I was bored (oil change), so I took out an SE V6.
Nice feeling and ride. The Duratec is strong as ever. The interior was nicely put together. Trip computer even has a nifty timer in it. It handled pretty well too. A whole lot of room inside compared to the Focus and the Contour.
The one thing about the SE is how bland it is, compared to the SEL. There's a bit more chrome on the SEL to make it more distinctive. The 5-speed auto does hunt for gears sometimes, so the auto journalists were right on that. Not crazy about the $35K price for an SEL
Although, you can get more hosed by going with a Lincoln Zephyr for $45K
(although HID's are an option on that).
BTW, get your car serviced at a dealer, and you scratch & win some neat stuff. I got a compact umbrella today. Grand draw is a new Fusion.
