At the preview for the 2010 Ford Fusion, Frank Davis, Executive Director of North American Product Programs described Ford's goal as combingin best-in-class fuel economy with a much bolder appearance. The mid-size C/D segment in which the Fusion competes is the second largest in the U.S. market, accounting for 2.1 million vehicles last year including the best-selling Toyota Camry and Honda Accord, and Ford wants a bigger piece of it. The updated 2010 Fusion is technically a mid-cycle refresh, but it's much more than your typical face-lift. Three years after the Fusion and its Mercury Milan and Lincoln MKZ siblings debuted, Ford has given them a major stylistic overhaul fore and aft of the doors and inside the cabin. Its powertrains have also gone through a modernization program, which we already told you about a couple of weeks ago, so we'll skip over that here except to remind you that the 2010 Fusion can be had with a new hybrid drivetrain and a 3.5L V6 Sport model.
Fusion chief engineer JD Shanahan told Autoblog that the mid-size segment is the most cross-shopped in the auto industry. If buyers are willing to at least check out competing cars, then that leaves an opening to win them over, as well. In order to do that, Shanahan had to convince Ford executives to make more than the usual investment in these 2010 models. Shanahan told us that Fusion buyers want styling, a fun to drive experience and lots of powertrain choices. The most obvious change wrought on the new 2010 Fusion is front and center. This was the first car from Ford to get the now ubiquitous three-bar grille, and now it gets the most prominent rendition of this trademark styling cue yet.
2010 Ford Fusion Sport 3.5L V6
Chief designer Darrell Beahmer describes the new Fusion as also having "more road presence" thanks to its oversized three-bar grille that's now integrated with the horizontal headlamps. The hood also has its own more subtle rendition of a "power dome" like the new 2010 Mustang. In this case, the profile of the dome runs from the base of the A-pillars around the front and echos the shape of the grille. In the lower fascia, the Fusion becomes the first North American Ford to pick up some hints of the popular kinetic design language from Europe. The two extra bars below the bumper of the current model have been discarded in favor of a trapezoidal opening and fog-lamp pockets that are look similar to ones found on the Euro Focus and Mondeo. The Sport model also gets a pair of extra inlet ports at both ends of the lower trapezoidal air intake.
2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid - front
The Fusion's tail-lamps have also been reshaped at the opposite end of the car. The reflectors have a molded in honeycomb shape that echoes the molding in the fog-lamp pockets up front. The rear vertical face of the trunk lid also has some new contouring, while the rear bumper has significantly reduced offset relative to the trunk lid, which cleans up the appearance of the rear end nicely. A piece of trim along the top of the license plate pocket is also body colored on all but the hybrid model, which is trimmed in chrome. Aside from the badging on the lower part of the front doors, that strip of chrome is the only element that visually distinguishes the hybrid from gas-powered Fusions.
2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid - rear
Beahmer explained that Ford spoke wiht drivers who told them that they prefer to keep visual differences on the hybrid to a minimum. This strategy differs from most other manufacturers who assume hybrid buyers like to stand out. That may be part of the reason for the success of the Toyota Prius, and also why Honda is introducing two new dedicated hybrids in 2009, the Insight and CR-Z. Ford has followed the same pattern with the Escape Hybrid and Mariner Hybrid and sold every single one it could build. But since production of the 2010 Fusion Hybrid and Milan Hybrid will be limited to 25,000 units annually, the lack of differentiation probably won't hurt sales.
The only thing that doesn't change for 2010 is the body work in the middle of the car, but everything inside is new. The seats have been redesigned to be more comfortable and are now made with soy-foam cushions. We'll reserve judgement on them until we can drive the car, but they certainly seemed firm and well shaped during our brief chance to sit in them.
The 2010 Fusion's dashboard is all-new with a center cluster that contains an optional and extremely large 8-inch LCD navigation screen. The trim panel on the center stack has been designed with openings for all the switch-gear and knobs to poke through from behind, which gives them a cleaner look than before. On the Fusion Sport, that same panel and other contrasting trim pieces get a colored, rubberized finish, while other models get a metallic finish. The storage bin in the center of the dashboard above the stack has also been retained from the previous model. Like in the new 2010 Mustang, all major interior surfaces of the Fusion and its siblings are now covered in a soft touch plastic, which gives a decidedly more upscale impression than before.
For audio-philes there will be an optional Sony stereo system with 5.1 channel surround sound, 390 watts and 12 speakers. Ford is also continuing to enhance its telematics system by adding a 911 assist system, automatic accident reporting and vehicle health reports. When a cell phone is paired with the SYNC system, the car will automatically call 911 if an accident occurs that causes the airbags to deploy. The 2010 Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln MKZ also get electronic stability control as standard equipment and blind spot warning with cross traffic alert as an option.
Finally, the battery for the hybrid model is mounted in the trunk up against the back seat. That means there's no fold down seat in the rear, but the new smaller battery pack also means that almost no space is lost compared to the conventional model. One other change to the hybrid is a knee airbag under the steering column to compensate for the additional weight of the car.
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