svjim

A lot of what you learn or don't learn about the status of your car will vary greatly with the CSR that you speak with. I've had them tell me they can't find anything, then it was built, then lost, then built and released. Then in Tuscon, but today it was back in production ... Arg it can be a bit frustrating, but figure if it has a build date, they will build it and actually ship it. From the information I have on mine, it was actually released on 4/21 and in Tuscon on 5/5 so I think it has got to have made some progress since then, but who knows. They could still be growing the rubber trees for the tires.

Hi, The side mirrors are suppose to be heated. I believe basically everything that is standard in the sport is standard in the hybrid. That being said, I am still waiting for my FFH, so maybe someone else who has actually received theirs will know, buyt right now that is a rare bird. As far as tracking your order on line, you can't do it yourself. You need a vin number and that seems to take two to three weeks. Once you have it and after you wear out your welcome with your dealer you can call Ford Customer Care and they can give you the status of your car. So the wait begins, Jim

Thanks again. A follow up call as you suggested did the trick. Unfortunately I didn't hear what I wanted to. The car was released on 4/21 but there is no ETA. The rep said, they would not generate one until the car crossed the border. He suggested they may be holding it for something like a full truck load. I know that there were 3 or 4 more FFH on order from my dealer, but that they were at least a week behind. I guess that would have put them smack in the middle of the plant closing. Jim

Thanks, looks like that would work if I knew the body style. They wanted the order no, vin number, dealer, and body style. They said that there is a code for the body style, supposedly 2 digit code. When I look up the vin number on the ford fleet vin number check, it says the body style is sedan, but I think I dont think I can use that. Did you have to provide a body style or happen to know that it is? Thanks, Jim

RWFFH10 would you care to let us know what part of the country you are in. My Fusion was suppose to have been built the same week and I am wondering when it will show up. I live in San Jose, Ca. Thanks, Jim

Thanks for the suggestion, but it is too late for that. The car should have been built the week of 4/20 and hopefully it is on its way to the dealer. I have pretty much concluded that there is nothing that can be done at this time. That really isn't a big deal and ultimately will save me a couple thousand. Jim

Thanks for the pricing and suggestion. I'll probably just rent a few homing pigeons. Jim

I have a 2010 Fusion Hybrid on order, but did not order the 502A package that has the Navigation System in it. Does anyone know if you can had the dealer add it and any idea how much it would cost? I can't swap the car with the dealer because they will not give me the same $500 over invoice on anything that is not ordered and I am not giving up the $3400 tax rebate. Thanks, Jim

So what other devices are available? I assume line-in or similar. Is bluetooth available as a media device for anything other then your phone? I am wondering with my 501a package (on the way) if a portable GPS with A2DP blue tooth could connect? It would be nice to be able to integrate a portable GPS with sync for the maps. Jim

:happy feet: Well it is all over and the FFH did 1445.7 miles on a single tank of gasoline and averaged 81.5 mpg. Not exactly a real world test, but none the less quite a remarkable achievement. It would certainly seem to indicate that it shouldn't be too difficult to exceed the EPA city estimate of 41mpg with a little attention to economy.

Have you tried this with cruise control on? Also, when you need to accelerate, do you notice if the electric motor kicks in also? There is a video floating out on the net somewhere with a Ford engineer demonstrating basically what you said, accelerate up to speed and then ease up on the accelerator. He also recommended when down hill coasting to slightly tap the break force recharging of the battery. I think Ford has estimated that the friction breaks should last 2 to 3 times a normal car. The friction breaks don't kick in until something like 10mph under normal circumstances. The 48 MPG sounds pretty good. Ford let themselves in for some pretty unspectacular test drives results when they offered the FFH up for test drives this winter. Most of the test driving was in the mid west or so it seemed and the results were not real good. The test drive reports tended to put down the mileage claims but most said it might be because of cold temperatures. A lot compared them to the Camery Hybrid that they had admittedly test driven in the summer. I think your results are just the tip of the ice berg here and hopefully they will get better as time goes on. I had wondered why winter would make such a difference. I supposed the engine had to run more to keep the heater going, which is probably true. But I did not think at all of the efficiency loss that batteries suffer in cold weather. Jim

Ours was ordered March 15th and is scheduled for build the week of April 20th. There are some posts elsewhere in this forum that indicate Ford is ahead of schedule in producing the FFH. I expect we will see ours around mid May. It would be nice if it were before May 19th, that is when licensing fees on cars take a big jump out here in California. It is not clear to me if the licensing fees for a new car are going to be tax deductible as the sales tax will be with the stimulus package. Of course the $3400 tax rebate for ordering before April 1 is a deal. Jim

The voice turn by turn directions are part of the internet services. There is also a large database of something like 10 million business that you can get directions to or call automatically. Basically Ford has a centralize server that is accessed via voice channels at this time. This server provides connections to a number of services that Ford is making available to Sync owners. Jim

