Ford’s newest car for India roads is the Fusion of a hatch with the make-up of an MPV and the stance of a mini-SUV. No wonder Ford terms it an ‘Urban Activity Vehicle.’ With 1.6-litre dohc 16-valve Duratec power, a roomy versatile cabin in a compact package and great ride and handling, this first ever premium hatchback on the Indian market has the makings of an accomplished performer, says Adil Jal Darukhanawala.

It may look like a scaled down SUV and has been spoken about as one for a long time, right from the date OVERDRIVE magazine caught an early prototype engaged in durability tests down south (refer our August 2002 issue). And given its manufacturer's strong reputation as the king of the truck (Yankee-speak for SUVs) makers, one could be forgiven for thinking that Ford India's latest new offering is an affordable mini-SUV.

Nothing could be further from the truth because the fifth product in the history of the Blue Oval in India (after the Escort, the Ikon, the Mondeo and the Endeavour) will be the Fusion, the high stance compact super hatch which its maker prefers to term as an 'urban activity vehicle.' First seen in Europe as a 2002 model year offering, the made-in­Maraimalainagar Fusion is near identical to its European sibling in configuration though certain detail changes have been made keeping in mind the typically harsh, dusty, tough Indian operating conditions in mind.

The Fusion will be Ford's second car in the burgeoning C-segment but in today's world where consumer choice overlaps between various price points, blurring segments is a good indicator as to the power of the consumer. Keeping this in mind Ford India's strategy with its new model was also not to harm its bread-and-butter Ikon but to complement the josh machine in the market place. "The Fusion would add to the market rather than supersede any existing model on it," informed Ford's vice-president for marketing and sales Vinay Piparsania. As many OEMs are keen to scale most lifestyle marketing peaks, we can for the moment state that Ford India has just announced its intentions earlier than the others.

So what is the Fusion? For starters it is nothing but a more stylish high stance Fiesta supermini which is sold in Europe today. Ironic then that in the present day Ford Indian range we have the Ikon which is based on a slightly lengthened version of the previous generation Fiesta floorpan while the Fusion employs the base of the present generation Ford supermini. Which is not a bad thing considering that the Fiesta is one of the livelier hatchbacks on European roads. What Ford has done is to concentrate on delivering a vehicle for an emerging new class which demands a lot more than what a conventional sedan or a normal hatch could deliver. Given the emerging popularity of SUVs, many do aspire to a city vehicle with the go-anywhere style even though the majority would never stray off tarmac ever and here is the reason behind the Fusion's style.

Built on the 2486mm wheelbase as the Fiesta, the Fusion needs to be parked alongside the Ikon to bring out the noticeable differences in not just the styling but also the overall packaging. The slightly blunt front end is what gives it the SUV-ish look with the lozenge-style twin compartment headlamps and that rectangular slimline egg-crate grille.

The front bumper with its stylised air dam and recessed spots is very appealing as it wraps around on to the sides. The beefy wheel arches with the Mondeo-ish treatment (hints of Ford's new-edge design but in a more pleasing form) is a design detail as one moves along the flanks and that character line running the full length on the two sides is another design detail which stands out. Moving backwards from the thickish A-pillar (form and function both addressed here) with a very subtle rake, the windows give off that proportionate look to the tallish stance making for a certain harmony in the package. The rear end treatment is stylishly clean with vertical tail lamps and an upturned bumper adorning the outer edges of the hatch.

The Fusion stands tall at 1529mm and is also wider than many other C-segment cars at 1720mm (sans wing mirrors) but what gives it the certain contrived on-off road cred is its sheer presence standing on those 195/60 R15 tyres. This is the first time any C-segment car has employed 15-inchers (apart from the last generation Honda City VTEC of course) and these do add to the visual appeal as they fill up the wheel wells quite handsomely. And speaking about the wheels, the Fusion does ride on very stylish seven-spoke alloys which would be standard fitment on the top line model.

While the external style will make a case for itself, it is the spacious interior which would make the most sense for those seeking a large hatch instead of a C-segment saloon. The most important aspect has to be the upright seating position which allows not only easy access and egress into/from the cabin but also makes for decent legroom. Given the tallish architecture there is never a lack of head room while at the rear there is enough space to accommodate three adults.

The interior has been done up well even though much of it seems to be in grey plastic which has been given visual relief with fabric inserts at crucial locations, especially on the doors. The dashboard is modern and chunky with a well designed layout and ample stowage space courtesy the glove box, top box, cubby holes and also in the door recesses. The three-spoke steering wheel with a large centre-pad is of a new design and can be adjusted for height while the chromed gearshifter sports a short stubby look which is ergonomically and aesthetically pleasing.

