Topic: Head to Head: 2018 Ford Fusion Sport vs 2018 Volkswagen Passat GT

[AutoTrader.ca]

Because sedan.
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[Gurgie]

It's really too bad the Fusion never took off... it's still a good looking sedan with a great power-train. And I really do have to wonder if the sedan will make a come back, was watching Motoring TV a while back & they were pointing out how today's kids won't want to drive an SUV, because that's what their parent's drove... just like the mini-van before it... and the station wagon before that. So we might see a new push for sedan's in the next 10 - 15yrs... will be interesting either way 

[JohnnyMac]

I don't think I've ever seen either one of these vehicles on the road.  If I was going to buy a sporty mainstream sedan I'd just head over to Honda and get one of their 2.0T with a manual.  I'm sure it's fun having AWD and all that power in a Fusion, but I'm old school with my views on sporty requiring a manual transmission.

[tortoise]

Odd timing for a comparison.

It's the Battle of the Deathbed!


Though I suppose there will eventually be some significant discounts on these as they are phased out.

[quadzilla]

It's the Battle of the Deathbed!

Much better tagline than "Because sedan".

[Jaeger]

Passat for me. 

* Interior looks about a zillion times nicer. Passat has a premium-ish vibe wholly absent from the Fusion.
* Ford sedans are dead and I'd sooner not purchase a corpse.
* Never warmed to the looks of the Fusion and it gives off a very strong rental special vibe.
* Passat isn't a head-turner, but it is handsome in a subdued way and offensive in no way at all.
* AWD is about the only thing I like better in the Fusion and that's not nearly enough, in isolation to sway me.

[Jaeger]

I don't think I've ever seen either one of these vehicles on the road.  If I was going to buy a sporty mainstream sedan I'd just head over to Honda and get one of their 2.0T with a manual.  I'm sure it's fun having AWD and all that power in a Fusion, but I'm old school with my views on sporty requiring a manual transmission.

For a brand new model that is a traditional top seller, the Accord has been an astonishingly rare sighting for me.  When the current Civic hit the market it seemed that overnight they were freaking everywhere.  And now, I don't know how Civic drivers find their cars in a parking lot (particularly given the traditional BORING Honda colour palette).  But the Accord?  Jeebus, I'm sure someone is buying them, but not in any great numbers in my neck of the woods.  And frankly, were I looking for a mainstream sporty sedan, I can't for the life of me see why I would choose the Accord over the Civic Si.

[ktm525]

Sorry VW dash rubbers (is that still a thing since VW Americanized the Passat?) but the Passat gives away almost 50 HP and 100ft/lbs to the Ford. In a car with a GT label that is a big thing.  Nice sporty red pin stripes though.

[Jaeger]

* Never warmed to the looks of the Fusion and it gives off a very strong rental special vibe.

Even though I leased a Fusion Energi, I tend to agree re the looks.  Meh, at best. But the high occupancy lane with a green plate sure looks great.

With the all-day traffic jam that is the QEW these days, that's no small thing.

[Serniter]

Not sure about real world prices for the Fusion Sport, but turbo V6 equipped cars can get pricey. It's probably much cheaper than a Q50 or one of the Audis.

[dougjp]

So Ford increases the Fusion Sport price by $ 5k and then discounts it $5k. Bargain says the article! Another marketing "gotcha". 

[Jaeger]

I don't think I've ever seen either one of these vehicles on the road.  If I was going to buy a sporty mainstream sedan I'd just head over to Honda and get one of their 2.0T with a manual.  I'm sure it's fun having AWD and all that power in a Fusion, but I'm old school with my views on sporty requiring a manual transmission.

For a brand new model that is a traditional top seller, the Accord has been an astonishingly rare sighting for me.  When the current Civic hit the market it seemed that overnight they were freaking everywhere.  And now, I don't know how Civic drivers find their cars in a parking lot (particularly given the traditional BORING Honda colour palette).  But the Accord?  Jeebus, I'm sure someone is buying them, but not in any great numbers in my neck of the woods.  And frankly, were I looking for a mainstream sporty sedan, I can't for the life of me see why I would choose the Accord over the Civic Si.

Interesting. I see a TON of new Accords here in KW. I've actually grown to really like their styling. At a quick glance it looks like an A7. Handsome IMO.

