Ford delays 340-hp Fusion GT to 2012
Motor Trend is reporting in its October 2008 issue that Ford has decided to delay the Fusion GT, an EcoBoost-powered super sedan producing upwards of 340 horsepower. The original plan was to have the GT model arrive at the tail end of the current Fusion's product cycle as a low-volume, super niche send off to the successful mid-sizer before it merges with the European EUCD platform that underpins the Mondeo. The problem is that Ford is planning a big roll-out for EcoBoost engines across its brands and there may not be enough to spare for the Fusion GT. MT is now saying that the Fusion GT will debut around 2012 after the next-generation sedan debuts on the European platform and the automaker's ability to pump out turbocharged, direct-inject engines is up to speed. The good news is that the spiritual successor to the Taurus SHO has not been cancelled altogether, and by 2012 we should be able to drive it. [Source: Motor Trend]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Red 5:04PM (9/02/2008)
I still don't get why this isn't a Mercury or better yet, Lincoln, product instead of a Ford, SHO successor or not. Perhaps they're moving Ford into a premium brand (would perhaps explain the upcoming Fiesta and Italian-inspired upcoming Mustang). In that case, maybe it makes sense, but I still think this should be detuned for the Ford version. IIRC, the Lincoln MKZ, I think is supposed to get this same engine and powertrain. Doesn't leave much for differentiation between the brands.
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rypt 5:41PM (9/02/2008)
Why do they need to have multiple brands for multiple things? I'm just as happy having a car branded as the "parent" company as I am having a card branded as one of the sub-companies. It's the car/car company, not the sub-marque that matters.
Red 8:50PM (9/02/2008)
I must be tired cuz I didn't understand a thing you just said...
rypt 9:00PM (9/02/2008)
My point was, why does it need to be branded as anything other than Ford?
AMcA 9:46PM (9/02/2008)
This is going to be an EXTREMELY sweet ride at a totally nice price.
This is the kind of car that's going to get genuine enthusiasts out of their BMWs.
And in the long term, that's what builds a brand.
Derek 11:26PM (9/02/2008)
I don't get why people assume that anything "sporty" (whether really sporty or just poseur) must be premium and/or upscale. This is the same kind of crap that ruined the original SHO. First comes standard leather seats and sunroof (more $$$) then an optional automatic, then the bloated ovoid SHO with no stick available. (small V8 was cool, but gag me with a spoon)
It almost makes me glad that the Dodge Spirit R/T (224hp turbo four SHO killer) died an early death after just a few years. It never had time to become a luxed-up pitiful shadow of what it should be.
rypt 10:17AM (9/03/2008)
Why should leather seats be considered "premium", most of the cars sold in Europe come with an option of leather seats, and they do not add THAT much to the price.
BoxerFanatic 5:12PM (9/02/2008)
Believe it when I see it.
I'll keep driving my real, and paid off Legacy GT in the mean time. And still keep out-driving Fusions and just about every other sport sedan or other street car for the next three winters, and then some.
As a former ford enthusiast... I'll believe Ford is getting serious when I see them get serious.
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That One Person 7:37PM (9/02/2008)
You do that.
I would hope you would be able to out drive a Fusion. If not, that would be pretty sad...
BoxerFanatic 10:52PM (9/02/2008)
But everyone always tells me that FWD is so fantastic in the winter... all that traction...
Sorry, But I'll take a car built NOW with 90 fewer stock horsepower than this vaporware *might* have someday, and FAR better AWD than anything Ford currently has or will have by 2012.
And still gets 0-60 in significantly less than 6 seconds, comes with a stick shift (not available on Fusion V6) and a turbocharger (more stock horsepower than Fusion V6). But Fusion has "F1 Frank" commercials... It's *sporty!*
I used to really like Ford. I've bought three of them in the past, before driving a truly practical and fun sporting car.
Ford has NOTHING for me. Fusion is a grocery getter. Milan at least looks halfway decent while trudging the groceries. GM barely does with G8 or a used CTS, and Chrysler failed miserably with it's mid-sizers.
But I will continue to motor through the snow, while FWD fusions spin one front tire, and go nowhere fast. Just like the company, unfortunately.
But a rumor breathed about a future vaporware version of Fusion gets Autoblog coverage, not that it shouldn't. Legacy GT continues on unnoticed, which is unfortunate.
Tagg 12:18AM (9/03/2008)
I drove a Mustang GT in the snow for 2 years and never spun out, never got stuck, and never wrecked. I drove it in snow so deep the lower fascia plowed the way! I also ran the factory all season Pirelli's that came on it.
