Ford's Fusion has high style and low price

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Consumers only need to look at Ford's newest midsize sedan, the Fusion, to see that family cars are looking more upscale these days, even as their price tags remain decidedly affordable.

The nicely styled, five-passenger Fusion comes to market with the fourth-lowest starting manufacturer's suggested retail price, including destination charge, of all 2006 midsize sedans, as classified by the federal government.

Specifically, the base 2006 Fusion with 160-horsepower, 2.3-liter, four-cylinder engine and manual transmission has a starting MSRP, including destination charge, of $17,795.

Among cars in the Environmental Protection Agency's midsize sedan class, only the Hyundai Elantra, Kia Spectra and Kia Optima from South Korea have lower base pricing.

Indeed, the base Fusion is priced lower than popular sedans such as the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. All prices noted here are for four-cylinder-powered, four-door, base models with manual transmissions.

The top-selling Camry has a starting MSRP, including destination charge, of $19,025 for a base 2006 model, while a base 2006 Accord starts at $18,775.

The front-wheel-drive Fusion is the latest of two sedans to replace the long-lived Ford Taurus family sedan. Ford debuted its other, more expensive, new car for the family sedan market, the larger Five Hundred, in the 2005 model year.

Besides the Fusion's attractive styling that seems to be a mix of a European rear end and a formal front with three-bar, chrome-colored grille, the Fusion impresses with its smart packaging.

The interior is cleanly designed, with controls that are understandable and well-arranged. There's nothing odd or awkward here, and Ford officials have even included a redline on the tachometer. A couple years back, they started to delete the redline in some family cars to save money.

The test car, a top-line Fusion SEL, included optional leather-trimmed seats that looked almost British with contrasting-thread stitching. The upscale-styled front bucket seats, in particular, were comfortable, too.