The driving position is perfect with good all round visibility and the controls falling superbly to hand. There is ample adjustment available for the driver's seat, both for height as well as for reach arid the seats seem pretty comfortable. The air con has been optimised for our operating conditions and Ford says that it should be best in class in this regard. Given the fact that the Ikon performed very well in our air con test in this very issue, one can rest easy with this assertion. The quality of the stalk switches, the door latches and other touch points are very tastefully executed and the cabin sports an airy ambience.

Given the fact that most makers these days in Europe have caught on to the high stance hatchback and spout varying terms to signify their supposedly ground-breaking designs, one thing is for sure and that is all of them build in some degree of adjustability when it comes to seat configurations and load carrying ability. In the Fusion the front passenger seat back can be folded flat so as to allow long loads to be slid through the cabin. The rear seat can also be folded down in various sections or completely, depending on the type and quantum of the load. In the normal seat back upright form, the Fusion has some 375 litres of space but this more than triples with the rear seat as well as the front passenger seat folded down. To make loading and unloading as easy as possible, the rear bumper has been craftily upturned so as to enable one to slide in the load rather than lift it in. A parcel shelf is provided as is a net to keep small items off the floor in the boot area.

The sporty sort of character the external design hints at is backed up by what drives the front wheels. Ford has sensibly chosen to give the Fusion an all new engine of 1.6-litre capacity and this bears no similarities to the similarly sized Rocam engine which powers the Ikon. From the acclaimed Duratec family of engines which Ford designed and developed with Mazda, this is an all aluminium alloy four-cylinder unit displacing 1596cc and featuring low friction cylinder liners. Sporting a dohc l6-valve top end (with central spark plug in the pent roof combustion chamber), this fuel injected engine features a deep skirt block. Among the various measures employed to reduce NVH levels, the engine has been designed from the outset to have all its ancillaries mounted directly on it rather than via additional bracketry.

This 1.6-litre Duractec mill also features the electronic drive-by-wire throttle control system which eliminates any cables from throttle pedal to work the injection system. Instead a potentio meter is used to transmit inputs from the driver to the engine but without in any way sacrificing the feel or the feedback on the throttle foot. The engine develops 100PS of power at 6500rpm and a whopping 146Nm of max torque at 4000rpm, Ford claiming that the engine delivers a super effective torque to load operating ratio.

The same IB5 5-speed fully synchromesh manual gearbox which does duty in the Ikon has been adopted but Ford has reworked it suitably to enable smoother shifts courtesy a new cable actuation system (it replaces the connecting rod system in the Ikon).

The entire body structure has been designed in a manner that makes innovative manufacturing possible. The use of high especially the use of tailored blanks (of varying gauges) which are then laser-welded to endow the car with a very strong and stiff structure. The front end subframe, the large section design of the A-pillars, the cross car beam (which anchors the dashboard and the steering column and is attached to the A-pillars at their base), the strong B-pillar (reinforced in the centre to take torsional loads while being designed to dissipate crash energy) all make for a super strong and efficient monocoque.

The Fusion sports subframe mounted independent front suspension made up of MacPherson struts and an anti-roll bar. At the rear there is a newly devised layout with a twist beam axle designed to maximise not just the flat luggage space but also allow as little cabin intrusion as possible thanks to the separate spring and damper units on each wheel. The dampers are of a twintube construction given our road conditions with damping quality of a particularly high order.

The Fusion employs hydraulically assisted rack and pinion steering gear which at 3.4 turns lock to lock is pretty decent for our conditions. Retardation is by means of 218mm dia disc brakes up front and 203mm dia drums at the rear. Ford has informed that ABS would be available as an optional extra.

When Ford called me to look at the Fusion they also said that I could drive it, over a short 400-metre section at 40kmph! While I won't vent spleen on that, preferring to try it in real world conditions when the first production versions are available, the one aspect which did strike me was the nice feedback from the steering, the precise modulation of the brakes and the good ride quality. Hopefully the same should hold good when the car is given the OVERDRIVE road test treatment but then we can't quantify it here at this stage.

What was impressive about the two pilot production batch units I got to touch, feel and sit in was the freshness of approach. I had said in an editorial last year that in a maturing car market, India is readying for an onslaught of the large hatchbacks expected from our OEMs. The Fusion is the first of these and much more as well. Pricing has not been mentioned as yet though recent moves to rationalise Ikon pricing should be a pointer to the Fusion's value. We expect it to be around the Rs 5.25-lakh mark. That as they say will be right not just to check competition like the soon-to-be-released Hyundai Getz but also get a whole new niche going.