I'll tell you what I want, what I really really want

"Chairman Kaga" (mike-mckinnon) 03/12/2014 at 16:20 • Filed to: None

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A Fusion ST.

Same engine as the Focus ST, but maybe making an extra 10-12 hp. All-wheel drive. Adaptable suspension. Manual 6-speed. Recaros, but more subdued than the Focus'. Slightly more aggressive styling, but nothing too ostentatious.

I know it'll never happen, with the Mazdaspeed6 as the precedent and ballbuster. Still, a guy can hope for a reasonably quick, relatively inexpensive, relatively good looking sport sedan that a dad wouldn't feel like a dork for driving.

CRider > Chairman Kaga 03/12/2014 at 16:29

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That sounds good, but replace the Focus ST motor with the 3.5 EcoBoost v6 and you've got something even better.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > CRider 03/12/2014 at 16:34

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Too close to the SHO, besides the fusion is stuck with only 4-bangers. The lincoln on the other hand........

CRider > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 03/12/2014 at 16:39

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The SHO is a pig. It's quick, but it's no ST it's more like a cheaper S6. Pit that engine in the Fusion, and you have a real winner. The Taurus is pretty much just a cop car now anyway, since nobody buys them (at least where I live). The EB will fit in the Fusion. Maybe give it the SVT moniker, which will allow them to charge a premium over ST or SHO and allow the crazy to really soak into the car.

OPPOsaurus WRX > Chairman Kaga 03/12/2014 at 16:39

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Would it be a Fusion ST or SHO. I always thought of the Fusion as being closer to a Taurus than a focus so I would think SHO. O and make it a wagon. I bet it would be very much like a V70R. I want.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > CRider 03/12/2014 at 16:40

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2.7L ecoboost in the lincoln. More likely to happen than the 3.5 in the fusion.

Nibbles > CRider 03/12/2014 at 16:47

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Yes. Extend the SHO line. ST works great for the Fiesta and Focus - they're small(ish), raucous little things. SHO could be ST for the slightly more mature crowd. An AWD 3.5EB Fusion, with 6 speed manual or available x speed automatic (whatever flavor they're lickin' at the time') and you have a car for people who want the Taurus SHO but not quite.

KirkyV > Chairman Kaga 03/12/2014 at 16:58

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And guess what:

They were front wheel drive, though it never bothered me personally.

Chairman Kaga > CRider 03/12/2014 at 16:59

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Yeah, I think the 3.5 would be the SHO version.

Which is a good idea!

Fusion SE Ecoboost 2.0 is good.

Fusion ST with the 2.0 cranked up to 265 hp is better.

Fusion SHO with 3.5 Ecoboost and 330+ hp is best. Insane, but still the best.

CRider > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 03/12/2014 at 17:00

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It is more likely, but the Lincoln get the 3.7 V6 in the top model so I don't see why the 3.5 can't find it's way onto the platform in either version.

CRider > Chairman Kaga 03/12/2014 at 17:01

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It's the best, it's number one, it roots for the Yankees.

CRider > Nibbles 03/12/2014 at 17:03

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An SVT would be sportier than and SHO. SHO just means Super High Output, which most EB engines have and the Tuarus' that had the name were only fast because of their motor. SVT could allow them to really change the car in fundamental ways.

KirkyV > OPPOsaurus WRX 03/12/2014 at 17:07

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I imagine it'd be an ST. The ST badge is used to denote European Fords that have been fettled by Team RS, Ford's European performance division. That's why America got the SVT Focus, rather than the Mk1 ST.

Things have gotten a little murkier now, what with the One Ford strategy, but I'd have thought Ford would still use the ST badging and have the car be worked on primarily by Team RS, considering the popularity of the Focus and Fiesta STs, and the Fusion/Mondeo's European roots.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > CRider 03/12/2014 at 17:17

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Too close to the SHO and mustang for how much they could charge for it. They could price it near the SHO but who would pay that much when it still says "Fusion" on the spoiler. 360hp and AWD would put it awfully close to the Mustang GT though. So you want to make sure it is well clear of 30k. But how many people will drop near 40k on a fusion?

So let's revisit the lincoln - 45-50k for a 350+hp AWD sports sedan? Not a bad model for the lineup, if we're honest.

CRider > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 03/12/2014 at 18:11

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But Lincoln is a brand with no sporting DNA whatsoever. At least with Ford, there is a precedent with SVT. For $40k, a 3.5 SB Fusion with a modified suspension, a manual transmission, a different/rwd bias AWD system, nicer interior trim. BMW has no problem charging 5 Series money for a M3, and for the price of a C63 you could have an E550 4MATIC. The SHO is just a powerful engine in a Taurus, and many say that it doesn't deserve the SHO moniker.

OPPOsaurus WRX > KirkyV 03/12/2014 at 21:32

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was that wagon ever offered in the U.S.? I don't remember anything from that generation looking so good.

OPPOsaurus WRX > CRider 03/12/2014 at 21:42

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I this is making for a lot of names for the performance model. Its very simple with other brands, Its a Dodge SRT, Toyota TRD (in theory), Mercedes AMG, BMW M, Cadilac -V, Jaguar -R. Ford has ST, SVT, SHO. OPPO can keep it all straight but the average person might get overwhelmed with letter. I'd vote SVT because those are the ones I grew up with like the SVT Lightning and the SVT Cobra R. Thats what I also would have done for the Focus and Fiesta but I guess there is some connections to older European models.

CRider > OPPOsaurus WRX 03/12/2014 at 23:02

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SHO is just a moniker they used on the old Tuarus with the Yamaha tuned v6, meaning Super High Output. When the EB 3.5 debuted on the Taurus, they called it SHO even though there was nothing particularly special about it. The Taurus-based Flex has the same drivetrain but it doesn't get any special moniker. RS was Ford European tuning division, and SVT was for America. They are unique engineering teams that modify the cars like AMG does for Mercedes.

KirkyV > OPPOsaurus WRX 03/13/2014 at 06:23

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I'm sad to say that it never was, and neither was the regular saloon. I don't think any of Ford US' cars from that era had anything in common with the Mondeo.

The current Fusion is essentially the Mondeo from a couple of generations on, though. It's a shame that they don't offer the estate in the US:

OPPOsaurus WRX > KirkyV 03/13/2014 at 08:19

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Yea, I've seen pictures of that before. When I was looking for a new car I wanted that one to be here so bad. If that had the EcoBoost that the top level Flex has with AWD it would be amazing. I really wanted a V70R and that's Ford's version right there.

OPPOsaurus WRX > CRider 03/13/2014 at 08:22

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When I looked into the Flex and saw how damn fast it is I could believe it. That definitely should have gotten a special badge ST/SVT. 0-60 in under 6 seconds is pretty impressive for a car that size.