roadrunner

First 10,000 mile average (calculated) overall = 33.74 MPG. About 80 / 20 highway (speed 72 mph in CA, 77 mph in AZ). Average range between fill ups 417 miles. "Average MPG" read out is 0.8 MPH higher than actual. Most recent 4000 miles (approx 6000 to 10000 odometer) = 34.20 average MPG Fuel -- 87 octane regular.

The stick was only available for 2013 and 2014. It was made in SE trim only with the 1.6L Ecoboost specifically. As with the other SE models, it was available with a wide arrange of accessories. Between these two years only 1943 total were built, so it turns out to be a rather rare car. So the questions are, why did Ford build them, why did they sell so few and what caused them to discontinue them? In 2013, these cars were the highest MPG (non-hybrid) Fusions Ford had to advertise, thus they were compelled to make them. Moreover, they distributed these widely to the automotive press for reviews (got rave reviews for the most part), yet the dealers were not allowed to order them. They were available by customer order only. So it was very hard to find one available for a test drive unless there was an order cancellation. Since there were none to demonstrate, very few consumers wanted to take a chance ordering without a test drive. As a result, only 517 were built in the 2013 model year. In 2014 they were available for dealer order but by then, they'd been pretty much forgotten. the 1.6 Ecoboost was being phased out in favor of the 1.5 Ecoboost (available only in auto trans). Few dealers ordered them. Of those who did, many of the sales staff weren't even aware that they had them (some were incorrectly inventoried as 1.5 autos), so they weren't exactly easy to locate. By the end of the model year Ford had finally got the 1.5 auto to equal the 1.6 manual in mileage ratings so there was no further need for them. in 2014, 1426 manuals were made (again all SE 1.6 Ecoboosts). Using the Ford inventory search feature, I was able to locate about 30 in the Southwest along with colors, available equipment, and date of manufacture (cars would show up on inventory while they were still in the pipeline, often 2+ months before the dealer actually received their car). I found one of the last of the '14s that was very close to one that I would have ordered. Coincidentally, right after it showed up at a dealership about 100 miles away I happened to drop by during an excellent factory incentive period and let them "convince me" to buy it. This has been a great car -- fun to drive and getting about 34.5 MPG overall (mostly highway miles). Clutch action is very smooth and easy, shifting is precise and predictable, the turbo is a real gas (and gas hog if over-used). Suspension and handling make country and hilly, curvy roads a real treat. This car was well worth the wait and is one of the most fun and enjoyable I've ever had. It does have a few sporadic electronic bugs, so it's not perfect, but on balance, still comes out way ahead so far!

IMO the "5000 mile" break-in is mis-understood -- it applies more to the driver than the car and varies accordingly. I haven't experienced it to any significant degree on my Fusion, Edge or Focus (I keep mileage logs). Rather, I think it is more related to the driver adapting to the optimal mileage potential of the car. Here are some points to consider: 1. Ethanol degrades your mileage 2. City mileage varies greatly depending on the city. I get about 5 mpg better mileage in Gilbert AZ than Escondido, CA 3. Highway mileage can also vary by about 5 MPG just from traffic (flowing traffic is good, but eratic, stop and go and no traffic is not). 4. If you're NOT driving like an old lady, you're probably using the Turbo -- it's hard not to and there is no gauge to show you whether you're using it or not. Unfortunately use of the turbo can be a mileage killer. So are your lower gears, in addition to use of brakes. A good tool to use is your instant MPG screen -- provides instant feedback and is a great instructional tool for optimizing your driving style for mileage. Good luck!

I'm sorry to hear about your problems but am glad Ford is making a serious effort to solve them. I have had similar issues but sporatic so far and on a smaller scale (battery died only once to date, with various wierd behavious). Even finding out what it isn't has been very instructive; your ultimate solution will go a long ways toward helping others find a plausable (and hopefully common) cause! Thanks for posting the details and lets hope they get your problems solved soon!

