Rodrigo

Congratulations on your new Sport. I've had mine for over 4 years now. No issues except for a battery upgrade and some brake service this year. I agree with RockaboutBaby, it is a solid car. I use it to haul wife and kids on a 2500 mile trip to CA and back every year. Winter time is not a problem even in the steep snowy slopes of Mt. Shasta. It's a bit of a drinker but it seems that it got better with age. I just drove 130 miles to Seattle last weekend and it turned in 9 litres/100kms average, where it used to do 12. I like the comfort and stability in long drives. The Sport has tuned suspension which is a definite plus to me. i also enjoy the premium sound in the car. Another plus... huge trunk space. Enjoy!

One of my favorites -the Sea To Sky Highway from North Vancouver to Whistler. It's a 150 km scenic and engaging drive up and down mountainous twisties. It really is one of the best drives in the WORLD. Stopped by squamish and took the gondola up to the summit. Here's a shot from that perspective. You'll see a part of the snaking sea to sky on the left of the equally awesome Howe Sound.

One of my favorites -the Sea To Sky Highway from North Vancouver to Whistler. It's a 150 km scenic and engaging drive up and down mountainous twisties. It really is one of the best drives in the WORLD. Stopped by squamish and took the gondola up to the summit. Here's a shot from that perspective. You'll see a part of the snaking sea to sky on the left of the equally reMarkable Howe Sound.

Most sensible breakdown I've heard. Thanks Duratorq.

Update: so I took my sport on a 150 km mountain highway trip to whistler. Brakes are performing well and saved us from a collision when care on the highway suddenly came to a halt due to a crossing construction vehicle. I slammed on the brakes really hard and although I had a full load of passengers and luggage, the car stopped in time. Scary but glad we made it without a scratch. I did notice though that when I braked hard, the car swerved to the left a bit before straightening out. Of course I may have actually turned the wheel a bit as reflex to avoid rear ending the car I was following . Can anyone relare? Should I have my brakes checked again?? Your inputs would be appreciated.

Battery on my 2011 Sport just conked out today - so, it lasted 4 years plus for me. It was fine after being serviced earlier this week although the tech noted on the report that battery crank amps were down to 432 (where 500 is recommended). It was fine for a few days until this morning where it wouldn't crank, just clicked when started. The dealer sold me a BXT-96R-590 battery (Motorcraft Tough MAX) which is stronger than stock but has the same exact size. I'm looking forward to getting that in my car when I get home. (I had to take the wife's car today.) Price was reasonable at 136CAD and it comes with a 5-year replacement warranty.

I know!! That's why I can't shake off that ripped-off feeling. I just tested the brakes now and the vibration is gone at lower speeds of 60kph, so that's good. At least I know that the fronts are OK. I will be going on a trip up to whistler on Monday so I'll get to see how it behaves at higher speeds of above 120kph, particularly on downhill stretches. Will post back on results next week.

I just brought my sport to get my front rotors machined at the dealer as I was feeling vibrations when braking (at speeds over 60kph). They diagnosed and called to tell me that the rear rotors need to be turned as well and charged my 259CAD for all 4 rotors! I don't really know much about machining brakes, so I thought I'd ask here. I have two questions (from a point of view of ignorance!): 1. What are the symptoms that the rear rotors are warped or need machining, from the driver's point of view? 2. Will you be able to tell the difference by looking and feeling the rotors after they are machined? I guess I'm trying to find out how I can know that first, that I really needed that service, and second, that it was done properly. I haven't tested the brakes post-service, but will do so later today. Sorry to sound like so suspicious, but I've been duped by service techs before and Im a bit paranoid that it would happen again, particularly as there were no parts involved and only "service."

Thanks, Blueoval. Good to know I'm not the only one with this frame of mind. Andyross, that is definitely worth a look...

Update: I test drove a couple of titanium a, a 2013 and a 2015, both awd. Definitely impressed with ride quality and handling and the tech stuff is sweet. It seemed that braking is better too than my sport. The main thing I noticed though is that the pull of the 2.0eb, although potent for a 4-banger, was noy constant throughout the band. As akirby mentioned above, it tapers off at high rpms. This made me think of what I really need in a car. Being a family man with three kids and having to go on long hilly drives with a heavy load, the v6 power is something I would miss in a titanium. Believe me I tried to convince myself that the 2.0 would be enough for my needs. I had a long discussion with the sales guy who owned a TL 3.7l about the pros and cons of a 4 turbo vs a n/a 6. In the end, I chose to stay with my Sport for now as I am used to the confidence of having that pull all throughout, albeit not as torquey. Thanks again for your inputs. They helped a lot.

Thanks for your input, Waldo! It seems a lot of folks (on other sites) have similar experience as you. I have decided that it is too much of a risk to keep it on, so I have returned it to the store. I'll be going back to stock filters, like you.

Hi all, I just purchased a K&N replacement air filter (33-2395) and although I'm quite satisfied with it, I am a bit worried about what I have read online about it screwing up MAF's and more importantly, not filtering enough dirt that may damage my engine. I don't expect any power gains for it as I bought it because it can be washed and reused. But if it would harm my engine, I would gladly go back to the stock paper filter. Any thoughts from folks who have used this product on their Fusions, please?

