Sedan puts on its Sunday best
MY SISTER once nagged me to choose a Ford Mondeo as my next company car. I say nagged, because she was only eight years old and you know how persistent they can be at that age. It was not the styling that she was keen on — after all, the first generation Mondeo looked as though it had been tipped out of a jelly mould. It was not about performance either, and it was certainly not about standing out from the crowd because it was already a sales rep mobile with thousands on the roads of the UK.
Bizarrely it was because the Mondeo was the first car to have a pollen filter and she thought this would help her hayfever. Bright one, my sis. I think she might have been a little disappointed when I opted for a Renault.
I bring this tale up because Ford has now launched the new Fusion in SA, which is the Mondeo in European markets. Like the pollen filter, once again it is the tech that makes it instantly stand out, at least in its segment.
We are used to cars such as the Mercedes-Benz S-Class being packed with tech. The industry is moving in this direction at an incredible pace with the ultimate goal of the autonomous car. The new Fusion is not quite there yet, but Ford has packed as much in as it can. It has also done this at a price that will have rivals scratching their heads in disbelief.
These days it is not just all about the bass, it is about the whole infotainment system and the Fusion gets the new Sync 2 setup. Depending on specification and options, this can include voice commands, downloadable apps, electronic seat adjustment, climate control adjustment, Bluetooth telephony and audio streaming and more. Annoyingly, everything except navigation, which still requires your own unit or an app on your cellphone.
Much of this tech can also be controlled with the buttons on the multifunction steering wheel using a menu system on the digital instrument cluster. Depending on model and options, the cluster displays settings for the lane departure warning, blind spot alert, active cruise control, traffic sign recognition and more, most of which can feature as more expensive options if you view a German badge as the ultimate executive statement. There is even a heads up display to warn you if you are approaching a car in front too fast or travelling too close, with audible warnings before the car slams on the brakes. Still on safety, it can be ordered with the MyKey system which is great if you lend your car to your kids because it can be programmed not only to limit the speed and the audio volume, but even stop the car starting if they do not have seat belts on.
The tech might be a highlight, but the Fusion also stands out for its styling. Despite disbanding the Ford Premier Automotive Group which contained Volvo, Jaguar and Aston Martin, the company is hanging on to a few styling cues. The frontal styling of the Fiesta and Focus have been likened to the front of an Aston, something I am sure Aston is none too happy about. The same is true with the Fusion, although unlike its lesser siblings which have that Aston style grille on the top models, it is the lower models that have the chrome treatment. The high Titanium spec gets a black honeycomb grille like that in the Focus ST.
It also gets the Focus ST engine, a 2l EcoBoost petrol powerplant that delivers 177kW and 340Nm. This eclipses almost all its rivals except for the Honda Accord 3.5 V6 and the Volvo S60 T6, both of which cost at least R100,000 more. At R424,900 for the flagship without any of the option packs, it poses a serious threat to less powerful and less well-equipped models from other marques like Lexus, Hyundai and even former sister company Mazda. Even the 2l Trend version has 149kW under your right foot.
My driving highlight was the 2l but the big surprise was the 1.5l EcoBoost model. With 132kW and 240Nm it hustled surprisingly well through the narrow, twisty and occasionally downright scary Bainskloof Pass. The six-speed auto box which is also standard on the 2l models had to take a moment to think on occasion and the car felt surprisingly lightfooted. Any concern that this might translate into tricky handling quickly dissipated but it lacked that solid feel of the Germans.
In spite of the availability of a 177kW engine, the Fusion is not a performance model, nor are there any immediate plans for an ST version, according to Ford SA. I suspect that is not true, though.
The Fusion is a medium nonpremium executive car and this is why I am not too concerned that the 2l turbodiesel with its PowerShift transmission was actually a bit of a disappointment. It was great at low revs which will keep owners happy in the urban environment, but it was a bit lacklustre at overtaking speeds.
Ford is making a statement with its new Fusion but it is debuting in a difficult market which has seen a massive drop in sales. The company is enjoying a major resurgence which is likely to help, as is the trend towards downsizing from more expensive options which could kickstart the segment. With a starting price of R349,900 it will appeal to those who seek value over status.
Ford has launched its Fusion into the medium executive market