In fact, there are a number of internet services that Ford is providing 'free' for 3 years with Sync 3.0 and they include things like traffic, sports, maybe weather. Initially that data will be transferred via voice channels and not data channels. Supposedly, Ford/MicroSoft are working on using data channels in the future. I suppose when they get that, automatic download of updates may be possible. Jim

I have been trying to get some reliable information on Sync 3.0 in the FFH. There have been a lot of rumors, etc. about what will be needed for the upgrade to 3.0 as the vehicle is shipping without the GPS/Internet services support. So I finally decided to bite the bullet and went to the syncmyride side and started a chat with a sync support person. First, the FFH is shipping with the new sync hardware. The GPS/Internet services are currently not supported. He initially stated that the upgrade for that support would require a dealer visit, but put me on hold while he went back for more information. He came back and said he had to correct himself and said the upgrade will be available as a download. Good news for the technically inclined. Pressed on when the upgrade would be available, he said that there is no official date, but that the middle of May appears to be an objective.

For those without a caculator, that is an average of 39.46 mpg. Not bad for a brand new car.

I have to agree with you on that. While I think the FFH is a better car then the Toyota Camery Hybrid, I wouldn't pay a dealer a premium for it, not in this economy. Plus I know a number of people like me, decided to buy American this time around. So you don't need to take a bunch of bull from a greedy dealer. I'm paying $500 over dealer invoice on mine. I went through Costco, and even though the dealer did not have an agreement with Costco at the time for the FFH, they gave me the 500 over invoice. That is in Silicon Valley, where there are probably more hybrids then any other place in the world. If you have a Costco member ship, I would use them because if nothing else you are going to end up talking with the fleet salesman and not some sleazebag on who is on commission. Use Costco to contact more then one dealer for best results. Don't let the "we don't have an agreement with Costco for the FFH" stop you from pushing for a deal. Jim

Yes, I have visited the resource forum, but so far nothing on Sync 3.0. Since you have the car, I would be interested if you can control the selections on the radio. That is a nice feature that came with the navigation package in earlier versions but wasn't really a part of sync. It seems control of the navigation and satellite radio was done separately. I hope you are enjoying your car. Jim

I getting the 501A basically for the same reasons you did, Ice Blue also. One thing that is often overlooked on any of the Fusion Hybrids is that they all have with Sync 3.0 a built in GPS with voice turn by turn instructions. You enter your destination via a voice command and the command is sent to a service where the route is calculated and instructions are downloaded over your cell phone. The one thing it is missing that most GPS systems have is an automatic recalculation of the route if you take a wrong turn. However there is a command for that is suppose to expedite the recalculation. It may not be as pretty as a nice map display, but it is certainly functional and maybe even safer. In California, you couldn't mount a portable GPS on your windshield until this January and then it is only in the lower left hand corner of the front window. Beyond that, I would really like to know what else is really in Sync 3.0 and what it controls. It would be nice if it also controlled the radio which in earlier versions are controlled by the navigation system. Jim

OK Will, 134492 is not too far off your Vin number and it is scheduled for the week of 4/20. Per the other replies here, I'm not too sure that means anything. Jim

Well I found this Ford maintenance site where you can look up your car with a valid vin number. I have to admit I was a bit depressed to see the Fusion Hybrid is being manufactured in Mexico. One of my reasons for buying it, was to buy American. Ford Vin Look Up Jim

I wouldn't loose too much sleep over worrying about the dealer trying to cheat you. The drivers license and $500 desposit was Fords requirement, not the dealers and if they cashed that check, you have a valid contract. As far as not running a credit check, they really have no need to do that, if in the end you don't qualify for a loan, the dealer will have no problem selling the car and will probably be quite happy about it. FWIW, the dealer intimated to me when I ordered mine, that I the buyer could back out at a later date if I so desired. With the allocation program being as tight as it is, I doubt dealers are going to cry over a buyer backing out on an order. I've been very happy with my dealer, he his suppose to contact me to let us actually drive one of his two allocated vehicles when they actually come in. Anyway, I wouldn't worry as there is nothing you can do about it now, but maybe bug the dealer for the VIN number in maybe another week. Once you get that VIN number your mind should be at ease. Jim

Ice Blue, 501a. I need to get a vin number of production date from my dealer. I placed the order March 15th, so it definitely should have one. I expected that they were going to email me it, but not so. So I will just have to bug them. The nav definitely was nice, but I couldn't justify the price. Then there is a built in GPS chip in the new Sync 3.0 package. Also, for what it is worth, on the back inside cove of the brochure for the Fusion, their is an accessory and it just happens to be a Garmin Niuv. I tried to find out what it was and why it was listed as an accessory? Anyone know what gives?? Jim