Encouraging and informative... thanks, Akirby. I guess a follow up question would be choosing between AWD vs FWD. My sport has AWD which brings composure in wet/slippery conditions, but it also adds a couple of hundred pounds to the car which would affect MPG, stopping distance and maybe acceleration (?) - the last one is unclear to me as AWD might have some advantage in keeping the car straight during take-offs... though I could be wrong. Price would also go up. In any case, having driven AWD for the past 4 years, I am accustomed to its added composure and even told myself on occasion that I would never turn back. (Before the sport, I drove FWD and RWD cars and I never had qualms with them then, except in winter driving across mountains/hills where the AWD really makes a difference for me.). I guess my question is: would the FWD Titanium fare well in winter driving conditions (vs. AWD)? Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Hi guys, Its that time of year when dealers are calling me to get me to buy a car, which has me thinking whether its a good time to trade my 2011 Sport AWD (which is beyond its basic warranty and I dread that feeling of getting stuck with a chunky repair bill!). Anyway, BMW is offering a 2013 328xi CPO with 78k kms. Honda is offering a 2015 Accord V6 FWD. And Ford is offering a 2015 Titanium. All of them are around the same price (give or take a few thousand ) Long story short, I've singled out the Titanium as the used bimmer would strip me of many of the bells and whistles I currently enjoy in my Sport (and would surely get carried over in a Titanium), and the Accord, although very easy to drive and has better fuel economy for a 6, is a let-down in interior materials quality in my opinion (not to mention that its so-called premium audio does not hold a candle to the Sony 12-speaker system, and that it has a bit smaller trunk space and no rear seat split... two things that I value in the Fusion.). Even the rain-sensing wipers, although minor, is something I'll miss. I test drove a V6 Touring last week and could see myself getting easily bored driving it on a daily basis. I love driving the sport. Its V6 power is reliable in highway entry and passing and AWD feels confident on wet roads when I go on long trip to Portland or San Francisco (600 and 1100 mile dirves, respectively). I tend to do long trips 8-10 times a year now with a full load of passengers and baggage. The Titanium on the other hand looks amazing and I hear handles great as well and is fun to drive with all the tech stuff and features I like. I am booked to drive one this Sunday and would like to hear feedback from other owners who have experienced both the Sport and the Titanium so that I have better knowledge coming into the dealership. All things being equal, it would boil down to the power department. How does the 2.0EB compare to the 3.5L V6 in terms of off-the-line acceleration and highway entry/power? Would I be giving up a lot here? Also, if anyone has other feedback on the good and bad of the Titanium, that would be appreciated. Thanks.

This is tempting! Let me know how goes the stiffer setting. Also, do you know how much it actually weighs? Would like to get an idea how it affects mpg and straight line acceleration.

Thanks for chiming in guys. Joey is spot on. The dealer run the numbers for a trade and they were offering $16500 for 2011 sport with 37,000kms. Now although this seems good enough in terms of book value, the upside down loan i'm in adds up and makes for an unfeasible trade. And of course, I'd be stuck with no warranty on the bimmer. I've decided to shelf the idea and revisit in mid-2014, when the basic warranty expires (and i would have paid off a bigger chunk of my loan). Meantime, i will look into brake and suspension mods as suggested. I love my sport. Really, there's nothing wrong with it and its the best car i've owned so far. My problem is i don't stay satisfied too long and soon start looking to go to the next level... prematurely in this case!

I'm on the fence on this and would like to ask forum members what they think. Basically, I'm offered a trade off for an 09 328i with around 30,000 kms more than my sport. The bimmer is in great shape but i have a few reservations. Lack of warranty coverage is a big downer for me, as i am seriously scared of high repair costs. I know that I can probably get the CPO warranty, but that's only for a year, I think. Then, there is the compromise on cockpit and cargo space, which of course the Fusion wins hands down. Also, and this comes as a surprise to me, I find the the Fusion sport at par in terms of ride comfort and perhaps less stiff than the 328 on bumpy city roads. I also find the Fusion to have a better sounding sound system with 12 speakers and a deeper bass (a big surprise for me, as i had high expectations for Harmon Kardon, but then again maybe this wasn't the premium system installed. Pluses on the bimmer include handling (zero body roll!), freakishly strong brakes, HID lights, and of course, style! Anyway, I thought I'd chime in and see what people think...

hot damn, GTO!

Hi all, I recently discovered some light scratches on my front grille (2011 sport), possibly from a truck/suv with a higher bumper backing into it. The scratches are not too deep to feel any indentations when you run your fingers over them, but they are likewise stubborn enough to 'stay' after washing and light scrubbing with microfiber sponge. Does anyone know if this can be remedied simply or at all, without applying steel wool or sanding? I would appreciate members' feedback. Thanks.

Thanks for chiming in, stuntman. We basically have the same car, same tires, same experience. I was generally impressed how the car handled itself on icy mountain roads despite the 20,000 miles on the stock tires and a heavy load of passengers and cargo. Select shift was really useful in decsents. I can imagine how this car would fare on better tires, as suggested by forum members! I did see a Mazda 6 stuck in a ditch with about a foot of snow. Despite chains on front tires, all it did was spin its wheels. A large SUV towed it out. Someone here mentioned about turning traction control off and letting the wheels spin until it finds traction underneath the snow... I had this in mind during my trip, but glad it didn't have to to come to that in my case.

Many thanks for these valuable first hand tips faceeace1! I've just bought some rat traps and mothballs and have been popping my hood for 10 mins after parking to cool down the engine bay. Unfortunately, I am unable to leave them propped up, for security reasons. I like the cat idea, but the wife doesn't.

Heck, I'll try those too! Thanks, Twiggy144.