A superb solution to your luxury sedan requirements

Its popular Ranger bakkie has now outsold the Toyota Hilux two months in a row – many thought this to be impossible and if this does not illustrate the brands tenacity, then I am unsure of what it will take to convince you.
Large sedans has become a scarcity on the market but for the truly luxury brands like Mercedes and the rest. This particular segment of the market has, in a sense, been captured by SUV and Crossover products.

But many will still remember the Ford Mondeo’s, Granada’s and then some. Fellow motoring journalist Jannie Hennop described the Fusion as a Ford with “je ne sais quoi”. Indeed! So, it was a brave move by Ford, I think, to launch the Fusion. It is a large car – in all respects – physical as well as what it has to offer. I drove the 2.0-litre TDCi derivative and what a beaut it turned out to be?

Large and planted
Once settled into the drivers seat, the realisation of Fusion’s size will hit you and even before driving off, you will already perceive the car as being planted – confident and sturdy.

The design, as a result of the low-slung roof line, presents much more of a sports car look and feel than that of a sedan. Although the exterior lines are soft and gentle on the senses, those twin exhausts at the rear, does hold a promise of potential excitement. Ones initial expectation from a car this size kitted with only a 2.0-litre power plant, may not be that enthusiastic – but luckily that perception is brutalized the moment you floor the Fusion’s accelerator.
Looking at the front end, the family resemblance is obvious – Ford – large grill and squinting headlight clusters – a low, wide and powerful stance – both exciting enticing on many levels.

Despite the interior space and size, the driver’s position is still very focused and also, in my mind, busy as a result of all the silvery bits and bobs and although both Annalize and I agreed that the large seats are exceptionally comfortable – it is not quite as good as those of the Tourneo Connect which we drove a while back.

The SYNC system, not unlike those in many luxury cars these days, may seem daunting to operate at first, but as I always say, make the time or consult with Manuel (the cars manual) because once you master it, it is a pleasure to use. Fiddling with it whilst driving though, is a sure way to land up in hospital or worse – so don’t!
The luggage space is large and deep and would probably require careful packing for long trips. This is however the challenge custom to almost all large luxury sedans.

Sprightly oil burner
Indeed it is – once you floor this large and heavy office space, it makes you squint with pleasure. The 2.0-litre pushes 132kW and 400Nm – it is surprisingly quiet and superbly responsive despite its automatic gearbox – a jewel in itself also. Road holding – whether power driving or Miss Daisy site-seeing, is superb and confident and one is constantly at war with oneself as to whether you can/should push it a tad harder. And I must confess – on our Mpumalanga roads, I am seldom able to resist the temptation.

Safety and features
The list is longer than my arm and the sales people will oblige you with all the detail. I’ll mentioned just a couple. “Fusion is the most technologically advanced Ford vehicle ever introduced in South Africa,” says Mark Kaufman FMCSA’ vice-president for marketing, sales and service.

He is of course referring to Ford’s SYNC2, Active Park Assist, Lane keeping assist, Pre-collision alert, Head-up Display and Adaptive cruise control to name but a few. And when you take the Fusion for a test drive – make the point of allowing it to park itself. All large SUV’s should be kitted with a self-park system. Need I say more?

Conclusion
The Fusion offers a superb solution to your luxury sedan requirements – go drive it – today!