I have never before been wowed by a midsize volume production sedan. Never.
Until now.
The all new Aston Marton, sorry, 2013 Ford Fusion. The Aston inspired grille and sleek front end make this car. That’s not to say that the rest of the car isn’t good, because it most certainly is. Front front to back, side to side, top to bottom, the 2013 Fusion is gorgeous. Not “gorgeous for a family sedan” – gorgeous, period. This is a great, great looking car.
2013 Ford Fusion Gallery
Looks aren’t everything, of course. What’s under the hood matters, especially in a car that Ford hopes to sell a ton of. So, how does the new Fusion stack up? Well, there are more choices than ever. What there isn’t, though, is an option with more than four cylinders. The V6 is gone, and I don’t think you’ll miss it. Here are the powertrain options:
| Engine Type | HP / Torque | MPG | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 liter I4 | 170 / 170 | 22 / 33 | |
| 1.6 liter turbo I4 | 179 / 172 | 26 / 371 | |
| 2.0 liter turbo I4 | 237 / 250 | 22 / 33 | |
| 2.0 liter Hybrid | 185 / 130 | 47 / 442 | |
| 2.0 Plug In Hybrid | 185 / 130 | 100 mpge3 | |
The base engine is boring – it’s the only holdover from 2012. The two turbo engines are EcoBoosts, of course, and both are interesting in their own way. The 1.6 liter should get some pretty great fuel economy numbers that are more typical of a compact car than a midsize.
The hybrid, wow. Fucking wow. The EPA doesn’t have final numbers yet, but Ford is expected 47 MPG city and 44 MPG highway. Are you kidding me? Assuming it’s not priced outrageously, this could put a serious damper on Prius sales. Why deal with the ugly Prius styling when you can drive a gorgeous Fusion Hybrid and get nearly the same fuel economy?
2013 Ford Fusion Energi
This car is in a class all by itself. It’s based on the Fusion Hybrid, but adds a much larger battery pack, and the ability to plug in for a full charge. There aren’t a lot of details on this model – size of the battery, electric driving range, etc etc… but it’s also going to debut nearly a year after the other Fusion models. That said, I’m really looking forward to this. Please understand – this car will be expensive, but if Ford can get great numbers out of it while keeping the price somewhat reasonable… the Volt should be scared.
Final Notes
I didn’t even touch on the interior, which is as nice as anything in its class. I don’t think this next statement is even the slightest bit hyperbolic: Every midsize sedan on the market should be scared of the 2013 Fusion. This car looks amazing, both in terms of looks and specs. I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of one.
