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A quiet, rational revolt against boring.
It’s no longer enough for a automobile to be excellent in the mid-size-sedan class. Reputable, comfortable, and quiet family members sedans that get great fuel economy are thick on dealer lots no matter which brand you shop. To be a star in this segment a auto requirements personality—style that stands out, luxury beyond its value, or exceptional functionality. Set the bar there and the number of household sedans worth thinking about dwindles to fewer than 5, with the Ford Fusion appropriate in the hunt.
Style and Luxury Beyond Its Price tag
Whilst the competitors is virtually universally defined by conservative, mass-appeal styling, the Fusion stands apart with a shapely body and sharp specifics. A sticker price tag of $ 36,415 suggests a auto at the leading of its mid-size segment, yet our Fusion Titanium test vehicle reaches even larger. With deep red leather seats ($ 695) and more technology than a $ 45,000 BMW, the Fusion does a convincing impression of a luxury auto. On best of a long list of common gear, our test example added heated and cooled front seats, a heated steering wheel, 19-inch wheels, inflatable rear seatbelts, and navigation. On that final item, we’re pleased to report that the MyFord Touch technique has evolved into something friendlier than it was in early iterations. It is far quicker and the touch-sensitive controls beneath the 8-inch screen react reliably and promptly to the very first tap. It is achievable that a half-decade of slow, tedious, and just plain dangerous navigation systems has made it also effortless to impress us, but we heard couple of complaints.
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Quiet, Competent Dynamics
Those who seek driving pleasure in a sensible package will be much better served with a single of our 2 2014 10Best–winning family members sedans, the Honda Accord and the Mazda 6. The Fusion’s steering is not as sharp, its chassis is not as buttoned down, and its transmission is not as snappy. But if you seek comfort and composure, the Fusion delivers with a touch of European sensibility in the chassis tuning. The Fusion actions over heaves and potholes in a way that suggests its dampers and bushings were chosen with the care and budget typically reserved for luxury automobiles. And while it doesn’t bait you into swinging around corners, the steering has good heft and good on-center surety. A 70-mph stopping distance of 172 feet places the Fusion right in the mix with the competitors. That’s a marked improvement more than the prior-generation Fusion, which had abysmal brakes with distances occasionally stretching beyond 200 feet.
The 240-hp turbocharged 4-cylinder in our test car is the only engine option that opens this all-wheel-drive choice. The 2.-liter EcoBoost is the leading performer in a crowded engine lineup that consists of 3 4-cylinders, a hybrid powertrain, and the Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid. You can pair it with front-wheel drive, but the $ 2000 all-wheel-drive program is a excellent acquire for those in northern climates, specially because you’re currently $ 33,425 deep with the motor and Titanium trim. Whilst the drivetrain normally routes all energy by way of the front wheels, an electronically controlled clutch pack seamlessly dispatches the engine’s 270 lb-ft of torque to the ground via all 4 wheels when necessary. On a rainy day, we mashed the throttle over and more than, around corners, off the line, and from a roll with no signs of wheelspin or torque steer.
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At 7.3 seconds to 60 mph, acceleration of this most strong model is only middling for the segment. Older Fusion V-6s had been half a second faster. More disappointingly, the turbo 4 is just as thirsty as a V-6. We averaged 20 mpg, beneath even the Fusion’s EPA city rating of 22 and nowhere near the 31-mpg highway rating. For those who’ve been paying attention to Ford’s EcoBoost technique, this comes as no surprise. Whether or not they’re installed in F-150s, loved ones crossovers, or Fiestas, these downsized turbo engines have hardly ever lived up to the promises created by the fuel-economy label.
A Qualified Segment Leader
We like the Ford Fusion for its fetching style and its competent chassis. While we rank the Honda Accord and the Mazda 6 as a lot more fun and just as pragmatic, Ford does have 1 undeniable benefit over that pair. The Fusion is 1 of really couple of mid-size sedans that delivers all-wheel drive. If that requires a higher priority than performance or fuel economy in your search for a loved ones sedan, you can not do far better than a Ford Fusion.
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