Ford Fusion Sport
Back in the day, the Ford Taurus was considered Ford’s mid-size sedan to compete with the popular Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, and Toyota Camry. But now, everything had changed within the past twenty years. The 2010 Ford Fusion had been introduced as an all-new model since 2005, and it has very tough competition to its Japanese counterparts as far as technology and performance. While the Ford Taurus was aimed at much older drivers of 50 years of age and up, the Ford Fusion was particularly aimed at much younger drivers, mainly drivers who are 20-years old and up who wants to have a car with a bit more room than their normal compact cars such as the Honda Civics or Toyota Corollas. Ford had really stepped up to the plate as far as technology goes for both in the engine and inside the cabin as well. So, why would someone want to purchase an American car like this? Well, you pretty much get what you paid for.
The 2010 Ford Fusion has comfortable seating for up to five adults, as well as a spacious cargo area thanks to its 60/40 split rear seats. There are five trim levels of the Fusion you can choose from: There is the base S model, the upgraded SE, the leather-trimmed SEL, the sporty-handling Sport, and the fuel-efficient Hybrid. The Hybrid model can measure up to 41 miles per gallon in the city and 36 miles per gallon on the highway. For those who wants to have a little bit of fun, the Sport model comes with a sporty 3.5-liter V6 with 265 horsepower and 250 lb-ft. of torque; try that on a Toyota Camry or a Nissan Altima, since the Honda Accord’s V6 beats the Fusion Sport’s motor by about 5-6 more horses. With Ford’s new SYNC system, technology just blows the Honda and Toyota right out of the water since Honda’s Bluetooth is only available with navigation, and Toyota’s Bluetooth is sometimes needed to be purchased aftermarket. The Fusion’s SYNC system is very user-friendly thanks to your ability to use voice commands.
Performance in the 2010 Ford Fusion is actually pretty good for a midsize sedan. The Sport model with the beefy 265-hosepower engine sprints from 0-60 mph in just 7 seconds, but you can get down to the mid- to high 6-second range if you use the paddle shifters. The only spark of criticism that I have about this car is that the OEM tires, whether you purchase a regular Fusion, a Fusion Sport, or the Hybrid tend to produce a lot of noise at high speeds, and the dashboard on the regular Fusion S, SE, and SEL trims are a bit on the cheap side, whereas the Sport puts on red-colored stitching over 100% black leather on both the dash and the sport seats, which is also electrically-powered with lumbar support.
I have read that the 2010 Ford Fusion won Motor Trend’s 2010 Car of the Year award, and much to my surprise, it did; I was just shocked. I was thinking to myself, “Come on, a midsize family sedan winning car of the year?” Well, the Toyota Camry did it, and the Honda Accord Crosstour (I know it is not really much of a family “sedan), but it did come to my surprise that Ford, after five years of producing the Fusion had gone to Motor Trend and had the editors test out the car, and it came out in first place. If anyone wants a really reliable family car with a lot of bells and whistles as far as hands-free technology, the Ford Fusion is a lot of car for the money. Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, you better watch your back, because there has been a new kid on the block, and you are about to get trampled.
