[Kevin74]

I've made a few posts,but figured I would make an official introduction.
As of tomorrow morning(Friday) I am/will be a blue Fusion Sport owner. Pic below, more to follow.
Took a 40 mile, 45-60 minute test drive this morning by myself, didn't drive it like I stole it however, since it was possibly going to be my car. Sorry! Here are my honest opinions:

Seats: This has been a bit of a touchy subject here, many,including myself were concerned that the leather was too light. Well let's just say I took a sigh of relief when I saw them in person today. Even more so than when I saw them through the window on Sunday. These are not light gray, they are... Gray. Less two-tone than I thought as well. I feel they are even on the darker side. Still not black, but they work well aesthetically with the rest of the interior.
The interior of this car is really nice. Miko suede is nice and is even on the door panels. I've sat in chevy's that had suede inserts and felt my clothes sort of "stuck" to them. No issues here, really nice. The seats are much more supportive than in the 17 titanium, especially the side bolsters. However overall soft and comfortable. I've test driven several focus st's in the last 2 months with the recaro's, and these are significantly more comfortable. (I'm 5'10" 200lbs)

Acceleration: okay so this is tricky, very subjective to some extent and without real numbers (come on car mags/Ford help us out here) hard to convey I guess. As others who've driven have said it is quick. Where do you want your acceleration? 0-60? Again sorry didn't drive it like I stole it. I didn't get goose bumps but I did have high expectations, and was pretty satisfied. Hitting the pedal anywhere from 15 to say 40, gave a very satisfying "thrust". After realizing that the charger rt supposedly does 0-60 mph in the low 5s and it was a car I seriously considered in the past, I decided to test drive one yesterday for a comparison. When I drove the rt I can honestly say I felt a bit disappointed in the acceleration, yes it was quick(and sounded great) but didn't seem 5s quick. Admittedly it is a bigger car than the sport and this may have had something to do with the sensation. By seat of the pants the Sport feels quicker, more satisfying. Now on the freeway this might be a draw or possibly a loss for the sport. I will say that I feel the sport has got more to offer than what we're given stock. Actually let's not forget Ford increased the torque by 30lbs just by reporting the numbers on 93 octane. Anybody actually drive the sport on purely 93 octane? Trust me your dealer didn't put 93 in. 30lbs is significant. Come on Ford Performance, Cobb, Livernois, Unleashed tuning, etc etc etc. Let's do this!

Sound: Ok so "hear" is a definite short coming. I'm really not sure what to say. I wasn't expecting it to sound as nice as the charger but... I've driven several focus st's as I mentioned and they have a sound "symposer". It puts actual engine sounds into the cabin(albeit intake not exhaust) and it doesn't sound half bad. Not for everyone but not bad to me. I've heard of automakers pumping in artificial sound through the speakers as well(no personal experience here). Not sure what's going on in the sport but not a fan at all of the sound. Almost making me not want to lease the car so I might put in new exhaust. I'm not someone looking for LOUD, but give me something. I mean 325/380 deserves something better. Maybe I need more time in the seat. Salesman who drove a modded out focus st(not a kid, early 60s) was unable to confirm or deny any sound tom foolery here, he thought it was just how it naturally sounds. Hmmmmm

Wheels: I really like them. They are not as dark as I thought looking at other photos. Brighter or shinier but yet still dark. Don't know how to explain it but for what it's worth,I've now seen them in person on a black, blue and at a distance silver sport and I think they look good on all of them. I'm especially partial to them on the Shadow Black(I know I'm getting the blue) and wintermoon's pics of them on his burgundy sport look great too.

Sorry I was so long winded, but hopefully informative.

 

[mikesae]

Thanks for that.

Any comments on handling, bodyroll/ride quality?
Particularly vs. the Focus ST?

It's interesting how many FoST drivers are looking to move up to a Fusion Sport (including myself).

