2013 FORD FUSION, A HANDSOME CHAP!

Yesterday it was me and the boys (okay, there were other women there too). I had the pleasure of attending the Motor Press Guild Conference at the Ford Design Center (in Irvine, CA) to showcase the 2013 Fusion. The ever-so-knowledgeable Erich Merkle, U.S. Sales Analyst for Ford, opened with this statement: "Ford is redefining the mid-size sedan segment, they're trying to create something much more inspirational". To that I say, "finally".

I've never been a huge fan of Ford (not even Mustang - no growls please) but after seeing the fully redesigned Fusion, this may be a game changer for me.

Immediately I was taken aback by the sleek styling and wide, athletic stance. The front grille resembles the Aston Martin (Ford sold Aston Martin in 2007) while the tail resembles the VW Pasat.

I love the fastback rear end and the narrow headlights. Overall, it has the look of a Jaguar (Ford sold Jaguar in 2008), a handsome chap it is.

The interior is open, roomy and sporty with soft leather seating and a high center console. It looked and felt like "quality", a term often used during Mr. Merkle's description of the Fusion. He emphasized one of Ford's main goals is to engage all five senses, although he couldn't come up with how "taste" would be engaged. hmmm.

Some techy and convenience features for the Fusion are:

Lane-keeping system
Blind spot warning
Active park assist
Adaptive cruise control (uses radar to slow vehicle down when traffic is detected)
MyFord Touch system (I've heard about ongoing issues with this)
SYNC - newest version (voice activated control system)

Buyers will have their choice of 3 models: 1) Gasoline, 2) Hybrid and 3) Plug-In-Hybrid. Three trims will be offered: S, SE and Titanium.

With an estimated 47mpg city and 44 mpg highway, Ford is claiming the Fusion hybrid can outperform the 2012 Toyota Camry hybrid and the 2011 Hyundai Sonata hybrid. According to Erich Merkle, "Ford is trying to take share of the Japanese and Korean markets". What took them so long?

As far as safety goes, the Fusion has a 10% increase in body strength (boron is used) and added 1st row knee airbags (Ford Fiesta has knee airbags for driver only; VW Routan also has 1st row knee airbags.)

Delivery of the Ford Fusion won't take place until the fall. No pricing is available yet, but when I "built my own" 2012 Fusion hybrid it was close to $35k. I have a hunch the 2013 will be closer to $40k.

I give it a thumbs up on style, safety, convenience/techno stuff, efficiency and practicality. I'll have to take a test drive to make my final determination on whether the 2013 Fusion will take Ford to the top of the mid-size sedan market.