A Reminder That Good Things Also Come in Midsize Packages
I couldn't believe it. Jennifer, my wife, was very ill, so much so that it
was impossible to attend the Los Angeles introduction of the new Fusion, a midsize car that is critical in the grand scheme of Ford's future, not to mention the competitiveness of Detroit's Big 3 overall.
As much as the success Chrysler has had with its 300 sedan must irk execs in Dearborn and GM's downtown Detroit Renaissance Center, you'd think they'd have to admit to the premise that any domestic car achieving strong sales in a market now dominated by Asian imports is good for the image of domestic manufacturers overall. For this reason, it makes sense that Chrysler would be cheering now that Ford's Fusion is becoming a hot seller, at least until a totally revamped Sebring/Stratus duo (or whatever they'll eventually call the future Chrysler and Dodge midsize sedans) arrives on the scene this summer.
Yes,
amid that monologue you may have noticed me mention that the Fusion is now selling well. I'm not surprised, as in many ways it's the best midsize car ever produced by a domestic manufacturer. Besides, its bold chrome grille, vertically stacked headlamp clusters and overall profile makes for an extremely handsome package, a critically important element in the complex formula behind any car's success.
Fortunately, my test car's overall quality was at least equal to and in some ways better than the pre-production example I had experienced a year prior during Ford's pre-Detroit auto show sneak peak program. I came back praising the Fusion's tight exterior panel gaps, superb fit and finish inside and much higher than average cabin plastics quality. To say that I'm a little anal retentive about this latter subject would be an insulting injustice to my obsessive personality, so when I say Ford has put together an interior that can be compared positively to most rivals, with only Volkswagen's new Passat and Toyota's just-released Camry feeling more upscale and priced higher as a result, should mean a great deal.
I went through my usual routine, which according to Jennifer is among
my more annoying habits, by tapping every plastic surface from the lower door panels to the A- and B-pillar covers. Yes, there's a difference between softer and harder plastics, as is to be expected in a car that will only set you back $23K in base trim, and that before any discount, but even the lesser plastics aren't of the brutally hard, glossy variety still in use on some cars. The soft-touch plastic used for the upper dash, most of the console and upper door panels is premium stuff however, making me feel like the Ford sedan was sourced from the automaker's European division rather than from Dearborn.
I couldn't believe it. Jennifer, my wife, was very ill, so much so that it
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| Chrysler's successs story was the 300; Ford's looks to be the Fusion. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
As much as the success Chrysler has had with its 300 sedan must irk execs in Dearborn and GM's downtown Detroit Renaissance Center, you'd think they'd have to admit to the premise that any domestic car achieving strong sales in a market now dominated by Asian imports is good for the image of domestic manufacturers overall. For this reason, it makes sense that Chrysler would be cheering now that Ford's Fusion is becoming a hot seller, at least until a totally revamped Sebring/Stratus duo (or whatever they'll eventually call the future Chrysler and Dodge midsize sedans) arrives on the scene this summer.
Yes,
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| Fusion's upright headlamps and three-bar grille are very bold indeed. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
Fortunately, my test car's overall quality was at least equal to and in some ways better than the pre-production example I had experienced a year prior during Ford's pre-Detroit auto show sneak peak program. I came back praising the Fusion's tight exterior panel gaps, superb fit and finish inside and much higher than average cabin plastics quality. To say that I'm a little anal retentive about this latter subject would be an insulting injustice to my obsessive personality, so when I say Ford has put together an interior that can be compared positively to most rivals, with only Volkswagen's new Passat and Toyota's just-released Camry feeling more upscale and priced higher as a result, should mean a great deal.
I went through my usual routine, which according to Jennifer is among
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| Plastics aren't too plasticky, which is a welcome trait. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |