The 2014 Ford Fusion has a few differences from the 2013 version. The most obvious changes this year are to be found under the hood of the sedan, with the introduction of a new four-cylinder 1.5-litre #EcoBoost engine. Ford has stated that this engine's fuel economy is better than that of the current 1.5-litre EcoBoost, and offers a significant reduction in engine noise.
Technically, this new engine is interesting in several respects. However, it is reasonable to ask whether it is really suited to the 2014 Fusion. We can't forget that this sedan weighs over 1,500 pounds, and at this size, a perfectly sized engine is needed in order to haul around that weight while still providing long term reliability. For example, the current 1.6-litre EcoBoost found in the 2013 Fusion really lacks power, and emits a rather unpleasant rough sounding noise when the engine speed is revved up high. Even with the excellent 6-speed automatic transmission, the turbocharged 1.6-litre engine falters and reaches it's max power quite quickly.
Another negative point about this engine is that it's fuel consumption is not nearly as frugal as what was officially announced by Ford. City driving uses the most fuel. Even when keeping a light foot on the gas pedal, one can easily hit 13 litres per 100/km, which is the same consumption as the old 3.0-litre V6 that powered the Ford escape under the same driving conditions for example.
One last note on the 1.6-litre and the 1.5-litre EcoBoost engines. As mentioned a little earlier, these small displacement engines are undersized relative to the weight of the vehicle that they need to move. In the long term, premature engine wear is a worry because the motor runs at higher speeds, and the turbocharger might even experience failure in the short term. Other manufacturers have already faced this problem, including Peugeot and Volkswagen with small, turbocharged engines.
In the end, the engine that seems better suited to the 2014 Ford Fusion is undoubtedly the 240 horsepower 2.0-litre EcoBoost engine. This four-cylinder is slightly more fuel efficient than the current 1.6-litre, on top of providing a relatively good level of robustness.
By Linda Aylesworth - autoExpert.ca