So the new car introduction I was most looking forward to has come and gone. General reaction to the 2013 Ford Fusion is very positive. Me, not quite so much.

The announced fuel economy figures are impressive: 37 MPG highway for the 1.6-liter “EcoBoost” turbocharged four, at least 47 MPG city for the new Hybrid, and 100 MPGe (MPG equivalent) for the plug-in hybrid–8 MPGe better than the Volt.

They’re also promising excellent handling. This combined with the overall level of refinement in the Focus would make the Fusion an excellent car.

Unlike in the past, Ford wasn’t letting journalists sit in the car. But I jumped into one before this was clear. The seats look very much like those in a VW Passat, but not as firm and will a little more contour. The instrument panel is moderately high and quite deep–pushing my personal limits especially on the latter. I wasn’t able to sit in the rear seat to evaluate cushion height and headroom, unfortunately.

So what’s not to love? Oddly, the main thing journalists are buzzing about: the styling. The front and rear ends recall Aston Martin (which Ford used to own but which is now fair game). And the roofline is a fashionable sweep like that seen since 2009 on the once-related Mazda6. But the side profile, while it resembles either the Mazda or the Audi A7, depending on how much praise you care to heap on the car (everyone in the business loves the Audi), lacks fluidity. It’s too straight, flat, stiff.

A minor quibble if everything else delivers on Ford’s broad promise of “best-in-segment in everything”? Since no competitor is clearly more attractive, while many are clearly less attractive, perhaps.