2013 Ford Fusion, aiming for the top: Motoramic Drives

For nearly two decades, Honda and Toyota have reigned supreme among midsize sedans -- America's most popular car style, with 2 million sold every year -- with the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. That is, until last year, when the Nissan Altima and the Ford Fusion surpassed the Accord, and the upstart Hyundai Sonata came close to lapping it as well. This year, Honda, Nissan and Chevrolet have all introduced new versions of their models, but none have been quite as ambitious as Ford's full assault with the 2013 Ford Fusion, a bid to win rather than just show up.

Based on a new platform Ford will build worldwide, the 2013 Ford Fusion rides on front McPherson-strut and rear multi-link suspensions. Compared to the outgoing model, the new Fusion's rear multi-link has been revised to improve ride quality, while keeping the car's overall European-inspired handling characteristics. Much of that on-road responsiveness is thanks to Ford's electric power-assisted steering, one of the best in the industry, providing a confident weighting and progressive effort while dampening the excessive feedback from tortured roads.

At the front, the Fusion adopts the new corporate Ford look, a trapezoidal grille that may remind some of an Aston Martin, a brand Ford once owned. The narrow wrap-around headlights and a character line that runs all the way to the back LED tail lamps is a nice touch to break up the high shoulder profile. Inside, the dash and the center console is simple yet functional. The higher trim levels offer far better quality materials than those in the base models. And in the dash rests a more simplified MyFord Touch system, the oft-criticized entertainment touchscreen.