I have a '14 1.6L stick as well -- what a fun car! Here are some random MPG observations: As long as I resist using Turboboost, mileage has also been excellent. With about 6000 miles, the lifetime average so far is about 35 MPG (regular gas, minimal A/C). City mileage varies considerably depending on the town. In Escondido, CA where siginals are plentiful and action-tripped, I get about 28 MPG. In Gilbert, AZ where the siginals are generally farther apart and timed (but not sequenced) the car averages about 34-35 MPG. Highway mileage depends heavily on speed, wind and traffic. 72 to 77 MPH with little hwy traffic nets about 32 to 34 whereas SoCal moderately heavy trraffic moving at about 65 to 70 MPH the car gets 38 to 40 MPG. A 5 MPH headwind vs. about 5 MPH tailwind costs about 2 to 3 MPG in light traffic, but is negligable in heavy traffic. A/C appears to cost anywhere between 2 to 5 MPG on average -- the higher the MPG the higher the penalty. It's been difficult to get a good assessment on this though. MPG is very sensitive to even small climbs and descents, but on a round trip basis this doesn't seem to be much of a factor (you can generally get back going down what you give up going up). Cold starts are costly in terms of MPG. The shorter the trips and the longer the interval between start-ups, the worse the mileage. The turbo really works great for generating some low RPM torque and can be very seductive (especially with the stick), but it's a real MPG killer. Like a jet afterburner, you can't expect to use it regularly and get great mileage at the same time! The good news about that though is that it is always available when the occasion arises and you have the option of when and whether to use it (like getting 2 cars rolled up in one package). A/C appears to cost anywhere between 2 to 5 MPG on average -- the higher the MPG the higher the penalty. It's been difficult to get a good assessment on this though. MPG is very sensitive to even small climbs and descents, but on a round trip basis this doesn't seem to be much of a factor (you can generally get back going down what you give up going up). Factor in summer and winter temperatures as well as regional gas grades and it's pretty easy to see how there can be a significant variation in mileage, even with the same car and the same driver! The "instant MPG" feature is excellent for showing what is going on and works as a great training aid as well!

You might check your battery voltage and make sure it's not low.

I had an almost identical experience with my 2014 1.6 SE with abut 4000 miles. Everything ran fine but with a few intermittant electrical anomalies ("hill start unavailable", blinker clicker went out, throttle over-rev between shifts, etc). Suddenly one morning the battery was dead just prior to an 800 mile trip. I had it towed to the nearest dealer for inspection. They recharged the battery, found nothing wrong (apparently any codes generated were erased by the dead battery). They said the syjptoms were synonomous with low voltage and explained that the voltage regulator is now run by the PCM (it is possible for the car to run without charging the battery). The scary part is the spontaneous nature of the failure (no low voltage warning). I drive regularly between Phoenix and San Diego and would hate to have this happen in the middle of nowhere! I love the car, but with no corrective action taken, have lost a lot of confidence. Ironic that we took the trip in our 10 year old jeep (no reliabiity issues) while the new car sat in the shop!

There are still some new 2014 sticks around. You can check locally on the Ford web site by clicking on power options, then manual transmission then extended search. It will show everything in your area relative to the zip code you plug in. For instance there are 12 in So Cal. and lots in the North East. I found one I like about 80 miles away and it was well worth the drive. Clutch action is smooth as silk, shifting is excellent and gear ratios are well chosen IMO. In spite of a few foibles, it rates among the best I/ve had. Like you, I originally would have preferred a 2.0L but the 1.6 is still pretty spunky yet can get good mileage. I can get about 34 to 35 overall MPG driving carefully OR plenty of power using the turbo. Low end torque has been very impressive for this little engine! I don't think you'd be disappointed. Hope you find what you're looking for!

IMO, the easiest way to compare is to set your trip function to record a round trip each way. You will get average MPG and fuel used. Compare the two over a few days to get a typical pattern for each (depending on green lights). That way you don't have to go to the gas station each day and try to full up the same amount each time or do any hand calculations. It will be interesting to hear the results.

A quick call to the CT DMV will confirm whether or not there is a manditory charge. Another quick call to Ford marketing will clarify the GM issue. I would think you are right except the rebate comes from Ford so it costs the dealer nothing to give it if available. If you're talking about the lease conquest #30032, it just requires a non-Ford as I read it. IMO, if the dealer is motivated to sell, he still will make a nice profit at that price. A little knowledge can make a lot of difference when working with dealers. In any event, you can play their game too -- let them know you've just located another very similar one close by (check out vin...ER384988) and may ask for a bid from that dealer. In California, the dealer has to deliver the car out of state to avoid CA taxes and fees, but still has to register it in the neighboring state -- usually not worth the hassle. I picked up my 6 speed over the 4th of July sale -- had to travel about 80 miles to get it. I have to say the manual is a great driving car and definitely worth seeking out! It has a slightly different instrument cluster as well with a dedicated tach. I also found out from "Ford Research" that only 1943 manuals were built in the current series (517 in 2013 and 1426 in 2014). That's fewer than most "limited production" cars! Interesting, there is still a good number available for sale in some parts of rhe country. The car sounds very nicely equipped at a very competirive price if it works out. Let us know if you get it. Good luck!

