Though the Scorpio can be a bit cumbersome while going around the corners thanks to its body-on-chassis construction, the Fusion’s monocoque skeleton and underpinnings built and fine-tuned to corner efficiently. It does not take time to understand who spent more money on getting the vehicle dynamics sorted out. Back to school, Mahindra. But as far as the interiors go, the Scorpio tries to impress you more and hence is a notch above the Fusion. Our test Scorpio came wearing comfy leather seats with armrests, leather-wrapped steering wheel, leather ‘coin pad’ and even a air-purifier dispenser (the last mentioned is an optional extra, of course). On the other hand, the Fusion’s well-designed, multi-textured yet plasticky interiors are a mismatch with the otherwise excellent package. The dismal-looking fabric of the seats is a straight put off. But the plus is that the Fusion’s rear seats allow you the luxury of a business class experience. Well, as close to it as possible.
Then, the Fusion has these little pigeonholes that seem to have been placed in the car without any thought behind them. And not one of them can hold either a bottle or a glass. So, maybe they are all meant for keeping your change, separately – one for Rs 2 coins, another one for Rs 5 coins perhaps? Another classic example of waste of space in the Fusion is the air-conditioning panel which consists of three bulky knobs, something that could have been easily reduced to three electronic switches, occupying one-third the space. Maybe that would have pushed the price beyond the ‘red’.
In the Scorpio, the interiors, though large and oversized, are thoughtfully designed, and more importantly, for a purpose! As far as ergonomics go, Ford has been plain lazy. The Fusion carries a few left-hand drive features which become a nuisance. For example, to release the hood, the driver has to literally lean over the fellow passenger sitting on the left side and then pull a knob on the floor. Then, the lack of space in the footwell is quite a pain in the foot. But then, since it’s Ford, I guess one can afford to ignore such small glitches.
Our bike man Shumi wants to add another negative to the Fusion’s otherwise positive fortune. He griped about how the Fusion’s CD player refused to play his MP3 audio CD, while the one in the Scorpio played it just fine. Shumi, music be damned, the Fusion is about fine taste, while the Scorpio is an acquired one. Maybe that was the problem!
Clearly, while the Scorpio CRDe dictates your actions, the unassuming Fusion is humble enough to say ‘Your wish is my command’. So if you are the kind who likes to take control of things, the Scorpio is all yours. But for those who’d rather be in control of things, the Fusion is your fuse!Phew, I will take fortune cookies seriously from now on!
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