We've rented a car for the duration of the trade show I'm currently attending. First let me say +1 to Hertz in Orlando. I booked the car on Gold Service with a 45 minute pickup time and it was there and ready 45 minutes later. Hertz at Gatwick airport could learn a thing or two from that, but I digress.
The car we've been allocated is a brand new Ford Land Yacht. I believe the badge actually calls it a 'Fusion' but make no mistake, this petrol-hungry V6 Ford handles like the steering wheel is connected to the wheels through a bowl of custard. It's frighteningly vague. Oddly, once you're going at speed, it becomes pin-sharp and hyper-sensitive to the slightest steering input. This of course means you have to spend the whole time just trying to steer the thing in a straight line. I drove to Kennedy Space Centre from Orlando last weekend and it was the most exhausting 40 minute drive I've done for ages. I spent the whole time fighting to stop the Land Yacht from veering lazily all over the road as the steering took its input from roadkill, imperfections in the asphalt and, apparently, the slightest breeze.
The drive was made worse by the clumsily designed controls and the 70's plastic dashboard that creaked and rattled on the slightest bump. It's all very quaint for a car with only 244 miles on it. Or at least it would have been 50 years ago. By today's standards though, this car is a boil on the arse of motoring technology. If this is the best Ford can do, no wonder they lost a bazillion dollars last year.
8 comments:
The poor quality of the car shouldn't surprise me, but after hearing so many people (including Consumer Reports, who aren't exactly Ford friendly) trumpet it I guess it does a little. Although I never understood why so many people would rate it so high when all it is is a re-badged Mazda 6, which doesn't get stellar reviews. Not bad, but not great.
Trust me - I've driven a Mazda 6. It's smaller, more nimble, less fuel-thirsty and a damn site better to drive than this thing :)
This not a re-badged Mazda 6.
Chris- How about you talk about a car you do like? :)
Well, it may not be a rebadged mazda 6, but several places say its based on the mazda 6's chassis (although lengthened a couple of inches). I didn't think uni-body cars had chassis, per se.
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FirstDrives/articleId=106996
http://www.familycar.com/RoadTests/FordFusion/
http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/sedans/0510_ford_fusion/index.html
Is there any American car you like?
Is there one American car I like? Up until recently, the answer would have been pretty much no. American manufacturers, for the most part, simply don't get it.
The new Dodge Charger though is one I've become a bit partial to. I know the die-hard fanboys hate it because they compare it to the original Charger but that's not the point. The point is that the Charger is a genuinely good car. The controls are pretty reasonably laid out, the interior is above average, the fit and finish is good, and the car just looks hot. Some of the internal styling cues leave a bit to be desired and the rear visibility is compromised because of the design of the C-pillar, but in the Charger I can forgive that.
The Toyota Camry has vague steering, a floaty ride, a cheap plastic interior, and a petrol hungry V6. Yet that's the best selling car in America. So I don't think Ford is far off the competition with the Fusion. I think they probably losing money because of their other cars.
You're right about the Camry. In fact this addresses a much deeper issue - American versions of the same cars are generally softer and less aggressively tuned than their European counterparts. The European Camry, for example, is much less wallowy to drive than the American one. Different parameters for different markets I suppose.
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