Drove one last night:
Overall, I think the vehicle makes a strong statement for the price point, but I would pay more to have a few changes made.
Look/Touch/Feel: I looked at a black SEL with almost every option on it. Overall, I would say the interior quality is a notch below the 2003-2005 Mazda6. The interior plastics are nicely grained and fit together well. The black accent work on the SEL looks nice as well. Added niceties are a trip computer with compass in the instrument cluster (which is perfectly functional, but not really appealing with a large blank space and no elecroluminescent feature), auto open/close for the moonroof, fan and temperature controls on the steering wheel (though placed in the hollow between the spokes instead of on them, where it is more convenient). I also think the door switches are all illuminated. I could not tell in the bright sunlight.
I am not used to the exterior styling. It is too blunt, heavy, and chromey for me. The overall shape lacks grace, and the chrome gives it an almost ghetto look.
All compartments and cupholders have a nice removable non-skid rubber liner that can be washed. Cleaning the cupholders is a major annoyance of mine with the 6. However, the cupholders are not covered, there is no cord port between the layers of the center console bin, and there is no ashtray or coin bin.
However, the overall feel of all latches and switches is a little flimsy and cheap. The headlamp switch felt particularly bad (worse than the similar switch in my Contour). The matte black stereo and a few other items also look cheap.
The layout is overall sensible. I particularly liked the single rocker switch for the moonroof over the unnecessary extra switch we have. However, I don't like the small low panel for the auto climate (fortunately, fan and temp are controllable from the wheel). The switches all blend together, as well as the heated seat buttons also there.
The seats themselves are decent front and rear. I found front support overall about the same as the 2003-2005 Mazda6 bucket, though the flatter design likely will provide less support to thinner people. The extra length of the car translates into rear seat legroom which is better than the 6. However, the Command Seating Ford is so heinously fond of rob the car of headroom front and rear. There is barely enough front seat headroom with the seat fully lowered and less rear seat head room than in my 5-door (which combined with the flatter cushions makes the seat less comfortable than the Mazda6, despite the additional legroom). The front seat also is only equipped with a 6-way power seat with a manual seatback lever (a major inconvenience) and a manual knob for lumbar (prefer power, but the knob is much nicer than our lever).
The trunk is nicely sized, I would need to see it next to a 6sedan to compare. The backs fold using a similar spring mechanism, though less nicely finished. There are no side cubbies for storing small items. The pass through opening height is limited by a large bar at the top of the passthrough.
Driving: The overall tuning is a half step softer than our Mazda6's, with less surface harshness. This would have been the perfect setting for the base/touring Mazda6, leaving them to design a real sport suspension for the enthusiasts. The overall handling is good, but just shy of the responsiveness and directness we are used to. Boost is about the same, but the centering is more vague and the wheel is a little more isolated from the road. The body leans a bit more (though not excessively) in tight or sweeping maneuvers. Ford decided to put the same Michelin Pilots on the 17" Fusions as Mazda screwed us into. It shows.
I have not driven a Mazda6 with the Aisin 6-speed ATX, so I cannot compare the 221hp V6 directly. It reminded me a lot of my MTX, but it upshifts too quickly. It took full throttle to hold the gear anywhere near redline. It does downshift well, however. There is no manual mode.
Overall, I think it's a good car for the price ($25,3xx as equipped), and will be a good car in class. It will likely sell well if buyers aren't turned off by the looks. However, there are simply too many little misses for it to be excellent.
