2012 Ford Fusion: Overview

Vehicle Highlights

2012 Ford Fusion: What Is It

The 2012 Ford Fusion sedan earned a Consumer Guide Best Buy Award largely because it provides shoppers with many possibilities. For Fusion, Ford offers a sporty model, an especially impressive hybrid, all-wheel drive, and a great variety of features, packages, and options.

Fusion has one of the shortest wheelbases among midsize cars, and it is one of the heaviest. Fusion lends its basic design to the premium-midsize Lincoln MKZ. Both vehicles are built in Mexico.

2012 Ford Fusion: What's New

The 2012 Fusion sees only minor changes pending a redesign due in calendar 2012 as a 2013 model. The Fusion SE now gets standard 6-speed automatic transmission; previously, it was optional on that model. For 2012, Ford made adjustments to improve Fusion’s road and wind noise, and it added 17-inch aluminum wheels to the SE.

2012 Ford Fusion: Model Lineup, Features, and Options

Fusion reprises its S, SE, SEL, Sport, and gas/electric Hybrid trim levels. S comes standard with features you’ll find on most every midsize car. SE adds an 8-way power driver seat with lumbar adjustment, satellite radio, steering wheel radio controls, and several other minor features.

SEL adds a larger suite of features, including Sync (Ford’s voice-activated interface for cell phones and MP3 players), leather upholstery, heated front seats, a 10-way power driver seat, keypad entry, and more.

Sport has fewer features than SEL, but it does include Sync, leather upholstery, and a 10-way power driver seat. More to the point, Sport has a sportier look, a more powerful engine, sport suspension, a rear spoiler, and larger wheels (18 inches).

In addition to the hybrid powertrain, Hybrid adds more than a dozen features to SE, including a rear-obstacle-detection system, a 10-way power driver seat, and Sync.

Ford offers 11 packages on Fusion. Besides a Luxury Package and Appearance Package, you can purchase those centered around Sync or those that include high-tech safety features. One offers a power sunroof and Sony sound system, while another includes a navigation system, leather upholstery, and HD Radio.

The most noteworthy options include leather upholstery, a navigation system, a rear-obstacle-detection system, and remote engine start.

2012 Ford Fusion: Engines, Transmissions, and Drive Wheels

A 175-horsepower 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine is standard on S, SE, and SEL. A 240-horsepower 3.0-liter V6 is optional on SE and front-drive SEL; it's standard on the AWD SEL. Fusion Sport gets a 263-horsepower 3.5-liter V6.

Four-cylinder S versions offer a 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic transmission. The 4-cylinder SE, 4-cylinder SEL, and all V6 Fusions have a 6-speed automatic.

The Hybrid pairs a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder gas engine with an electric motor for 191 horsepower total. It can run on one or both of its power sources to balance acceleration and fuel economy and requires no plug-in charging. The Hybrid uses a continuously variable transmission (CVT) that behaves much like an automatic.

Fusion is a front-wheel-drive vehicle, but AWD is available on the V6 SEL and Sport.

2012 Ford Fusion: Fuel Economy
All Fusions use regular-grade gas, but the 3.0-liter V6 can also run on E85 ethanol-blended fuel.

The EPA rates Fusion’s 4-cylinder, manual-transmission model at 22 mpg city/32 mpg highway. The 4-cylinder with automatic earns a 23/33 rating. The 3.0-liter V6 is rated at 20/28 for front-wheel drive (14/21 for E85) and 18/26 for all-wheel drive (13/19 for E85). The EPA rates the 3.5-liter V6 Sport at 18/27 for front-wheel drive and 17/25 for AWD. Hybrid is rated at 41/36.

In Consumer Guide testing, a front-drive Fusion with the 3.0 V6 averaged 20.4 mpg. An AWD Sport averaged 19.7 mpg. Our extended-use Hybrid averaged 36.5 mpg over the course of 7,260 miles.

2012 Ford Fusion: Safety Features

The 2012 Fusion has a standard complement of expected and federally mandated safety features. Post-Crash Alert is the only noteworthy standard safety feature.

Blind-spot alert, cross-traffic alert, a rear-obstacle-detection system, and a rearview camera are available in packages. Of those four high-tech safety features, only the rear-obstacle-detection system is offered as a stand-alone option.