2006 Ford Review

Specifications

Taking it to the Imports

Last month Ford flew me across the continent to Dearborn to take part in a special unveiling of an all-new critically important product.

What I witnessed was what I feel is the rebirth of Ford as a highly competitive passenger car company. Not that the Five Hundred isnt an excellent car, it is in almost every way it needs to be. And the Mustang is an over the fence hit with the bases loaded to boot. But the Mustang is a strong player in a niche segment, and the Five Hundred a very large sedan that wont be suitable to midsize buyers who would normally be looking for something with Taurus dimensions.

The new Fusion is just that; a midsize offering that is actually a touch larger than most of the segments big sellers. While based on Mazdas award-winning 6 architecture, one of the smallest high-volume midsize entries, the Fusion is longer and wider than the 6 and the top-selling Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. Its overall height, however, is the lowest of the three, giving it an especially sleek profile.

Still, it doesnt seem to give up much in headroom, and its rear seat legroom is adequate enough for even large adults. Ford went so far to make sure someone with size 14 feet could enter and exit the rear seating area without getting his (or her?) shoes caught up on the B-pillar scuff plate or the back of the front seat. While my feet are about half that size, I still appreciated the cars interior dimensions when crawling around inside during the launch, an experience that proved this midsize Ford will offer a great deal more than merely sizable dimensions when it becomes available.

First of all, the quality of materials and interior fit and finish is superb. Those who would rather buy domestic in order to
bolster the economy but arent necessarily willing to put up with shoddy workmanship compared to top-tier Japanese rivals can rest assured, they wont be making concessions if they choose to buy the Fusion.

Rather than just apply soft touch materials to the top of the dash, and other areas where the hands and arms will most likely end up touching, Ford goes a step further by making sure pretty well all surfaces deliver an upscale tactile sensation, even those out of immediate reach.

To come to this conclusion I took my time poking, prodding, tapping and touching surfaces to get an overall feel for the car, and came away extremely impressed at what Ford accomplished. Its as good as the Mazda6, one of the best in the midsize segment, as good as the Camry or Accord, and better than most other midsize contenders.

What it has over most of its rivals, mind you, is a distinctly European feel in design and interior layout. Controls and switchgear are intuitively positioned, well within reach of even smallish drivers, with large knobs and buttons for climate control, audio system and other ancillary feature actuation.

The dash and center stack configuration is simple, yet clean and elegant. Theres no clutter, and surface treatments, such as satin-finished accents or the optional piano black lacquer, dress it up nicely.

And rather than just offer the same interior in different shades of black, brown or gray, Ford has taken a cue from Audi and given its Fusion cabin themes.

“In the past, the tan interior was the same as the gray interior, only it was tan,” commented Barb Whalen, color and materials manager for mid- and large-size cars. “These days, there is a lot more choice. Some people want woodgrain trim, some dont. Everyone wants his or her own personality and own car. With Fusion, we can provide that.”

Therefore, the new cars “interior environments” will include medium light stone, a two-tone combination of camel and charcoal-black, as well as a charcoal-black monotone. On the show floor the black interiors were dressed up to look sportiest, with those dressed in lighter earth tones featuring the luxury of fairly convincing woodgrain appointments, giving the sedan a more luxurious ambiance. Either way the Fusion delivered up that European flare, a style and substance combination that so many domestics often get horribly wrong, despite continued attempts to do so.

Something very un-European, or should I say un-German, is the inclusion of a convenient in-dash multi-disc CD player, capable of selecting from up to six discs at a time. While not unusual for entry-level domestic or Asian brands to include such a convenient CD system, luxury marque BMW wont even be offering such an item on its upcoming 2006 3-Series. Go figure? The BMW at least plays MP3 discs, a feature Fords Fusion will also deliver.

