If you're looking at the Fusion or Camry, you've already passed over the subcompact and compact cars. They're not for everyone. With a mid-size car, you can stretch your legs a little and drive without literally rubbing elbows with the person next to you. And you've probably decided not to bother with a large car, which often feels like a cruise ship floating on the sea instead of feeling connected to the road. In this comparison guide, we'll focus on those things that make a mid-size sedan attractive. Interior dimensions are way up there on the list, but also affordability. Because a mid-size car should still be within your grasp.
Cargo Room: 2019 Ford Fusion
The 2019 Ford Fusion is great for cargo room. The trunk is large enough to hold a dozen paper grocery bags, or, in other words, 16 cubic feet of storage space. On top of that, the Fusion has a low lip and a wide mouth. You can't beat that kind of accessibility and ease-of-use. Meanwhile, the Toyota Camry offers just 14.1 cubic feet of space, or 15 in the upper trims. Most of the Camry's rivals, including the Fusion, offer lots more.
Passenger Room: 2019 Ford Fusion
The Ford Fusion and Toyota Camry are almost exactly the same length, within a few tenths of an inch. But because of the Fusion's wider stance and taller height, the Ford mid-size sedan offers more overall passenger space. Stretch out in the Fusion with an inch more headroom and 1.5 inches more legroom in front. Back seat passengers enjoy a bit more extra legroom as well. Both front and backseat passengers enjoy more shoulder room to boot. As you can see, the Fusion uses its space more efficiently. The downside with a wider car is that squeezing into a crowded parking space is a bit more difficult. But that's a small price to pay.
Price: 2019 Ford Fusion
Speaking of price, the Ford Fusion is bigger on the outside and inside, but it's also more affordable. We're used to paying more for bigger and better. That might not apply in this case because the Fusion is definitely more car for your money. The 2019 Ford Fusion starts at $22,840. For that price, we get a 175-horsepower four-cylinder engine paired with a six-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive. Then there's also push-button start, Ford MyKey, four-speaker stereo system, voice-activated SYNC, and rearview camera. Finally, you get the Co-Pilot360, a standard but robust suite of safety systems that rivals the offerings of some mid- or top-tier trims on other sedans.
By comparison, the 2019 Toyota Camry starts at $23,950. The starting Camry comes with a 203-horsepower four-cylinder engine, eight-speed automatic transmission, and front-wheel drive. Standard features include the Entune infotainment system with 7-inch touch screen, six-speaker audio system, USB port, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi hot spot, Siri Eyes Free, and Apple CarPlay. There are also standard driver assistance features that include many of those also found on the Fusion.
There's definitely more tech on the Camry than on the Fusion, like smartphone integration and Wi-Fi, which explains the difference in price. If you're springing for that extra tech, the base Camry isn't a bad idea. Or, you could just step up a trim in the Fusion, which is about the same price as the base Camry, and also offers a six-speaker audio system, satellite radio, Wi-Fi hot spot, and SYNC 3 infotainment system with 8-inch touch screen, plus the better legroom, headroom, and shoulder room. That evens out the features while still giving you the roomier sedan.