2013 Ford Fusion: Ford's Lights-Out Family Sedan Challenges Segment Leaders

There are two distinct camps in the world of affordable mid-size sedans: those companies that believe in maintaining the status quo of dull, but comfortable cars whose styling could easily be lost in a parking lot full of look-alikes, and those manufacturers that are instead pushing the boundaries of design and driving experience in the family segment.

The 2013 Ford Fusion fall distinctly into the second group, alongside vehicles like the Mazda MAZDA6 and the Hyundai Sonata, making a distinct effort to separate itself from an increasingly homogenous pack of competent yet ultimately un-engaging automobiles.  Ford's decision to pursue something more than ordinary with the redesigned Fusion is something to be applauded, and the 2013 model takes a surprising number of risks for a model that has been pegged to sell in huge volumes.

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All-New Inside And Out

The 2013 Ford Fusion is almost unrecognizable to anyone familiar with the previous generation of the sedan, trading in its angled front end for a wide-mouth fascia, bold and muscular bumpers, and a sleek shape that wouldn't look out of place on a vehicle costing twice as much as the sedan's $24,149 starting price.  The car is simply stunning, and although I've gotten more used to its personality since first seeing it a year ago in Detroit, it doesn't change the fact that few other cars in its class offer the same level of striking design.  Inside it's more of the same, with the test model I drove featuring the MyFord Touch system of digital gauges, a large LCD touchscreen, a flat touch panel for interacting with the vehicle's climate and entertainment features, and nicely-sculpted seats that had an almost-retro leather-wrapped look.

Interior room has been improved for both front and rear passengers, and while it doesn’t lead the segment in total volume it does provide a comfortable place to spend a few hundred kilometres or so without feeling fatigued or cramped by the end of the trip.  Visibility is also good for the driver, an attribute that is becoming increasingly rare in this era of over-sized A-pillars.  From a features perspective, MyFord Touch is a step in the right direction but its controls are still too finicky - not all of the buttons responded to my gloves hands, and I also continually had problems navigating on-screen menus using the touchpads on the vehicle's steering wheel.

Three Flavours Of Four-Cylinder Power

Ford has erased last year's V6 engine option off of the order sheet and instead replaced it with three available four-cylinder motors.  The vehicle I drove was outfitted with the mid-tier option, a 1.6-liter turbocharged EcoBoost mill that was rated at 178 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque.  Matched with a six-speed automatic transmission, the motor is pleasant to drive and delivers more than enough grunt to deal with the traffic encountered on the daily grind.  It's not impressively quick, but it doesn't have to be - and more importantly it never feels laggy, nor did it have me longing for a V6 under the hood.

Where the 1.6-liter EcoBoost falls down is with respect to fuel efficiency.  I managed to return 11.5 l/100 km in combined city and highway driving with the car, which is far below its officially-listed 7.1 l/100 km rating.  It wasn't like I was pushing the car particularly hard, either - even when cruising on the highway at legal speeds the instant fuel mileage readout never came close to 5.3 l/100 km the engine was supposed to be providing me with.

This begs the question: if the 1.6-liter motor isn't really all that frugal, then why pay more for it?  Sticking with the vehicle's base 175 horsepower, 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine (same as in last year's model) is cheaper and will most likely deliver comparable performance at the fuel pump and on the road.  If more power is desired, then 240 horses and 270 lb-ft of torque can be had in the form of a 2.0-liter EcoBoost motor (along with standard all-wheel drive).  Each of these engines is shifted via the same six-speed autobox found with the 1.6-liter (although the smallest of the two EcoBoost motors can also be had with an available six-speed manual transmission).

Exceptional Handling And Composure

Despite its middling fuel economy, the 2013 Ford Fusion's truly enjoyable chassis made for an excellent pairing with its turbocharged engine.  The Fusion was all-too willing to corner at speeds faster than one would typically attempt in a family-oriented vehicle, and its braking was also predictable and excellent even in the snow.  The transmission offered a Sport mode, but other than higher revs in each gear and perhaps a slightly more sensitive throttle I could see no real benefit over the standard Drive setting.  The Fusion's ability to provide the kind of suspension tuning that won't wake a sleeping baby while driving through a construction zone with a responsiveness to driver inputs that had the car carving through long turns with ease is impressive, and rare, for such an inexpensive model.

The All-Around Package

Unlike many of its all-things to all-people competitors, the 2013 Ford Fusion has been designed to go one step further in attracting drivers to its well-bolstered front left seat.  Yes, vehicles like the Toyota Camry and the Nissan Altima provide spacious interiors, excellent fuel mileage, and a range of electronic doodads and other luxury features, but while they might present excellent value they certainly don't ever raise one's pulse when behind the wheel - and no one is going to give either of these models a second glance when walking away from their evening parking spot.

The Ford Fusion, on the other hand, marries style, practicality, and fun with a price tag that is equal to its main competitors.  It's hard to remember a time when it was possible to pay so little for such a good looking car while still enjoying a proper back seat and the kind of driving experience that tempted you to take the long way home on a Friday evening commute.