AWD/4x4 cars and trucks are usally amongst the first vehicles in the ditch on a snow covered road. I'm not trying to be a jerk or discount the benefits of AWD but you can drive a FWD or RWD car in the snow.
BoxerFanatic 1:36AM (9/03/2008)
I've had a RWD Ford, FWD Ford, and 4x4 Ford. And I have driven through more than 15 Iowa winters. You are right, they are passable. Just.
Subaru AWD on snow tires beat all of them, including the 4x4 on partially clear pavement.
This last one has been one of the worst winters in recent memory, and I drove more. And I helped drivers with FWD and RWD cars on the road shoulder in a blizzard, without those cars' drama.
But the big point is that an ecoboost Fusion GT would destroy front tires without AWD. And Subaru's AWD is better than the haldex that Ford brings to the party, both in the dry and in less hospitable weather.
So why do people salivate over vaporware, rather than buying a similar concept that is available, (and if used, very affordable) right now today?
And why is it so high a hill for Ford to produce something like this, that it is going to be four years away? Why haven't they produced something like this four years ago? My Legacy is approaching that very age, and still one of the quickest sedans in it's class, especially with some very easy, elementary-level tuning.
Tagg 1:06PM (9/03/2008)
I'm sure winters are kind of bad in Iowa but I think a Michigan winter would make the average Iowa resident cry. I live in Michigan and where I live we get an average of over 45 inches of snow per year. I don't know where you live in Iowa but I doubt it comes close to that much snow.
And yes, I drove a Mustang through it all and it was more than passable.
That One Person 3:56PM (9/03/2008)
1) We get it...your Legacy is awesome.
2) God forbid people wish for a car like this from Ford.
3) Compared to RWD (not so much these days), FWD IS better than RWD in the snow. Plus, you can get an AWD Fusion for far less than a Legacy GT.
4) Who cares who is in the Fusion commercials. Compared to some other midsize cars, the Fusion IS sporty.
5) If Ford has nothing for you, then that's cool. Don't bother looking at them. Some people like them.
6) I have driven Fusions in the snow, they aren't that bad. And with AWD (thousands of dollars LESS than your Legacy) it does that job even better.
7) God forbid AB doesn't publish anything about an old car. How old is the Legacy? Five years old?
8) You can drive anything through snow, just as long as you know how to drive and have a good set of tires. Heck, I went through deep snow with my sorry FWD Escort while four wheel drive vehicles got stuck.
9) People probably aren't buying Legacies because they don't want to. Ohhhhh noooooo!
10) We get it. Your car is sooooo cool.
Torrent 5:40PM (9/02/2008)
that's too bad... probably wouldn't buy one, but that's still too bad.
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MemphisNET 6:14PM (9/02/2008)
Damn... such a long wait... but if it's worth it, it's worth it :D
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Sam 6:51PM (9/02/2008)
2012 IS a long way off, to be sure. But I really do hope this happens.
My first new (for me--it had almost 90k on it when I bought it) car was a 1993 Taurus SHO (Yamaha) 3.0L V6 with a 5-speed manual. I hadn't done anything to the engine other than a K&N air filter, but I had completely built the suspension/chassis: subframe connectors, Eibach springs, Koni shocks, stiffer front and rear anti-roll bars, 18X8 rims w/ 225 45 18 Bridgestone Potenzas (Z rated). I absolutely loved that car. It was not terribly reliable and pretty damn expensive to maintain and repair, but it was such a great handler I really enjoyed it. Although it supposedly had a 140 mph top speed, I once got it up to 146mph (indicated, of course) going down a long (about two mile) hill. Yes, I had a witness. ;) Not bad for a 1993 Ford Taurus.
Hopefully this new version can work out.
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MikeW 8:02PM (9/02/2008)
2012, calendar year or model year, either way that is so far out.
How about a sporty 'EcoBoost' 2.0 I4 (250hp 250ft-lbs) as a superior engine to the 3.0 V6 (240hp 213ft-lbs), like for '10.5.
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n400 8:48PM (9/02/2008)
It could be me, but a 2012 Fusion GT sounds pretty irrelevant right now.
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Fyrewerx 9:21PM (9/02/2008)
Ever since Autoblog originally displayed that Fusion GT pic, I've had a printout hanging on the refridgerator as my next car. 2012 .... Sorry Ford, you just lost another "for sure" customer. Now I'll look elsewhere, and there's plenty of good (non-Ford) cars out there.
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