2019 Ford Fusion
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In a weird move, Ford has made some changes to the Fusion.
Unlike the previous revisions from a couple of yeas ago, the new ones are not an improvement.
(new one on top) At all.
The lower bumper and lights are now almost weirdly busy.
Why???
In the back, things have been squared off. Again, why??? (2019 model on top)
The main changes are the new Co-Pilot360 features that comes standard.
It includes emergency braking, blind spot info, lane keeping system, rear camera and auto high beam.
And the Energi version now has a 20% longer EV range. With means around 24 miles instead of 20.
Which is still not great…
Ford has mentioned the next Fusion will be sold in made in China, but not imported to the US.
Which is pretty sad. (They also mentioned development on the 2020 Fusion had stopped all together)
The Fusion is still one of the best looking sedan available. And of the best driving.
It is really weird for Ford to give up completely on the mid sized market.
They still sold over 209 000 of them last year. Sure, it is down from the previous years, but its is a 6 year old model!
I cannot imagine Honda and Toyota giving up on the Accord and Camry. They are still making money from these.
Even Mazda has an all new Mazda6 planned.
And there is a new Altima right around the corner.
What is wrong with Ford ?
Why not?
I had a fusion SE hybrid rental last summer for a week. It was incredibly well built (Mercedes sedan is my daily driver) and I would seriously consider one for my next commuter car (The new e and c class mercedes are crappy and overpriced for what they are).
Vince, what do you think? Have you tested the Fusion Hybrid? Thoughts?
I have actually driven all versions of the Fusion except the base 2.5 Liter.
I think they are all great. Even the 1.5 L is enough power for most people. And a great steering feel.
But the hybrid versions have a much smaller trunk, due to batteries. It's about half of the other versions. Which could be a concern
For could have easily done a total redesign using the same CD4 platform for the Fusion, which is what the Japanese do (Toyota used the same platform for 3!! generations of Camry before finally developing something all new this year).
Instead, they give it a slight nose job and trash the car, suggesting that they will kill it. When will these dummy auto executives realize that publicly trashing your product doesn't help sales??? So i fully expect Ford to fall back into old habits and string the Fusion along in current form for another 3-4 years. then complain that it doesn't sell and kill it, just like they did with the Taurus.
I agree 100%!
It's a damn shame to see what James Hackett is doing at Ford. I understand SUV's and Trucks are the breadwinners, but vehicles like the Fusion are important to have in your lineup, to give up on complete segments is just ridiculous.
On the one hand, it sounds like they’re taking a page out of Chrysler’s playbook by just opting out of the market. On the hand, they’ve done this before: remember how they sacrificed the original Focus by letting it get way too old while diluting its specialness in order to squeeze as much life out of it as possible?
They almost did the same thing with the Focus. Claiming they can't make any money on it. Although everyone else like Honda, Toyota, Mazda, Nissan, Subaru even GM is selling compacts. I don't see any of them giving up on the segment.
So their genius idea is to import the next Focus from China. So at least they won't lose anything on it.
But from what we've seen of it, it won't really be a stand out against the competition.
Even Toyota has a really nice looking new Corolla hatch coming up soon (iM/Auris).
The Civic is selling like hotcakes. New Sentra coming next year. And more….
At least the front end was changed for a purpose: brining it in line stylisticly with the new Fiesta and next Focus. The rear is pure change for the sake of change…and all changed for the worse. The restyled body panels do an amazing job of making the rear appear very bulky. The elimination of the chrome above the license plate leaves the chrome in the taillights looking very out of place.
Chrysler went out of the sedan market because of Crazy Sergio who thinks the shift to SUVs is permanent. (Any thinking being should know that nothing is…)
So in effect, killing the whole brand.
I also understand keeping a design longer when it sells. Since it makes business sense. Like the Toyota RAV-4, with amazingly keeps selling better and better every single year. By a lot! So it's actually a pretty gutsy move to introduce (in a few days) a brand new one.
But the "keeping it until it dies" theory is just sad and bad business. Which Ford has done a lot. You accurately mention the Taurus.
I also remember the Crown Victoria. The 90's Mustangs…. Town car etc…
I don't get what they are trying to achieve with that trunk lid restyle. The blockiness just kills the rear elegance it used to have. Exiting the sedan market seems ridiculous. Certainly they could do a heavy reworking of the current platform and create a profitable next generation. Completely dump a car that changed the style of the entire segment just a few years ago?
The rumors are that the Lincoln Continental would go too, after just one generation. Surely they could have improved on its moderate success with a second version?
Currently Ford looks to be making a lot of 80's GM-level shortsighted decisions.
I think had to be worried because that old model looked so nice, they had nowhere to go with it…. So, Voila! Hit it with the "ugly stick" so o there is room for improvement again!
What a shame, that back end really looks bad.
They are looking for excuses to exit the car business altogether, and just make higher profit margin SUVs.
Make the 6 year old Fusion uglier so sales will tank. No new Fusion also means no more Lincoln MKZ.
And kill the Continental too. It is overpriced and really nothing like the cool concepts they've been teasing us with for years.
After that, there will be ONLY SUVs and trucks from Ford…. Quite amazing. And sad.
There is a new Mustang for 2020. But that might be the last one.
I think the Taurus is too big, old and ugly. However the Taurus may still have more brand equity than the Fusion. How about a single car, slightly larger than the Fusion called the Taurus? Only need one sedan in a smaller market.
Meanwhile, Europe even hasn't received the first facelift…
That said I agree, it#s a great car, had a Fusion Hybrid as a rental for two weeks last year, such a great ride, excellent seats and well built; Amazing MPG too. I agree the trunk is on the smaller side, but how often do you indeed load fully up?
Ford needs to worry less about whether or not to make cars, and worry more about making vehicles in general that don't have twenty recalls. Ford Tough is becoming a joke, unless you like yours doors opening on their own and your steering wheel falling off.
As far as the update:
1) I think the front end looks fine except for the rather weird shape of the fog lights.
2) The changes to the rear of the car are definitely not an improvement. The car loses its sleek and attractive shape with the new squared off lines at the rear.
We only have ourselves to blame for automakers abandoning car segments. It seems almost everyone is scrambling to get a utility vehicle now. I have asked a lot of people why they drive a utility vehicle and they all basically state the same two reasons: they value/enjoy the higher seating position and the greater practicality/utility offered by their crossovers and SUVs. Conventional cars simply can’t offer these attributes or compete with vehicles that do. If automakers continue to see their sales in car segments erode and they can’t profitably continue to produce them, who can blame them for abandoning segments? With advances in alternative powertrains, the fuel efficiency advantage of conventional cars also becomes irrelevant. It seems to be a no win situation for conventional cars. I personally think it’s sad, but it seems almost inevitable.
Vince- do you think that Ford's sedan lineup is just too compressed to realistically field 3-4 sedans? It's no secret that cars get successively larger with each generation, to the point that the Focus is about the same size as what a midsize car would have been only 10-15 years ago. Fusion has no room to go larger with Taurus above it. And since Focus and Taurus have *much* better name recognition, and Taurus doesn't seem to play in the same "near lux" category as the Maxima/Avalon/300 game anyway, would Focus cover compact/mid and Taurus cover mid/full size? And Fiesta does whatever Fiesta does?
You should post a pic of the previous refresh as well. I preferred it.
SUVs are in and sedans are out. What's the fuss here? And in a few years, with autonomous cars, what are the "enthusiasts" to do when vehicles will look and feel inside like, kitchens, living rooms and/or offices?
Total fail, like you said Vince, wth is wrong with Ford?