Brakes

Archive for the ‘Ford Brakes’ Category

The Ford Fusion and its place in the market point out that it’s probably truly the first actual ‘world car’ from the Dearborn, Michigan automaker. Built at the Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico stamping and assembly plant, it’s been Ford’s ‘go-to’ mid-size sedan for the both North and South America since making its first appearance in late 2005 for the 2006 model years.

Hermosillo is also where the Fusion’s stablemates — the Mercury Milan and the Lincoln MKZ — are also manufactured. The Ford model, though, is the most popular of the three, all of whom are based off the CD3 platform which is also shared with the well-regarded Mazda6. Fusion is Ford’s replacement for the Mondeo, which had been popular in Latin America for quite some time and still is, in Argentina, where it continues to be sold.

Ford enthusiasts like to point out that the Fusion began the evolution to the corporate ‘three-bar grille’ a variation of which is by now featured on every model in the FoMoCo line-up. It is also positioned in between the compact Focus and the full-size Taurus in Ford’s product offerings. The Fusion has been a hit since its debut, by the way.

Initially offered in three trims – the S, SE, and full-boat SEL – the Fusion offered consumers a choice of inline 4 cylinder and V6 engines. The 4 cylinder engine, in particular, offered good horsepower for its size (2. 3 liter), putting out 160 ponies, while the 6 cylinder V6 delivered 221 horses in SE and SEL trim. The four cylinder engine came with either 5 speed manual or 5 speed automatics while the 6 came with a 6 speed automatic transmission.

Over the last few years, Ford hasn’t rested on its laurels, continuing to evolve the Fusion. The company added all-wheel drive to the Fusion’s V6 trim packages in 2007, which is a much-appreciated feature in snowier climates. Even the Fusion S has features normally found only in higher-line vehicles.

Additionally, front-seat side airbags and also side curtain bags were made standard on all three trims, along with a new perimter anti-theft alarm system. Up until 2007, all had been optional. Ford also made available a DVD-based navigation setup, along with satellite radio.

In recognition of changing consumer tastes and a increased desire for safety features – some of which were mandated by the federal government – Ford also threw a tire pressure monitoring system and anti-lock brakes into the mix in 2008. Ford’s popular Microsoft-engineered SYNCH package was also made available on the Ford Fusion that year.

Ford Fusion has undergone a complete redesign for 2010, with the most exciting addition to the lineup being the gas-electric hybrid model that delivers a fine 155 horses along with 41 miles per gallon in city driving. Such fuel efficiency was considered impossible just a few short years ago. The new Fusion is bigger and better all around, too, with new standard features across all three trim levels.

Today’s Ford Fusion is quite an improvement in evolution from Ford models of even 10 years ago. Its twin attributes of value and true comfort and convenience are making it a force in the mid-size sedan segment, which has traditionally been dominated by certain foreign automakers.