2011 FORD Fusion

Solid Whip You Need to Drive to Appreciate

Comfort Rating: 4 Performance Rating: 4 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 5 Safety Rating: 5 Technology Rating: 5 Value Rating: 4

The older body style is considerably different that the '13 and newer Fusions and it tends to blend into the crowd. It isn't an eye catcher or memorable to look at in any way. It is however, a very solid whip which has a feel and driving experience of a much more expensive car. The ride is smooth and after getting used to the buttons on the center stack and steering wheel, the whip is a lot of vehicle for the money. Ford vehicles of 15 to 20 or more years ago had a bad reputation for a good reason. American car makers have come a long way in build quality and reliability. This Fusion, even with it's "blend into the crowd" look, has a great driving experience. It has plenty of umph when you need to pass and the stopping power is very strong too. There's a giant trunk for an airport pickup with piles of luggage. The backseat can very comfortably handle two with plenty of head and foot room. There's the center armrest with cup holders. Up front, there's more of the ample head and foot room plus plenty of controls. After a few tanks of fuel I got used to all the buttons but initially, the ergonomics bothered me. It shouldn't be so hard to find the rear defroster or recirculate button for the A/C but it was. The steering wheel controls aren't as bad as the center stack and allow you to control the vehicle's sound, media choice, cruise control, and scroll through system information. The Sony sound system in this whip is outstanding. Crisp and clean with all the highs and lows you want. The seals and quality of materials make this a very quiet car as well keeping road noise to almost nothing. I love the transmission. The six-speed automatic shifts when it's supposed to under load with no thunking drama on those upshifts. Under modest acceleration the shift seem barely noticeable. There's also a manual mode allowing you to control the shifting without a clutch by using a slick thumb button on the side of the shift lever. The moon roof is nice with full open position or tilted up in the back allowing for good ventilation. Gas mileage is meh at around 24 or so for me. I do get stuck in a good bit of rush hour traffic which keep MPG low around town but I can get 29 MPG on a highway trip. That's due to the 240 HP, 6 cylinder at the ready. Speaking of gas, no gas cap is no problem. Your pit stops are faster with some sort of trick valve allowing Ford to eliminate the gas cap. It was not something I found hard to get used too. For a heavy, mid-sided car, the 2011 Fusion SEL has the ability to [almost] feel like a Miata in the twisties and an Audi A8L for highway cruising at 90 in the left lane. If you don't mind your whip looking like a somewhat bland, run of the mill vehicle on the outside but want full blown comfort and accommodations on the inside then this is for you.