I see almost none. There's one dude in the neighborhood with a 2.0T in black with a dark tint - looks pretty sharp - but I just keep seeing that car and very few others. I find the fastback profile less pronounced in real life versus pics. Or put another way, I get less of an A7 vibe than I was expecting / hoping for but agree that it's there to some degree.

[Gurgie]

* Never warmed to the looks of the Fusion and it gives off a very strong rental special vibe.

Even though I leased a Fusion Energi, I tend to agree re the looks.  Meh, at best. But the high occupancy lane with a green plate sure looks great.

With the all-day traffic jam that is the QEW these days, that's no small thing.

So true.  Even on weekends the QEW through Oakville can be painful.  Green plate cars - no matter how bland the styling - provide the ultimate appeal of driving a slow car fast.   In the HOV lane I pass many better cars sitting still. 

Thankfully we don't have that issue here in the Nations Capital   

[Fobroader]

While neither of them are particularly interesting, the Fusion has awd and, to me anyways, easily looks the best.

[greengs]

Sorry VW dash rubbers (is that still a thing since VW Americanized the Passat?) but the Passat gives away almost 50 HP and 100ft/lbs to the Ford. In a car with a GT label that is a big thing.  Nice sporty red pin stripes though.

Ford gives away about 600 lbs in weight making the quarter mile mph the same between the two cars.  I think it's the main reason the Fusion sport failed.  It weighs over 4000 lbs.

[dirtyjeffer]

Passat for me. 

* Interior looks about a zillion times nicer. Passat has a premium-ish vibe wholly absent from the Fusion.
* Ford sedans are dead and I'd sooner not purchase a corpse.
* Never warmed to the looks of the Fusion and it gives off a very strong rental special vibe.
* Passat isn't a head-turner, but it is handsome in a subdued way and offensive in no way at all.
* AWD is about the only thing I like better in the Fusion and that's not nearly enough, in isolation to sway me.

i'm pretty much same...i wanted to like the Fusion more, but it seems the power and AWD are really the only things going for it...everything else would be somewhat of a compromise.

[Davep]

First of all, kudos to Jeff for a well written and balanced review. My favourite line was "Brakes are a Goldilocks situation" but most entertaining was "By looking at the photographs with our patented autoTRADER.ca cargo-measuring pedal car".

I'm old school and the idea of a tall open greenhouse is most appealing. Plus I prefer a lighter and more agile vehicle, which favours the Passat. Lastly, the siren call of AWD is compelling, but the reality is FWD probably exceeds my capability. (Thirty-forty years ago, I would have disagreed. )

[ArticSteve]

I don't think I've ever seen either one of these vehicles on the road.  If I was going to buy a sporty mainstream sedan I'd just head over to Honda and get one of their 2.0T with a manual.  I'm sure it's fun having AWD and all that power in a Fusion, but I'm old school with my views on sporty requiring a manual transmission.

For a brand new model that is a traditional top seller, the Accord has been an astonishingly rare sighting for me.  When the current Civic hit the market it seemed that overnight they were freaking everywhere.  And now, I don't know how Civic drivers find their cars in a parking lot (particularly given the traditional BORING Honda colour palette).  But the Accord?  Jeebus, I'm sure someone is buying them, but not in any great numbers in my neck of the woods.  And frankly, were I looking for a mainstream sporty sedan, I can't for the life of me see why I would choose the Accord over the Civic Si.

Interesting. I see a TON of new Accords here in KW. I've actually grown to really like their styling. At a quick glance it looks like an A7. Handsome IMO.

I see almost none. There's one dude in the neighborhood with a 2.0T in black with a dark tint - looks pretty sharp - but I just keep seeing that car and very few others. I find the fastback profile less pronounced in real life versus pics. Or put another way, I get less of an A7 vibe than I was expecting / hoping for but agree that it's there to some degree.

I see almost none as well but blame Honda Canada for that.  They came out of the box with overly high expectations when the market was taking a big shift away from sedans and were too slow getting behind the vehicle.  Getting behind it now.

[johngenx]

This is still a packed segment despite the CUV/SUV love.  The Accord, Camry, and so on are all really nice places to spend time and these sedans offer a lot of value.  I personally much prefer the looks of the VW, so I'd pick it over the Ford.  That said, I'd still get either the V-6 Camry or the base Hybrid.

[Scaerio]

While looking for 0-60 times for the Ford, I came across an article that stated that the Fusion only puts out 325hp and 380lb/ft when sipping 93 octane fuel...