Something else Ford got right with the Fusion is its ergonomically correct steering wheel. Dont ask me why more brands cant seem to get this one right, but such is the case. Ford, however, fits the new entry with a ideally sized, comfortable wheel that places the hands at the best possible positioning for optimal control, 9 oclock, 3 oclock. It also tilts, allowing the best possible view of the instrument cluster and more comfortable operation, plus extends back and forth for greater comfort and control. The wheel is covered in leather in top trim levels, and features two rows of ancillary controls within a thumbs distance away. Steering wheel mounted cruise control buttons are standard, while the convenience of remote audio controls come at a premium.

Complementing the steering wheel, I found the Fusions seats very comfortable front and rear. The drivers seat is height adjustable, with six-way power actuation available and optional heated cushions for those up front. The foam is dense, and side bolstering pretty decent for this class of car. I spent more time in the drivers seat than the front passengers and those in the back, but nevertheless found each position comfortable. Its difficult to tell for certain when sitting static, but my educated guess is that the Fusion seats will be supportive over long hauls.

Speaking of going the distance, beneath the tall decklid is an especially large trunk, capable of swallowing up to 15.8 cubic feet of weekend getaway luggage. While not quite as commodious as the 16.7 cubic foot Camry trunk, it will out haul the Accords rather diminutive 13.9 cubic foot boot as well as the Mazda6s 15.1 cubic foot cargo capacity.

Now that Ive got hauling on the mind, the Fusion should also move off the line rather quickly. At 3,101 pounds in base trim, a hair lighter than the Camry and just over the Accord and 6 curb weights, its 2.3-liter, DOHC, 16-valve four-cylinder should allow the Fusion to keep up with its rivals. The base engine produces 160 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 150 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm, which is, give or take a few ponies, inline with the majority of cars in this segment, except those, like the Buick LaCrosse, which offer a standard V6.

Of course, a standard V6 cant be as fuel efficient as a four, which is the reason all the Asian brands and Ford chooses to equip its base car with the miserly engine. While exact figures are not yet available, Mazda achieves 25 mpg in the city and 32 on the highway when the 4-cylinder, which makes slightly more horsepower and torque than the Fusion, is mated to the standard 5-speed manual. Considering the base Mazda6 offers lively performance, and the Fusion doesnt way much more, the entry-level engine should be popular with budget conscious consumers.

For those wanting more get up and go, however, a 3.0-liter, DOHC, 24-valve V6 is optional, sporting 210-horsepower at 6,250 rpm and 200 lb-ft of torque at 4,750 rpm. While not as powerful as the top-line Camry, Accord or 6, the Fusion, in fully loaded form, is lighter than all three and offers a sophisticated 6-speed automatic as well, which should be enough to kick out the same spirited levels of performance its rivals deliver without the fuel economy drawbacks that normally come with larger displacement engines.

That automatic is built by Aisin, a Toyota-owned automotive supplier, and is actually the same unit that is going into the upgraded 2005 Mazda6. Mazda chose to offer it with a manual mode, allowing the driver to select his or her own gears, but Ford instead chose to let it go about its own gear selection. While milling around the show floor I asked one of Fords project engineers why this choice was made. His reasoning was that the transmission already shifts down when slowing the car, finds the correct gear to be in when cornering and holds gears during aggressive maneuvers, so why bother with the do-it-yourself shift lever. He added that most people dont even use the manual-mode as it is, so its an added cost that most can do without, and put the savings back into their wallets.

Hes got a point on both counts. Ive driven this transmission and engine combo in the Five Hundred, and its a pretty slick duo, ultra-smooth through the cogs and intuitive in its gear selection. Of course, for those who demand absolute control, the Fusion comes with a 5-speed manual, but only with the base 4-cylinder engine. The optional automatic in this configuration is a 5-speed unit. Not only does Mazda offer the 6 with a manual-mode automatic in V6 trim, but also a manual shifter - the best of both worlds for any enthusiast driver. While Ford might not see its customer base being as sport-oriented as Mazdas “zoom-zoom” crowd, I think the Fusion may move its owner demographic lower in age, and such go-fast features could be more popular than they initially have surmised. Personally, I would be a prime candidate for the Fusion, and if available would opt for the V6, manual transmission duo.

