Overview & Reviews

At its debut, the Ford Fusion was nothing less than a landmark car for the company. With the Fusion, Ford once again had a strong midsize sedan contender, something it hadn't fielded since the first-generation Taurus that debuted back in the mid-1980s. Savvy consumers have taken notice of the Fusion's spacious cabin, responsive driving dynamics, solid build quality and attractive styling.

In addition to its family-friendly features, the newest Ford Fusion provides a sporty, involving drive -- a rare quality in this segment and one that most folks can appreciate. Although we've been understandably even more impressed by the most recent generation, any Fusion should be an attractive choice for anybody wanting a comfortable, well-equipped family hauler.

Current Ford Fusion
The Ford Fusion is a midsize four-door sedan that's available in three trim levels: S, SE and Titanium. There are also the Fusion Hybrid and Fusion Energi (Plug-in Hybrid), which are covered in separate reviews.

The Fusion S and SE come with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine rated at 175 horsepower and matched to a six-speed automatic transmission. For the SE, there are three additional engine options. A turbocharged 1.6-liter four with 178 hp comes solely with a six-speed manual transmission. A turbocharged 1.5-liter four, also with 178 hp, comes solely with a six-speed automatic. And for maximum performance, a turbocharged 2.0-liter four makes 240 hp and only comes with the six-speed automatic but adds paddle shifters. The Fusion Titanium comes standard with the turbocharged 2.0-liter and an automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive is standard across the board, while all-wheel drive is optional for the Titanium.

Standard highlights on the S include air-conditioning, the voice-activated Sync audio/cell phone interface and a four-speaker sound system with a CD player and a USB/iPod interface. The SE adds alloy wheels, a power driver seat, a rear seat center armrest and access to additional options, while the Titanium comes with a sport-tuned suspension, keyless ignition/entry, leather upholstery, heated front seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, rear parking sensors/camera, the MyFord Touch electronics interface and an upgraded sound system. Major options include a navigation system and an automated parking system.

In reviews, we've been very impressed by the latest Ford Fusion. The European-flavored driving experience we enjoyed in the previous generation is fully intact, meaning the current Fusion boasts a comfortable ride along with engaging, composed handling. The steering furthers this impression with its sharp, communicative nature. Furthermore, it's hard to go wrong with any of the Fusion's engine choices (not to mention the hybrids), but as expected the turbocharged ones deserve extra credit for their ability to blend spirited performance with impressive fuel efficiency.

Used Ford Fusion Models
The current, third-generation Ford Fusion was introduced for 2013. Compared to the second-generation car, this Fusion boasts more dramatic exterior styling, more fuel-efficient engines and the latest in electronics and features. These Fusions are identical to the latest version with a few minor exceptions. Specifically, the 1.6-liter was the only small turbo engine available and could be had with an automatic transmission. Also, inflatable rear seatbelts, a heated steering wheel and ventilated front seats were unavailable.

The second generation of the Ford Fusion was produced from 2010-'12. Compared to the original Fusion, it sported refreshed front and rear styling as well as more powerful engines. Apart from a few minor updates, such as blind-spot mirrors, a manual-shift feature for the six-speed automatic and one-touch up/down front windows, there were no notable changes during its run. As it retained the many attributes of the first Fusion while addressing its few weaknesses, this Fusion stands as one of the top used car picks in the midsize sedan segment.

There were four trim levels -- S, SE, Sport and SEL -- while engine offerings consisted of the base 2.5-liter four (175 hp), an optional 3.0-liter V6 (240 hp) and, for the Sport, a 3.5-liter V6 (263 hp). A six-speed manual transmission could be had on the 2.5, while optional for that engine and standard on the rest was a six-speed automatic. Front-wheel drive was standard across the board with the exception of the SEL V6 and Sport, which had available all-wheel drive.

Standard feature highlights for the S included 16-inch alloy wheels, full power accessories, air-conditioning and a stereo with a CD player and an auxiliary audio jack. The SE added 17-inch alloys, automatic headlights, a power driver seat and an upgraded audio system. The Sport included sport-tuned suspension and steering, 18-inch wheels, exclusive styling cues, power front seats, leather upholstery and the Sync multimedia voice control interface. The SEL also featured leather seating as well as heated seats and dual-zone automatic climate control. Options (depending on trim) include remote starting, a sunroof, a rearview camera, reverse park assist, a blind spot detection system and a navigation system.

This second-generation Ford Fusion had a nice combination of responsive performance and well-balanced handling and ride dynamics. Inside there was plenty of room, quality materials and handy features. The Sync system was a great feature, allowing easy hands-free operation of cell phones and portable MP3 players. The only notable downside to the car was its V6, which was rather ho-hum in light of other models' V6s that provided quicker acceleration and fuel economy.

The first-generation Ford Fusion was produced for the 2006-'09 model years. Initially offered only with front-wheel drive, the Fusion was offered in S, SE and SEL trim levels. The standard engine was a 160-hp 2.3-liter four-cylinder. When paired with the standard five-speed manual, this engine was peppy enough, but with the more popular optional five-speed automatic, the Fusion struggled to get out of its own way. The SE and SEL could be optioned with a 221-hp 3.0-liter V6 paired to a six-speed automatic, which improved the Fusion's thrust considerably.

However, both these engines were underpowered for the class -- especially the V6 -- and neither was particularly fuel-efficient. Inside, the Fusion had a more cohesive look than older Ford sedans, thanks to its crisp lines and coordinated textures. Build quality was solid and the seats were well-shaped and supportive, even for taller folk. Unfortunately, the quality of some plastics was still a couple steps behind the import-brand competition.

