I had the swift diesel and now when I decided to look out for a car the only car which made an impression that made me buy the same was the ford fusion 1.4tdci... Well its almost 5 months now and lets see if the car lived upto my expectations...
When the Ford fusion 1.4tdci was introduced with the fiesta engine which claimed to be one of the most refined diesel engines of recent times which basically worked on low horsepower but enormous torque to pull the car to give a fairly linear output in terms of performance.. at 68bhp the 1.4tdc-i warranted its position on the ikon as well as the fusion but then since the introduction in both t;he cars has it really done enough justice ..
Build
The Fusion one may classify is a hatchback is built on the fiesta platform and hence the wheelbase is exactly similar to its elder sibling the fiesta.. What differentiates the two is the higher ground clearance at 198 mm the car has its highest ground clearance in its class. Its tall stance certainly gives a stand out appeal from rest of the cars.. Even more interesting is that this car offers more leg room and head room than the fiesta and hence more roomier than the fiesta. The high stance also makes it easy for passengers to get in and out of the car.. Its heavier than the fiesta by almost 30kgs and built to last long..The car is also wider than the fiesta and the high ground clearence meant you can hit the potholes with ease and the speed breakers are never going to bother you
Interiors
The interiors are pretty decent with the dual tone finish the car has a premium feel to it but then the beige plastics on the door trims look a tad cheaper ..The upholstery is pretty decent though the front seats are not very comfortable as they dont offer good under thigh support. The back seats are quite like seating on a bench however it takes a while before you get used to all new feel in this car.
The back seats can be fully reclined and access of the boot increases to accomodate your airconditoners to televisions on a short drive . The front seat has a secret pocket under it and you can store some of your valuables if you need to park the vehicle for sometime unattended..
There are other small pop ups one on the top of the dash board and one on the side of the steering wheel where you can store your pair of sunglasses and pop up a few coins respectively.. The dashboard has its fair spaces to put your mobile phones and other items ..The car has the tilt steering and the fusion plus is equiped with the seat hieght adjusters and the ABS
Exrteriors
The car went for a revamp about a year or so back and the bumper to bumper distance was shortened to get into the excise benefit cuts and hence prices had maginally come down.. However the boxy looks remain though the grills have a new honeycomb finish with new colors as the mystic wine and brush steel catchiing up its certainly appealing inspite of the slighly odd looks as the car stands out certainly in a crowd. The central locking of the car comes in the key which has the one to open you boot as well.
performance
The power is drawback but the manufacturers boast on the duratorque technology where they generate high torque at low rpms and hence city drivings is supposedly a breeze . A serious let down is that the car is a tad slow at low gears and you need to rev the engine more to push it above the 1500rpm in the second gear to get her going and once you clear the 1800rpm barrier then there is no stopping as its a real breeze to drive.. Its particularly noisy as the insulation is poor but the gears are sleeky and can get addictive to use. The shortfall of linear power at low gears is definitely a let down when you comparee to the swift I had used ..I guess the 1.6tdci which is more renowned world wide could have perhaps overcome this drawback ..
Ride and handling
Ride is fantastic when you compare to any of the other cars in the segment .. The handling is the best in any form of cars that I have driven .. Hit the road be it linear or the curves the car listens to whatever inputs the driver gives and braking is also fairly good . The car is pleasure to drive especially when you hit the bends and while driving down the hills .. The car though stable has its own negatives like the one when the wheel catches the corner of the road shakes out of control and you find the car speeding especially when you start hitting speeds around 80km/hr...
But overall the handling is perfect and its a pleasure and a lot of fun to drive ...
fuel economy
The car with the a/c on returned around 13.5 to 14km/lt on city driving conditions and when you hit the highways around 18km/lt . with normal diesel . However the Ford guys suggested to use the special additives which enhances performance and it eventually did wonders to the car as it felt a lot smoother to drive cant say that about the fuel economy though
Maintainence
The car comes with 2years warranty however you can opt for the extended warranty and the maintanence contract which the company claims can drastically bring down your maintanence bills.
verdict
Fusion is a classified on the premium hatchback segment along with the skoda fabia and in hind sight it is definitely a class ahead of the swift and other cars like the getz and palio on this regard . However it comes with a premium which many would feel its tad higher. Fusion has its own advantages as a very very practical car with a overall great driver friendly experience. However does it really answer the high premium that it calls for.
Being a owner without prejudice I still would say yes it does simply because except for the engine performance I cant find any fault with the car be it you look at it as an miniSUV as the company claims or the premium hatchback the markets claim. At the end of it all you certainly would feel the car a tad better in many ways than the swift or its competitors except for its performance which is left to be desired ..
Go for it if you can compromise the rocketing performance of the gets or the fabulous performance of the swift and if the primary concern is a pretty drivable , practical roomy car which can fill up the basic needs of day to day commuting and still can be used to occasionally carry all the sports goods and your house hold items as I mentioned and a car which stands out in appeal and everything it does.
I guess but for the performance there can be no confusion over the fusion