I’ve been wondering for some time what Ford’s plan for survival, much less success, might be. Detroit has traditionally gotten by by hitting one out of the park from time to time–while striking out most times at bat.

But Ford isn’t swinging for the fences the way GM is. Its cars aren’t dramatically styled. It doesn’t have a moonshot like the Volt in the works.

Instead, Ford is serving up a big dose of “sensible transportion.” Didn’t that fail with the Five Hundred? But here we are seeing the Fusion get a lot of practically-minded press for strengths like reliability and fuel economy. In other words, Toyota’s turf.

For Ford, this is a tough sell that, if it works at all, will involve years of slow, steady growth. The idea is that people will hear enough times that the Fusion gets the best gas mileage, is as reliable as a Toyota or Honda, etc. that they’ll cross-shop it with the Camry and Accord. Then they’ll discover it’s cheaper, and give one a shot. Then, if they like it, they’ll not only buy another to replace it but tell their friends.

No, it’s not a recipe for overnight success. But it might be a recipe for long-term survival.

To see how the Fusion stacks up, start with our Ford Fusion information page.