is there a possibility of introducing running indicators into the headlamp unit
2. My headlamp glass is fogging out and has multiple scratches on it. what is the best way to get this removed
3. One of the guys in bangalore tells me that instead of foaming up the seats with better side support, i should go for sports seats. I would like a real good bucket seats for the front. Any thoughts on that
Awaiting responses
cheers

[ampere]

Originally Posted by subraiyr

Congrats on your Duster. Pretty sad to see one more moving out of the Fusion family.

Even I felt the same. But then I realized time had come to change. I had driven about a Lakh.

It was a car much ahead of its time and never appreciated by most of the value for money public. Having said that, i feel in love with the vehicle the moment i saw it and picked it up in 2006. The last batch of the outgoing Fusion petrol. I wanted a Fusion + but sadly dint get any, but in the last 7 years, i have not had one bit of issue with the vehicle.

+1. When I got my new car after Fusion, I realized how addicted I had been to Fusion from a utilities point of view. I just could not imagine without it.

It went through its course of maintenance work, battery change in 3rd year, tyre change at 40k, clutch plate change at 33k, break disc at 40k and a weak left arm change at 35k. Beyond that some niggling issues like the dash top cabinet door not working properly and the a/c switch having been dislodged thanks to the a/c vent cleaning.

I changed my clutch plate and brake at 80K. Till then it worked without a hitch. Tyres changed once at 45K and then again at 90K

After having scoured the market for a vehicle as good in drive comfort as Fusion i came back blank. For me the road feedback that the Fusion steering gives is probably the best. The gear shift has been brilliant even after 40k and i can shift with just one finger. That says a lot about the vehicle

Ford driving dynamics are very good. But when it came to a change for me, I could not have everything. Hence had to settle for what I thought was the best in terms of my priorities. Duster ticks off every thing for me. I have the 85 bhp one and am a sedate driver. But I also experienced the 100 horses of Fusion. But comapared to that I am OK with lower power and much much higher FE.

I am at a juncture were having decided that i will retain it for another 40k, i am planning to invest in new upholstery, full paint job (Changing it to All black from Silver a request from the missus), 3m floor mats, changing by headlight units (planning on xenon bulbs).

If it has done only 40K, then surely you should hold it longer.

1. On headlights - what is the best option for xenon lamps. Should i change the high and low beam as well as the fog lamps. Also, is there a possibility of introducing running indicators into the headlamp unit

No idea.

2. My headlamp glass is fogging out and has multiple scratches on it. what is the best way to get this removed

I had the same problem. So I coughed up 22K and changed the HL unit.

3. One of the guys in bangalore tells me that instead of foaming up the seats with better side support, i should go for sports seats. I would like a real good bucket seats for the front. Any thoughts on that
Awaiting responses
cheers

You can also try leather. You get decent options.

[PatienceWins]

Sad to see Fusion leave your garage. I liked the car for its space, high seating, performance and practicality. Congrats for the Duster, it is a very competent car and a worthy replacement for Fusion.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by PatienceWins

Sad to see Fusion leave your garage. I liked the car for its space, high seating, performance and practicality. Congrats for the Duster, it is a very competent car and a worthy replacement for Fusion.

+1 to you! For the seven years that I owned Fusion, I was fully satisfied. In fact during the wait for Duster, I did not even have the excitement of a new car coming to the garage. The current one then was keeping me happy !

The weight of the car and solid Euro styled build quality was top notch. Truly the car was ahead of its time.

If I compare the Duster to the Fusion, I find Duster seating height to be better than Fusion. The Fusion steering with hydraulic feedback was superb and Duster does not even come close on that front.

But where Duster fares better are:
- A very frugal and linear power delivery oriented diesel
- More space
- And last but surely not the least : A zero fatigue mile crunching ability

I used to feel bit fatigued out after long distances in Fusion. But this does happen in Duster at all. I can vouch for this because, I finished 10K with the new car and have seen it up and close during this period.

[PatienceWins]

Originally Posted by ampere

But this does happen in Duster at all. I can vouch for this because, I finished 10K with the new car and have seen it up and close during this period.

My colleague gave the same feedback for Duster and is very happy with the fatigue free mile crunching ability.

I did check out Duster. I found the under thigh support lacking for my height, 6' 2", and there is lack of dead pedal. Otherwise, I was very impressed with the vehicle. Glad to see that you are happy with the vehicle.

I am eagerly waiting for Ecosport now.

[VeluM]

Originally Posted by ampere

For the seven years that I owned Fusion, I was fully satisfied.

Your feedback on the performance of the AC in the Fusion, please.

My father's car was not blowing enough air, so the AC serviced (or cleaned, basically). Now the volume has increased, but the air is barely cool. This is very noticeable these days because of the unnatural heat in Bangalore, and the fact that the other car used is an Indigo!

Before approaching Ford, I wanted to check whether or not this was a generic issue with Fusions.

Thanks!

