Ford calls the feature CTA, for cross-traffic alert, but CTA could just as well be called CYA. The blind spot detectors on the rear fenders of the Ford Fusion and other 2010 Fords perform a second task when you're going backwards: They watch your backside for crossing traffic. It's a smart example of how one piece of technology can serve multiple purposes. And it's one of three Fusion technologies that protects your rear flank: CTA, parking sonar, and rear camera.

CTA is another indicator that Ford does the best job among U.S. automakers in providing technology that's about as good as what the expensive imports provide at a higher price, or technology they don't yet have. This was on the 2010 Ford Fusion hybrid, which has many of the benefits of a Toyota Prius, if not quite the same cachet.

I drove an early Ford Fusion hybrid at its introduction a year ago and the same impression remains this fall: nice mainstream car, a good midsize ride if you don't need a car that's a statement of your life achievements, excellent phone and music integration via Ford Sync, stupid monolithic steering wheel buttons, I still can't match the 45 mpg city rating a few other car reviewers reported (but 38 mpg on a mostly highway trip isn't shabby, either). After driving the slightly newer Ford Fusion hybrid, I'm even more impressed at the good job Ford has done at driving down the costs of useful technology. On the Fusion or the Mercury Milan stablemate, there isn't as much tech as on higher-end Lincolns or the new Ford Taurus Ford Taurus, but what's there is impressive.

How Cross Traffic Alert Works

Ford offers Blind Spot Detection as an option on many Fords, Lincolns, and Mercurys. The cost is about $400, either standalone or imputed price in one of the all-encompassing options packages Ford prefers. A radar in each rear fender just forward of the back bumper looks to the side and side-rear and illuminates a warning light in the outside rear view mirror when an overtaking car comes into the blind spot, the area you often can't see with any mirror. That's nice and lots of cars have BSD. But there's more: Ford uses the same multi-beam radar sensors to look for movement at low speed, when you're in reverse, to the side and slightly to the side-rear as you back out of mall parking spot or driveway hidden by buildings or shrubs. If CTA spots movement - cars mostly, but often cyclists or pedestrians as well - it beeps and flashes an alert in the instrument panel.

At first, I thought CTA was Ford's way of milking a technology in ways that were nice but not real world useful. I mean, how hard is it to back out slowly and keep your eyes open? In practice, I found CTA effective and useful at spotting cars barreling down on me as I backed out of parking garage spaces sooner than I eyeballed them. The beep was loud enough to be heard easily. The CTA instrument panel indicator wasn't as helpful as it could be because it was text only rather than, say, an arrow pointing in from the left. Plus, the instrument panel faces forward and you're looking back when you back. Ideally, Ford would have icon indicators in the instrument panel, on the backup camera screen if the car has one, and in the rear pillars of the car to draw your attention when you're looking out the back window (as you're supposed to).

Cross-traffic alert worked especially when you paired with a package that also includes rear parking sonar and a backup camera. So you see and hear what's behind you, and hear what's coming from the side when backing up. The blind spot warning could use something more declarative that just the orange-yellow LED in the side mirrors, such as a steering wheel shaker (good idea except some people freak out when the wheel vibrates), a warning ping (which tells passengers, not just you, that you've messed up), or a light that flashes at you that passengers don't see (possibly the best idea).

Other Good Technology: No Gas Cap to Lose

One other nice touch on virtually all Fords now is the capless filler tank. The filler nozzle has a series of blades, or leaves, that fold out of the way when you put the nozzle in, them snap shut and form a vaporproof seal when you're done.

The engine itself is a four-cylinder powerplant plus an electric motor and the usual (for hybrids) battery pack in the now compact-car-capacity trunk. The transmission is continuously variable, which ekes out a bit more economy.

You can buy a Ford Fusion with a couple options such as cross-traffic alert, blind-spot warning, and upgraded Sony audio for about $30,000. Fully equipped, it still lists for under $33,000. Because Ford doesn't sell hybrids in Toyota-like quantities, there's still a federal hybrid rebate available that Toyota no longer can offer. And on the most recent Consumer Reports reliability studio, the Fusion actually is ranked higher than the Toyota Camry or Honda Accord.

Ford rates the Fusion at 41 mpg in city driving, 10 mpg less than the Toyota Prius' 51 mpg city. But America's way of calculating economy is non-linear: 41 vs. 51 is less significant than 15 vs. 25 mpg. (Europeans compute economy as liters consumed per 100 kilometers driven.) In actual driving, the difference between a Prius and Fusion will be $200 a year. For something that will probably cost you $50,000 for the purchase price, maintenance, insurance, and fuel, the difference is a rounding error.

Rear-View Mirror Backup Monitor: Can You See Me Now?

My test car had a backup camera but lacked a navigation system. So with no big center stack LCD display, Ford incorporates a small LCD display into the rear view mirror that displays the view from the backup camera. A lot of people think this is a cool idea. Wrong. It's useless in bright sunlight, marginally visible on overcast days, and at night the only thing wrong is the display is awfully small. Okay, it's better than nothing.

Why Shouldn't You Buy?

If you want a good mainstream car, the Ford Fusion as a hybrid or regular car makes a fine choice. Your neighbors may be impressed more if you arrive home with a Prius or Camry hybrid on account of supposedly superior reliability, great resale values, all the truths that are ingrained in the minds of too many buyers. You might remind them that Consumer Reports says the Fusion is now more reliable than a Camry or Honda Accord. Times change.