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 Maybe
I was spoiled by a few laps I'd driven around Ford's Dearborn test
track in cars equipped with the Blue Oval's new 3.5-liter, twin-turbocharged
EcoBoost V6 engine. Basically, the EcoBoost provides V8 power with V6
fuel economy. The only thing better might be a V6 that provides the power
of a V8 and the economy of a four-banger.
Anyway, after a few
laps in the EcoBoosted 2010 Taurus SHO and 2010 Lincoln MKZ, I find myself
underwhelmed by the 2010 Ford Fusion Sport, a new model not equipped with
the new engine.
Oh, the Sport gets
a 3.5 liter V6 - and it's the only Fusion with an engine of that displacement.
But instead of the twin-turbos, you get normally aspirated, and thus around
100 less horsepower and an even larger torque deficit. The Sport's 3.5-liter
provides 263 hp, which sounds terrific until you realize that's only 23
more than the 3.0-liter V6 in the typical Fusion.
Add in the fact that
the Fusion Sport I've been driving is equipped with all-wheel drive -
and thus an additional 200 pounds of weight - and, well, there's not really
much sport to the Sport.
At least not dynamically.
Visually, however,
the Sport does look sporty, both inside and out.
 
Outside, the Sport
gets sporting styling cues, including a more aggressive lower front fascia,
aerodynamic rocker panel moldings, a rear deck lid spoiler, a pair of
polished exhaust tips, and painted 18-inch aluminum wheels wrapped with
aggressively treaded Goodyear Eagles. Beneath the sheetmetal there's also
a tweaked suspension setup, though specifications don't share the degree
of the tweak, so it could be as little as those wheels and tires.
Inside, the Sport
gets its own gauges; contrast-stitched leather-like soft-touch trim and
is available with blue or red seat inserts and trim panels. Our car has
the red inserts.
Base price on the
2010 Ford Fusion Sport is $27,675 and includes the two-tone leather seating.
The car we drove came to $29,590 as tested with Ford's Moon & Tune
package (power moon roof and Sony audio system), as well as a reverse
sensing system to help with parallel parking maneuvers.
The package includes
a six-speed automatic with Select shift. Also standard are an eight-way
power-adjustable driver's seat; spring-assisted folding for the 60/40
rear seat; Sirius satellite radio; voice-activated Sync technology; tilt
and telescoping steering column; traction control; anti-lock brakes, and
curtain airbags.
With AWD, the Fusion
Sport is rated at 17 miles per gallon in city driving and at 24 on the
highway. The car is available with front-wheel drive and 18/27 ratings.
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