2010 Fusion Sport

Early major update and hybrid version available this spring

In the game of one-upmanship and survival of the fittest, the two latest offerings from Ford Motor Company aim to up the ante in the hotly-contested mid-sized sedan segment.

Time waits for no man, and that’s particularly true in the car business. This time around, the guys in Dearborn took a page from the playbook of their Japanese rivals and decided on a major re-work of both the Fusion and its cousin the Mercury Milan just three years into the current model’s life. The best news is that even though both will be given the 2010 model year designation, car buyers won’t have to wait long – both should be in dealer showrooms this spring.

2010 Mercury Milan

New Clothes

While both vehicles received a makeover, the biggest design changes occurred with the Fusion. Gone are the funky square headlights, replaced by a European-influenced trapezoidal lower air intake that sits below the familiar 3-bar grill. This time, however, a portion of the upper bar extends over new horizontal headlamps. The more aggressive front end is complimented by new fenders as well as a new domed hood.

Inside, the new instrument panel features a softer “skin”, while a new center stack an steering wheel give the Fusion a more contemporary look. Seats have also been revised with more side support, smoother bolsters and textured inserts. Options include new ambient lighting as well as Ford’s SYNC™ system, an option that surely sold many customers on the Focus.

2010 Fusion Interior

More Power

Under the hood, the Fusion’s 2.3 liter four has been replaced by a new 2.5 liter version. Horsepower is up by 15 to 175, while torque is up by over 10% (from 156 lb-ft to 172 lb-ft). Highway mileage, according to Ford, is an impressive 33 mpg, besting the Camry by 2 mpg and the Accord by 3 mpg.

The V-6 has also been massaged and now delivers 240 hp and 228 lb-ft of torque, increases of 19 and 23, respectively, over the previous iteration. Both engines will be coupled to a new six-speed automatic transmission.

2010 Fusion Hybrid

You’ll get a charge out of this

Alongside the new twins, Ford also unveiled hybrid versions of both models. Using the same 2.5-liter Atkinson cycle 4-cylinder engine with intake variable cam timing as the Escape/Mariner hybrids, the green-friendly models produce 155 hp and 136 lb-ft of torque. New battery technology enabled the engineers to reduce their size by 30 percent while providing almost 20 percent more power than the previous generation.

Ford claims a top speed of 47 mph on battery power alone while besting the Camry’s city mpg by 5 and allowing for a whopping 700 mile city driving range.

2010 Milan Hybrid