Ford Fusion test Drive

I had the chance to finally drive the Ford Fusion a few days ago. Different versions of it actually.

In person, it is as good looking as in pictures. This is easily one of the best looking sedan around, at any price.

The fact that it is affordable is even better. It does prove that great looking designs do NOT cost more to produce.

 Same thing inside. Modern, simple with very good quality materials. (Very few cheaper hard plastic bits around. Which is fine as this isn't a luxury car.)

Of course, the only problem is still the crappy Microsoft Sync system. Just use it without the voice recognition and it's fine...

 The gauges are great. Again, simple and modern. Easy to read and use.

Back seat is not as roomy as the Passat. But better than the Malibu.
It is just fine.

What is the most amazing about the Fusion is how it drives. Immediately, you notice the steering. Is is so good. In my opinion, it's about as good as a steering gets in a FWD car. Fluid, with plenty of feel. Not to light.
Right there, it feels like a much more expensive car.

The overall driving experience is, of course,  very European . Since it is basically the same car as the European Mondeo. (Finally)
The ride is firm and very comfortable.
The 2.0 Liter Turbo is a great engine and a perfect match for the car. Fast and smooth. (Although maybe not quite as quiet as the GM unit in the Regal and Malibu.)

The smaller 1.6 Liter still has enough power. But it is a little bit rougher and noisier. As expected I guess.
As usual, city MPG with a turbo is actually just OK. I did match the official 22 MPG number.
But I did manage above 34 MPG HWY, a bit better than the 32MPG official.

The Fusion is one of the very best mid sized sedan you can get.
It looks and drives great. I would really recommend it to anyone looking for a family car.

I can actually say, that if I was in the market, this is the car I would get. (With the 2.0 Liter engine.)

This is one version we do not get in the US: The hatchback. Which I think looks great.

We also do not get the panorama glass roof option. ( I guess it would compete with the All Glass Opening roof from the Lincoln MKZ...)

Too bad...

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Cadillac ELR

There is no doubt the new Cadillac ELR looks fantastic. From any angle, in any color.
And after sitting in one, I can say the interior is as great as the exterior.

BUT....
Just like the Chevrolet Volt, it doesn't offer a sunroof.
They also got rid of the hatchback. So even though it looks like one, is has one of the tiniest trunk openings I have ever seen.
The tan interior (pictured here) is the same hue as the one offered in the Volt since last year. More like a beige light brown.
(Not as nice as the tan/black combo the Volt used to offer.)

And the huge flaw is of course the $75 000 price tag.
The fantastic design doesn't cost more to make. The great interior is is not better than the new CTS. Or even the ATS.
And underneath, it is really the same as the $34 000 Volt. (It still uses the "not so quiet 1.4 Liter engine" as generator)
We are talking about a huge $41 000 premium for a better interior and design!

The pricing of this car has to be the weirdest business decision I have heard in years. About any product.

For whatever reason, GM has decided to kill this amazing looking car before it even comes out...

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Saab to restart production on Monday!

 Yes they are.
New owner NEVS will actually resume production of the 9-3 sedan next week. It will be sold in Europe and Chine.
As you can see, it has a few small changes outside from the last time we saw a new 9-3, which was 2 1/2 years ago.
They are also considering production of the wagon and convertible as well.

The big mystery is the engine. All we know is that it is a 4 cylinder Turbo from another manufacturer.
(As they cannot use GM parts anymore)
Any ideas???

And of course, an electric version is coming up as well. Since, after all, the full name of the company is "National Electric Vehicles Sweden"...

This is what the 9-3 looked like before. Very similar indeed.

The good news is that they are still working on getting the all new, Phoenix platform based, design out.
Both a sedan and convertible styles are planned.
They are actively working on removing the last 20% GM parts used on the platform.

Once this is done ,we will actually get all new Saabs.

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2015 Hyundai Genesis interior

Seems really nice, so far.
What came out as boring in early grainy pictures seems more "understated" now.
They just didn't go for a flashy look. Which is nice.

This could turn out to be quite a classy car in real life.

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L.A Auto Show: A few small notes.

 From some angles, the all new Lincoln MKC looks a lot like the Audi Q5 it will compete with. Which is not a bad thing, I think.
The Lincoln will start at about $2000 less for the AWD model. But the Lincoln is available as FWD for $34 000. Or about $4000 than the base Q5 (Which has AWD standard)

 The all new Tahoe's interior is not that bad. It IS better than the old one. Materials area fine.
(But the column shifter is still archaic in a 2014 model)

 The all new Corvette interior is not that great. No matter what they say. There is way too much of that grey plastic everywhere... (Or maybe it just doesn't matter once you drive it...)

 The Mercedes CLA/GLA vents are really, really nice. And they feel great, if a little weird. (Like if they are on hydraulics. Really fluid...)

The interior of the all new 2014 Nissan Rogue is nicer than the one in the Pathfinder. Really.
Even the plastics are better. Higher quality.

Sure, it is a bit smaller inside, but not that much.
But a lot cheaper. And you can get the cool panorama sunroof option, which is not available in the Pathfinder.

I think this one will hurt his big brother quite a bit...

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Next Nissan Cube?

At firs tit might look like the small NV200 van. But I drove one recently (review coming up) and it is not it.
The only thing it could be is the next Cube.

I've heard that Nissan might not bring the next version of the Cube over to the US.
Even though sales were down to about 7700 units last year, they peaked at 22 968 back in 2010.

These numbers might not be enough fir another US Cube. Although this picture was indeed taken in the US....

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2015 Honda Fit Sedan/City

Just some pictures from the launch in India.
Again, this is, for the 1st time, coming to the US. Where it will compete with the Versa sedan.
It already seems a much, much nicer car than the Nissan.

I think this will actually also hurt the Civic. At least the low end models of the sedan.

More and better pictures very soon...

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