Ford Fusion

In these frankly terrifying days of economic peril, car manufacturers are almost entirely reliant on one or two flagship models to carry the slack of the less popular models. The Corsa seems to be marginally holding Vauxhall's head afloat (although current reports suggest it will be unable to hold up the behemoth manufacturer for much longer) and the Golf and Polo seem to be doing the best to rescue Volkswagen from the failing clutches of the Tiguan and Touareg. Ford, as predictable as it seems, are relying on the sales of the new Fiesta and Focus to keep their heads above the rapidly heightening tides of recession. There are, however, excellent car models that get forgotten about in these situations and that is criminal, especially when they are as sporty and versatile as the Ford Fusion.

The Ford Fusion fills the small niche between the Fiesta and the Focus, comprising the sporty performance and maneuverability of the former, with the practicality and responsive handling of the latter. If the Fiesta is the car designed for the young, single boy racers and the Focus is aimed primarily at the family market, then the Fusion lies neatly in the middle; the perfect car for the young, small family.

The Fusion comes with 1.4 or 1.6 litre petrol or diesel engines, which all prove to be up to Ford's impeccably high standards of engineering. The 1.6 petrol proves to be a perfect city car, with impressive revs in the low gears to get you away from the traffic lights before most of the others. It also proves to be a great motorway car, with low engine noise and comfortable seats. With all consideration, the Ford Fusion is an extremely pleasant place to be.

The only question that comes into my mind is whether there is a viable commercial niche for the Ford Fusion . As I have mentioned, the car is directly aimed at small families, but the brand new Fiesta caters for them quite well. As expected the price point is slap-bang between the smaller and larger Fords, so there is a plus point, I just feel I need to point out that I have noticed a certain trend with young, small families; they tend to get bigger. The Ford Fusion with comfortably house you, your better half and 3 young children, or two 8-12 year olds. Any bigger than this and you're going to find the family are going to be a bit squeezed. The Focus doesn't have this problem as it can easily hold 5 grown adults without too much barging of elbows or squabbling over leg room.

It's therefore no surprise that the Fusion isn't doing as well as the Fiesta and Focus on the forecourts up and down the country. This is a shame as it really is a very decent car and far better than most other cars in its £12,000-ish price point. The only problem is that for the same money, you could buy a high spec Fiesta that literally oozes style and performance, or look around for an ex-demo 1.8litre Focus.