Detroit Auto Show: Ford Fusion for 2013 debuts

It's unusual for a car to sell better at the end of its life, but that's the situation Ford has on its hands with today's Fusion four-door. Last year, the company sold nearly 250,000 Fusion sedans, putting it ahead of the Honda Accord on the annual family-car sales charts.

Even though it's still selling strongly, a replacement is in the works in the form of the 2013 Ford Fusion, introduced to the world at the 2012 Detroit auto show. Like some other competitors, the Fusion's dropping all V-6 engines from its lineup, and instead adding a pair of greener sedans to please hybrid and plug-in-hybrid fans.

Last year, Ford previewed the new Fusion's looks in the form of the Ford Evos Concept, which it put on the stand at the Frankfurt Auto Show last September. With a face that's described as a new look coming to the whole Ford family, the roofline has other inspirations--we see a lot of the Audi A7 in the profile. The cabin moves forward the themes from the Focus and Fiesta, grouping major controls in a vertical stack framed in metallic trim. It's a strongly European look that puts a priority on easy-to-read gauges and displays.

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The current V-6 engines dropped, the Fusion will turn to turbocharging to boost four-cylinders to competitive power levels. Like the Hyundai Sonata before it, and the Chevy Malibu coming to showrooms soon, the Fusion's four-cylinder play allows engineers to slim down the car's curb weight and crash structures.

Three four-cylinder engines will be offered on the gas-only Fusion, the base being a carryover 170-horsepower, 2.5-liter four. A turbocharged 1.6-liter four will make 179 horsepower, while a 2.0-liter turbo (a version of the one coming in the Focus ST, and found already in the Range Rover Evoque) will make 237 hp. All will offer a six-speed automatic, with a six-speed manual available on the 1.6-liter car. All-wheel drive will be available, but only on the 2.0-liter version.

Ford says fuel economy estimates are higher across the board. The 1.6-liter checks in at 26/37 mpg, with the help of a standard stop-start system. The 2.0-liter model is projected at 23/33 mpg; Ford hasn't estimated mileage for the base drivetrain, likely to be a fleet special.

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Hybrids and plug-ins

The Fusion's trump cards could well be a pair of hybrid models. The "standard" hybrid model gets higher gas mileage and more EV range this time around: Ford says it can run on batteries alone up to 62 mph, up from 47 mph in the 2012 Fusion Hybrid. Gas mileage is estimated at 47/44 mpg, well above today's 41/36 mpg; at 46 mpg combined, it should top the 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid (41 mpg) and the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid (37 mpg). Ford has left much of the hybrid's specifications hidden, saying only that the system's net horsepower is approximately 185 hp.

New to the lineup will be a plug-in hybrid model, the Energi. Like the C-Max Energi hatchbackcoming in 2013, this Fusion model gets a larger lithium-ion battery pack, a 3.3-kilowatt charger, and an external door for the charging port. Ford also declines to detail this powertrain's battery energy, or the Energi's EV-only range. However, it says the combined gasoline and electric efficiency rating will be more than 100 MPGe--13 MPGe or better than the plug-in Prius, and 8 MPGe or better than the 2012 Chevrolet Volt.

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