Getting Into the Last of the Ford Fusion Sports Will Cost You

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems
getting into the last of the ford fusion sports will cost you

We’ll miss it when its gone. The Ford Fusion Sport debuted as a pleasant throwback to an era of attainable muscle, just as the passenger car death plunge got underway in earnest. By taking a sensible family sedan, stuffing it with the largest mill its engine bay could handle, sending a propshaft to the rear wheels, and upgrading the sedan’s wheels and suspension, Ford crafted a blistering bargain that easily handles the daily duties of modestly-sized families. It’s an unlikely blast.

But soon it’ll be dead and you can have an Edge ST instead.

As all Fusions prepare for the afterlife, Ford’s new trim and content strategy (less of the former, more of the latter) means prices are on the upswing for 2019. The greatest hike in the Fusion lineup is reserved for the Sport.

According to an order guide obtained by CarsDirect, the base Fusion’s upgraded kit means it leaves the dealer for $23,735 after delivery — a $645 climb from the 2018 S trim. As we told you earlier this year, that price includes greater standard safety content in the form of Ford’s Co-Pilot 360 suite of driver assist features. Nothing’s free in this world.

Moving up the trim ladder, not surprisingly, brings fatter window stickers. The volume SE trim grows by $650, coming in at $25,015 after delivery. Besides the new tech, SE buyers receive a standard 1.5-liter turbo four instead of the former 2.5-liter, so it’s hardly a slap in the face. Plush Titanium models rings in at $35,235, or $3,870 more than the current model.

For 2019, which could easily be the Fusion Sport’s final model year (the lineup’s execution date remains hazy), the burliest of Ford’s midsizers retails for $6,190 extra. It’s now a member of the over 40(k) club.

There’s changes afoot for the Hybrid and Energi plug-in models, too, though the extra two grand you’ll spend getting into the lesser of the green sedans comes from the fact Ford axed the base hybrid trim. There’s similar price climb for the Energi, which now ekes out a bit more range from its battery.

It’s hard to say whether we’ll see bidding wars erupt in the wake of the 325 hp Fusion Sport’s death. At its core, it remains a Fusion sedan with a dated interior. But there’s no denying the appeal of a domestic performance sedan that flies under the radar while putting on zero airs.

[Images: Ford Motor Company]

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  • Akear Akear on May 31, 2018

    I was at the Ford dealer today for an oil change. The first thing I noticed was how boring the showroom was. I saw two Escapes and an Explorer, and in the background a lonely looking Lincoln Sedan. Is this the future of Ford? With the exception of the F-150 and Mustang a future Ford showroom is going to have one of the dullest showrooms in the industry. Toyota, GM, and Nissan are going to have a much more deversive lineup of cars in the next few years. In comparison GM is looking pretty good with a shock price nearly triple that of Ford. It is ironic that Ford was the only domestic car maker that was not bailed out by the government a decade ago, and now they are the weakest of the big three. Bring on the Ford deathwatch.

  • JW9000 JW9000 on Jun 01, 2018

    Good thing that Mazda gave us a sweet 6 to help ease the pain. Sure, no AWD, but no "dialed" tranny either.

    • PrincipalDan PrincipalDan on Jun 01, 2018

      I'm impressed that the Mazda 6 GT is available in so many trim levels AND if I just want the turbo and not all the toys one can be had pretty cheaply.

  • El scotto Y'all are overthinking this. Find some young hard-charging DA seeking the TV limelight to lock this kid up. Heck, have John Boehner come up from Cincy to help the young DA get his political career going. Better yet, have the young DA spin this as hard as he or she can; I'm the candidate for Law and Order, I defied our go-easy office and leadership to get this identified criminal locked up. Oh this could be spun more than a hyper active kid's top.Now I'd do some consulting work for Little Kings Original Cream Ale and Skyline Chili.
  • El scotto Pondering if he has a clean brandy snifter. Well but, ah, I mean the original Grand Wagoneer was fully loaded and had a V-8. The original Grand Wagoneer had an almost cult-like following with a certain type of woman. Attractive, educated high earning women; or those that put on the appearances of being that way.Our esteemed HerR DOKtor Perfessor again shows how ignorant he is of the American market. What he deems "bread-vans on stilts" are highly coveted by significant others that are also highly coveted. The new Grand Cherokee with the new well engineered V-6 will sell as well as the ones from the 80s some of us get wistful over. The only real question will be: LL Bean or Orvis edition?
  • El scotto Well, I've had cats that are smarted than a great many members of congress. I rather doubt that any of the congresspeople Matt named are engineers, finance people or project managers. Ya know, professionals you call in to get a job done.Today is Wednesday, this will be out of the 36 hour news cycle by Friday. Oh it might get mentioned again on OCT 6. Unless there are cute animals to put on TV that day.
  • El scotto Oh My Good Lord Yes! Gents, this is a Caddy that carries on the soul of Caddy. Loud, brash, and apologetically American. Also large and in charge and one of GM's best evah engines. What used to be a flash roll is now bottle service.Can't deal with that reality? There are plenty of excellent SUVs/CUVs on the market. I'm a former Escape owner. The Escape was a sensible lil CUV, this Caddy is just way over the top.Canyon carver? Not a chance, this is based on a Silverado frame. Easy to park? Toss the valet the keys. Will some of the other high-end SUVs have better "soft touch" materials that make car journalist get tingly all over? Of course.This Caddy is designed to eat up huge and I mean huge amounts of American interstate miles. Four people and their luggage? Easily.
  • Miguel I have a Mitsubishi Diamante VRX 2003,and I think this is one of the luxury and sport car.
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