Given all the attention given to small crossover utilities these days, one could be forgiven for thinking that they have completely taken over the market for anything that isn’t a full-size pickup truck. While that wouldn’t be an unreasonable assumption, it’s also wrong. In a market of nearly 17.5 million sales in 2015, mainstream midsize sedans still accounted for more than 2.5 million sales which is precisely why Ford is launching a refreshed version of the Fusion this spring.
When the second-generation Fusion went on sale in late 2012, Ford proudly touted the new design, driving dynamics, technology, choice of engines and what was originally hoped to be best-in-class fuel economy. Heading into 2017, Ford engineers and designers have focused on refining three out of four of those aspects of the car. Ever since the company got busted by the EPA for overstating the fuel efficiency of the Fusion hybrids and several other models, they rarely mention that and with gas prices below $2 per gallon, consumers seem to be more interested in performance than efficiency these days.
Hence Ford has added a Fusion Sport that is in many ways more the the spiritual successor to the original to the original Taurus SHO than any recent SHO has been. The success of the premium Titanium trim level has also spawned an even more luxurious Platinum edition.
If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It
The debut of the Fusion at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit was the coming out party for what was then called the new “Face of Ford.” While many rightly accused Ford of slavishly copying design cues from Aston Martin, the luxury brand formerly owned by the Dearborn automaker, the look was undeniably stylish, setting a new direction for a segment led by the bland but functional Toyota Camry. In the years since, Ford designers have continued to massage the look and apply it to other Ford cars including the Fiesta and Focus.
The 2017 updates are subtle but effective in ratcheting up the style another notch. The headlamp modules now have a slight step down halfway along the lower edge and Titanium, Platinum and Sport models get LED low, high and fog beam lamps plus signature light strips across the upper edge. The LED lighting is also included on SE models with the newly available Lux package.
The hexagonal grille that attracted so much attention in 2012 has now been stretched out horizontally, similar to the execution on the 2015 Focus. The five horizontal chrome bars of the current model are retained on the S, SE and Titanium models but they have now been pushed out closer to flush with the surrounding bodywork. On the Sport and Platinum models, the bars are replaced by a mesh design similar to what can be found on the Fiesta ST and Focus ST with the Sport getting a black finish and the Platinum going with chrome. Both get a chrome accent ring around the perimeter. The Sport gets a uniquely shaped lower fascia that takes cues from the angled “tusks” found on the Shelby GT350.
Out back, the changes are largely limited to new taillamp lenses. The Sport gets quad exhaust tips similar to the Shelby Mustangs and a standard decklid spoiler. Inside, the MyFord Touch infotainment has been banished in favor of the much improved SYNC3 and the previous touch sensitive center console controls are replaced with proper physical switches. As announced at CES, Fusions and other Fords with SYNC 3 will get support for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay starting this spring.
It’s been some time since the shift lever in most cars actually moved a cable to control the automatic transmission. Rather than retaining the traditional vertical lever that simply actuates electrical switches, Ford has followed the lead of other automakers switched to a rotary dial to select park, reverse, neutral or drive. This clears a mostly anachronistic piece of hardware out of the center console area and provides easier access to the media bin and USB charging port at the base of the center stack.
When the current Fusion debuted as a 2013 model, it offered more driver assist features than any other mainstream car, but it has since been matched or exceeded by many of the other segment players. The 2017 model adds new capabilities that at least match the best-in-class but don’t leap frog anyone. The adaptive cruise control system now functions all the way down to a full stop and can resume with a tap of a button on the steering wheel. Like the Chrysler 200, the active park assist now supports perpendicular in addition to parallel parking and the lane departure warning camera now has pedestrian detection as part of the collision warning.
More Luxury
Since the debut of the Titanium trim level on Fords several years ago, this package of luxury features has proved to be a popular way for mainstream customers to get the amenities found in premium brands like Lexus and Audi at a more affordable price point. For 2017, the Fusion is encroaching even further on the space once reserved for its platform-mate the Lincoln MKZ with a new Platinum trim level that is similar to the Vignale trim available on the Mondeo in Europe. Like the MKZ and the Mondeo Vignale, the Fusion platinum gets LED headlamps and fogs and the continuously controlled dampers (CCD) that improve both ride quality and handling.
