Ford Fusion diesel

The Fusion diesel isn’t different from the petrol version at all, which isn’t a bad thing as the Ford Fusion was given a makeover less than a year ago. The only difference is the car’s rear bumper that has been modified to make the car’s length less than four metres so that the Fusion diesel gets the excise benefits given to cars below 4000mm and powered by a diesel engine that has less than a 1.5-litre capacity.

Driving it

The Fiesta’s 1.4-litre common-rail motor is the main reason behind why the Fiesta is doing so well. The same engine does duty in the Fusion diesel as well. The pulling power is generous on all the gears of this car and so you will not feel any kind of lack of power – the engine delivers 68bhp . The highlight of the TDCi engine is its responsive nature from low engine speeds. The fact that the Fusion is responsive from around 1200rpm makes it great to drive in the city, especially in traffic. Power delivery is quite strong and linear and there’s no ‘turbo kicking in at 2000rpm for a knee-jerk burst of power’ drama. The only issue here is when the car is on the highway, as it only gives out 68bhp; it runs out of breath quickly on the highway.

The engine remains smooth for most of its powerband and vibrations are kept well under control. The Fusion always had great steering feedback and this only gets better in the diesel version. In addition, the high seating position gives the driver a commanding view of the road. The gearbox feels smooth and precise to use. The huge 198mm of ground clearance makes sure that Fusion diesel can tackle the largest potholes and tall speedbreakers with ease.

The interiors

The interiors of the Fusion diesel are the same as the petrol version and nothing has been changed. This has advantages and disadvantages. On the downside, the quality of plastics could do with improvement and the Fusion does not even come with a CD, MP3 or cassette player! In addition, the placement of the bonnet release button is on the front passenger’s side and that can be annoying.

However, the car has good bits as well like the several places where one can store away small knick-knacks. Other clever parts include the small shelf above the glovebox and a small storage compartment right on top of the middle of the dash. The driver-seat-steering geometry is good and the steering and gear knob feel nice to grip. There is a handy distance-to-empty metre that tells you how much further you can travel before you need fuel again.

The seats at the front and the rear of the Ford Fusion diesel are comfortable and the height is higher than other saloons, which serves to accommodate more legroom. This also makes the car easy and comfortable to get in and out of as you get the feeling of walking into the car. The boot space in the Fusion diesel is 337litres, which increases to 1175litres when the rear seats are flipped forward. The upholstery of the cabin is in beige and you don’t get an option of grey or leather. The ‘approach lights’ where the parking lights light up when you press the remote unlocking button is another useful feature and is very helpful to identify your car in a parking lot. Additionally, there’s the battery-saver feature, which automatically turns off the car’s lights after a few minutes in case you’ve forgotten.