[Drivesthebeast]

Well, from my first impressions...these cars look cool on th outside. They have nice lines all the way around them, the multi-element headlamps look nice (especially on pitchblack or CD silver models), and even the stupid 3-bar chrome grille looks classy after a while too. Open the door, climb inside, and you are greeted with an interior that is more spacious than a Mazda 6 or a Honda Accord. The seat is more supportive, has nice bolstering, and all of the controls and guages are laid out in a well thought out manner (well, besides the HVAC controls being behind the shifter in either car). With a smooth thunk sound, the door closes, and pressurizes the cabin, and you come to realize that without even runnning or moving, the vehicle is quiet inside. All of the plastics have a rich soft feel to them, almost like they are rubberized...nothing at all like a toyota or a hyundai which use harder, cheaper looking plastics. Looking at the steering wheel, I'm thinking to myself that I've seen a wheel kinda like this in Mondeo's over in Dubai, and even the guages are european looking. So far so good. The manual tranny and clutch feel like an asian car, smooth and fairly precise. Start the car, and you hear sounds from under the hood the same as 05 and newer Foci...got that larger displacement 4 banger sound. On both of the testers we drove, they both had the 16" aluminum rims with continental sport-conti's on them...which arent bad, but totally held back the cars suspension on winding roads out in Brant county and surrounding area. Speaking of the chasis and suspension...this car rides like a Foci with aftermarket suspension...the Fusion rides taught, but never harsh. It has quick reflexes, and corners very flat. I'm curious to see what one of these cars are like with the available 17" rims and some good tires on it...probably even more impressive. The 2.3 Duratec was both peppy and responsive, and was able to bring the car upto 100k with a decent amount of haste. However, I think that this engine screams "foci bolt-ons or FI"...it simply felt like it was underpowered for a car this size when you want it to get up and dance. You have to really wind out the tach before it starts to hussle, unlike my Foci that hussles at abour 4500-5000rpm. Lack of power aside, this feels like a smooth and sporty car to drive overall. I'd actually consider buying one of the 4cyl ones if I knew that the bolt-ons for the 2nd gen foci would work on it, bringing the car closer to V6 levels of hp and tq.

Now, when it comes to the V6 Fusion...the car is basically exaclty the same in terms of cosmetics and asthetics. Some people might be shocked when they see that there is no manumatic or slapstick auto in these cars, making them think that perhaps this is not a performance car, but rather another cheapo car like the taurus it replaces. Well my freinds, I'd say that the manumatics in other cars in this price range are for simulating performance....to try and help you not hate yourself so much for buying an auto instead of a 5-spd car in the firstplace (and no, I'm not stating auto's suck totally....just keep reading). This car DOESN'T need a slapstick....you've got 6 speeds instead of 3 or 4 with an OD, and does this new gearbox ever work! It seems to always have the engine in it's sweetspot at any speed....just hit the throttle, and you are in the middle of the torque no prob. With the 221hp and 205 ft/lbs of torque and the 6 speed, seemingly continuously variable tranny, this car can accelerate upto 100mph and beyond with a LOT more haste than you'd think. There is only minor torque steer when turning a corner in an intersection or if the ground is wet from rain, but I think a lot of that is due to the continentals, and not the car. They simply held both this, and the 4cyl car back bigtime.

Now, in comparison to the Mazda 6 it's supposed to be partially based on, we found the driving dynamics of the chasis actually superior to the Mazda, the car had a slight power advantage, which was more evident with the 6spd auto, and that it has less of a boy racer attitude in terms of it's design. Also, we did the math, and a fully loaded SEL V6 with power moonroof, 17's, and leathers is $31K...get some dealer incentives or lose the moonroof, and you are into $29-$30K range...that's around $7K less than a fully optioned Mazda 6S.

I am seriously considering buying one of these cars for my next vehicle, if I don't buy a ZX4 ST or ZXW and modd them....these cars are a great bargain for what you get, and aren't what everyone else is driving either...just like the Foci.

Go check em out....you might be surprised...