Just as the Blue Oval updated the Fusion sedan to 2016 model year specification, our carparazzi spotted the 2017 Ford Fusion testing in the US. The 2017 model year is a proper redesign and Europe will receive the updated breed as the Ford Mondeo facelift in late 2016 or early 2017.
Starting with the rear end of the prototype on hand, we can see that the rear apron is just a little different over the 2016 Ford Fusion (2015 Ford Mondeo). In any case, those round exhaust pipes won’t make it on the production-ready model because of a simple reason: take a look at the apron’s exhaust cutouts.
Other than that and a subtle boot lid spoiler, we can tell that the tail lamps have also been visited by the botox-laden needle. In addition to the taillights, we can see that designers added a horizontal chrome bar on the boot door, traversing it from the left tail lamp to the right tail lamp. The bar’s extremities are integrated in the taillights’ clusters, a stylistic detail that reminds us of the Aussie-spec Falcon FG X.
From the side profile view, visual changes seem to be... *cough cough*... inexistent. Same door handles, same wheel arches, same character line, the lot. Around the front fascia, it’s hard to tell what’s going on with the heavily camouflaged radiator grille.
It is rather baffling that the Aston Martin-like horizontal chrome slats aren’t featured. In their place, the prototype is featuring a black-painted plastic mesh front grille.
While the headlights don’t appear to be changed over the outgoing model, the fog lights’ design is altered. On the 2017 Ford Fusion test mule, it’s a given we’re dealing with trapezoidal fog lights, not the round units currently offered. Inside, we expect minor modifications.
The most important could be the adoption of a Range Rover-esque rotary dial in the detriment of a traditional gear lever. In terms of updates to the oily bits, don’t expect anything more than carry-over engines and probably a new type of automatic transmission.
Other than that and a subtle boot lid spoiler, we can tell that the tail lamps have also been visited by the botox-laden needle. In addition to the taillights, we can see that designers added a horizontal chrome bar on the boot door, traversing it from the left tail lamp to the right tail lamp. The bar’s extremities are integrated in the taillights’ clusters, a stylistic detail that reminds us of the Aussie-spec Falcon FG X.
From the side profile view, visual changes seem to be... *cough cough*... inexistent. Same door handles, same wheel arches, same character line, the lot. Around the front fascia, it’s hard to tell what’s going on with the heavily camouflaged radiator grille.
It is rather baffling that the Aston Martin-like horizontal chrome slats aren’t featured. In their place, the prototype is featuring a black-painted plastic mesh front grille.
While the headlights don’t appear to be changed over the outgoing model, the fog lights’ design is altered. On the 2017 Ford Fusion test mule, it’s a given we’re dealing with trapezoidal fog lights, not the round units currently offered. Inside, we expect minor modifications.
The most important could be the adoption of a Range Rover-esque rotary dial in the detriment of a traditional gear lever. In terms of updates to the oily bits, don’t expect anything more than carry-over engines and probably a new type of automatic transmission.