With the Fusion, Ford is going another stab at a mid-size sedan that will help it overcome the stumbles with the current Taurus and the smaller Contour, which will put it between Focus and Five Hundred in size and price.
Fusion is the first variation on the Mazda6 architecture that Ford has been promising for some time, with at least nine more of different sizes, shapes, marques and pricepoints to follow in due course.
Consumers in Canada and the U.S. are supposed to be captivated by Fusion's style when it arrives this fall, and then come to appreciate its dynamic handling. That's the theory, at any rate.
Fusion is bigger than the Mazda6, which is a very good thing since the Japanese model is too cramped for many North Americans. Fusion is 30-mm wider, but primarily this upsizing was accomplished by stretching the rear of the car 55 mm to give the back seat passengers more legroom.
Indeed, Ford says the new Fusion ''challenges the class leaders in roominess, including front-shoulder room, rear-seat legroom and trunk space.''
But consumers are supposed to fall for the Fusion's exterior shape before they ever try sitting in it, or so Ford hopes. The company says Fusion has a ''standout exterior design'' with several design cues from the Ford 427 concept.
Ford says the 427 was a ''runaway hit with recent auto-show crowds,'' but I thought the concept car's shape was pedestrian and derivative. This should not have been a surprise, since Ford design boss J Mays seems to specialize in derivative looking vehicles that do better when they touch on a positive memory, such as the Mustang.
While Fusion is a sedan, Mays says it's really a ''closer sibling to the Mustang than anything else in our lineup. Even standing still, the Fusion looks like it's ready to burst out of the blocks. The strong, muscular three-bar chrome grille sets the tone for a bold new look that will change the mid-size sedan segment.''
Designers worked particularly hard to ensure passengers could slip easily into the back seat, says Mays. ''In fact, in one packaging exercise, designers donned size-14 shoes to confirm that someone with such a foot size could enter and exit without brushing the B-pillar scuff plate or the back of the front seat.''
The roomy trunk boasts a flat load floor and low liftover height, as well as compact decklid hinges that won't crush boxes or groceries. Fusion's rear seats feature a standard 60/40-split and fold-flat function with spring assist, allowing pass-through access to handle extra-long items and provide generous storage space.
Ford's commitment to interiors shows up again in Fusion, since it can be ordered with one of three distinct interior themes that are supposed to allows customers to person¬alize their driving environment.
Mays explains that buyers can opt for a unified color layout, a two-tone theme, or move up to the SES model with its premium cloth or leather seating, including black leather with contrasting oatmeal-colored stitching.
On all models, Mays says, a variety of high-end features are available, including height-adjustable driver's seat, tilt-and-telescope steering wheel, heated front seats with six-way power adjustments for the driver and a six-disc in-dash CD player that also reads MP3-encoded audio discs.
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Consumers in Canada and the U.S. are supposed to be captivated by Fusion's style when it arrives this fall, and then come to appreciate its dynamic handling. That's the theory, at any rate.
Fusion is bigger than the Mazda6, which is a very good thing since the Japanese model is too cramped for many North Americans. Fusion is 30-mm wider, but primarily this upsizing was accomplished by stretching the rear of the car 55 mm to give the back seat passengers more legroom.
Indeed, Ford says the new Fusion ''challenges the class leaders in roominess, including front-shoulder room, rear-seat legroom and trunk space.''
But consumers are supposed to fall for the Fusion's exterior shape before they ever try sitting in it, or so Ford hopes. The company says Fusion has a ''standout exterior design'' with several design cues from the Ford 427 concept.
Ford says the 427 was a ''runaway hit with recent auto-show crowds,'' but I thought the concept car's shape was pedestrian and derivative. This should not have been a surprise, since Ford design boss J Mays seems to specialize in derivative looking vehicles that do better when they touch on a positive memory, such as the Mustang.
While Fusion is a sedan, Mays says it's really a ''closer sibling to the Mustang than anything else in our lineup. Even standing still, the Fusion looks like it's ready to burst out of the blocks. The strong, muscular three-bar chrome grille sets the tone for a bold new look that will change the mid-size sedan segment.''
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The roomy trunk boasts a flat load floor and low liftover height, as well as compact decklid hinges that won't crush boxes or groceries. Fusion's rear seats feature a standard 60/40-split and fold-flat function with spring assist, allowing pass-through access to handle extra-long items and provide generous storage space.
Ford's commitment to interiors shows up again in Fusion, since it can be ordered with one of three distinct interior themes that are supposed to allows customers to person¬alize their driving environment.
Mays explains that buyers can opt for a unified color layout, a two-tone theme, or move up to the SES model with its premium cloth or leather seating, including black leather with contrasting oatmeal-colored stitching.
On all models, Mays says, a variety of high-end features are available, including height-adjustable driver's seat, tilt-and-telescope steering wheel, heated front seats with six-way power adjustments for the driver and a six-disc in-dash CD player that also reads MP3-encoded audio discs.