2006 Ford Fusion

The Mazda6's platform was too good to go untouched by the rest of Ford Motor Company. It's so good, in fact, Ford has pinned its future on it in the form of three sedans: the Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, and Lincoln Zephyr. The Fusion, which slots between the Focus and the Five Hundred in the Ford lineup, will impress people who've driven only Detroit-made cars over the past 10 years, yet it leaves something to be desired for those whose eyes wander toward the Japanese brands. It enters a price and size category that includes heavy-hitters like the Accord and Camry, and, as such, will be instantly compared with those rivals--as it was during Car of the Year. What the Ford has going for it are excellent real-world handling and quick, tight steering, both of which feel like they came from a European-market car and make it quite possibly the best-handling midsize sedan Ford's ever sold in the U.S.

However, to be able to enjoy the drive, several aspects of the car's personality have to be ignored and forgiven. There's its thrashy, harsh V-6 (the base engine is a 160-horse four), which has a respectable 221 horsepower, but lacks the refinement of comparable Japanese engines. Backing that is a six-speed automatic.

In Drive, it did a decent job of holding the right gear, but the closest this trans gets to a Sport setting is in Low, where gears are held longer and downshifts happen more quickly--but the driver has no other control of gear selection. Another unfortunate standout is the cabin, which has cheap materials that look like the result of cost-cutting. It's a parts-bin mish-mash, with the same green-LED stereo display seen in Fords for the last decade. The interior is functional and purpose-built, and that's all. The car is a big step up for Ford, but it hasn't quite reached the top rung.