For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Ford Fusion have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Mercedes A-Class doesn't offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Ford Fusion are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Mercedes A-Class doesn't offer height-adjustable seat belts.

To help make backing safer, the Fusion's cross-path warning system uses wide-angle radar in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The A-Class doesn't offer a cross-path warning system.

Both the Fusion and the A-Class have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors and available rear parking sensors.

For its top level performance in all IIHS frontal, side, rear impact and roof-crush tests, and with its optional front crash prevention system, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Fusion the rating of “Top Pick” for 2017, a rating granted to only 157 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The A-Class has not been tested, yet.

Ford's powertrain warranty covers the Fusion 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Mercedes covers the A-Class. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the A-Class ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 8 times as many Ford dealers as there are Mercedes dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Fusion's warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Fusion first among midsize cars in their 2019 Initial Quality Study. The A-Class isn't in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates' 2019 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Ford vehicles are better in initial quality than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Ford fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 11 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mercedes is ranked 12th, below the industry average.

The Fusion Titanium's standard 2.0 turbo 4 cyl. produces 57 more horsepower (245 vs. 188) and 54 lbs.-ft. more torque (275 vs. 221) than the A-Class' 2.0 turbo 4 cyl.

The Fusion FWD's standard fuel tank has 3 gallons more fuel capacity than the A-Class (16.5 vs. 13.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Fusion AWD's standard fuel tank has 4.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the A-Class (18 vs. 13.5 gallons).

The Fusion has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it's removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The A-Class doesn't offer a cap-less fueling system.

For better traction, the Fusion has larger standard tires than the A-Class (215/60R16 vs. 205/55R17). The Fusion SE's tires are larger than the largest tires available on the A-Class (235/50R17 vs. 205/55R17).

The Fusion Titanium's tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the A-Class' 55 series tires.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Fusion's wheelbase is 4.8 inches longer than on the A-Class (112.2 inches vs. 107.4 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Fusion is 1 inch wider in the front and 1.5 inches wider in the rear than on the A-Class.

The front grille of the Fusion uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The A-Class doesn't offer active grille shutters.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Fusion a Mid-size car, while the A-Class is rated a Compact.

The Fusion has 9.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the A-Class (102.8 vs. 93).

The Fusion has 2.5 inches more front legroom, 2.7 inches more front shoulder room, .6 inches more rear headroom, 4.4 inches more rear legroom and 2.9 inches more rear shoulder room than the A-Class.

The Fusion has a much larger trunk than the A-Class (16 vs. 8.6 cubic feet).

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the Fusion easier. The Fusion's trunk lift-over height is 24.4 inches, while the A-Class' liftover is 26.1 inches.

If the windows are left open on the Fusion the driver can close them all from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can also lower the windows the same way. The driver of the A-Class can't use the remote to operate the windows.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don't have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Fusion SE/SEL/Titanium's exterior PIN entry system. The A-Class doesn't offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Mercedes-Benz Emergency Call can't unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn't have cell phone reception or the driver can't contact the service.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don't have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Fusion SE/SEL/Titanium's exterior PIN entry system. The A-Class doesn't offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Mercedes-Benz Emergency Call can't unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn't have cell phone reception or the driver can't contact the service.

To shield the driver and front passenger's vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Fusion has standard extendable sun visors. The A-Class doesn't offer extendable visors.

The Fusion (except S) offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The A-Class doesn't offer a house-current electrical outlet.