Apparently you haven't looked at the manual yourself lately. It takes two hours just to get through the child seat belt section and another hour to get past all the other warnings and cautions! The index is next to useless. Half of the descriptions say "if equipped" leaving the user to figure out how to find out if he has that particular feature (half the details aren't posted on the sticker or in the marketing literature). Tell me the difference between a type 1 and type 2 instrument cluster -- the manual is not about to and they share the same picture. I agree with sah -- you can't even get near your car now without lights flashing, chimers clanging away, etc. You used to be able to turn some of that crap off without making a grand announcement (or draining the battery) every time you get in or out of your car -- if equipped. Love the car otherwise. A little more patience (or silence) and less grousing would be most welcome! I'm not about to ask any questions here -- am still reading the manual and hope to be done in a week if I skip the Sync and MFT sections!

That's true in some cases, as if over about 25 MPH and/or applying brakes for slowing or stopping, or any time the engine is needed to slow or decelerate the car and the throttle is closed. However, it's not true at higher speeds when going downhill IF there is no braking required and the throttle is cracked to maintain speed (overcoming engine friction). This is the situation I believe Heavy Doody is referring to. If you have long, gentle downhill grades of 1/2 mile or more, it's more economical to shift to neutral. The small amount of gas required to idle the engine under such condions is less than the amount of gas required to maintain a cracked throttle at cruising RPMS in gear, with the additional benefit of less wear on the engine. These situations occur more frequently than one might imagine. This ignores the fact that in at least some states, it is illigal to drive in neutral. I wasn't sure about this, so I ran a series of tests last year on a gentle one mile downhill stretch followed by a small uphill run using my 5 speed manual Focus. The results were small but consistant -- .8 MPG average benefit coasting the entire distance vs leaving the car in gear then throttling as necessary to maintain comparable ETs. Presumably this gain would be caused by the engine friction advantage. This is a no brainer with the manuals -- I don't know if there are any transmission related issues doing this with automatics however.

I just checked with Ford Marketiing. Apparently, as of June, the manual transmission will not be offered for 2015. If I were to guess, the only reason it was in for 2014 was because for advertising purposes, it was the EPA non-hybrid mileage leader. It looks like they have just been able to get the 1.5L up to the 37 MPG level with the auto start feature, so the manual no longer serves that need and of course the 1.6L has been replaced in all other Fusion configurations. Because of the low volume it wouldn't economical to produce. Credit Ford for at least trying -- I'm glad I got a chance to get one!

I just picked up a new 2014 model with a 1.6L 6 speed stick shift. So far I just have about 400 miles on it, but the milesge looks promising -- about 35 MPG overall so far. It's a little premature to draw any conclusions, but the mileage should hold up as long as I can mostly stay out of the boost and stay out of town as much as possible. The car handles almost a well as my Focus in the hills here -- cornering is firm and solid, shifting is very smooth, clutch action is light and easy to operate. About the only things I'm not overly fond of are the electronic parking brake (especially with a manual transmission) and the cruise controls (too easy to push the wrong button). The car is amazingly quiet -- I have to look at the tach to verify the engine is running when stopped in traffic. It's a fun car to drive, has lots of nice features and offers a lot of bang for the buck IMO. The car came equipped close enough to the way I would have ordered it (White Platinum, sunroof, no MFT, no spoiler). The only excess was the 202A luxury package, which is OK -- not a bad value really since it included the cost of the 1.6L upgrade, leather wrapped steering wheel and small rebate (the rest I don't care about). The 4th of July incentives were good and the dealer gave a pretty good discount. It ended up costing about $22,000 + TTL. It appears that Ford may have decided not to continue with the manual tranny for 2015 Fusion -- it's missing from the online order guide and listed as not available on the SE comparison page. With all the excellent reviews it got, I'm a little surprised so few drivers have taken advantage of that combination. Although there are not many around, they are still available for any one who wants one of these future collectables! PS: An easy way to see the inventory in your area is to get on the Ford Fusion website, go to "search inventory", click power oprions: "manual transmission" and "extended inventory" for the zip code you want to search. For instance, if you're looking in 92007 you would find 19 manuals within about 100+/- miles currently. There is a little more labor locating the individual dealerships as I did, or you can go through your local dealer and let him locate it. I also look at the sticker date to get an idea how long the car has been sitting on the dealer's lot. This may have somthing to do with their willingness to negotiate. All other factors being equal, I would opt for the most recent sticker date. Anything built after Jan. 1, 2014 would have all the mid-year changes, corrections and updates if any. Even if you're not looking for a stick, you can put some perameters in and see what's around if you're looking for something special.