The term “Sport” is now absolutely meaningless when it comes to trim levels and model names. It could mean a cut-down, more budget-friendly version of something like the Range Rover Sport, it could be a base model, or it could be a slightly sporty appearance package that might have some mechanical changes. However, every so often, sport means sport. It sure did with the second-generation Ford Fusion Sport, which stealthily packed twin-turbo power.
Flash back to 2016, and the midsize sedan segment seems to be hanging in there. The two Japanese juggernauts known as the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord were obviously present, but there was so much more than that. Mazda would sell you the post-Ford-breakup thirst trap that was the third-generation Mazda 6, and Chrysler would sell you a 200 with a V6 and all-wheel-drive. Meanwhile, Volkswagen offered a VR6-powered Passat, and the second-generation Ford Fusion made waves for looking a bit like an Aston Martin, assuming it was a foggy night and you’d had eleven units of fernet.
However, the Fusion also had something that most midsize sedans didn’t have, and that was a platform that could accept a genuinely astonishing array of engines. Dropping the boosted V6 from a Lincoln MKX into a mainstream family sedan would likely create, if we consult the Viagra Boys rubric, a sport. A Ford Fusion Sport, to be specific.
So, what does the 2.7-liter twin-turbocharged V6 make? A stout 325 horsepower and a whopping 380 lb.-ft. of torque, enough to blow the entire mainstream midsize sedan segment into the middle of last week. Granted, the only transmission offered was a six-speed automatic, but all-wheel drive still helped the Fusion Sport to scoot from zero-to-60 mph in 5.1 seconds during Car and Driver instrumented testing. Plus, there was a little more to the Sport moniker than just power, as the magazine wrote:
Push the S button in the center of the new-for-’17 dial-operated shifter to sharpen the Sport’s reflexes. It tautens the adaptive-damping system, increases steering effort, quickens throttle response, and amps up the artificially enhanced engine sounds. The S button also engages a more aggressive shift program from the six-speed automatic transmission (a heavier-duty unit than in other Fusions) and gives you more control through the standard paddle shifters. It upshifts automatically at 6000 rpm no matter what you do with the paddles, but it will hold gears through corners and rev-match downshifts under braking. None of this changed the measurable on-track performance, but it does make driving the car more entertaining. The dampers, especially, did a great job of supporting aggressive assaults on curving roads while maintaining a ride quality that wouldn’t alarm your grandmother. Adaptive dampers are all but commonplace in pricier, near-luxury sedans and many crossover-utility vehicles but are overdue to trickle into the mass market.
Good stuff, but keep in mind that the Fusion Sport wasn’t the spiritual successor to the SVT Contour. Although the pothole-detecting suspension and added combustion fury worked wonders, we’re still looking at a 4,128-pound midsize sedan with electric power steering, a six-speed automatic, and open differentials. It’s not badged as an ST, it’s just well-damped and capable of running away from the rest of the midsize sedan pack. You know what? In daily driving, that’s probably enough.
Then, just two years into the production run of the second-generation Fusion Sport, Ford dropped a bombshell. It was going to discontinue every sedan it sold in North America, and niche offerings were low-hanging fruit. As a result, the Fusion Sport bowed out after the 2019 model year, meaning this sleeper was only around for a rather limited time.
However, perhaps due to flying under the radar, you certainly won’t have to pay an arm and a leg if you’re shopping for a Fusion Sport in 2025. Want a low-mileage example in an actual color? This Burgundy Velvet 2017 example might be what you’re looking for. It’s up for sale in Pennsylvania with 63,365 miles on the clock for $17,282, has a clean history report, and is a perfectly sensible second-hand buy with a bit of a wild side.
If you’re the type of person to sort your used car listing by cheapest first, there are Fusion Sports out there for you, too. Check out this mall goth-spec 2018 model with nigh-on 139,000 miles on the clock, up for sale in Illinois for a mere $10,950. That’s not a lot of dough for a 325-horsepower family sedan with Apple CarPlay, sueded upholstery, and LED headlights.
That being said, the oldest second-generation Ford Fusion Sport examples are knocking on the door of a decade old, so what can you expect to go wrong? Well, some models built in 2016 and on New Year’s Day 2017 had valve guide issues, resulting in excessive oil consumption. According to a technical service bulletin, the solution is to replace one or both cylinder heads. While not every Fusion Sport built in 2016 is affected, it’s worth checking for smoke and oil consumption. However, there really isn’t much that goes wrong on these cars beyond that. Battery drain issues caused by cycling CD players were largely fixed by a software update. You might encounter a leaky oil pan that’s fixable with a new part, and that’s about it. Not bad, all things considered.
If you’re shopping for a second-hand family car and want one with some kick to it, why not check out a second-generation Ford Fusion Sport? It’s quick, roomy, well-equipped, and generally seem fairly stout. Sure, it won’t hang with a sport compact car in the corners, but it’ll give you a thrill when you’re hammering down an on-ramp.
