None of these cars are bad and if I were you I would buy the one I most enjoyed drivng and fits your transportation needes and maintain it by the book. As other spoint out, you will get good service out of all of them.
My personal choice of this set would be the Fusion, since I enjoy driving cars, especially ones that are quiet and comfortable! The Fusion fitts that description, the others don’t.
I can go to the company my father works for and show you a dozen F150/250s that have over 200k.
I’ll take you to my brother-in-laws construction company. He’s a Ex Chryco Plant manager…Started with Ram trucks…went to Ford…Now on Toyota and is never going back. He was loosing DAYS in work with one vehicle being down or another…This is a small company and can’t afford to even have one truck down for 2 or more days.
Ford has an outstanding record for longevity and reliability on the F-series trucks.
He’s NOT looking at a F series pickup. The Escape…when it was first introduced…set a record for having the MOST recalls of any vehicle in it’s class EVER. I sure hope they’ve improved since then.
I like my sample size better.
I am not saying that Toyotas are not good vehicles, quite the contrary, they are rather nice vehicles (although I wish the Tacoma was not changed from the last generation). I just think that people put far too much focus on the manufacturer and not on there own maintenance of the vehicle.
It is like blaming the butcher for you high cholesterol.
I have a 2007 Ford Focus now but my future wife is gonna get the car. And I’m 6’3" so I’ve always wanted something higher up and bigger. I won’t be towing much that I’m aware of. My job doesn’t require it or anything. I just want something bigger.
I agree maintenance is extremely important…But in my example…what did my brother-in-law do…change the maintenance of his vehicles when he bought the Toyota’s??? Maintenance was EXACTLY the same. He’s just seeing far less down time with the Toyota’s then he ever did with the Fords or Rams. He owns 4 pickups (one for himself and 3 for his 3 sons). In a business time is money.
The new F150 far outperforms the Ridgeline. Who makes a unibody truck anyway, that’s just wrong. If you don’t need a truck, the element is not bad, I think the Ford Edge is a more realistic comparison to the element? You’re comparing honda truckish vehicles to Ford cars, so it doesn’t matter which is better, what do you want?
In that case, I recommend you look at several car-based SUVs. The new Honda CR-V has gotten larger than the previous generation. I also like the Toyota Rav4. These should satisfy your desire to sit higher in a larger vehicle.
Getting a truck or a truck-based SUV when you don’t need one would be really wasteful. Getting an SUV at all is kind of wasteful if you don’t need one, but at least a car-based SUV would be less so.
Edit: Of the models you list, I guess I would recommend the Honda Element, but I still think you should test drive a Honda CR-V.
Actually, his other post said he was interested in an F-150. I’d still consider the F-150 seriously compared to a Ridgeline.
mcp has it right. it worked on my Civic awhile back. Rough idle and a little vibration when idling. Took it down a straight road that’s rarely traveled and just floored it. After that, she was purring like a kitten.
which is better, chocolate or vanilla ice cream?
I don’t care for either one myself, but to answer your question and compare the two:
This is my opinion of the models in general terms…this means taking into consideration all the different styles and models.
Ford - Short to Medium life span, Fair to Good reliability, Inexpensive parts, Poor Appreciation Value
Honda - Medium to Long life span, Excellent reliability, Expensive parts, Excellent Appreciation Value
As for the particular models you listed, I have not owned or worked on any of them, but my best friend owns a Sport Trac and absolutely LOVES it…and she has NEVER been a fan of Fords…so that speaks a lot…
“which is better, chocolate or vanilla ice cream?”
yes.
Again, what do you mean by “better”? Do you want a car that handles well on twisty-turny racer roads, one that cruises on interstates with no hint of the concrete pavement joints, a car that handles rough urban streets with aplomb, one that is inexpensive, high fuel efficiency, the ultimate reliability…?
These people think the Fusion is a pretty neat car: http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/autos_content_landing_pages/853/ford-fusion-hybrid-tops-camry-prius-in-comparisons
Andy,
I own a 2005 Ford Escape XLT with 3.0L V6 2WD 71,500 miles so far I like it but the problem is it uses too much fuel city probably 15 to 20 mpg but hwy is about 25. Hopefully it helps you decide. Good luck hunting!
Pete
Whitey, you need to read the op posts better. The op never said the F150 was a choice he was considering. Also the op is not considering an SUV rather than a car, a car is in the mix.
However, catching up with Japanese quality is difficult since it is a moving target. Japan seems to stay one step ahead of Detroit and Europe.
Whitey, keep in mind not all Japanese cars are better or even considered better than domestics. Thumbs up to Honda, Toyota & Subaru for quality that is considered better but Mitsubishi and Mazda are not considered better than domestics. IMOO I would group Nissan as even than or better but in reality it is really what you like and/or have good luck with.
I am a Toyota fanatic, and this is no secret. However, my goal is very high mileage on a car. And, I drive all over the US and much of Mexico.
For people whose mileage per year is less, and who plan to keep a car a shorter time, I think one can get a good deal on a Ford or other make. Up over 100,000 miles most major makes should get you through. 300,000 is a different matter. While there are folks here who claim hundreds of thousands of trouble-free miles on US cars, I certainly haven’t seen that myself. Dedicated US car owners seem to tolerate more repairs on higher mileage as a normal thing.
Mine’s bigger than yours is…