The Ford Fusion we tested drove well. The handling was a bit more taut and responsive than my very casual Hyundai Sonata, while the seats were a cool-looking but less comfortable hand-stitched look. I found the Ford Fusion a very nice car, one I could own, and yet not one that particularly excites me. It's a function of age, and it's a function of the way cars are built today. Cars are in the main pretty reliable little boxes, each with its own niche, and each every bit as exciting as owning a blow dryer. In some ways, the choice is between Diet Pepsi and Diet RC--it's still a diet soft drink, and maybe not even a Coke.
I was impressed with the banana-yellow Ford Focus hatchback I saw. I admired its 37 mpg highway performance.
The sticker said that one paid 499 extra for the absurd color, and the salesman said "candy apple red" also involved an upcharge. I asked him if more adult flavors were available at no extra charge. He assured me that Fiestas and Focuses, the two economy models, are flying off the shelves. I was glad to hear it--this is the way to win the war against foreign oil--drive higher MPG vehicles and drive less in general. I was less impressed with the Ford Escape, which looks like something someone drove in 1973, when that someone should have been driving a Pacer or a Gremlin.
Ford is definitely a candidate. This post makes me thirsty for a diet RC cola.