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Chevrolet Impala vs. Ford Fusion

13 messages,  Last post on Apr 29, 2009 at 7:29 AM

You are in the Chevrolet Impala Forum.

What is this discussion about? Chevrolet Impala, Ford Fusion, Sedan

Messages Page 1 of 2

#2 of 13 Impala vs Fusion by dispencer1

Mar 19, 2006 (11:46 am)

A friend of mine in Chicago just ordered a Fusion. He keeps his cars 10 years and is definately not a car buff. His son works for a Ford dealership so he got the employee price which is probably why he switched from GM to Ford. I looked at the Mercury Milan the other day and compared to my Impala the interior looked cheap. I drove a Milan a few months ago and was concerned because there was a momentary lag when you accelerated. Has anyone driven a 2LT or LS and then a Fusion or Milan? What are the differences? I considered a Fusion before I bought my Impala but thought the Impala looked better inside.

#3 of 13 Re: Impala vs Fusion [dispencer1] by jnt

Mar 19, 2006 (6:42 pm)

Replying to: dispencer1 (Mar 19, 2006 11:46 am)
I had a chance to drive a rental Fusion with 4 cyl option last month for a week. Overall, the car is reasonably roomy and has good handling chracteristic. Interior is a bit cheap even with leather option (so it is not as good as the new Impala). It has many little rough edges: distorted rear view (vehicles in rear look narrow and tall), radio is polluted with ignition noise in both AM and FM. If you are a short person, you may have problem seeing thru. the rear view (common problem with high deck vehicles). So it is not as refined as Accord or Camry yet. But it is for sure better than the Taurus in styling and mechanical hardware (thanks to it Mazda6 root)
 
jt

#4 of 13 Re: Impala vs Fusion [jnt] by dispencer1

Mar 19, 2006 (7:39 pm)

Replying to: jnt (Mar 19, 2006 6:42 pm)
How did the Fusion ride compared to the Impala?

#5 of 13 Re: Impala vs Fusion [dispencer1] by jnt

Mar 20, 2006 (4:03 am)

Replying to: dispencer1 (Mar 19, 2006 7:39 pm)
Fusion's ride is very good. But again, I 'm biased toward the handling side at expense of smooth ride.
 
jt

#6 of 13 Re: Impala vs Fusion [jnt] by gregg_vw

Mar 20, 2006 (7:00 am)

Replying to: jnt (Mar 20, 2006 4:03 am)
I don't understand why so many people are comparing the Fusion, Camry, etc. to the Impala. The Impala is a full-sized sedan, almost exactly the same size as the Ford Five Hundred, and a smidgen longer than the Chrysler 300. Dodge Charger would be an obvious competitor too. Of course people cross-shop size classes, but I don't think one should then expect amenities to be comparable.
 
The Fusion would seem to be a direct competitor to the Malibu, the (awful) Cirrus and Stratus, as well as a whole spate of Japanese mid-size cars. I don't think the Fusion interior should be as nice as the Impala class car. That it is not is akin to complaining that the Audi A4 interior is not as nice as the A6's.

#7 of 13 Re: Impala vs Fusion [jnt] by dispencer1

Mar 20, 2006 (1:11 pm)

Replying to: jnt (Mar 20, 2006 4:03 am)
How does it ride compared to the Impala -better, same, worse, etc.? I know it has a smooth ride. CU says the Impala (they tested the 3LT with 17" tires) was "unsettled" whatever that means. This would mean to me that the car jiggles all the time. Mine doesn't.

#8 of 13 Re: Impala vs Fusion [gregg_vw] by dispencer1

Mar 20, 2006 (1:18 pm)

Replying to: gregg_vw (Mar 20, 2006 7:00 am)
You are probably right. The Fusion costs less than the Impala and has an interior that looks like a Malibu's which is primarily why I got the Impala. Size wise, the Impala equates more to the Avalon. The LaCrosse and Impala are very similar - the dash looks about the same and they are on the same platform. I didn't like the LaCrosse because of the 6 way seats (I can never get the back of the seat straight up with a manual control and over time it ends up in a 10% reclining position) and primarily because it has the old 1998 Buick shape -looks just like a Century from the front. Down at the Buick lot last year you could hardly tell the LaCrosse from the rest of the sedans.

#9 of 13 Re: Impala vs Fusion [dispencer1] by jnt

Mar 20, 2006 (7:44 pm)

Replying to: dispencer1 (Mar 20, 2006 1:11 pm)
Dispencer,
 
My experience with the Fusion was on smooth LA roads. So the car is very comfortable on the ride department, IMO.
 
CR sometimes speak from both sides of their mouth: They traditionally hate the soft, cushing Buick ride (except if it is a Toyota's sloppiness, then it is another story : "comfortable but predictable at limits" ) and like the German's VW Passat rougher ride (but better handling). But now in the Impala case, they prefer more compliant and soft ride? May be on that day, CR the tester just had a bad back.
 
jt

#10 of 13 Re: Impala vs Fusion [gregg_vw] by steelydan0613

Mar 21, 2006 (3:13 am)

Replying to: gregg_vw (Mar 20, 2006 7:00 am)
The "awful" Cirrus and Stratus are due to be replaced within the year. Daimler/Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge was the ONLY American car company to make a profit in North America last year, they are on a roll, you can be sure that the Stratus/Cirrus twins will be a contender again.

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