It looks as if the Ford Fusion will probably lose out in the style stakes to the Fusion-based Mazda2 which arrives in the UK next year, and I'm not a fan of the Ford's rather gawky fascia layout. But there's no doubt that this is a very competent town car/mini-minus MPV, and in the engine range you can't beat the 1.4-litre Ford/PSA turbo diesel for all-round efficiency.Looking at a 0-62mph time on the far side of 15 seconds, and a top speed under three figures, some people might score the TDCi version off their wish list. Big mistake. There's plenty of torque here for a car of this size - 118lb/ft at 2000rpm - and who's going to be daft enough to disregard a combined fuel consumption figure just under 65mpg, with CO2 emissions below 120g/km?The Fusion 2 is the middle of the three trim and equipment specifications. It includes items like air-conditioning, electrically operated front windows and door mirrors, a heated windscreen, a radio/CD player and a work surface on the fold-down front passenger seat, in addition to what comes with the entry-level Fusion 1.Carried forward from the base model, there's a leather-rimmed steering wheel with tilt adjustment, height adjustment for the driver's seat, 60/40 split back seats, a remote tailgate release on the fascia, a lidded storage compartment on the fascia top, and a tray under the front passenger seat.The Fusion 2 still has cloth upholstery - velour is for the 3 - but it does come with satin aluminium-finish interior doorhandles, to help differentiate it from the base model.Forget the publicity stuff suggesting that the Fusion is some kind of aggressive little beast. It's a family-friendly car, with good load space for children's clobber, and a low loading sill, as well as the high seating position oldies rather like, with its good visibility and no need to hunch down to get in and out.The extra three inches of roof height over the Fiesta on which the Fusion is based helps to make the rear cabin more comfortable, because kneeroom isn't particularly lavish, and being able to sit a little more upright is an advantage.Especially as many owners will use it a lot in town, it's handy that the Fusion is easy to park, to the extent that I don't think I'd bother with the park sensor option. It's worth bearing in mind, though, that ABS costs £300 extra on all models. One option I'd probably go for is metallic paint at £275, because there's no doubt that the Fusion could do with a shiny finish.We're still not quite sure why the Fusion feels every bit as lively out on the open road as the corresponding Fiesta. After you realise that the slight but unimportant extra body sway is nothing to bother about, though, dashing around minor roads becomes quite enjoyable.The 1.4-litre TDCi engine can't get the Fusion off the line anything like as smartly as the 1.6-litre petrol job, and it's something like 13mph slower flat out. Not to worry. The turbo diesel makes up for that in its stronger mid-range performance and slick overtaking. It also cruises easily at the motorway maximum, and its advantage of no less than 21mpg in combined fuel consumption means there's really no contest.Second opinion: The Fusion has attracted a lot of press criticism for being not very interesting at all, and there's a lot to be said for this view, though it's usually put forward by people who came into the job because they wanted to drive cars sideways in front of the cameras. That's hardly what the Fusion is all about. It's a good old Ford-style, lowest common denominator product aimed at people who don't really care much about cars. Yes, it seems to handle about the same as a Fiesta, and yes, it feels reasonably quick, especially if (as I did) you drive it straight after the lackadaisical 1.4 petrol version. David Finlay.
Our Rating
