Taking it to the Imports

Last month Ford flew me across the continent to Dearborn to take part in a special unveiling of an all-new critically important product.

What I witnessed was what I feel is the rebirth of Ford as a highly competitive passenger car company. Not that the Five Hundred isnt an excellent car, it is in almost every way it needs to be. And the Mustang is an over the fence hit with the bases loaded to boot. But the Mustang is a strong player in a niche segment, and the Five Hundred a very large sedan that wont be suitable to midsize buyers who would normally be looking for something with Taurus dimensions.

The new Fusion is just that; a midsize offering that is actually a touch larger than most

Fords new Fusion is a midsize offering that is actually a touch larger than most of the segments big sellers. (Photo: Ford Motor Company)

Still, it doesnt seem to give up much in headroom, and its

While the Fusion is based on the Mazdas award-winning 6 architecture, its longer and wider than the 6 or the top-selling Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. (Photo: Ford Motor Company)

The quality of materials and interior fit and finish of the Fusion is superb. (Photo: Ford Motor Company)

First of all, the quality of materials and interior fit and finish is superb. Those who would rather buy domestic in order to bolster the economy but arent necessarily willing to put up with shoddy workmanship compared to top-tier Japanese rivals can rest assured, they wont be making concessions if they choose to buy the Fusion.

Rather than just apply

There is a distinctly European feel to the Fusions interior design and layout. (Photo: Ford Motor Company)

To come to this conclusion I took my time poking, prodding, tapping and touching surfaces to get an overall feel for the car, and came away extremely impressed at what Ford accomplished. Its as good as the Mazda6, one of the best in the midsize segment, as good as the Camry or Accord, and

The Fusion delivers up that European flare, a style and substance combination that so many domestics often get horribly wrong. (Photo: Ford Motor Company)

What it has over most of its rivals, mind you, is a distinctly European feel in design and interior layout. Controls and switchgear are intuitively positioned, well within reach of even smallish drivers, with large knobs and buttons for climate control, audio system and other ancillary feature actuation.

The dash and center stack configuration is simple, yet clean and elegant. Theres no clutter, and surface treatments, such as satin-finished accents or the optional piano black lacquer,

The one very un-European element of the Fusions interior is the inclusion of a convenient in-dash multi-disc CD player. (Photo: Ford Motor Company)

And rather than just offer the same interior in different shades of black, brown or gray, Ford has taken a cue from Audi and given its Fusion cabin themes.

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