The 2013 Ford Fusion lineup is here, and it appears to have everything we wanted — and more.
Most prominently, there's the grille from the stunning Evos concept that debuted in Frankfurt last year. It's production-ready proof that Moray Callum, who heads Ford's North American design department, has a genetically identical sense of style with his brother Ian, who penned the Aston Martin DB7's front end.
Since cars are for people and not rotating pedestals, the production Fusion of course ditched the Evos' gullwing doors for sides and a rear-end that match the Focus and Fiesta. Concept car flourishes aside, this is still one attractive mainstream sedan.
There's also quite an interesting combination of powertrains on offer.
For 2013, Ford's introducing the Ford Energi plug-in hybrid, shown above. Slated to arrive this fall, the Energi promises 100 MPGe — better than the EPA estimates for the Chevrolet Volt or plug-in Toyota Prius. No word on how much it'll cost, but you can bet it'll sell for more than the base models that are sure to pepper airport rental lots.
The straight-up, gas-powered sedan (first photo) and hybrid (below) both got more efficient, also. The former 2.5-liter engine shrinks to a 2.0-liter Atkinson cycle mill, while a 1.6-liter EcoBoost engine with stop-start technology and estimated fuel economy of 26 city, 37 highway will come standard. The Fusion Hybrid as been refined to get 47 city, 44 highway, and its electric-only speed now maxes out at 62 mph.
Each Fusion is available with Sync, MyFord Touch and the standard complement of Ford "active safety" features: blind spot assist, lane keep assist, parking assist and adaptive cruise control. Should you ignore those systems' alarms and still manage to crash the car, you'll be protected by a body that's 10 percent stronger than the current model. That front end isn't just a pretty face — it's also designed to meet the varied crash test standards across Europe and North America.
The new Fusion will be based on the European Mondeo platform and will be built in both Hermosillo, Mexico and the AutoAlliance plant in Flat Rock, Michigan, that's churned out Mustangs, Mazdas and Ford V8 castings over the years.
Photos: Ford