Top graphic image: Ford
Support our mission of championing car culture by becoming an Official Autopian Member.
Get the Lincoln MKZ 3.0 with 350-400hp. 4.8 sec with AWD.
I had a 2010 Fusion Sport AWD with the 3.5. It wasn’t a muscle car but it was plenty quick and handled well. I was really interested in this model when it was released but Ford capped it before I was ready to buy. One thing I did hear about these cars was that Ford had given the exhaust the “speaker” treatment, which was disappointing (admittedly never checked it out personally, just what I had read from others). Ultimately, I wound up buying a Mazda6 in their last model year. It may not be as quick, but at least the exhaust note is real.
I leased a 2017 Sport, mostly because I couldn’t afford a Focus RS and Ford didn’t offer a lease program on that car.
It certainly wasn’t as hardcore as the RS, but it was a hoot. Acceleration was hilariously fast for a midsize sedan. The only issue was the battery drain that was finally sorted by a recall. The AWD system was a champ, even in 2 feet of snow. I tried getting the damn thing stuck but it refused.
I should’ve kept that car. That was a good example of when Ford used to do fun stuff for regular folk, not the 1%-ers (cough GTD cough).
Two comments:
1) I wish I fit in these better, and
2) Turbo issues would most likely mechanically total one of these. It’s bad enough fixing turbos on a Taurus SHO, and this has a much smaller engine bay.
A guy I work with has one in fleet spec white with a decent exhaust. This car is a sleeper to be sure
This is true SHO.
I’ll keep my FiST and it’s 1400-less lbs. . . Even with the small interior. My kids aren’t gonna be tall anyway.
A question for the engineers here: How the hell do you get a car that size up over 4100lbs in weight? Was this originally engineered in 1972?
Yeah good call – everything is heavy these days! Funny enough, a similar size car in 1972 was probably closer to 3500 lbs. All that tech and safety add up!
I knew several people who have or had the hybrid version and one that had the sport. The hybrid is quick. Very similar feeling as the sport to me. Felt like it had plenty of power to pull it around and reacted well. They seem to be holding their value too and people keep them. But some fleets had them so you see them at auction for a deal sometimes. Really an underrated car.
I have the PHEV one from 2020, last model year they made them. It’s comfortable and has all of the niceties you’d want. It has a hard time getting out of it’s own way whiile merging onto the interstate, but is perfectly cromulent as a daily driver. Would recommend.
I haven’t driven the PHEV the older hybrids I drove seemed to be able to merge fine on to a 55 or 65 mph interstate. They felt like they had more to give. They would pass fine. But never tried getting on the 75/ 80 interstates.
A buddy of mine has one of these, I think its a ’17? White over Red interior. They are quick feeling for sure.
I had no idea these existed. Looks like you can get tunes worth nearly 100HP for them and they’re in the mid 12’s with an intercooler upgrade, but the transmission doesn’t like it. If these lived long enough to gain a better trans they could’ve been a budget import fighter.
The detail of the cars built on “New Years Day 2017” is the type of thing I want to know more about.
I was curious too, but the TSB says April 1 – Jan 1, so I’m assuming they figured out the problem started after April, but was likely identified Nov/Dec, and by Jan 1 they were sure the defective parts were destroyed.
However I am secretly hoping that disgruntled workers forced to come in on New years day dipped into their secret stash of defective parts and slapped them on because their managers got the day off and they didn’t.
I briefly had a Fusion as a company car, albeit with the (I presume) base 1.6 Ecoboost. That was…..not enough. It felt fairly underpowered and a small displacement/boosted engine needed a lot of RPM to get out of it’s own way, but the transmission was economy-car tuned, so it tended to lug/bog the engine, and was reluctant to downshift unless you basically floored it. To put it another way, you could very much tell the difference if the AC was on or not.
The rest of the car was pretty decent- comfortable, good ride/handling/steering, so I could see it with the turbo v6 being a far nicer car to live with.
The 1.6 was phenomenal compared to the NA 2.5L 4 banger they offered in the base models, but yes, it was still a dog. I had a couple Fusions with the 2.0 Ecoboost before the Sport, and that was a much better motor for the car.
I looked for one of these in 2017 and found exactly ONE of them in the entire SF bay area, and it had 5K worth of dealer bullshit on the sticker. I really wanted a stick shift anyway, so I went with a V6 Accord coupe, which is only a tick slower and doesn’t look like a rental car. I just checked a minute ago and there are only two of them for sale from Sacramento to the Bay to Modesto, so availability is….not good.
I had a ’14 Fusion Platinum. I still think it was the best car I ever owned. I think it was better than the ’19 Mercedes C-class I have now, purchased new in ’19. It was quiet and comfortable on long road trips, it looked good and had decent power, producing (if I remember right) 240 HP if you used premium gas. It was the car that introduced me to the heated steering wheel and ventilated leather seats. Damn that hailstorm that totalled it.
Owned the Edge version of this car, and it is faster and more fun to drive than it has any right being. One of the cars I regret selling.