Ford Reporter

Ford continues to surprise us by announcing a new design for the legendary mid-size segment car Ford Fusion. They even gave us a launching year(2010) and a ton of details about their`s latest creation.

Exterior and Interior Design

You buy a car on most of the occasions for it`s outside look. An ugly car won`t make your head turn and surely won`t make your heart start beating. In the same time you drive the car from inside and if it`s ugly there you`ll start driving it only when you really really need to. So basically in order to sell cars manufacturers need to make a car that looks good from  outside and inside point of view and Ford definitely did a good job on this new Fusion.

They redesigned the exterior to make it more aggressive and to provide a sportier look, more upscale and more technical on all models throughout the Fusion line. They wanted to transmit, through the exterior design that this is a car fun to drive, and in order to convince us they`ve improved the engines as well. To create a wider, sportier look they`ve made significant changes to the headlamps, grille and fog lamps. The iconic three-bar grille is larger and has a more modern look but it still has to much Chrome. Wraparound projector beam headlamps add to the leaner high tech appearance. The fog lamps in that trapezoidal shape complete the more-muscular look.

“When you’re talking about performance, you want the car to look the part,” Song said.

If the front changed so many modifications we can be sure that the rear end suffered some changes as well. Modern taillights and decklid give the vehicle a more unified look. They used LEDs for a high look and a better visibility.

The interior gives a specific look and amplifies the aggressive look from the exterior. We have instrument panel changed, wich now has new metal finishes on the control knobs, the stainless look that carries through to the doors, center modern console and steering wheel, new seats wich are very comfortable and with better side support.
“If customers don’t get excited about the exterior, they’ll never come look at the interior and all the great features we have or even come into the showroom,” Song said. “We made sure they can’t miss this vehicle from the outside when you compare it to other mid-size sedans.” We have agree with Mister Song about that line. Surely we`ll miss this vehicle, when we won`t be able to admire it.

Performance and Fuel Efficiency in the same time?

The Fusion S will have a new Duratec 2.5-Liter I-4 Engine wich produces 175 horsepower, the SE and SEL Fusion will probably have a 3.0 V-6 Duratec Engine with just 240 horsepower and capable of running on Flex Fuels such as E85 Ethanol. Most likely the Sport carries a 3.5-liter-V6 with 263 horsepower. All engines will have 6 speed transmissions and this combination will help increase fuel economy by at least 17 percents on I4 model and 10% on the rest of the engines. The Ford transmission team made several specific modifications to the 6F35-Mid transmission to optimize its performance for Fusion, including using different final drive ratios for the 2.5-liter and 3.0-liter, developing an improved converter lock-up for lower operating temperatures and efficiency, recalibrating the converter clutch to accommodate a fuel-saving aggressive deceleration fuel shut-off system as well as other tweaks to diminish parasitic losses.

A SelectShift function also was added to the 3.0-liter application in response to customer requests, giving drivers the option of a fun-to-shift manual experience.

Other Fuel Savers

Electric Power Assisted Steering (EPAS) – energy consumption of an EPAS system is typically less than 7 percent of a conventional hydraulic rack and pinion power steering system, contributing to less fuel consumption.
Adaptive Spark Ignition – can sense what type of fuel is being injected into the motor and communicates the information to the powertrain control module (PCM), which adjusts the spark accordingly.
Aggressive Deceleration Fuel Shut-off – The 3.0-liter V-6 also regulates its gas consumption by using aggressive deceleration fuel shut-off for an efficiency improvement of approximately 1 percent.

In addition to improved powertrain performance, better aerodynamics and weight reductions helped deliver fuel economy gains for the new 2010 Fusion.

Designers and engineers worked very hard to optimize the airflow over, under and around the 2010 Fusion. Improvements included all-new front and rear fascias, new front and rear tire spoilers, a new underbody engine shield and overall optimization of the cooling air flow into the engine compartment.

Plus, the team eliminated 125 pounds versus the 2009 Fusion. The size of the radiator, for example, was able to be reduced in size by one-third (saving approximately pounds) with no degradation in performance. Also, 16-inch aluminum wheels helped reduce weight and aid aerodynamics while still delivering top performance.

Like everything else on the 2010 Fusion, our powertrain offerings have been improved and give our customers multiple choices to define the Fusion that is right for them,” Shanahan said.

The Hybrid Model

For the 2010 model year, the Ford Fusion adds an all-new hybrid model with several features features:
New 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine (155 horsepower/136 lb.-ft. of torque).

Intake Variable Cam Timing (iVCT), which allows the vehicle to more seamlessly transition from gas to electric mode and vice-versa.

Enhanced electronic throttle control reduces airflow on shutdowns, reducing fueling needs on restarts.
Wide-band lambda sensor analyzes the air-fuel ratio and adjusts the lean/rich mixture accordingly to keep the system in balance and to minimize emissions.
A new smaller, lighter nickel-metal hydride battery has been optimized to produce 20 percent more power. Improved chemistry allows the battery to be run at a higher temperature and it is cooled using cabin air.
An added variable voltage converter boosts the voltage to the traction battery to operate the motor and generator more efficiently.
A new high-efficiency converter provides 14 percent increased output to accommodate a wider array of vehicle features.
Smarter climate control system monitors cabin temperature and only runs the gas engine as needed to heat the cabin; it also includes an electric air conditioning compressor to further minimize engine use.
The regenerative brake system captures the energy normally lost through friction in braking and stores it. Nearly 94 percent energy recovery is achieved by first delivering full regenerative braking followed by friction brakes during city driving.
A simulator brake actuation system dictates brake actuation and delivers improved brake pedal feel compared to the previous generation braking system.

“Because our hybrid can run at a much higher speed in electric mode, you can do so much more in city-driving situations,” said Gil Portalatin, Hybrid Applications Manager. “Under the right conditions, you can drive in your neighborhood or mall parking lots without using a drop of gasoline.”

Following the debut of the 2010 Fusion sedan, Ford announced even the pricing for the entire range. The 2.5-liter Fusion S starts at just $19,270. The ‘S’ has basic features like air-conditioning, power windows, mirrors, and locks, capless refueling, traction control, ABS, and 16-inch wheels. At this price who wouldn`t want a new Ford Fusion, especially since they announce that they`ll produce and a hybrid model?

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