So I popped by and got another look at a Fusion today. Only had a 4 banger model to drive, so I decided to take it out for spin to see where it sat in the hierarchy of the other 4 bangers in the class- Altima, Accord, Camry specifically.

The Outside
Ford calls it 'edgy'. Some of the Ford zealots around here have called it the second coming of Christ. I just call it boring. Really. There's some neat design in the taillights, and the Mach 3 front end looks pretty good, but apart from that, it's standard wedge shape design. The grille looks good, but it's got HUGE gaps in it- it looks like the hood is open at some angles (I think I read that somewhere too). The SE I drove had 16 inch steel wheels with plastic covers- I'm not a fan of this setup, but the covers looked pretty good compared to others in the class (Altima step up with your shistty covers!). With the 16s, it looks VERY undertired. Big wheelwell gaps. Fit and finish looked pretty good except for the front end.

The Inside
I've already seen an SEL and was suitably impressed with the piano black stuff, and the quality of the leather. The SE is another story- gone is the shiny stuff, and in its place is some sort of carbon fiber knockoff stuff. Doesn't look too bad. Soft touch everywhere. Only spots it wasn't was around the cupholders and shifter. Gauges are annoying (the setup), as is the huge FUSION nameplate where the clock is in the SEL. The SE uses the horrific generic Ford stereo- I cannot tell you how much I hate the thing. It feels cheap, it feels cheap, and oh, it feels cheap. Sound wasn't much better- very boomy at anything approaching loud. HVAC controls were also the standard Ford idiocy- counterintuitive. There's no '0' setting for fan speed- instead you have to turn the vent to '0'. Makes little sense to me. Is it only Ford who does this? I remember my 87 Grand Am had the same sort of retarded setup. A big plus- lots of steering wheel controls standard. However, they're on an ugly as hell steering wheel. Lots of cupholders everywhere, at the expense of proper map pockets unfortunately. Deep center console, chintzy glovebox. Seat material was el cheapo too- the Altima, Accord, and Camry all feel much better in base form. Lots of interior space though- no issues with headroom or shoulder room, and the seats were pretty comfortable even with the bargain basement cloth.

Trunk space was much better than my G6- uses the hydraulic hinge stuff, but the opening is WAY bigger, making the entire trunk much more usable. Kudos to Ford for that.

One last thing- the view out the rear is horrible. The as-s end of this car feels like it's raised 10 feet. My G6 has bad left and right rear spots. The Altima, Accord and Camry all feel very open.

The Drive
To put it simply, the I4 that Ford provides here is simply inadequate. My brother has a 4 banger Accord that feels as strong as the V6 in my G6. The Altima I4 pulls very hard, but is thrashy. And the Camry I4, although not powerful, is quiet. The Fusion? The thrash of the Nissan, with the power of the Camry. Not a good combo. Although a 5 speed auto is included (nice!), it hunts for gears too much, and the throttle response is lacking.

Luckily, the one spot the Fusion does excel in is the handling. Steering feel is great, and it feels hunkered down and much like the Accord, which is the pinnacle for this class. Brakes were fade free and had no issues. A little bit of tire squeal under not so demanding conditions, but I attribute that mostly to the 16s. I'd rate the handling of the Fusion behind the Accord, but ahead of the Altima and Camry. It also is better than the G6, almost solely because of the wonky electric steering in my car.

Overall
Overall not too bad. It's a competitor, and that's a good thing, especially considering the Taurus that preceded and was left to rot in the sun. However, apart from the soft touch stuff inside, and the handling, the overall package of the base Fusion puts it around midpack- not enough engine in base trim, and not enough pizzazz to pull the Altima and Accord shopper away. I wonder how the 2007 I4 Camry would feel compared to this. Maybe next time.