By: IOL Motoring Staff
Cape Town - These days the midsize-sedan market, otherwise known as the D-segment, is a pretty ruthless place for any car that doesn't have a premium German badge on its bonnet.
Yet many brands persist in the hope that their shiny new sedan will sway the badge snobs with its looks/technology/price or whatever other selling points it might have. The latest protagonist on this turf is Ford, which returns with a sedan that it hopes will be a stronger player than the Mondeo that left our market around a decade ago.
This latest D-segment offering, now a global product, has evolved in leaps and bounds and Ford is certainly not unjustified in calling it the 'smartest' car that it has ever unleashed on the South African market.
So what's smart about it? Depending on the model or option pack that you select, the Fusion is available with a whole entourage of geek-approved convenience and safety features. These range from Sync 2 connectivity and infotainment to multi-contour seats with massage function and a new 'active' park assist for parallel and perpendicular bays. The list of available safety gadgets extends to adaptive LED headlights, lane keeping assist, active cruise control and a new pre-collision alert with auto-braking.
Built on Ford's new global CD-segment platform, the Fusion aims for that ultimate ride-cornering balance with an all-new integral-link rear suspension set-up, while advanced structural materials, like hydro-formed high-strength steel for the A, B and C pillars and roof rails and magnesium for the inner tailgate structure all conspire to maximise impact protection while minimising weight.
TURBO BOOST
As you'd expect, Ford is offering its latest range of EcoBoost turbopetrol engines. The smallest option is a 1.5-litre that produces a healthy 132kW and 240Nm. Not enough? Opt for one of the 2-litre EcoBoost options, with output levels of 149kW/300Nm in the case of the Trend model and 177kW/340Nm in the Titanium.
Don't worry, diesel-heads, Ford hasn't forgotten about you. Your car has a 2-litre TDCi unit that delivers 132kW and 400Nm. Average (lab-test) fuel consumption for the oil burner is a claimed 5.1 litres per 100km, versus 7.4 l/100km for the 1.5 petrol and 7.5 to 8.5 l/100km for the respective 2-litre petrol versions.
The range starts just shy of the R350 000 mark, which is rather competitive considering what potential alternatives set you back: Audi A4 1.8T S (R391 500), BMW 320i (R435 462), Honda Accord 2.0 (R408 400), Mazda6 2.5 Dynamic (R373 000), Peugeot 508 1.6T Active (R387 900) and VW Passat 1.8T (R368 000).
FORD FUSION RANGE
1.5 EcoBoost Trend (132kW) - R349 900
2.0 EcoBoost Trend (149kW) - R369 900
2.0 EcoBoost Titanium (177kW) - R424 900
2.0 TDCI Titanium (132kW) - R449 900
Included is a four-year/120 000km warranty and a four-year/80 000km service plan for EcoBoost models (five-years/90 000km for the TDCi).
See our full driving impressions in the Motoring section of The Star, Mercury or Cape Argus on Thursday 29 January.