The 2010 Fusion Sport is the only model in the growing Fusion family to get Ford's 3.5-liter dual-cam V6 and optional all-wheel drive. This is not a stretch of Ford's engineering muscles, however, because the relatively new 3.5-liter already was powering the Fusion's platform twin, the Lincoln MKZ, which also made the engine available with AWD.
But serving up the "big" V6 in the Fusion makes it accessible to a considerably wider audience: through September, Ford sold just 24,914 MKZs, versus 117,545 Fusions, although Fusion also offers a four-cylinder base engine.
Apart from the worthwhile extra thrust the 3.5-liter with 263 horsepower and 249 pound-feet of torque portends (more on that in a sec), the best part is that Ford is making all-wheel drive optional for the Fusion Sport. The AWD system, one of the few available in the segment, previously was optional for Fusions using the 3.0-liter DOHC V6, which stays in the Fusion lineup.
So as with the under-the-radar Lincoln, the chesty 3.5-liter V6 and AWD are the makings of an entertaining foul-weather sport sedan at a price that surely will undercut a comparable Audi — not to mention the MKZ — by thousands. Last year, Inside Line tested an MKZ that had what now is the Fusion Sport's driveline and got a 0-60-mph time of 7.7 seconds and a 15.7-second quarter-mile.
We're a little perplexed, though, by Ford offering two V6s for the 2010 Fusion line — particularly when, thanks to upgrades for the 3.0-liter job, they're so close in specification. For 2010, the 3.0-liter (which is getting old and also somewhere along the line has lost its Duratec name) is injected with 19 more horses, for a total of 240 — just 23 hp less than the 3.5-liter V6 (that also doesn't seem to be called Duratec 35 anymore, either). Torque is close, too: 228 lb-ft for the 3.0-liter and 249 lb-ft for the 3.5-liter.
Barb Samardzich, Ford's vice president of powertrain product development, said in light of the price volatility of gasoline, the company wants to keep all its options open — and having a larger and smaller V6 in this highly competitive segment presents those options, apparently. Besides, the 3.5-liter is available only for the Fusion Sport, which likely will represent a very small portion of total Fusion sales.
And yes, for those truly worried about the cost of gasoline — even though everyone in Detroit seems relieved prices have dived — the 2010 Fusion gets a larger, 2.5-liter version of last year's 2.3-liter four-cylinder power plant. The same engine already debuted for the Escape/Mariner mini-utes and makes 175 hp, a decent 14-hp jump over the scrap-heaped 2.3-liter. But improvements mean fuel economy better than with the old four-cylinder.
Inside Line says: The Fusion's always been pretty good to drive. But the newly powered-up engines and the addition of the Sport model add an extra dynamic. — Bill Visnic, senior editor, Edmunds AutoObserver
Add A Comment »