Ford Fusion Test Drive

We had a chance to drive the 2006 Ford Fusion for four days. This wasn’t our first time in a Fusion, we also drove one briefly at a media event. We left that test drive with nothing positive to say about the car. However this time around we can’t say enough about how impressed we are. We’re not sure what changed between our first drive and now, the car was exactly the same (down to the VIN #) so perhaps we just needed more seat time to let the Fusion to grow on us. And did it ever!
The Fusion is Ford’s newest 4-door. It is meant to fit between the Focus and Five Hundred in their vehicle line up. Although after also having recently rented a Focus we think they should scrap the Focus and make a two door Fusion. The Fusion is also represented as the Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr in Ford’s brand hierarchy.

Incidentally, while driving the car quite a few people thought the name Fusion implied the car was a hybrid. They are on the right track, in 2008 Ford will offer the Fusion with a hybrid engine.

The Fusion is offered with Ford’s 2.3-liter Duratec I-4 or 3.0-liter Duratec V-6. We had the V6, which pumps out 221 horsepower at 6250 rpm and 205 ft.lbs. of torque at 4800 rpm. That is 70 horsepower per liter – making the power to displacement of the 5.0L and 4.6L Mustangs look like under achievers. The DOHC 10:1 compression all-aluminum motor is pretty high tech. Coated pistons, cracked powdered metal rods, and a steel crank are some of the features that make this 3.0L rev smooth to 6500 rpm. With the six speed automatic transmission (no manual is offered for the V6) the car hits 0-to-60 in a respectable 8 seconds. The six speed shifts better than a manual in terms of keeping the rpms up between shifts. 1st gear in the transmission is a ultra low 4.15:1, while the axle ratio is 3.46:1. Check out this video to get an idea of how well it screams.

Speaking of screams, we thought the Fusion sounded pretty nice for a six cylinder. The car features true dual exhaust pipes with dual mufflers. Ford has engineered the exhaust to provides a 10:1 ratio of exhaust volume to engine displacement to slow the flow of exhaust gases, resulting in a sophisticated exhaust note. The induction system features an electronically controlled communication valve to adjust its effective internal volume based on speed and load, contributing to consistently desirable sound levels. We’d like to see some aftermarket induction parts to really let the Fusion breath.

For a front wheel drive car, especially one with a decent amount of power, the Fusion handles exceptionally well. The Ford CD3 chassis is very solid and one can feel similarities between the way this car handles and how the new Mustang handles. Fusion employs a multi-link independent rear suspension that works like a double-wishbone setup by limiting lateral forces on the springs for more composure.

In the front, Fusion uses an advanced short- and long-arm ( SLA ) design, with a double ball-joint lower control arm and coil-over-shock suspension. Compared to the more common MacPherson strut, the Fusion system puts the effective kingpin axis farther outboard. This contributes to a reduced scrub radius and helps to isolate the steering system from undesirable feedback.

Rebound springs in the front shocks help reduce harshness at the extremes of wheel travel, while helping decrease vehicle pitch under acceleration and reducing roll during cornering. Like the rear, the design helps maintain a more constant camber angle — meaning less understeer and better tire contact with the road, even while cornering at higher speeds. Stabilizer bars (24 millimeter in front and 17 millimeter in the rear of Duratec 30 V-6 models) further help to reduce body roll.

Sitting in the Fusion is an interesting experience. Our test model was outfit with leather interior, charcoal with white stitching. Combine with the solid feel of the car, the quite cabin, and sporty full sweep gauges, this car could easily pass from the inside as something European. In fact we covered up the blue oval on the steering wheel and had an unsuspecting aquaintaince drive the car. They were convinced it was a new VW or Audi.

Will the Fusion be the next car to take on the import performance crowd? No, not unless it the 3.0L is offered with a manual gearbox and two doors. However this car is sporty enough to take on entry level Bimmers, Audis, Lexi and others in the 4-door sub 30k market. We’re impressed and think if Ford keeps this up they will soon be back on top.