Very nice review. I currently have a '12 Fusion SEL, but with the 4 cyl engine, so I will do a mini review of it and the SYNC, since you were unable to get it to work.
I was disappointed to find out the my rental did not have the 6 cyl engine. Can't remember the last time I rented a car with more then 4 cyl. The engine has no issues at speed, routinely drive 75 mph on the way to work, and average 32 mpg. The largest issue is acceleration, or lack of. One day I took the back roads home from work, and the route runs through the hills. The car handled better then expected and handled the curves at 65 mph with little issue. As mentioned before the SEL has both engines. The fastest way to tell the difference is to look for the flex fuel badge on the rear, as the 6 cyl is flex fuel capable, and the 4 cyl is not.
SYNC review
What can I say, SYNC is a Microsoft product and it shows. My biggest issue is the compexity of the system. While it has a lot of great features, it takes a good deal of programming and menu selections to work the features. Most cars can switch between the different media, FM, AM, CD, etc, with no problem, but the Fusion has one setting for SYNC, which handles Aux in, USB, and bluetooth. Each time the car starts, it defaults back to Aux. You have to dig into the menus to switch to bluetooth, which is not fun at speed. The system is also capable of reading your text messages and responding, but this also involves digging into menus. There is some voice activation, but most of us don't have time to learn the system for your average car rental.
My final verdict is the Fusion is a great car, and I would take it any day over the Camry LE, Altima, Avenger, Mazda 6, etc.