2010 Ford Fusion: quieter and more capable.

Filling a mid-sized gap in Ford's sedan offerings, the original Fusion was a stop-gap that often felt it. The 2010 Fusion fills in the gaps. The adoption of soft-touch materials, chassis and powertrain refinements, and bolder styling, however, come without a concomitant price increase.

Exterior

The front fenders, hood, grille, headlamps, and fascia are new for 2010, and hint at the trapezoidal lower air intake of the similarly sized European Ford Mondeo. These cars converge in the next generation. The V6 Sport adds chrome highlights and separate brake ducts, sill extensions, and a rear spoiler. Integral rear quarter panels means the changes are limited to taillights, trim, and the bumper fascia. Tuning the leading edges of the hood and headlights, and adding new underbody shields helped lower the Fusion's Cd.

Interior

The hard-plastic dash is replaced by a thermoplastic olefin upper and midsection over a hard lower. The door caps and arm rests receive similar treatment. The seats have been redesigned for greater comfort via revised contouring, increased side support, a taller seatback, and upgraded coverings. An electroluminescent gauge cluster replaces the previous mechanical unit, and the Hybrid model gets a central speedometer flanked by twin reconfigurable 4.3-in. WVGA high-resolution LCD screens.

Chassis and Powertrain

Four-cylinder models get a mass damper in their engine mounts, V6 models use aluminum mounts. All but the V6 Sport is fitted with TRW's electric power steering. The rear suspension lower control arms were altered to lower the roll center and improve suspension kinematics. The front anti-roll bar has revised end links that work more efficiently, and improve the turning radius. Freer damper valving works with stiffer springs and revised bushings to improve both ride and handling. Acoustic improvements include a laminated windshield, thicker (4.7-mm) front side glass, an acoustic headliner, additional expanded stuffers in the fenders and pillars, a denser and thicker sound pack, revised door seals, and constrained-layer damping on the entire floor.

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The inline fours are enlarged to 2.5 liters with the Hybrid using an Atkinson cycle version mated to a CVT transmission. It has a traction battery with 17% fewer cells that is 23% lighter and 20% more powerful than Ford's previous hybrid system, and is capable of twice the number of stop-starts and propelling the car at 47 mph on electric power alone. The 14 is mated to either a Mazda-sourced six-speed manual or Aisin six-speed automatic. Two V6s are offered, a 3.0 and a 3.5-liter, mated to an Aisin or Ford six-speed automatic, respectively.

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