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 Volkswagen Arteon doesn't offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

The Fusion's driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Arteon doesn't offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Fusion and the Arteon have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning 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 Arteon has not been tested, yet.

There are almost 5 times as many Ford dealers as there are Volkswagen 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 Arteon 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 Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Ford fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 30 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 25th, below the industry average.

The Fusion Titanium's standard 2.0 turbo 4 cyl. produces 17 lbs.-ft. more torque (275 vs. 258) than the Arteon's 2.0 turbo 4 cyl.

On the EPA test cycle the Fusion gets better fuel mileage than the Arteon:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Ford Fusion uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended on Fusion Titanium for maximum performance). The Arteon requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

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 Arteon doesn't offer a cap-less fueling system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Ford Fusion higher (5 to 7 out of 10) than the Volkswagen Arteon (3). This means the Fusion produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Arteon every 15,000 miles.

The Fusion has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Fusion flat and controlled during cornering. The Arteon's suspension doesn't offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Fusion's drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Arteon doesn't offer drift compensation steering.

For better maneuverability, the Fusion's turning circle is 1.5 feet tighter than the Arteon's (37.5 feet vs. 39 feet).

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 Arteon doesn't offer active grille shutters.

The Fusion has 6.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Arteon (102.8 vs. 96.2).

The Fusion has 1.5 inches more front headroom, 3.1 inches more front legroom, 1.3 inches more front shoulder room, .8 inches more rear headroom and 2.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Arteon.

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 Arteon doesn't offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Car-Net can't unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn't have cell phone reception or the driver can't contact the service.

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 Arteon doesn't offer a house-current electrical outlet.