The 2017 Ford Fusion - End Of Pothole Worries?

February 23, 2016

The New 2017 Ford Fusion V6 Sport will come with new computer-controlled shock absorbers

Canadian cities are getting better every year at filling in potholes, with more and more of municipal budgets going towards maintaining crumbling roads due to the pretty crazy Canadian climate. A stat from AAA shows that pothole damage causes U.S. drivers approximately $3 billion a year. We didn't find a comparable stat for Canada, but the city of Edmonton budgets an estimated $50 million a year to properly maintain the road network, which includes filling in over half a million potholes. That's a lot of potholes, but they still wreak havoc on our poor vehicles! Ford realizes that potholes causes a lot of damage to a vehicle over the years, and so is looking to curtail that with implementing new technology in the 2017 Ford Fusion. The Fusion V6 Sport is the first Ford car equipped with a computer-controlled shock absorber system - or continuously controlled damping - as a standard feature. This technology will help to protect you, your car, and your wallet. The 2017 Fusion V6 Sport will be the first mid-size sedan in its class to feature this technology - meaning competitors like the Honda Accord or the Toyota Camry aren't able to offer an advanced suspension system.

How does it work?

Onboard computers analyze multiple signals collected from 12 high-resolution sensors – adjusting the dampers every two milliseconds for the best vehicle response in every situation. When the edge of a pothole is detected, the car’s computer adjusts the dampers faster than the blink of an eye to their stiffest settings so the wheel doesn’t fall as far into the pothole. Because the tire and wheel don’t drop as far, they don’t strike the opposite side of the pothole as harshly. The rear suspension can respond even faster, with a signal from the front wheel providing a pre-warning to the rear wheel well before it reaches the pothole. Don't believe it's possible? Check out the demo video: [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YK3UuAuLI5s[/embed]