2009 Altima 3.5 SE vs 2010 Ford Fusion Sport

omelet1978 · #1 (**permalink**) 05-16-2009, 01:32 AM

Hello,

I took a test drive of the new Ford Fusion Sport which has a 3.5 263hp engine and ended up walking away very impressed. I was just wondering what you guys thought of the vehicle. Before you go saying "it's a Ford so it's a POS car" I did a little research in consumer reports and found out that it is one of the most reliable vehicles on the road and very safe too...

Some things I noticed on the Fusion was it had a better navigation system with Sync (it cuts out while driving though) and the interior in general seemed a little nicer with nice touches like perforated leather seats. Also when you price it out it comes out about 2k less than an comparably equipped Altima.

The Altima is faster though!! I think it has a 100-200lbs or so on the Fusion and you can feel it, and it also gets like 1mpg better gas mileage. I'm just guessing here but I'm thinking it will depreciate a lot better than the Ford...

I honestly think they are both pretty close, any more thoughts out there?

DARTH_BANE69 · #2 (**permalink**) 05-16-2009, 02:01 AM

The Ford fusion is sweet looking with nice options. You should try out the All-Wheel drive version then try the Subaru Legacy as well. A tough choice but I like the Altima's styling better over the Fusion though. Best thing to do is see if you can rent both cars for a week, it might be a little pricey but you'll get a good feel for the cars. A;though they would prob be base models that you'll be able to rent you will still get a good idea if you like it or not.

finklejag · #3 (**permalink**) 05-16-2009, 02:10 AM

I like what Ford did on the redesign. There are some things I still don't like about them. The long over hangs and the rear.

kamikazeH20mln · #4 (**permalink**) 05-16-2009, 02:15 AM

Take consumer reports with a grain of salt. Make sure to search the Interwebs for reviews, and test drive them both to death for a while:

Ford Fusion:
Honest Review -> Review: 2010 Ford Fusion Sport | The Truth About Cars
Repair Rates ->http://www.**************/repair_his...&session_code=
Additional review showing the car's flaws: 2010 Ford Fusion SEL V6 Test Drive on Edmunds.com

Personally, its a Ford. Sorry, seen too many issues in the past with people owning them and stupid engineering decisions made. Plus that cow grill is fuggly as sin.

Not sure if you are stuck to 4 doors, but for the same $$, the Hyundai Genesis coupe will surprise you.
2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe Pricing and Information

monster289 · #5 (**permalink**) 05-16-2009, 03:00 AM

The Fusion looks pretty good to me. A friend of mine has the Edge with that 263 HP V6, and he really likes it.

As far as styling between the two, the Altima has a few styling cues that I don't like, but they're OK. There are a few things on the Fusion I don't really care for either. But it's personal preference.

Do your research and some thourough test drives. Fusion looks like a contender!

**Asleep** · #6 (**permalink**) 05-16-2009, 03:09 AM

oh noes! i wonder if shockers spidey sense is tingling...

Glazeworld · #7 (**permalink**) 05-17-2009, 02:50 PM

I test drove a 2008 Fusion when I bought my Altima. I really enjoyed the Fusion, and almost bought it with it's lower price. I went with the Altima because I really wanted a manual transmission AND a V6. Out of all of the mid-sized cars I looked at (which was most of them...except the Subie), the Altima was the only one that had that combo. Now that I've been in the Altima, I enjoy the keyless ignition, reverse camera, and the xenon headlights that weren't available on the Ford in 2008, but that Sync system was really tempting!

jcberb · #8 (**permalink**) 05-17-2009, 04:47 PM

Hyundai is really stepping up their game. That Genesis seems mighty tempting. But I have noticed Hyundai vehicle designs resembling BMW's and this one looks like a Lexus ISC knock-off. The redesigned Fusion looks good. Much better I would say than the initial models. Buddy of mine had one but he kept having trouble getting it out of park. Needless to say he got rid of it and bought ANOTHER Ford and has been back to the shop for some trouble shortly after purchase. I would not go for a Ford though. Their interiors seem bulky and "exaggerated", I DONT LIKE THEM, but that is my opinion.

mcheddadi · #9 (**permalink**) 05-17-2009, 07:18 PM

Does the sport fusion come with 6MT? I thought so too.

djvas514 · #10 (**permalink**) 05-17-2009, 09:03 PM

the questions is, will the fusion fall apart after 4 years like most American cars. I know the altima wont.

theshocker3.5 · #11 (**permalink**) 05-17-2009, 10:05 PM

tingle tingle....well, I have driven the Ford, it rides nice, but I also found the Altima just a little bit more fun. Plus it comes in a 6mt if that's what you are into. But I found the interior pretty cool on the Fusion as well.

The interior on the top of the line Altima is quite nice as well though.

If they are priced the same I would look at the Altima first unless Ford is willing to throw down some serious discounts.

Tough call, but like others have said, drive the shit out of them and buy the one that you enjoy driving the most! In the long run though you really can't beat the VQ.

GL!

black altima · #12 (**permalink**) 05-18-2009, 12:06 AM

go with the altima

xeene · #13 (**permalink**) 05-18-2009, 02:29 AM

if new fusion was out in 2008, i'd be driving a ford right now(i hate the look of older model). it's technologically more advanced, looks much better then altima and its AWD! plus for me fully loaded fusion would be about 6k cheaper then fully loaded altima.

new fusion reminds me of saab.

omelet1978 · #14 (**permalink**) 05-18-2009, 02:42 AM

[/quote] If they are priced the same I would look at the Altima first unless Ford is willing to throw down some serious discounts.

Tough call, but like others have said, drive the shit out of them and buy the one that you enjoy driving the most! In the long run though you really can't beat the VQ.

GL![/quote]

I'm not sure what to think of that blue colored interior. I don't know if I like it or not.

I priced out both maxed out with options on edmunds and at invoice the total comes out to 30,796 for the Altima and 28,568, so the Fusion is roughly $2000 cheaper! If you include current rebates the gap narrows to $1500.

I actually did do a test drive of the Fusion Sport and it's pretty nice. The nav system is way better than the Altima's and the interior design in pretty nice too. One thing the Altima clearly wins with is that VQ engine though...definitely a lot faster. Also, I'm wondering if the Fusion is going to plumment in resale value, and I'm kind of thinking the best way to go is wait a year and buy a used one after it has depreciated.

xeene · #15 (**permalink**) 05-18-2009, 02:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by omelet1978

Also, I'm wondering if the Fusion is going to plumment in resale value, and I'm kind of thinking the best way to go is wait a year and buy a used one after it has depreciated.

that's what i would do, new cars are a waste of money.