Something that may be forthcoming, albeit nary a hint was given regarding its potential, is an SVT version of the car. The Taurus, in recent years, wasnt the right platform to attach Fords fastest initials. It worked for the old Yamaha-powered V6 and V8 SHO variants that predated the SVT division, but when these debuted Fords midsize sedan was considered fresh, contemporary and even somewhat revolutionary from a domestic maker. The Fusion is more akin to the agile Contour, based on a previous generation Ford of Europe Mondeo, which sported an SVT version. If Mazda was willing, its new 270-horsepower V6, 6-speed manual transmission and all-wheel drivetrain, derived from the MazdaSpeed6, would be worthy of the SVT designation - just a thought from a hopeful sport sedan enthusiast.

Back to what is real, at least as far as I can be sure, the Fusion looks like it will be extremely talented as far as ride and handling characteristics go. Again, Ive experienced first hand what the blue-oval boys can do with a large car, making their Five Hundred dance around most competitors while on a closed course, so starting with a smaller chassis derived from one of the best slalom cars in the midsize segment, the Mazda6, should make the Fusion a lively performer.

While I have yet to drive it and validate my beliefs, for now well just have to take Fusion vehicle engineering manager Kerry Baldoris word for it, when he said, “Fusion does what you want it to do. Its light and nimble, with responsive steering, yet always feels planted.”

It features an independent short and long arm (SLA) with rearward facing lower control arms and a 24 mm stabilizer bar up front, plus a fully independent multi-link setup with coil-over shock absorbers and lower control arms with a 16 mm stabilizer bar in the rear.

Ford connects a power-assisted low-friction rack-and-pinion steering system, mounted to the front of the subframe for reduced noise and vibration levels, to a tilt and telescopic steering wheel, which after playing with it for a moment looked like it would provide all the reach and angle adjustments I would ever need. Using the 6 as a benchmark, which Im sure Ford engineers did, should result in superb road manners.

“The Fusions steering is responsive and agile,” explains Brian Vought, Fusion chief engineer. “We spent a lot of time to get just the right steering feel.”

The steering systems 2.7 turns lock-to-lock, 2.5 turns when optional 17-inch wheels and P225/50VR17 tires are fitted, and 38.7 foot turning circle, 40.0 feet with the 17-inch rims, should make for relatively agile parking lot maneuverability too. By the way, the Fusion comes with 16-inch steel wheels on P205/60TR16 tires in base trim - the same tires on alloy rims, what comes standard with 6-cylinder cars, are optional in 4-cylinder guise.

With performance being one of the cars key attributes, all Fusions will come standard with 4-wheel disc brakes, with optional 4-sensor, 3-channel ABS and electronic brake force distribution (EBD). The brake rotors are quite large, which should make for quick, controlled stops.

Yes, it sounds like Ford has developed a real drivers car for its Taurus replacement, a welcome change. That, complemented by the high quality, commodious interior makes for a strong combination. But the midsize class is relentless to those that dont measure up in what has become one, if not the single most important criteria for success; styling.

Exterior design doesnt matter as much for Toyota or Honda, because buyers of these cars choose them for their top-tier reliability, tremendous resale value, etc, etc. For Ford to make a dent in this market it has to take a page from Chryslers recently introduced 300, and make the Fusion so attractive, or at least controversial enough so that people on the street, in the lunchroom and hanging out with friends and family will bring it up in conversation. Have they succeeded?

I say yes. To me, the Fusion is downright good looking in a sophisticated, contemporary way. Its not trying to attract attention by being showy, but rather is well tailored. Its lines are crisp and well proportioned, its vertical headlight clusters and bold, three-slat chrome grille immediately more modern than 95 percent of its rivals, and overall profile sleek and sporty. Sure its taillights arent going to win any originality awards, but on the positive they dont detract from the design.

Its been a while since Ford has built a family car that I could see myself owning, but this is it. I believe, as long as new midsize car buyers become aware of it and make a point of visiting their Ford dealer, the Fusion will be a major hit.

The Fusion debuts to the world today, at the North American International Auto Show in Detroits Cobo Hall, and my guess is that for the first time in many years Ford will have something its European division will be jealous of.