EBff Posted December 30, 2019 Share Posted December 30, 2019 I was hoping to buy a used 2012 Fusion but I'm seeing there are better deals to be had for the newer cars in my area. Can anyone weigh in on whether 2014 -2016 are as good? what problems to be aware of esp 2014 and 2016? Are there more problems with these more recent years i.e. I have read about jerky transmissions, worse visibility, experienced an uncomfortable seatbelt in the 2016..? Thanks 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangster Posted December 30, 2019 Share Posted December 30, 2019 I own both (a 2012 Fusion Sport AWD and a 2015 Fusion SE 2.5), I personally like the style of the 2012, love the V6 over the Ecoboost engine. I got the 2015 for my daughter as her first car. It was 2x as much as mine, but 3 years newer and 70k fewer miles. With the 2.5 it is a little underpowered, more so now that she lived in Denver. It does okay here in the lower elevation desert, but still leaves me wanting more power. Both of them have terrible rear visibility. 2012 because the rear end is up so much higher than the front, and both because of the spoilers. 2015 has a backup camera and video screen. even though it is only the small screen, it works well (when it works). 2012 I do a lot of tentative backing up. Both have very dark tint all around which hurts the side and rear view out the windows (and side view mirrors). If you like the more modern styling, can afford and want a little newer car, and find them to be a better value, I say go for the newest one that meets your needs, that is what I did for my daughter, who would want a little more modern looking vehicle. Other than the hit in mileage, she loves driving mine (the 2012) until she has to back out of a parking space. The nearly 100 hp more, AWD, and a different shifting transmission are better than her 2015. On an identical drive in both vehicles (Denver to Tucson, 5280 feet to higher elevations a few times down to 2500) I got 27 mpg in my 2012, and 31 in the 2015. Around town the difference is much larger. I found the 2.5 required shifting down a couple of times to 4th gear in hills that my 2012 maintained speed via cruise control and never down shifted. But with identical power trains (the 2.5 and the 6F35 transmission) you will see nearly the same performance, fuel mileage, and drivability between a 2010-2012 and a 2013 and newer. The small ecoboost gets good mileage and has better drivability than then 2.5, but the added complexity of the turbo and direct injection and other things (I got the 1.5L in an Escape and like it better than the 2.5). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBff Posted December 30, 2019 Author Share Posted December 30, 2019 Bangster, thanks so much for this detailed reply. Did you tint the windows on the cars or do they actually come that way with dark tint? I've been driving my friend's car and he said he had them tinted which I find really does compromise visibility in bad ways. I thought this was an option I could choose to not get or even have removed by a mechanic.. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangster Posted December 30, 2019 Share Posted December 30, 2019 They have aftermarket tint installed. I live where interiors get to 145 degrees in the summer easy, and with lots of sun year around and 110 degree ambient temps, tinted windows help with heat buildup and what sun can do to upholstery. I often find I have the roll down the windows to make a right turn or back out of spot with traffic, but with the 2015 and backup camera it is much easier to back up. If I didn't live in the desert or someplace else with many days of sun and high temps, I probably wouldn't tint the windows. 2 of the last 3 cars I drove didn't have tinted windows, but the top of the back seats and the seats in general show it, pretty bleached out. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBff Posted January 2, 2020 Author Share Posted January 2, 2020 Bangster, another question. The reviews seem to suggest the 2015 has more transmission issues and that the cabin is snugger, visibility is even worse in 2015 Do you notice any of these differences? Also was 2015 better year than 2014 (saw so many bad reviews on 2014)? Haven't been able to find this info clearly in searching here. Also does "aftermarket tint" mean you had this installed or that they just came with the car when you bought it because of where you live? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangster Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 Some of that is subjective, but if you go here and compare you will find that all interior measurements are better for the 2015 (however not huge differences): https://www.kbb.com/compare-cars/results/?vehicleIds=364403|399453 (click on Dimensions) You can also make up your own spreadsheet to compare things not listed there like rear seat dimensions and overall height. Personally I like the seating position in the 2012 over the 2015, but once I got the seat moved and the steering wheel down, I don't hate the 2015. Visibility I don't think there is much difference. The back window is short, they both have a nose down stance (I sometimes cannot see a car behind me if they pull within a foot or so, which is common here at stop lights). You are more likely to find a backup camera in the Gen 2 (2013-2016) and Gen 2.5 (2017+) than the Gen 1.5 (2010-2012). Mainly because in 2015 they became standard equipment on all models. Mechanically there is very little difference between 2013-2016, and depending on engine and transmission, not much difference to current model year. I think the transmission was updated in 2013 to the second gen one, and other than maybe small programming changes, is the same from 2013-2017 for the 2.5, 1.5, 1.6, 2.0 everything but the Hybrid and 2.7 Ecoboost. Realistically there is not that much difference mechanically between them with the 2.5 between the 2010-2012 and 2013+ 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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