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I have done my research and have narrowed it down to these two vehicles. I realize that the Fusion is slightly larger considered a mid-size vehicle. I like the style and it has similar gas mileage as the Cruze. However, I can purchase a brand new Cruze (with a warranty) for slightly less than a 2 year old Fusion that has 30K miles on it. I would be driving nearly 100 miles per day as a commute so I'm leaning toward the Cruze because I rack up approx 25,000 miles per year.
The safety ratings are similar on both vehicles. Both have good ratings. The Cruze rates slightly better but there is one item of concern: the structure and safety cage has a poor rating. Should this be considered a dea breaker? I'm not sure what they mean by safety cage.
I was wondering if anyone here have driven or owned either one of these models and can share your experience. Thanks!
With similar fuel economy and safety ratings, I'd lean heavily toward the Fusion as the longer wheelbase will make for a more comfortable ride. IMO that matters when you're racking up 25K miles per year.
I can only relate the Fusion side to your quest, the wife bought one 8 months ago, She bought a white SE which is the middle of the road model with the standard 2.5 4 banger. She has 7500 miles on it and her town gas mileage as of this week is just over 25 mpgs. It probably has room for more as it passes 12,000 miles. The car is extremely comfy and quiet. Rides like a big car too.Hers has the tan interior and it looks like leather but it also gets dirty quick. Her driving style is best described as she drives it like she stole it. She's the first away at a light and drives the car all of the way to stop light. Drives me nutz but then I don't ride with her much. When I drive the car it's usually hiway and I can keep the mileage indicator at 40+ with zero problem. We've never gone far enough with it to really tell you what true hiway mileage would be. Maintenance on the engine is pretty much straight forward and easy. Most everything is right where you can get to it. Trunk is more than large enough for us. She occasionally takes her office crew to lunch in it. Apparently 5 ladies in it is no issue. Her A/C works great and is quiet. It does have some glitz on it that I wouldn't like. The Parking is nothing more than locking the back brake to whatever the foot pressure is on the brakes when you activate it. Apparently there is no "parking" pawl in the transmission. The Fusion does have the fluid type transmission, not the semi-manual of the Focus. Overall, you get a lot of car for the money. I have no clue about the Cruze except one of her guys bought one. He considers her car an upgrade but then maybe he's just buttering her up. Probably the best thing to do is drive both and buy which one fits you best. The wifes Fusion has Bluetooth, Sync, MyFord, and a ton of electronic crapola on it that is meaningless to me. She drove it out for $24,000.00. She did her own deal, no help from me but at a friends dealership. She's happy so everything at home is happy. Best of luck on the search.
I can only relate the Fusion side to your quest, the wife bought one 8 months ago, She bought a white SE which is the middle of the road model with the standard 2.5 4 banger. She has 7500 miles on it and her town gas mileage as of this week is just over 25 mpgs. It probably has room for more as it passes 12,000 miles. The car is extremely comfy and quiet. Rides like a big car too.Hers has the tan interior and it looks like leather but it also gets dirty quick. Her driving style is best described as she drives it like she stole it. She's the first away at a light and drives the car all of the way to stop light. Drives me nutz but then I don't ride with her much. When I drive the car it's usually hiway and I can keep the mileage indicator at 40+ with zero problem. We've never gone far enough with it to really tell you what true hiway mileage would be. Maintenance on the engine is pretty much straight forward and easy. Most everything is right where you can get to it. Trunk is more than large enough for us. She occasionally takes her office crew to lunch in it. Apparently 5 ladies in it is no issue. Her A/C works great and is quiet. It does have some glitz on it that I wouldn't like. The Parking is nothing more than locking the back brake to whatever the foot pressure is on the brakes when you activate it. Apparently there is no "parking" pawl in the transmission. The Fusion does have the fluid type transmission, not the semi-manual of the Focus. Overall, you get a lot of car for the money. I have no clue about the Cruze except one of her guys bought one. He considers her car an upgrade but then maybe he's just buttering her up. Probably the best thing to do is drive both and buy which one fits you best. The wifes Fusion has Bluetooth, Sync, MyFord, and a ton of electronic crapola on it that is meaningless to me. She drove it out for $24,000.00. She did her own deal, no help from me but at a friends dealership. She's happy so everything at home is happy. Best of luck on the search.
Thanks for the detailed info! I would probably go with a darker color, I like the interior on the black ones. I like the exterior of the black Cruze but the interior not so much.
I personally think there is better "value for dollar" in the midsize class that the Fusion plays in, than there is down in the smaller vehicles such as the Cruze.
I would go Fusion here all day long and not look back.
My brother has a Cruze. I can drive and ride in the front very comfortably, Im 6'2". Cant hardly fit inthe back, but neither can my nieces, and they are significantly shorter than I am. well they can, but they start complaining after about 100 miles, so they normally take his truck on a trip. We made a trip to Florida in in Feb., and the 2 stops for fuel were just to stretch out legs a bit, so we could have gone down there and back on about 1 1/2 tanks.
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