Ford Fusion

Our verdict

A bad case of answering the question nobody asked, the Fusion is nothing more than a Fiesta with a high ride height. It might be easier to get into if you’re old, but we haven’t met any old people who wanted one either.

Comfort

We really do need to find an old person who's bought one to give you the definitive answer to this. Or maybe a young person who's done their back in and can't get into their Fiesta. Either way, see ‘Fiesta' and add a few inches.

Performance

Engine choices are comparatively limited for the Fusion, but the 1.6-litre TDCidiesel is still there, and that'd be the one to go for every time anyway. Not only superb fuel returns, but also enough poke to match the equivalent petrol.

Cool

Maybe in a retirement village where the normal Fiesta has been banned due to a spate of nasty slipped-disc incidents during entry, but no, in the real world it'd be cooler to ride the window lickers' bus.

Quality

Yep, it's the usual no-nonsense Ford again here. Solid mechanicals, simple, effective and sturdy interiors. You'll struggle to find fault even if it doesn't up the heart rate.

Handling

The Fusion feels exactly as you'd expect, like a slightly more cumbersome Fiesta. It's not dreadful, but just a waste of a perfectly good little chassis.

Practicality

The Fusion is spacious inside and the boot slightly bigger than that of a boggo Fiesta, but the rear seats don't do anything clever like sliding forwards or coming out altogether, which would've made the Fusion vastly more justifiable.

Running costs

A grand more than a Fiesta? No thanks, and what about the similarly priced yet far more involving and intelligent Honda Jazz? The Fusion isn't good value for money, but at least there are a couple of great diesel engines.