Description

With solid power, excellent fuel economy, provocative styling and enhanced refinement, the 2013 Ford Fusion is a top choice for a midsize sedan. Vehicle overview The 2013 Ford Fusion first entices with its handsome styling. A bold grille, curvaceous sheet metal and a slightly longer and wider body give the new Fusion a sportier and more upscale look than its predecessor. Underneath, the Fusion is based on a new world-car platform from Ford that offers more structural rigidity for both enhanced safety and improved driving dynamics. And while the Fusion's exterior dimensions grow only slightly, the interior expands noticeably to better accommodate passengers. Under the hood you'll find a choice of three engines. To keep the buy-in price low, the entry-level example of the Fusion carries the familiar 2.5-liter four-cylinder from last year's Fusion. One step up is a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder that's rated at 36 mpg highway with the automatic transmission, which is quite impressive. But you'll also have to pay extra for this engine, so you'll want to crunch the numbers to see if it's worth it to you. For maximum performance, Ford has replaced the Fusion's previous V6 engine with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder good for 240 horsepower. The new turbo 2.0-liter is strong and returns an impressive 33 mpg on the highway. This engine is also available with all-wheel drive, making the Fusion one of the few midsize sedans to offer this traction-enhancing feature. Technology is at the forefront of the 2013 Ford Fusion's redesign. Notable Fusion features include adaptive cruise control, automated parking assist, blind-spot detection, the Sync voice command system and the latest generation of MyFord Touch. The latter is a new addition to the Fusion and utilizes a customizable touchscreen display to control many of the Fusion's electronic features. It's a cool feature in theory, but we've found MyFord Touch to be finicky to use, although it has been improved in this newest iteration. Overall, the Fusion's newfound combination of good looks, competitive fuel economy and features have placed it right in the mix of the top midsize sedans for 2013. You'll see some familiar names here, including the 2013 Honda Accord and 2013 Nissan Altima (both are also redesigned this year) plus the 2013 Kia Optima, Toyota Camry and Volkswagen Passat. Each of these cars has certain advantages, but shoppers looking for a family sedan that provides a sharp driving experience, luxury car options and head-turning looks will make an excellent choice in the 2013 Ford Fusion. 2013 Ford Fusion models The 2013 Ford Fusion is a four-door, five-passenger midsize sedan available in three trim levels: S, SE and Titanium. The Fusion S comes standard with the 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, 16-inch steel wheels, automatic headlights, full power accessories, an integrated blind spot mirror, keyless entry, cruise control, air-conditioning, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, a trip computer, 60-40-split-folding rear seats, the voice-activated Sync audio and cell phone interface, and a four-speaker sound system with a CD player, auxiliary audio jack and iPod integration. Moving up to the Fusion SE gets you 17-inch alloy wheels, exterior keypad entry, heated mirrors, an eight-way power driver seat (with power lumbar), rear air ducts, a rear fold-down armrest, an enhanced audio interface and satellite radio. The SE is also eligible for additional optional equipment. The Appearance package (Equipment Group 204A) adds 18-inch alloy wheels, a rear spoiler, foglights, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and special cloth upholstery. The Luxury package (Equipment Group 205A) adds leather upholstery, heated power front seats (10-way driver, four-way passenger), seat memory settings and an auto-dimming rearview mirror. Opting for the Technology package equips the Fusion with dual-zone automatic climate control, the MyFord Touch electronics interface (with 8-inch central LCD touchscreen and two 4-inch configurable gauge cluster displays), an upgraded version of Sync, two USB ports, an SD card reader, RCA video input jacks and a rearview camera. The Fusion Titanium comes standard with the turbocharged 2.0-liter engine, 18-inch wheels, a sport-tuned suspension, keyless ignition-entry, auto-dimming side mirrors, rear parking sensors, sport front seats, a premium 12-speaker Sony sound system, HD radio and the contents of the SE's Luxury and Technology packages. For the SE and Titanium, Ford offers the Luxury Driver Assist package, which includes automatic high-beam control, a 110-volt power outlet, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and lane departure warning and lane assist. Remote ignition is standard on the Titanium and optional on the SE. A sunroof is optional for both the SE and Titanium. The rear parking sensors are optional for the SE, while the Titanium can be had with 19-inch wheels. With the Technology package selected, the Fusion SE and Titanium can also be ordered with a navigation system, an automated parallel parking system and adaptive cruise control with collision warning and brake intervention.