The team over at FordInsideNews claims to have laid its hands on the Blue Oval’s 2014 Order Form. In the order guide, it is stated that the 2014 model year Fusion will gain a sixth engine for the North American market in the guise of Ford’s brand-new 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder EcoBoost petrol unit, which reportedly premiered on the sedan’s Chinese-market sibling, the Mondeo, just last week.
No output numbers were mentioned for the North American model, but in China, Ford said this engine is projected to produce 177hp (132 kW) at 6,000 rpm and peak torque of 177 lb-ft (240Nm) from 1,500 to 4,500 rpm.
Currently, the Fusion is available with the following gasoline engines in the States: a 175hp 2.5-liter inline-four, a 178hp 1.6-liter turbo’d inline-four (EcoBoost), a 240hp 2.0-liter turbo’d four (EcoBoost), and a 141hp 2.0-liter hybrid powerplant in both regular (Hybrid) and plug-in (Energi) variants. This leads to the question why would Ford want to have three engines produced roughly the same output at 175-178hp?
The report claims that the answer is the 1.5-liter three-cylinder EcoBoost will be available with an automatic transmission and Stop-Start, while the 1.6-liter four-cylinder EcoBoost will drop both the auto gearbox and the Start-Stop system and be offered only with a manual transmission.
Other less important changes noted in the order guide include the availability of two new colors named Sunset and Dark Side, while eliminating the Bordeaux Reserve and Gingerale shades, and the addition of a new interior package and “Rid Brick” premium leather options.
Needless to say, we will have to wait for an official release to confirm whether all these updates will indeed apply to the 2014 Fusion.
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