2016 Ford Fusion.
What It Is: Ford’s mid-size Fusion sedan, which looks to be getting an involved array of changes for the 2016 model year. The car seen here has its front and rear ends covered in heavy camouflage, but the unchanged middle section is relatively unobscured, and our spy photographers even managed to get a peek at the interior.
Why It Matters: The current Fusion debuted in late 2012 for the 2013 model year, just ahead of an onslaught of freshly updated competitors, including from segment-heavyweight Honda Accord and scrappyMazda 6. With reinvigorated mid-sizers in the forms of Hyundai’s Sonata and Toyota’s Camry, not to mention the nicely upgraded 2014 Volkswagen Passat, Ford needs to nail the Fusion’s midcycle refresh in order to keep pace.
Platform: As with all things stylish, popularity is fleeting, and the Aston Martin–aping Fusion is no different. Although hot when it first hit dealership lots, the Fusion’s sheetmetal now struts in near-ambiguity, with Mazda out-sexing it with the gorgeous 6 sedan last year. Ford will address the Fusion’s look, but it’s difficult to discern from these photos just how the company’s designers sought to freshen the sedan’s cosmetics. Any changes are hidden by the camouflage, but it appears as though the Fusion’s Aston grille design will remain. Interestingly, the Fusion’s front doors lose their small quarter windows, but that’s the most obvious visible change on this prototype.
Underneath, the Fusion will continue to ride on Ford’s global front-drive C-/D-segment architecture, but its interior will get a huge makeover. The dashboard gets an all-new, flat-top design, and the steering wheel is new. The center stack still houses the MyFord Touch touch-screen infotainment setup, and this prototype also has the Fusion’s optional screen-heavy gauge cluster. The shift lever has been replaced with a Chrysler-/Jaguar-like rotary shift knob, which indicates that the Fusion might be one of the first Ford products to get the new nine-speed automatic co-developed with GM.
Powertrain: The Fusion’s current lineup of naturally aspirated and turbocharged four-cylinder engines and hybrid and plug-in-hybrid powertrains should carry over relatively unchanged to the updated 2016 model. As mentioned, the gas models’ six-speed automatic transmission could gain three gears. These spy photos don’t provide confirmation of that, but Ford and GM have been working on a nine-speed unit for some time. Front-wheel drive will remain standard with all-wheel drive continuing on as an option.
Competition: Chevrolet Malibu, Honda Accord, Mazda 6, Toyota Camry, Volkswagen Passat.
Estimated Arrival and Price: Judging by the near-production-quality status of this Fusion tester’s interior, there’s no question the sedan is close to its official reveal. We don’t expect to see the new Fusion before next year, however, with either an auto-show debut at L.A. in the fall or Detroit in the winter. Expect the new car to command a base price close to the $22,795 of today’s Fusion.
By car and driver.