NBC NEWS - Writing about an upgraded car can be a yawner.  Take Ford's 2010 Fusion. It gets the expected, freshened styling front and rear plus an all-new interior with upgraded materials.

The base 4-cylinder is all new, a 175 horsepower 2.5-liter job.  The 240 horse 3.0-liter V-6 is an upgraded unit.  Fusion Sport gets a 3.5-liter V-6 pumping out 263 horsepower, much better than stripes and a badge.

Really though, mid-cycle makeovers are not game changers.  The 2010 Fusion breaks that rule.  Ford has dropped a gas/electric hybrid drivetrain into their mid-sized sedan and the result is impressive.

Fusion Hybrid is the latest example of how far American brands have come in the last few years.  Those thinking domestic automakers can't engineer their way out of a paper bag are living in the past.  Fusion Hybrid is good enough to place a shiny halo over the entire Fusion line.

I say "hybrid" and you think...Toyota Prius?  Most people do.  What comes to mind with "hybrid sedan?"  They're not as well known.  There's Toyota Camry and Nissan Altima.  There's also Chevy Malibu and Saturn Aura, but their mild hybrid systems aren't in the same league as the others here.

Buy any of these sedans and you won't be making the same statement Prius does.  These 4-doors travel incognito, appearing essentially the same as their gas-only siblings.  Fusion even more so.

All 2010 models get Paul Bunyan's bigger Gillette Sensor razor for a grille and some subtle facets on the rear for a more spendy look.  Hybrid spotters, your only clues are unique 17-inch alloy wheels with 15 spokes and three "Road and Leaf" badges.  Very stealthy.

Ford claims Fusion's gas/electric system costs 30 percent less and sheds 20 percent of the weight of Escape SUV hybrid, all that while delivering substantial improvements.

Folks contemplating a Blue Oval hybrid have cause for assurance.  Escape hybrids have been serving hazardous duty in New York City and San Francisco as taxis.  Word is they're especially durable.  Fusion's 2.5-liter Atkinson-cycle inline-4 makes 156 hp on its own.  A permanent magnet AC synchronous motor is good for 106 hp.  Mounted against the rear seatback is a next generation nickel-metal-hydride battery that's 30 percent smaller and 20 percent more powerful than Escapes.  The transmission is the continuously variable type normally found in hybrids.

Rated at 191 horsepower total, Fusion is no slouch off the line.  0-60 runs are a respectable 8.5 seconds (Altima and Camry being a bit quicker).  Cornering and road manners are impressive, the seat of my pants says best in class.

Fusion is quiet and comfortable, but the suspension doesn't fold up in hard turns.  Let's be clear, this front driver is not a BMW 3 Series, but for those who are trying to make nice with Mother Earth and eek out some fun on the way to work, Fusion is your best bet for now.

Honing in on the hybrid dynamics, Fusion does the usual things: Batteries charge when coasting or braking, the gas engine shuts down when stopped.  It pulls away solely on electric power and kicks in the gas engine when more power is needed.  No real surprise here.

What sets the Ford apart is refinement.  Shifts between gas and electric are silky smooth when you feel them at all.  Brakes, which historically have felt mushy in hybrids, have a linear progressive nature as they generate juice to charge the batteries.  Kudos to the people in engineering.  At the very least, the gas and electric gymnastics are on par with the 2010 Prius.  With a fully charged battery and a very light throttle foot I can hit 47 miles an hour on electric power alone, just as Ford advertises.

Time for gas mileage.  The EPA rates Fusion Hybrid at 41 city, 36 MPG highway.  In my brief one day test I'm seeing 35 MPG, playing both hypermiler and Speed Racer roles.  The other hybrids?  Camry scores 33/34, Altima 35/33, Malibu 26/35.  Of course the 2010 Prius smokes them all at a 50 MPG average.  For the record my real world experience with a Toyota Camry Hybrid saw 34 MPG.

To make driving efficient and even fun, Ford has developed SmartGauge with EcoGuide.  This is not Ranger Rick with a digital compass; it's an LCD screen that surrounds the speedometer.  On start-up it displays a Microsoft Windows-like photo of green grass and blue sky that quickly turns to virtual gauges.  To the left of the speedo lives a power meter.  Keep the red line - which represents the throttle - in a shape-shifting EV box and Fusion stays in electric mode.  Accelerate harder and the box goes away while the red line climbs up the hash marks, effectively saying your right foot needs Jenny Craig.  On the far right side is a tangle of green leaves.  Cruise like a saint and the garden grows.  Drive like the devil and leaves drop off.  It's tempting to call SmartGauge and its digital bush gimmicky, but it's more intuitive and elegant than a bar graph.  Also, the display can be simplified or even turned off for those who find the "Star Trek" graphics overwhelming on stressful days.

Ford apparently went through over 100 different prototypes, testing them in a simulator to make sure it wasn't distracting.  My tester is equipped with a very good navigation unit in the center stack that has a power flow chart page that will be very familiar to Prius owners.  Stick with the SmartGauge, which is the gold standard when it comes to green.  That bright center mounted LCD screen also displays a back-up camera, and everything from the climate control to radio stations.

All the tech is easy to use.  Microsoft Sync is standard, ready to make cell phones and iPods hands-free and voice activated.  It can do many other things too, like read incoming text messages and send pre-programmed phrases back.

Fusion even has color changing mood lighting.  Green anyone?  All Fusions get an upgraded interior with good looking plastics and aluminum trim.  Fit and finish is on par with Toyota Camry.  Seat cloth is from recycled materials, the foam cushion is soy based.

The carpool gang should be happy in the back seat, since there's room for three adults.  There's a standard 3-prong household outlet back here too, should one of them forget the car charger for their laptop.

The hybrid's battery is mounted against the seatback so it takes up room and keeps the back from folding down to expand cargo like Camry Hybrid can.  In the end Fusion Hybrid holds six bundles of toilet paper, which is still average in class.

Prices start at $28,000 before a $1,700 federal tax credit.  Pile on the options and it's closing in on $33,000.

Good news Mercury fans, Fusion's sister Milan gets this system as well.  Fusion/Milan Hybrid won't be built in the same volume as standard Fusions so it will be interesting to see how that affects retail price.

Ford says they built this car to appeal to the average car buyer, not just early adapters who are willing to make compromises for lifestyle reasons.  They succeeded.  Refinement, handling and fuel economy are best in class.

A hybrid with soul?  That's a great Fusion.