By: Denis Droppa
Johannesburg - The search for cold fusion has captivated the world’s cleverest thinkers for decades. Finding this scientific holy grail would mean nuclear fusion could be achieved at room temperature, creating a cheap and abundant source of clean energy.
This so-far elusive quest can possibly be likened to the efforts of new or traditionally non-luxury brands to break into the executive-car scene dominated by Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. It’s arguable which feat is harder.
Brand snobbery rules in this price range and pretenders to the throne like VW, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Lexus and Infiniti don’t carry the prestige of the German monarchy – a fact harshly revealed in sales figures.
This hasn’t stopped Ford from having another crack at this status-obsessed segment with the Fusion, after the capable but notably non-German Mondeo of a few years ago failed to stimulate a palace revolt.
The non-premium badge will no doubt leave some prospective customers feeling cold about the Fusion. Strip away the brand prejudice, however, and this Ford does pretty much all that’s expected of an executive sedan: roominess, comfort, good power, great safety, refinement, and a lengthy list of life-easing gadgets. It even looks a little bit like an Aston Martin from the front, giving it more-than-average road presence compared to a more demure Honda Accord or Volkswagen Passat.
Behind that Aston-like grille is a choice of turbocharged petrol or diesel engines.
Range-topper has ST power
The petrol 2-litre Fusion is available in two derivatives: the 2.0T Trend with outputs of 148kW and 300Nm, and the car on test here, the 2.0T Titanium with more power (177kW/340Nm) and extra toys.
The same engine that makes the Focus ST tick – albeit slightly detuned from 184kW to 177kW – is a similarly fast-paced thing in the larger and heavier Fusion, and the grunt isn’t too badly crippled by the extra mass.
It’s a brisk and eager performer and it’s paired with a similarly quick-reacting six-speed auto transmission that makes the power very accessible. There’s almost no turbo lag to speak of and the engine comes to life quickly, easing contentedly into long-legged cruising ability and spirited overtaking pace.
The actual numbers make for good braai-side credibility too, with a 240km/h top speed and a claimed ability to hit 100 in 7.9 seconds.
This liveliness doesn’t make for an overly thirsty car and the onboard computer showed an average of 10.9 litres per 100km, which isn’t too bad although Ford claims 8.5. Still, if fuel economy’s higher on your priority list the diesel-powered Fusion 2-litre TDCI looks a better proposition with its 6.3 litres per 100km (as tested by us).
Agile, but ride’s not the best
The front-wheel-drive Fusion rolls along with the quiet-spoken refinement you expect of a premium car, and it feels very solid. It’s more of a driver’s car than some rivals (particularly the Sonata and new-generation Accord), and has very agile road manners along with well-weighted steering. The ride quality is one area where this exec sedan falters somewhat, and it doesn’t match the silky-smoothness of the German monarchs.
The Fusion glides along nicely on undulations but the ride feels fidgety over bumpy roads, and the suspension and tyres don’t deal as well as they could with small irregularities, as if the tyres were overinflated (we checked, they weren’t).
Four-star interior
Inside it’s a luxurious and leather-clad environment if not quite up to scratch compared to the German luxury trio. There are still some plasticky surfaces that earn the interior a four-star rather than five-star luxury grading.
It’s a very roomy cabin though, and with a length of 4.8 metres (compared to a segment average of 4.6m) the Fusion’s a very large sedan. Luggage space is plentiful too with the aid of a space-saver spare wheel in the floor, and 453 litres of stuff can be crammed into the boot. The rear seats flip down to accommodate large shopping expeditions or weekend toys.
The 2.0T Titanium is not short of spec and the standard comforts list includes heated front seats, leather upholstery, a full-colour trip computer and a top-notch infotainment system. The infotainment’s controlled by a large touchscreen which is mostly intuitive to use, but one misses real buttons with a real tactile feel to adjust the temperature of the climate control system, rather than the touchscreen’s finicky small icons.
Adaptive LED headlamps swivel to illuminate corners better and also auto-dim to prevent blinding other traffic. Standard safety includes ABS brakes, stability control and a full house of front and side airbags, including one for the driver’s knee.
Advanced safety kit
Higher-end safety features from luxury cars are starting to filter down into this class, including adaptive cruise control that automatically keeps the Fusion at safe following distances. It’s a handy feature that makes life easier when driving in traffic.
As part of an options pack the Fusion also has active city stop (which brakes the car autonomously to avoid low-speed bumper bashings), and a lane-keeping aid that worked intermittently in our test car.
There’s a 4-year/80 000km service plan for the Fusion petrol derivatives and 5-year/90 000km for the diesels. All versions come with a 4-year/120 000km warranty.
VERDICT
The Ford Fusion hasn’t quite cracked the code to be able to stand alongside the German monarchs in the executive car segment.
Apart from its bourgeois badge being off-putting to status seekers, it’s not quite in the Audi-BMW-Merc league yet in terms of ride quality and interior dazzle.
But the Fusion 2.0T Titanium is a lot of car for the money. Powerful, refined and well-specced, it’s also roomier than most of the opposition and has an appealingly competitive pricetag. -Star Motoring
ALTERNATIVES
Ford Fusion 2.0T Titanium - 177kW and 340Nm - R507 900
Audi A4 2.0T TFSI - 140kW and 320Nm - R511 000
BMW 330i - 185kW and 350Nm - R584 722
Infiniti Q50 2.0T Sport - 155kW and 350Nm - R513 300
Jaguar XE 2.5T Prestige - 177kW and 340Nm - R711 226
Lexus IS200t E - 180kW and 350Nm - R558 500
Mercedes C250 - 155kW and 350Nm - R573 066
VW Passat 2.0 TSI R-Line - 162kW and 350Nm - R518 000
Volvo S60 T5 Momentum - 180kW and 350Nm - R530 950