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 Lincoln MKZ doesn't offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

Both the Fusion and the MKZ 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, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available rear parking sensors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Ford Fusion is safer than the Lincoln MKZ:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Ford Fusion is safer than the Lincoln MKZ:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

There are almost 4 times as many Ford dealers as there are Lincoln 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 MKZ 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 Lincoln vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Ford fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 1 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lincoln is ranked fifth.

J.D. Power and Associates' 2019 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Ford vehicles are more reliable than Lincoln vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Ford 16th in reliability. With 1 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lincoln is ranked 19th.

As tested in Motor Trend the Fusion Titanium 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Lincoln MKZ 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder:

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

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 MKZ with the 3.0 turbo V6 engine requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Fusion FWD's standard fuel tank has 2.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the MKZ Hybrid's standard fuel tank (16.5 vs. 14 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Fusion stops shorter than the MKZ:

The Fusion has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The MKZ's suspension doesn't offer gas-charged shocks.

The Fusion Titanium executes Motor Trend's “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the MKZ Premiere (27.2 seconds @ .64 average G's vs. 27.6 seconds @ .6 average G's).

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

The Ford Fusion may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 300 to 500 pounds less than the Lincoln MKZ.

The Fusion has 6.2 cubic feet more passenger volume than the MKZ (102.8 vs. 96.6).

The Fusion has 1.3 inches more front headroom, .1 inches more front shoulder room, 1.2 inches more rear headroom, 1.3 inches more rear legroom, .6 inches more rear hip room and 1.6 inches more rear shoulder room than the MKZ.

The Fusion has a larger trunk than the MKZ (16 vs. 15.4 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 MKZ's liftover is 30.5 inches.

Maximum trailer towing in the Lincoln MKZ is limited to 1000 pounds. The Fusion offers up to a 2000 lbs. towing capacity.

While the MKZ Hybrid is not recommended to tow, any Fusion can tow a minimum of 1000 pounds.

The Fusion has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent vandalism, such as sugar in the tank and fuel theft. The MKZ doesn't offer a locking fuel door.

Consumer Reports rated the Fusion's headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the MKZ's headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

Insurance will cost less for the Fusion owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Fusion will cost $1090 less than the MKZ over a five-year period.

The Fusion will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Fusion will retain 39.28% to 42.37% of its original price after five years, while the MKZ only retains 35.08% to 36.76%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Fusion is less expensive to operate than the MKZ because typical repairs cost much less on the Fusion than the MKZ, including $167 less for a water pump, $509 less for a muffler, $18 less for a starter, $68 less for fuel injection, $223 less for a fuel pump, $187 less for front struts, $551 less for a timing belt/chain and $498 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Ford Fusion will be $10017 to $11710 less than for the Lincoln MKZ.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Ford Fusion and the Lincoln MKZ, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Ford Fusion outsold the Lincoln MKZ by over 9 to one during 2019.