One of the unique features of CCD is the pothole detection that senses a sudden increase in vertical acceleration for a wheel that indicates that it’s dropping into a pothole. When this happens, the dampers are instantly firmed up so the wheel doesn’t drop as far, staying closer to the surface when it hits the other side of the pothole. The result is a smoother ride.
The platinum is further set apart from the titanium with unique interior trimmings and 19-inch alloy wheels (18s on the hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions). The second-generation 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder along with all-wheel-drive is standard on non-hybrid platinum models.
The True Son Of SHO
The last time a Ford offered a Fusion Sport from 2009 to 2012 it was powered by a normally aspirated 3.5-liter V6 but no V6 has been available in the Fusion since its 2013 redesign. That all changes this year with the rebirth of the Sport, now propelled by the excellent 2.7-liter “Nano” EcoBoost V6. Since debuting on the 2015 F-150, this all-new, smaller twin-turbo V6 has also found a home in the Edge Sport and a larger 3.0-liter variant has been announced for the 2017 Lincoln MKZ. In the Fusion, the V6 is projected to produce 325-horsepower and 350 lb.-ft. of torque which should make this a genuinely quick family sedan.
Back in the early-1990s, the Taurus SHO became an instant cult classic with its Yamaha-built 220-hp V6 but by the time the SHO brand was revived in 2010, the Taurus had become a much larger and less nimble machine. Ever since the current Fusion arrived three years ago, SHO fans have been hoping that Ford would sprinkle some of the magic of the Fiesta ST and Focus ST on the sedan to create something more like the original SHO and it now appears that they have done exactly that. In addition to the V6, the sport gets two-inch larger front brake rotors and dual-piston calipers with 45-millimeter pistons to help scrub off speed.
While the idea of high-performance Fusion Sport powered by one of Ford’s excellent twin-turbocharged V6 engines sounds great in principle, the downside is likely to be mass. Until now the current generation Fusion has only been available with a range of four-cylinder powerplants. If you wanted six cylinders you’d have to step over to the Lincoln MKZ. While Ford hasn’t yet revealed weight figures for the Fusion Sport, a comparison of weights for the latest Ford Edge SEL and Sport with the same 2.0-liter four-cylinder and 2.7-liter V6 engines in the Fusion reveals a weight gain of just over 300-pounds.
The Edge Sport rides on 20-inch wheels rather than the 19s on the Fusion so the sedan is likely to gain somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 to 250-pounds with the V6. If so, that would likely put it somewhere between 3,900 and 4,000-pounds. A 2016 Nissan Maxima Platinum comes in at just under 3,600-pounds giving it about the same weight to power ratio as the Fusion.
The 2.3-liter EcoBoost found in the Mustang and soon the Focus RS might actually have been a better choice for the Fusion to keep weight down without sacrificing acceleration. It’s possible that Ford either had insufficient capacity for the larger turbo four-cylinder or determined that the refinement levels were not what they wanted in the Fusion.
The Rest Of The Family
The existing 2.5-liter normally aspirated, 1.5-liter EcoBoost and hybrid powertrains available in the Fusion are essentially carryover for 2017. The one notable change is that the automatic stop-start that was formerly a $295 option with the 1.5 is now standard with that engine. The hybrid and plug-in hybrid are getting some recalibration for improved refinement in 2017 although, it’s not expected to impact fuel economy.
Most 2017 Fusions will be available starting in May with the Sport arriving later in July. The Sport which Ford expects to account for 3 to 5 percent of sales will start at $34,350 (including delivery charges) while the 2.0-liter EcoBoost-powered Platinum will cost $37,495. The base Fusion S is effectively the same price at $22,995.
Despite crossovers continuing to chip away at the market share of midsize sedans in the coming years, between upgraded models like the Fusion, Altima and Accord and strong new competitors like the Chevy Malibu, overall sales will probably remain relatively stable at around 2.5 million for a while. That means we’ll probably continue to see ever better offerings from every major automakers and that’s a good thing.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/samabuelsamid/2016/01/11/2017-ford-fusion-refreshed-looks-more-luxury-and-more-speed/
2016-01-11T05:01:00+00:00