240hp 3.0 NA V-6 is not about gas mileage. DI Turbo 2.0 I-4 is where we are heading with this class of car for CAFE, unless they are going to make everything hybrid. Unlike the turbo fours that Chrysler put in K-cars decades ago, todays gas turbo fours put out maximum torque at low rpm.

Does the Fusion have electric power steering like a lot of new cars have? Maybe that explains the dead feel. Also, most Ford OE tire selections are not great, almost certainly not to the level of a German-branded car. Sometimes, just a different tire improves handling quite a bit. We put Michelin Pilots on a Camry that had OE Goodyears, and the difference was night and day with no other changes.