Fusion combines style with substance
A weird U.K. band named Coldcut makes an even weirder song called "Timber" about the depletion of the rainforest, and it becomes the music for a Ford Fusion TV commercial.
That Create a Reaction ad launched the Fusion in Canada in October 2005. Like some twisted takeoff of Alice Through the Looking Glass, the commercial featured cheap-looking robots, someone getting acupuncture with sparklers, a woman in a restaurant wrestling with her handbag – or was it a cat?
Ford, with its re-entry into the medium sedan segment, wanted to jettison any hint of stodgy, stuffy, forgettable style and break out with something unexpected and urban.
According to Ford Canada, Fusion sales were up just over 50 per cent in January, and 17 per cent in February 2007 from the same month in 2006. Last year Fusion sales totalled 17,370.
Perhaps I'm a sucker for advertising, but I liked the spots and it made me speculate about life aboard the Fusion.
At first I found the chromification of the car a bit coarse. Looking at one advancing in my rear-view mirror, the three-bar grill looked like a mouth full of braces, à la Ugly Betty.
But after living with a test vehicle for a week, I started to understand the message: a bit bold, a bit brassy, unabashedly American.
"I like the style," says a passerby. "From the side there's a bit of BMW, but I like the chrome; I'm an old guy." Oops, sorry Ford, the comments came from a demographically challenged retiree. He was watching me photograph the car in a park.
But then a guy with a small waist, a proper weight and 20/20 vision walked by and he thought the car was "cool."
My test car was the upmarket 3-litre V6 Fusion SEL with all-wheel drive, which is new for 2007. The base price is $30,799; options including leather seats, moon roof and upgraded audio pushed the price to $34,704.
So we have established that there is some good chemistry happening in the car's exterior and interior design, but does the driving experience fuse with the packaging? I'd say yes.
Steering is responsive, road feel is alive but not crude, power is more than adequate. The car feels tight, predictable and decently nimble.
My experience with the Duratec 3.0 engine and the six-speed automatic leads to one of my few criticisms. It's quite easy with the 221 horses to get the Fusion hurtling down the highway, and it just wants to keep hurtling, like a horse sensing the finish line at Churchill Downs.
The only choices in massaging the transmission are Drive and Low, and Low is too low to be of any use in annoying stop-and-go traffic. It's been a while since I saw a car with so little choice over transmission control.
The interior had a tailored look, featuring smartly styled leather seats with contrasting stitching.
The interior of my test car was black on black. Most of it had a low lustre finish, broken up with an occasional glint of piano black accent in areas around the centre console and above the glove compartment.
It's quite squarish overall, with the dash meeting the doors at right angles, in contrast to other cars where the interior curves around the driver. It works in the Fusion though, because the curvaceous seats offer contrast.
Controls for radio and climate were sensible, but I think the instrument gauges looked a bit like they were made of peel-off, stick-on material. However, they were visible even in challenging light.
Ford says it is building in more room for broad shoulders in the front, long legs in the back and extra bags in the trunk.
It did this by moving the rear doors as far back as possible. It works too, sort of like getting in and out of a limo.
The availability of all-wheel drive also sets the Fusion apart among competitors. The system is about a $2,000 option on the V6 models.
Interesting that Ford stays true to the Fusion's uptown branding by showing the car driving down the face of the Toronto TD Centre in new TV ads promoting the AWD. No driving through slush, mud or maple leaves for this urban rickshaw.
The more I looked at the Fusion, the more I liked the exterior styling. Even the "deco" style taillights seemed less alarming as the days passed.
It is good to see such a tidy rear view as well. Just the dual exhaust with chrome tips remains visible underneath the rear bumper and body panels. What a pleasant alternative to other vehicles where the exhaust bits are on view and hanging sloppily like a cow's udder.
It was fun taking the Fusion to unusual spots for photos.
The vehicle's virile good looks improved the landscape around it.
The 17-inch wheels with machined aluminum rims looked especially sharp against the alloy metallic paint on my tester.
Driving the Fusion provided a week's worth of pleasant surprises – including the "no prisoners taken" body style mated with a sharp, sporty driving experience.
Like the music that brands it, the Fusion is a thoroughly modern toe-tapper.
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