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I hauled about 600 lbs in my Ranger the other day. All I could think about was "man I wish I had a freaking torquey diesel instead of this freaking Taurus motor."
I did some research as I thought they were similar, turns out they are built on the same chassis. The one we rented was a 2013 which was the big restyle for the Mundano so if you had rented an older one there may have been some differences.
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The one we rented was a 2012. It had really low "mileage" (kilometerage?). It seemed like we were among the first to ever rent that particular car. I guess I will have to look at a 2012 Fusion to see how similar it is.
Just returned from a trip to the UK and France, and spent a fait amount of time gawking at the vehicles we don't get here.
More telling was the car we rented. Hertz sent us off with a 2013 Mondeo, the same platform as a Fusion here, but with a liftback (which we don't get here and is so handy to have) and best of all a 2.0 l turbo diesel with a 6 speed manual. This fantastic motor had all the power a person needed. Power to pass, power to cut through traffic, power to climb a 1 in 4 grade, power to flash down the motorways at 75 or so with no trouble. Oh, and while this motor was delivering the power in a quiet and unobtrusive manner, it did all this at 38 to 42 mpg's to the US gallon. No deisel smell, some diesel noise when it was cold but not audible inside the cabin. An excellent car for the commuter, not what Americans think of "foriegn" cars, and can we get this car here? Not a chance. We seem to think it's fanatstic to get that mileage on the highway out of a Cruze or a Fiesta. That class of car gets better than 50 to the US gallon.
We were in the heart of London and the majority of cars, and all trucks and buses and taxis, were diesel. London does not stink of dirty diesel fumes. And yet our EPA doesn't think these cars are clean enough. Boggles the brain, really.
After what I've seen, i have come to the conclusion that until the US car companies can sell me a car like the one I rented, I am not spending another dime on a new car. Until you've seen what is available abroad, you really don't realize how limited our choices are in the "land of the free".
Are you sure you did the UK MPG - US MPG conversion correctly?
I've noticed cars in the UK and Europe have far more engine options than here. Many of those engines, the ones that get the best MPG, are severly underpowered by our standards and demands.
We DO have the VW Beetle, Golf, and Jetta diesel options here in the US. Strangely, though, the last generation of the engine used in those cars got 38 city - 48 highway with a manual and 35/45 with an automatic. The new version gets less. I don't know why, but I suspect increased EPA standards on diesels. Mercedes also offers the diesel version of the E-class and S-class here.
Ford has also announced that neither the 2013 Fusion or Focus will have a V-6 engine available as an option; strictly 4-cylinders or buy something else.
Ford has also announced that neither the 2013 Fusion or Focus will have a V-6 engine available as an option; strictly 4-cylinders or buy something else.
The Focus has never been available with a 6, so that should not be surprising at all
What I find bemusing is that the US, Europe, etc. haven't worked out a common set of safety and environmental standards for all types of vehicles. Last time I checked, we were all humans and presumably have the same common interests in safety and environmental considerations.
It is, IMO, idiotic in the 21st century that we collectively can't seem to avoid totally wasteful differentials regarding such basic issues.
This is the tiny little European car we rented and the sort of road we experienced. This car is climbing mountains and negotiating narrow roads and still giving 40+ mpg to the US gallon.
The only thing I don't like is that all the cars are starting to look alike. It starts with the ugly Prius and the other Toyota models. Toyota cars look so damn bland. I of course prefer the Lexus, but Audis and BMWs have caught my eye on occasion. Never thought about what's abroad. Thanks for the post.
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