 

[Dconlan4]

Thanks Kevin, nice color choice too!

 

[rayainsw]

Kevin74 -
Thanks for taking the time to write this up.
[ No Sports on local dealer lots, still ... ]
Particularly since I drive a 2015 Charger R/T.
- Ray
Yup, it's got a hemi...

 

[don]

As for the sound, did you drive in the Sport mode? The Sport has active noise cancellation (like giant noise cancelling headphones) which should be nice on a long trip, but it is turned off in the Sport mode.

 

[escape]

As far as sound, supposedly it sounds better in S mode, as the noise cancellation is defeated. Did you try that?

 

[Kevin74]

As far as sound, supposedly it sounds better in S mode, as the noise cancellation is defeated. Did you try that?

Yes, I drove almost entirely in Sport mode. Don't think it changes the sound but can be heard more easily. I'm picking up the car as I type this. I almost regretted my berating the Sport on this topic in my post when I woke up this morning. But that was how I felt at the time. Unfortunately I do have to work Saturday but I promise to give updates when I have more time with the car. I also plan to put a full tank of 93 octane in on my first fill-up. We'll see if this makes a noticeable difference. Also I expect to have more to say regarding differences between sport mode and standard. I will say right now that standard mode still holds gears very well on brisk acceleration.

 

[rayainsw]

I do hope you enjoy driving it!
- Ray
Looking forward to reading further updates .....

 

[escape]

Thanks for the review.

Are the paddle shifters useful at all, or is the trans too slow to respond in manual mode to make it fun?

 

[Miguelius]

Car & Driver, Road & Track, Motor Trend--Missing in Action

Where are the motoring press articles (online) about the Fusion Sport? I expected that by now, since private owners are taking deliveries of the car, we would have seen "first drive" reviews by motoring journalists. But it's been radio silence instead. I think they have dropped the ball.

Incidentally, here is a link to a YouTube video and test drive of the car. Although the narrator is biased as a Ford salesman, his enthusiasm at the acceleration of the car is honest and spontaneous. He also talks about the unique CGI (compacted graphite iron) block of the 2.7, a very strong and relatively light iron that previously has been used only in diesel and race engines. It can withstand high cylinder pressures, which is perfect for turbocharged engines. It also has better noise-damping properties than aluminum, as the narrator points out. If you're interested in more details about this wondrous engine, do a search for Car & Driver's "deep dive" into the 2.7 turbo engine from fall 2014 when Ford introduced it into the F150. It's state-of-the-art engineering.

The narrator does a test drive about nine minutes into the video. While the engine is restrained in its sound, I think it sounds mean when you get on the gas hard, which you can hear in the video. I remember the same mean, purposeful sound from an Edge Sport that I tested a few weeks ago. As we all know, turbochargers act as natural mufflers and dampen the sound of engines. Remember back to the first year of the current Formula 1 turbo era a couple of years ago, when some people were complaining that the cars weren't loud enough. I prefer to think of that otherwise wasted sound energy (in a normally aspirated car) being converted into horsepower and torque.

Hers the video:

 

[Kevin74]

Ok,so I am waiting to get some more seat time before I give any more detailed reviews. Particularly due to my possible over-reaction regarding the Sports sound. However I will say this about the sound. Its not that I don't like it, it's fine, but I am just not sure it sounds "real". Maybe it's just me not being use to a turbo. But when I roll the windows down, I can't say I hear anything coming from outside the car without literally putting my head out the window. It's the not knowing the sounds I hear are authentic, that is annoying me. Maybe it's all in my head. Loving the car, loving the lightening blue. But don't buy the blue it's my color lol.

 

[NukeFusion]

You could always change out the exhaust system or muffler for a different sound, what matter IMO is how a car drives and how you feel in it.

 

[Kevin74]

You could always change out the exhaust system or muffler for a different sound, what matter IMO is how a car drives and how you feel in it.

I do agree. And it's growing on me anyways.