The following year brought changes that included standard front seat airbags, side curtain airbags and an auxiliary audio jack. Options like navigation, satellite radio and all-wheel drive were added to the options sheet, along with more standard equipment on the SE and SEL models. As such, we'd stick with this model year or later. For 2008, Ford's Sync system became available, although it was sullied somewhat by the Fusion's outdated standard stereo head unit. Antilock brakes became standard that year and more optional equipment was added, including the Sport Appearance package that included 18-inch wheels, a sport-tuned suspension and special trim. For 2009, stability control became optional on all Ford Fusions (we recommend finding one so equipped) and traction control became standard on V6 versions.

User Reviews:

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  Transmission problems - 2010 Ford Fusion
  By clayfish - December 15 - 12:01 am

  We are having transmission problems as well with our brand new 2010 Fusion. The car has been at the dealer for over a week. Not the quality I expected from Ford. Be wary of Fords faulty transmissions.

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  Excellent Car!! - 2009 Ford Fusion
  By reblehn - December 13 - 12:08 pm

  Ive had my car for a month now, by far this is my favorite car I have ever had! I am really REALLY glad that I gave Ford a chance and went to their dealership. Everything went very smoothly in purchasing my car, if you live in MN in the metro area, please go to Coon Rapids North Country Ford, they are AWESOME! :-) My whole family fits in this car comfortably (two teenage sons over 16 and one 11 yr old girl). I absolutely love the Sync system, my kids are always asking me to call someone. Everything inside and out is very stylish! I recommend to everyone!

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  Overall evaluation - 2010 Ford Fusion
  By Anonymous - December 6 - 2:00 am

  Could use a taller 6th gear and slots for maps on the sides of the doors, also a power source outlet in the trunk for accessories. Ride is harsh on rough roads but most unibody cars are. A full frame would improve the ride greatly. We dont have pool table smooth roads around here. The dash could use some color otherwise the car is nice and tight and handles beautifully.

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  Best combo AWD comfort and performance - 2011 Ford Fusion
  By Robbster - December 5 - 2:00 am

  Have only had my Fusion SEL AWD for a week, but am quite pleased with the combination of comfort, useful tech goodies, performance and AWD handling, with just a bit of luxury thrown in. Have the 502 and luxury packages, and added the remote start. Perfect! Ride is quiet and composed (Mazda 6 underpinnings showing through), Ginger leather interior is sharp, unique and very comfortable, SYNC is an outstanding system overall with tons of useful options and services, works great with my Blackberry & Sat Radio is very cool. Keep the 3.0L revved and you can make it move quite respectably, esp. when manual shifting, and gets better mileage than I expected, 21-22 MPG combined. So far, very good!

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  I Love my Fusion ! - 2006 Ford Fusion
  By Fusion Lover - December 2 - 2:00 am

  We purchased our fusion in 2009 and we LOVE it. Ours has sunroof, power everything. So far we have never had a minutes trouble. It drives great, very smooth ride. Gas mileage is pretty good for V6, I can usually get about 30 MPH highway and around 22-26 town.

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  2011 Ford Fusion SEL 6 cyl - 2011 Ford Fusion
  By Bill - December 2 - 2:00 am

  This is a great car, very sporty and comfortable, but the transmission is not right. 1st and 2nd are geared really low and close, and the it wants to shift at 4k rpm even if youre accelerating slowly. Sometimes going from 4th to 5th the tranny gets confused and jumps back and forth, very annoying. I only have 1,000 miles on the car.

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  New fusion sport - 2011 Ford Fusion
  By vengeance1 - November 30 - 2:00 am

  What a car for the money,build quality and performance are good. Bought the sport and it compares good to my Mercedes c-350 for about $9,000 less. Only complaint it wont synch to my garage door opener call in to ford and they said pre 1996 openers it wont hook up to.Ford come a long way.

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  Excellent Vehicle - 2011 Ford Fusion
  By RevTBone - November 29 - 2:00 am

  This is the first Ford I have purchased and I am very pleased so far. The ride is excellent, the interior feels and looks solid. The interior does not have a cheap feel to it. The exterior of the car is sharp. When driving there is very limited exterior noise. One of my favorite features has to be SYNC! The SYNC service is great. You can get weather, directions, news, stocks etc all voice activated. The way that SYNC connects to my phone and allows for phone book downloads, reads texts, etc is fantastic.

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  Driving it for 3 yrs, all is well - 2008 Ford Fusion
  By Bill - November 23 - 2:00 am

  I leased the car in Dec07. I am now purchasing the car to buy. The only problem has been a drivers interior door handle that broke. (dealer had it in stock and fixed in a hour). The car has great acceleration, good brakes, and handles quite well. 20k and no other problems. I drive mostly city and the mileage could be better, but it does well on the highway w/ 6 spd auto.

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  Not the quality I expected - 2010 Ford Fusion
  By charly - November 23 - 2:00 am

  We liked the sync system and the styling, thats why we bought it. Right off we noticed that the 4cylnder engine is under-powered. If I were to do it again I would spring for the v6 but I wont be. I am really disappointed in the build quality. I passed up on a Camry because of the high ratings of the fusion and now I am regretting it. After 8 months of ownership and 6 trips to the service department not including scheduled maintenance, Im taking a loss and getting out as soon as I can. An 8 month old car should not have weather stripping and window seals failing. only 2 reasons for this, poor quality or poor craftsmanship.