The Fusion was revised last year when it received a slightly more up to date design and a new engine. However, most of it remained unchanged which is usually the case with facelifts. While Ford did hope for a sales improvement, it didn’t really happen. For starters, back in 2016, Ford sold 40,000 fewer units than in 2015. On top of that, the sales for the first two months of 2017 are with up to 40% worse than the same months of 2016. This massive loss is mostly because the car is dated and most of its rivals received massive upgrades. On top of that people started to look at crossovers, especially since the Fusion is not exactly cheap. Even though it seems that the model might be doomed, there is still hope for the future 2018 Ford Fusion.
2018 Ford Fusion Release Date and Price
So far Ford hasn’t commented on the car’s poor performance on the market, and it is unlikely for them to do so. Industry insiders suggest that an all-new model might arrive a lot sooner than expected. Even though Ford invested a good amount of money in the facelift, this doesn’t mean a new model won’t be here soon. There have been cases in the past when a facelift was around for as little as a year. While this is not confirmed, it might be the case with the ongoing Fusion. The new model would likely be designed so that it will replace both the Taurus and the Fusion. The car may keep its current base price of around $22,000 with the top end models going for more than $35,000. It still is unclear if this model will also be sold in Europe as the Mondeo, but chances are it won’t considering how bad it did there.
2018 Ford Fusion Redesign
The current model is the car that set the trend for most Ford’s current roster. It still is unclear if the 2018 Ford Fusion will do the same. They might go ahead and redesign it completely so that it will get a fresh start. However, Ford may also go down the route of improving the current model. This has been done by them in the past, and it was quite successful. However, we do expect Ford to redesign the Fusion, especially since it will have to replace two different models. The car will likely be larger than before, and it should be slightly classier. The result will likely be something similar to the Chinese-built Taurus which has been around for a couple of years at this point. The Sport model is likely going to be around in the future as well so it shouldn’t affect the car’s overall character.
Inside the Cabin
Even though it is comfortable and the materials are around the average of its class, the Fusion can’t be regarded as a great car to be in. The dashboard’s design is bleak, the driving position is higher than in most of its rivals, and the back seats will only carry two people comfortably. The 2018 Ford Fusion is expected to change all of that. Even though Ford doesn’t have a good base to build onto, they did release a new type of dashboard a few months ago with the Fiesta. This might be heavily improved and upgraded in order to fit the future Fusion which would still be a major improvement over the current car.
Under the Hood and Specs
There are currently three gas engines and two hybrids available which is a bit too much. Most of its rivals barely offer three engine choices, and it seems the same might happen with the 2018 Ford Fusion. Both the 2.5 liters naturally aspirated inline 4, and the 2-liter hybrid is expected to be gone. The latter will be replaced by Ford’s Model E in the near future while the first should be replaced by a 1.5-liter turbo-three with around 180 horsepower. The 2 liter EcoBoost is expected to stay in a revised form while the 2.7 liters EcoBoost V6 is likely going to stick around for a while. Both of these should receive small bumps in power and improved fuel economy. Like before, front wheel drive will be standard while an all-wheel drive will be offered on some engines. Ford’s six-speed automatic is more than likely going to be replaced by their upcoming nine-speed gearbox which should be a sizable improvement.