Ford Fusion Range : GONE FISSION

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Ford's Fusion has established a small but significant Supermini niche for itself. Jonathan Crouch checks out the revised rangeâ€¦

We like to think of ourselves as sporty, active, dynamic and young at heart. In our imaginary promotional video, we throw the skis/surfboard/mountain bikes into the back of a lifestyle-orientated compact car like Ford's Fusion. We smile an ice-white grin at the camera, check out our tan in the rear view and then pull away. Extreme.

Every day's a Saturday, the sun always shines and birds never unload on your bonnet. The reality, as Ford and every other manufacturer expect us to forget, is slightly different. It's a world of screaming kids, garden centres, mother-in-law fetching and 3mph crawls to work. This is what the Fusion was designed for. It works better on the North Circular than it does at the North Face. It's lately been revised, with restyling for the bumpers and grille, revised headlamps and tail lamps, thicker body side mouldings and body coloured handles and mirrors on selected models. Inside, a redesign concentrates on improving the feeling of quality and space. Highlights include a smarter fascia with easier to read instruments and a soft-feel upper section to the instrument panel. It's certainly a big improvement on the cheap-feeling plastic of the original model. Ford says there are now more than a dozen seat fabric and fascia colour combinations to choose from, giving the interior "an exciting, trendy feel" so "customers can be as stylish, distinctive and original as they like." Which is presumably also the intention behind adding `vibrant' exterior colours that include "tango red", "amethyst", and shocking "sublime". The Fusion range has also been assigned a unique colour - "Spanish olive."

"It still works better on the North Circular than it does at the North Faceâ€¦."

Ford has taking this `refreshing' opportunity to add many features usually only found on larger cars. These include rain sensing wipers, automatic 'home safe' headlamp mode, air conditioning with automatic electronic temperature control, satellite navigation, on-board computer, one-touch-down driver's door window, power folding heated door mirrors, MP3-compatible stereo systems and voice-controlled hands-free phone connection. Large car technology has also been applied to the electronic system. Each vehicle features a Controller Area Network (CAN) that can circulate specific data throughout the car, as required. Although much of this technology is working out of the driver's sight, there are visible examples such as the duplication of the radio station name and tuning information in the instrument cluster ahead of the driver, and the automatic speed-related volume control. Additionally, the hazard warning lights operate automatically under emergency or heavy braking above 62mph. There's a choice of 1.4 and 1.6 petrol and diesel engines spread across three main trim levels - Style +, Zetec and Titanium. Despite still having a front end bluffer than the north section of the Eiger, the Fusion isn't really a go-anywhere vehicle. Built on the same front-wheel drive underpinnings as the old Fiesta, it is in some respects a latter day incarnation of the Matra Rancho - and if you remember one of those, you really are an anorak. Suffice it to say that it supplied the go-anywhere looks without the need for the expensive go-anywhere hardware that would normally accompany them. Many have found the Fusion difficult to pigeonhole (including buyers) but that hasn't stopped Ford from shifting quite a few after a slow sales start. Yes, it's an old Fiesta on stilts, but the whole effect isn't unappealing if you accept it for what it is - Ford's evergreen supermini in a slightly funkier suit. In designing the Fusion for urban families, a number of key criteria had to be met. These elements included a higher driving position to give good all round visibility, body height and wheel designs optimised for ground clearance and ride comfort so that Fusion drivers can easily shrug off kerbs, speed humps and the worst urban potholes. So-called `cubed-out' architecture maximises seating space while the same philosophy maximises the luggage space by providing a squared-off rear header and a flat load floor. That driving position is higher than you'd find in a Fiesta. The bumpers and rubbing strips followed intensive research into how cars become damaged in the urban environment. Should you contrive to take the car's name somewhat literally and meld it with something else, it's good to know that you've an Intelligent Protection System that will intervene with dual stage front air bags that sense the type and severity of the impact. Side airbags are available for front seat passengers and optional curtain bags provide side-impact head protection. The high seating position gives a commanding view of the road ahead and there's a wonderful sense of airiness about the cabin. As well as offering the usual split/fold rear seats, the Fusion also allows the front passenger seat and the rear seats to fold flat, although the operation isn't as slick as in some rivals. Even with the seats in an upright position, the boot is impressive with a standard luggage volume of some 337 litres. Should you need to slide luggage out from the rear, Ford have thoughtfully designed the Fusion with no rear loading lip. The elevated seating position also allows for extra stowage space under the passenger seats, whilst the fascia features a flip-top bin like the Galaxy whilst the main instruments are housed in a neat oval binnacle. The Fusion has never revolutionised the Supermini market in the way Ford hoped it would but it's established for itself a useful little niche just above Fiesta that will be consolidated by this package of updates.

Facts At A Glance
CAR: Ford Fusion range
PRICES: £12,995-£15,495 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 4-7
CO2 EMISSIONS: 116-157g/km
PERFORMANCE: [1.4 petrol] 0-60mph 13.7s / Max Speed 102mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [1.4 petrol] (urban) 33.2mpg / (extra urban) 53.3mpg / (combined) 43.5mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front and side airbags
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: length/width/height 4020/1708/1503mm