The 2013 Ford Fusion all-wheel-drive sedan showed up at my home on Monday.
The snowstorm, with wind, arrived as predicted on Tuesday.
By Wednesday, with slick ice underfoot, the Fusion had demonstrated excellent wintertime grip, in the class of the Subaru Legacy, an AWD competitor.
The Fusion, though, focuses far beyond AWD as it battles the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Nissan Altima and Chevrolet Malibu for midsize sedan supremacy. None of those offers the all-wheel-drive option.
A long, lean look has brightened the Fusion for 2013. Its wheelbase has been extended 5 inches, and, coupled with comfortable, supportive front seats, its ride is as good as it gets for those size vehicles. A bold grille is likened to that of the upscale Aston Martin.
Ford has dropped the V-6 engine option for the Fusion this year. A 231-horsepower, turbocharged 2-liter, 4-cylinder EcoBoost engine, mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission, was under the hood of the Titanium edition delivered to me. It is of strong response, the turbo spools quickly, and it performs like a 6-cylinder. Acceleration is impressive.
Other engines available are a smaller 1.6-liter EcoBoost 4 and the standard 2.5-liter 4-cylinder. Also offered for the Fusion is a hybrid model.
Adding to the 2-liter capabilities are paddle-shifters, which enhance control in the transmission’s Sport mode. Though the powertrain carries an EPA estimate of 22/31, my overall average was just over 24 miles per gallon, curtailed some by the snow and ice driving.
Interior design is finished up tastefully and the comfort of the front seats extends to the roomy rear-seating area. Voice command helps unclutter the busy Ford MyTouch entertainment/navigation process (with small buttons). A relatively large storage compartment is conveniently beneath the center stack. Extra thick B pillars can block side visibility for the driver. The Fusion’s trunk space of 16 cubic feet, while slightly exceeding that of the Camry, Accord and Altima, falls a bit short of the Malibu and Hyundai Sonata.
The Titanium edition came with optional, good-looking 19-inch wheels and Continental 235/40R19 tires.
The well-equipped Titaniuim with all-wheel drive came in at a base price of $32,995. Lesser-priced models are the S beginning above $22,500 and the SE at $24,500.
Sticker price on the Fusion I drove reached $35,980 with the addition of lane-keeping and blind-spot safety features, adaptive cruise control, navigation, a tri-coat exterior finish and the 19-inch wheels. Among other amenities are push-button and remote start, rearview camera, Sony audio, heated leather seats, leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio/cruise controls, dual-zone climate control with rear air ducts, rain-sensing wipers, aluminum pedals, automatic headlamps, decklid spoiler and fog lamps.
Performance, handling and economy are improved offerings as result of the 4-cylinder EcoBoost engines and all-wheel-drive capabilities for the new Fusion. Its normal split of AWD torque is 70/30 front-drive, and can be shifted rearward as the need arises.
Notes from e-mail
Q: Bud, Saturday morning as usual, the Bud Wells Drive column and, there it was, another one of those that ole Ray takes to heart. You list the Fiat 500C as a convertible? How about listing it as a major sunroof? Reminds me of the early ’50s Rambler convertibles. If the whole top does not disappear, it is not, in my mind, a convertible. Hard metal/glass windows remaining in the up position along the whole side of the car is not the way to enjoy Mother Nature. As a side point, in high school (Broomfield Class of ’62) I had a ’55 Chev Bel Air convertible, 3-speed on the column (yuk, we put in a floor shifter), and a ’59 Chevy Impala convertible (348 Turbo Glide, we called it turtle glide, my buddy’s mom’s ’50 Pontiac Straight Eight with Hydra-Matic could beat the Impala off the line. – R.R.
A: It cheers me, Ray, to know that you drove a couple of Chevys, in addition to those Crosleys. You should have hung on to that ’55 Bel Air. I appreciate your interest in the column, dating back a number of years.
Q: Bud, regarding your list of convertibles last week, is the Chevrolet Camaro really a competitor of the Volkswagen Beetle convertible? – J.B.
A: If you will look back, Jack, I simply listed them as “Other Convertibles,” and included all I could think of, except for the luxury or exotic models.
Q: Bud, didn’t I read somewhere in The Post that the new Kia Sportage was among winners at last month’s Denver Auto Show. I like its looks and its low price. – D.R.
A: It wasn’t a winner, Dean, it was a competitor against the Ford Escape and Audi allroad for SUV of the Year (won by the Escape). The Sportage I drove a couple of months ago carried a sticker price of $32,000.
Saturday Drive can also be viewed online at DenverPost.com/budwells. Bud Wells can be reached via e-mail at bwells@denverpost.com.
