If a large grille and slicker headlights dominate the Fusion's face, the rear seems toned down. It ditches the original Fusion's trendy clear-lens taillights for traditional red markers, albeit ones that spill into the bumper a bit more than before. Impressively, even the base Fusion S comes with 16-inch alloy rims — nearly all competitors have steel wheels with plastic covers on their base models. The SE and SEL move up to 17-inch rims, while the Fusion Sport has 18-inchers. It also adds chrome exhaust pipes, more-aggressive bumpers and a rear spoiler.

At 190.6 inches long and 72.2 inches wide, the Fusion has a slightly smaller footprint than the Honda Accord sedan, but it's slightly longer and wider than a Toyota Camry or Nissan Altima.