Consumer Reports recommended for both previous model years, 2006 & 2007. This was a large influence.
Before options, vehicle MSRP was just over $22,000 for my particular model. Price was right in line with my budget.
Factory dicounts were $2900 off purchase price or special APR. The added discounts brought the vehicle price under $20,000, which is excellent for a mid-size sedan.
Hard to put into words, but it just appealed to me. If I had to choose one word, it would be "clean".
Every option I was looking for was available for the Fusion, except Electronic Stability Control. They have since added this for the next model year.