by
Martha Hindes
You
could just feel California in the air. Not the smog
factor in this sense, but the ambience, the carefree
absence of cold weather worries, the baking sun
that burns through gray overcast to toast scantily-clad
sunbathers on beaches or on private decks, as fair
game for helicopter hovering paparazzi.
We
had picked up Ford's Fusion in a trendy section
of Los Angeles on a warm late summer morning, near
college foot traffic and within smelling distance
of the ocean. This had been the perfect setting
for Ford to do some testing of buffed young 20-something
college types and the fledgling professionals who
make up the most coveted of potential import car
buyers. So Ford covered up the familiar Ford oval
marque and left the vehicle standing in mid-street
for passersby to explore.
It
didn't take long for the curious to check it out.
Who makes this? An import? What kind? "Hey,
that's nice. I could drive this," was the kind
of remark repeatedly overheard by company officials
standing quietly at the sidelines. In an atmosphere
where almost anything that wears a foreign label
can outclass a domestic -- sight unseen -- what
was served up beneath the hidden nameplate scored
a significant victory. Tally one for the initial
visuals.
But
would time behind the wheel play out equally well?
Our driving route started at the edge of the Pacific
and wound around the fabled hills of Southern California.
Once we escaped the inevitable sequence of red LA
traffic lights, our route took us along the legendary
Mulholland Drive, Pacific Coast Highway, Topanga
Canyon Road. We skimmed around the periphery of
multi-million dollar estates with gated entries
just inches from the curbs, and overlooked vast
vistas of valleys. It was an ideal driving course
meant to show how adept a vehicle can be at negotiating
miles of relentless switchback curves and an occasional
lope along surprisingly unclogged express roads.
The
answer came as Fusion took the roads in unruffled
stride, responding with crisp, tactile road manners
whether on smooth or cobble-stone rough pavement.
Its unexpected agility was a pleasant surprise as
it wound effortlessly around tight turns, corners,
jammed on sudden stops and at one point during an
unavoidable U turn blasted, full-powered into motion
from a standstill to make room for a sedan that
had jumped a light.
Fusion
started life as an auto show concept ideal nearly
three years earlier than its 2006 debut, wearing
the fabled "427" name taken from Ford's
high-powered, muscular '60s sedans.
As a production car, it wears a strong, clean appearance,
with subtle shadings and a hunky sense of power
some might call "swagger." A bold, bright
metal tri-bar runs broadside between large, multi-element
winged headlamps, echoed below at sportlamp level,
for an "angry eyebrow" look. (It's the
new, immediately recognizable identifier face of
Ford autos.) A distinctive "belt line"
sweeps backward from front fenders to define the
handsome, uncluttered profile. Triangular taillamps
hint of kissing cousin Volvo, for a distinctly European
touch. The narrowed depth between wheel lips and
tread (especially when fitted with larger, low-profile
tires) lend a racier, sports car look.
(CONTINUE...)
