Drove a 2013 Fusion, came away impressed

Stew · 09-17-2013, 04:42 PM

Ok, my brother got in a little fender bender in his CTS and has a 2013 Fusion for a rental while it is being repaired. Now this isn't your regular rental grade fusion with wheel covers and the base engine. Nope, it is a decently loaded SE in Silver with 18 inch gunmetal rims and the 2.0 ecoboost. I have not been sure on the new design since it came out as most out there are less expensive models with the smaller rims, but this one is really sharp. It also has leather, power seats, automatic headlamps, etc. It did not have a sunroof, keyless ignition, or MyFord touch. I didn't get to go through motions like checking out the backseat or anything, but did get a few minutes in the driver's seat. The car is well broken in with over 20k miles on it. When I got there my brother was saying how it felt quicker than his CTS with the 3.6DI engine. He also said when he got on the pedal in the fusion there was a lot of torque steer.

First impressions: I got in the driver's seat and immediatly noticed that there is tons of room in the front. The driver's seat automatically scoots back to it's furthest position when put in park to help entry and exit. I was sruprised how far forward I had to pull the seat forward to reach the controls at 6.0 ft tall. All the controls fell easily into hand and the guages were clear and easy to see. It had the requisite fuel compter between the speedometer and tach and it was really sharp, colorful, and was easy to navigate via the steering theel controls. The display for the stereo was also hued in the same colorful fashion and easy to read. Listened to some radio and the stereo seemed clear and sounded good. I like the small fat steering wheel that felt great to the touch.

The ride. I started out riding in the front passenger seat. not much to report here, but immediatly noticed the excellent ride and lack of body motion. It had a very solid feel. He got on it and I was shocked at how hard the 2.0 ecoboost pulled. There was no turbo lag and the transmision downshifted quickly. It pulled my body into the seat pretty hard. Color me impressed. After a few minutes we switched out.

The drive: I slipped back behind the wheel and got comfortable. Pulled out and gave her some beans, again no turbo lag and instant acceleration. The steering felt really good and direct. Taking tight curves was easy and the car cornered flat with excellent grip, this is a fun to drive midsize sedan. The car did have paddle shifters, but I never got a chance to really try them out. Taking it back to my brother's house on the top of the hill the ecoboost climbed the steep grade with no issues and didn't really feel like a 4 cylinder, but rather a robust 6 cylinder. Now, the one thing I didn't like. The brakes were EXTREMELY grabby, the slightest touch and you had way more braking power than needed. I felt like a novice driver in a manual trying to get it in it's parking spot. As for the tiorque steer, i didn't experience any. And yes, it is definatly quicker than the CTS, i figure this is combination of more torque at lower revs and far less weight.

Conclusion: As a driver Ford has built an impressive car. Quiick with the 2.0, agile, great handling, roomy, comfortable, and stunning (all in this configuration of course). I need to take a second look and drive to get a feel for things like backseat room.

09-17-2013, 04:42 PM	#1
Stew Drives: 92 Luminadead/01 Dakota/97 F150 4x4 Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Eastern, Ky Posts: 3,789	Drove a 2013 Fusion, came away impressed Ok, my brother got in a little fender bender in his CTS and has a 2013 Fusion for a rental while it is being repaired. Now this isn't your regular rental grade fusion with wheel covers and the base engine. Nope, it is a decently loaded SE in Silver with 18 inch gunmetal rims and the 2.0 ecoboost. I have not been sure on the new design since it came out as most out there are less expensive models with the smaller rims, but this one is really sharp. It also has leather, power seats, automatic headlamps, etc. It did not have a sunroof, keyless ignition, or MyFord touch. I didn't get to go through motions like checking out the backseat or anything, but did get a few minutes in the driver's seat. The car is well broken in with over 20k miles on it. When I got there my brother was saying how it felt quicker than his CTS with the 3.6DI engine. He also said when he got on the pedal in the fusion there was a lot of torque steer. First impressions: I got in the driver's seat and immediatly noticed that there is tons of room in the front. The driver's seat automatically scoots back to it's furthest position when put in park to help entry and exit. I was sruprised how far forward I had to pull the seat forward to reach the controls at 6.0 ft tall. All the controls fell easily into hand and the guages were clear and easy to see. It had the requisite fuel compter between the speedometer and tach and it was really sharp, colorful, and was easy to navigate via the steering theel controls. The display for the stereo was also hued in the same colorful fashion and easy to read. Listened to some radio and the stereo seemed clear and sounded good. I like the small fat steering wheel that felt great to the touch. The ride. I started out riding in the front passenger seat. not much to report here, but immediatly noticed the excellent ride and lack of body motion. It had a very solid feel. He got on it and I was shocked at how hard the 2.0 ecoboost pulled. There was no turbo lag and the transmision downshifted quickly. It pulled my body into the seat pretty hard. Color me impressed. After a few minutes we switched out. The drive: I slipped back behind the wheel and got comfortable. Pulled out and gave her some beans, again no turbo lag and instant acceleration. The steering felt really good and direct. Taking tight curves was easy and the car cornered flat with excellent grip, this is a fun to drive midsize sedan. The car did have paddle shifters, but I never got a chance to really try them out. Taking it back to my brother's house on the top of the hill the ecoboost climbed the steep grade with no issues and didn't really feel like a 4 cylinder, but rather a robust 6 cylinder. Now, the one thing I didn't like. The brakes were EXTREMELY grabby, the slightest touch and you had way more braking power than needed. I felt like a novice driver in a manual trying to get it in it's parking spot. As for the tiorque steer, i didn't experience any. And yes, it is definatly quicker than the CTS, i figure this is combination of more torque at lower revs and far less weight. Conclusion: As a driver Ford has built an impressive car. Quiick with the 2.0, agile, great handling, roomy, comfortable, and stunning (all in this configuration of course). I need to take a second look and drive to get a feel for things like backseat room.