Since I knew the difference between Ford and GM I was always partial to the “bowtie” brands. My father worked for GM as a mechanic for almost 25 years, so the chances of seeing a blue oval in our driveway was rare. In our house, Ford was used as a punch line, as sort of a degrading term. You all remember the acronym F-ound O-n R-oad D-ead. The stories could go on forever.

          All of this changed when the Fusion was dropped off at my house.
 
My first experience with the Fusion face-to-face was SEMA in 2005. Ford’s booth was enormous, showcasing the finest examples or the Ford brand the tuner world had to offer. F-150’s lifted so high in the air it was a wonder how one would even get in. Explorers, Candy-Painted Range Rovers, a handful of Mustangs, Hot Rods, and Focus SVT’s  all for the crowd to gawk at. Then there were five covered cars in the middle of the booth. With all of these masterpieces on display, what on earth could Ford have hidden under the covers? We would find out later that day when Funk Master Flex unveiled five custom Ford Fusions for the world to gaze upon. Wow. That was the start of my curiosity. 

          Since then, I have kept an eye on the tuner world, checking in periodically to see what kind of a cult following the Fusion has been getting. I have to say, Ford has something here. Using the very scientific method of checking CARDOMAIN.com registrations against some of its competition.  The Fusion at first is dwarfed by some of the other models Ford has to offer. While the Focus has close to 3,000 entries, the Fusion has less than 50. Take into account that the focus has been around for years, and the Fusion is less than two years strong, you can give it a little credit. What I was looking at was the kinds of things people have modified on their Fusion, and what they are saying about them on their site.  Wheels, stereo systems, simple body kits, nothing too over the top, but all very clean. Not the wild graphics you expect on a Focus or Civic. No large exhaust pipes or wild turbo/nitrous set-ups. This is a respectable, clean, sedan that would not get you laughed at when you rolled up to the Valet. Your girl would love to be seen in something as smooth as this. Even your parents would be proud to see you have matured.

          We were recently given the Fusion SEL to test. This is Ford’s top model of the Fusion, and we were privy to almost all of the factory options… Our test model had heated leather seats, heated power mirrors w/ puddle lamps - lights on the bottom of the outside mirrors, self-dimming rearview mirror with compass, Ford’s “audiophile” sound system, and every power option you could want. A nice, smooth V6 was mated to a very nice 4-speed automatic transmission on our car, but you have an option of a 5-speed with the I-4 engine. The list of safety features is about as long as you could want:  ABS, traction control, Driver/Passenger airbags, side-curtain airbags, anti-theft keyless entry, side-impact protection system, and the list could go on… All for a sticker price of $25,650 including the destination and delivery charge.

          Ford has to be competitive with the prices and the value for the money, when you consider that the size and price of this car puts in on the list with the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Chevrolet Impala, Nissan Altima, VW Passat, Pontiac Grand Prix, Mitsubishi Galant, and the Doge Charger/Chrysler 300. This is a very difficult class to be grouped into.

          It seems that Ford has brought its “A” game to the table with the Fusion. After discussing this car with Angel, we came to the conclusion that Ford was able to help Jaguar and Volvo with reliability and in turn Jaguar managed to rub off some much needed class to this car maker, while Volvo’s legendary safety found its way into the Fusion. All in all, it works. Very surprisingly well.

          Build quality is one of the best I have ever seen in Ford, and the design is near perfect. From the large, chrome grill in the front, to the classy analog clock in the dash, all the way to the tuner-type taillights at the rear of the car. All of this in a mid-size sedan capable of fitting Angel in the drivers seat comfortably, but even better able to fit Angel AND Jared in the trunk. I attached pictures below to prove this.

          I would say that if any of the Fusion’s competitors were on your list of possible new cars, make sure to give this a thorough looking over, you will be pleasantly surprised. We were.