Go for it

This review might be a late in coming, but better late than never. I have had a Ford Fusion + TDCI for almost 11 months now.So I guess my review comes with a lot of experience on the vehicle.

I owned a Ford Fiesta 1.4 TDCI for 2. 5 years upto May 2008.An uncle of mine was looking to buy a good used vehicle and took it off our hands for an 'in-the- family 'deal .

Now I was very happy with the Fiesta for its comfort, and exceptional handling.

Looking to buy an alternative car in more or less the similar price range, ( between 7 and 8.5 lacs) and looking for a change from the Fiesta, led me to consider Skoda Fabia, Swift Dzire, Maruti SX4, Honda city, Hyndai Verna.

I was looking for something unique, a car not seen in huge numbers on the Indian roads, and yet offered everything I was looking for from a mid sized vehicle.

The Fusion + hit the spot right on! We got a paprika red + model with all the trimmings for a 7.65 all inclusive deal.

The dealer threw in vinyl beige coloured seat covering, beige leather wrapping on steering wheel, a 2 din JVC sound system with 4 speakers, garware tinted film and a 3rd year warranty to in addition to the 2 year they already offered. It took a bit of hard bargaining but we managed to get what we think is a great deal.

The car is mounted on 15 inch wheels, and the extra one inch makes a huge difference on the Mumbai roads.

Most pot holes feel like mere dips in the road.The handling is exactly similar to the Fiesta. The added height gives me the near SUVish feel. Great visibility all round. The AC is one of Fords finer points. The fusions AC cools very fast and very effectively.

I think they wanted to give the car a SUV like build ride quality. As a result, you FEEL the bumps, with pronounced THUDS, but it does not hamper the ride quality in way whatsoever. You just seem to glide over them.There is no body roll despite the high stance.

Great space on the inside with 5 adults sitting in most comfortably. The boot space at the back is also adequate for most of my needs. And the rear seat splits up 60:40 for that excess luggage on the trip to/from  the airport.

The engine is the same as the Fiesta. But since the fusion is heavier than the Fiesta, a bit of the peppiness is missing.Also, initially the Fusion was available in petrol variant. SO i guess  with the Diesel variant some ambient sounds creep into the cabin. I would have liked the sound insulation to be better.

But these are just  minor gripes.

I get a decent 13kmpl in city with AC and around 16 kmpl on the highways at speeds that are constantly upwards of 110kmph.

The interiors: plastics, seat fabrics are of good quality, the instrument cluster well placed with distance to empty meter which can be alternated with inbuilt clock.

I highly recommend the + version. The ABS and EBD makes for great braking and instills a lot of confidence when driving on any surface.

The car is very stable on high speeds. I have touch 160kmph and the car feels glued to the ground. Not a feeling I experienced with Japanese or Korean cars in same segment.

Ford has slashed its rates for Fusion by around 20-30 thousand.

For anyone looking for family vehicle for the city with the odd out of town trip... go for it!