[ampere]

Originally Posted by VeluM

Your feedback on the performance of the AC in the Fusion, please.
My father's car was not blowing enough air, so the AC serviced (or cleaned, basically). Now the volume has increased, but the air is barely cool. This is very noticeable these days because of the unnatural heat in Bangalore, and the fact that the other car used is an Indigo!

It was a chiller! And it never bad in all the years if my ownership. I rarely went above setting of 2, even at the peak summers. Even on the highway in mid April/May times I have never crossed the setting of 2.

[frequentflyer]

Originally Posted by ampere

It was a chiller! And it never bad in all the years if my ownership. I rarely went above setting of 2, even at the peak summers. Even on the highway in mid April/May times I have never crossed the setting of 2.

I used to go to 5 for quick cooling and then settle at 1 or 2 depending on number of passengers. The one inconvenient thing was to have two diff recommended tyre pressures for full load and half load!!

I am quite happy with the City now - after Fusion, good driver position with height adjustment and have not scraped the bottom after six months and all kinds of roads. Better power and pick up as well as FE.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by frequentflyer

I used to go to 5 for quick cooling and then settle at 1 or 2 depending on number of passengers. The one inconvenient thing was to have two diff recommended tyre pressures for full load and half load!!

I have never gone beyond 3 for whole time. AC was quite a chiller.

I am quite happy with the City now - after Fusion, good driver position with height adjustment and have not scraped the bottom after six months and all kinds of roads. Better power and pick up as well as FE.

Wish you many more miles on your City. Same here on Duster. Have driven about 12K. Very satisfied with it. And best part is it feels like a perfect car to replace the Fusion.

[humbleroadster]

Originally Posted by ampere

I very much enjoyed driving the Fusion.
It was a brilliant ride. And surely it was difficult to let it go!

Hello Ampere!
That is a great thread about your Fusion and neatly updated every few thousand kms while you had it. I completely understand when you say it was difficult to let it go, as i am now at the same juncture.

I have the 2007 1.6 Duratec petrol. (not fusion+).
Back then, i was eyeing the car before buying it, and immediately jumped on to it when i could afford to.
I love the color your Fusion had, and wanted to get the same. But "dull" was the only comment i was getting on it!!
Finally managed to get a silver color.

I came across some discussions on tires on this thread. Just to update my side, the car rolled out with Good year GT3`s on it. Changed them at 40K to Michelin Primacy LC. I am now on my third set of tires and have the Bridge stone MY-02`s. By far they are the best set that handle my car and have had no issues on them so far.

The head lamps have turned foggy (guessing this is a typical for the Fusions age), and there seems to be something wrong with the instrument cluster.

I still enjoy the Fusion, and don't want to give it up as yet. After so many years, i don't really know weather upkeep of the Fusion will be too expensive an affair. Although i know there's a lot of life left in her.

Also wondering if its too late to start a story on my Fusion!

Congratulations on your Duster. An apt replacement for that kind of handling i would say.
Wish you years of fun filled miles on it.

HR.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by humbleroadster

Hello Ampere!
That is a great thread about your Fusion and neatly updated every few thousand kms while you had it. I completely understand when you say it was difficult to let it go, as i am now at the same juncture.

Thank you. Yes the car was amazing to drive. And I cant believe its already 2 years since I let it go.

I came across some discussions on tires on this thread. Just to update my side, the car rolled out with Good year GT3`s on it. Changed them at 40K to Michelin Primacy LC. I am now on my third set of tires and have the Bridge stone MY-02`s. By far they are the best set that handle my car and have had no issues on them so far.

I initially thought of changing to Michelins. But then gave up the idea on seeing the costs. It was coming out way too expensive and I was OK with GT3 performance. I drive sedate and GT3 were enough for me.

The head lamps have turned foggy (guessing this is a typical for the Fusions age), and there seems to be something wrong with the instrument cluster.

Yes this is one problem with the head lamp unit. I changed once. No idea about the instrument cluster.

I still enjoy the Fusion, and don't want to give it up as yet. After so many years, i don't really know weather upkeep of the Fusion will be too expensive an affair. Although i know there's a lot of life left in her.

I think 1.6 Duratech should be OK. There are still quite some Fiesta 1.6S running on the road. I had to change from Fusion, mainly because my commute had gone up and the rising petrol cost then along with low FE, were not meeting my daily needs.

Also wondering if its too late to start a story on my Fusion!

By all means! Its never too late for any car story !

Congratulations on your Duster. An apt replacement for that kind of handling i would say. Wish you years of fun filled miles on it.

Thank you! And by now I have done 42K on the Duster! It itself has qualified for a long term ownership!

[devrajman]

I have been following this thread since a long time. To break the news I bought myself Ford Fusion D 2008 (non-plus) a month back. Its many years of ogling till it came in my budget Its an AMAZING car to own, exactly when compact SUV idea is high!

Service cost is not too much now, many spares cost have reduced, ford labor cost is competitive with any other brand. Plastics are costly for Fusion.

For headlight you can use Headlight restorer and will be much better, repeat every weeks till it shines like new! Worst get a pair from UK for 6K each

What exactly is problem with instrument cluster. You can get it scanned for errors/live data streaming