I always like putting domestics up against imports, so it was fun to pit the American-built Subaru against the Mexican-build Ford in this week’s Showroom Showdown. The Legacy stomped the Fusion, winning by a 2-to-1 margin. Subaru’s well-earned reputation for AWD, combined with the fact that the Fusion Sport doesn’t come with a stick, helped the Scooby post an easy win. Stay tuned for another Showroom Showdown next week!

So you want a sporty AWD sedan for less than $30K? Two good options are the Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT and the Ford Fusion Sport AWD. The Subaru’s 2.5 liter turbo four banger puts out 243 hp while the Ford’s 3.5 liter V6 puts out 263 hp. The Subaru weighs 3,428 pounds while the Ford weighs 3,803 pounds. The Subaru is available with either a 5-speed manual or a 5-speed automatic. The Ford is only available with a 6-speed automatic. Which would you choose?

As most of you know I am a HUGE fan of the Ford Fusion. I ran one in last year’s Bullrun Rallyas a substitute for my wounded ‘69 Daytona, so when I spotted this little blue devil at the New York International Auto Show I had to stop, admire and pay my respects to a little car that has a big spot in my automotive heart. Continue reading after the jump.

Continue reading "2010 Ford Fusion Sport: My Buddy’s Back!" »

I’m going out to Detroit this weekend to attend the NAIAS press days Sunday through Tuesday. I’m also gonna be hanging out with some Ford folks. I know we have a lot of Ford faithful here, so I thought I’d ask you guys what I should say to them. Here’s what I was thinking:

1. Thanks for keeping the Mustang alive all these years. It’s an awesome car. And we all know that if wasn’t for the Mustang, we wouldn’t have the Challenger or Camaro.
2. Congrats on the awesome mileage figures for the Fusion Hyrbid.
3. The Ranger needs some love. Like, yesterday. Seriously, don’t let the Ranger die!
4. Why the hell haven’t you built the new Bronco yet?

Anything else I should tell them? Anything you want me to ask?

I’m really looking forward to seeing the new Camaro, 370Z and Genesis Coupe on the roads this year. I’m also hoping to see a bunch of plain jane Challenger SEs doing mundane daily driver duty. And of course I can’t wait to see the Ford Fusion Hybrid invade neighborhoods dominated by the Prius. How about you?

The new Ford Fusion Hybrid is getting a lot of great press. Its EPA certified 41 mpg rating will make it the second second-most fuel-efficient vehicle (after the Toyota Prius) and the most fuel-efficient midsize sedan on the market. But will it sell when it hits dealer lots next spring?

Let’s face it, part of the reason the Prius has been so successful is that it looks like the automotive equivalent of a Birkenstock. The Honda Civic Hybrid is just as good (maybe better) but hasn’t sold nearly as well. Why? Cause there is almost nothing to distinguish it from the regular Civic.

And part of the reason the Volt has been getting so much attention is that it looks so darn futuristic (well, the concept did, anyway—the production car looks pretty ho hum, and I would say some of the excitement has diminished as a result).

So I’m a little worried about the Ford Fusion Hybrid. It’s not hideously ugly, and it’s not terribly futuristic. It just looks kind of… normal. Oh, and gas is cheap again, which can’t help much, either.

What do you think?

Ok, so a lot of you guys don’t care about hybrids or anything “green.” I get it. Still, the Fusion hybrid beat the Camry hybrid by a very healthy margin in last week’s Showroom Showdown. We’re gonna skip Showroom Showdown this week and then come back with some real gas guzzlers next week.

Last week the guys at Jalopnik posted some truly impressive mileage numbers with the new Ford Fusion hybrid. They admitted the next day that they were doing some serious hypermilingwith the thing. Still, the Fusion hybrid is looking like it might be fairly serious competition for the Camry hybrid. Both are priced right around $27k. So, which would you choose?

The Jalopnik guys just managed to get 43.8 MPG in the new 2010 Ford Fusion hybrid. Nice work Ford! That’s significantly better mileage than the Camry hybrid. I had a 2008 Fusion V6 rental car down in California last month and though it was great. And Mr. Angry is another big fan of the Fusion. I think Ford might have a hit on their hands when this new hybrid hits the showrooms early next year.

Ok, so for the past week now people have been asking me for a description and/or some insight into what went wrong with our 1969 Dodge Daytona replica on this years Bullrun from Calgary to Phoenix. Well, let me start by saying A LOT went wrong. We had planned to have a grand ole’ time on this years Bullrun, and we did–we just hit a few snags along way.

If you haven’t already, read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 here. And now for Part 4:

Sunday, June 22nd
With Fusion now rolling with the pack we left Big Sky and headed through Yellowstone National Park on our way to Aspen, Colorado. Yellowstone was beautiful, but cruising at 30 mph was simply killing us. All we wanted to do was cruise. Pete had now ditched the Fusion for the comfort of CLS 55 AMG, so cruising now was John Coyle and Gabe Rinaldi. Gabe is one hell of a navigator and John is one hell of a photographer and writer. This was the time for the Fusion to shine. We were now in Wyoming. There were no cops, no trees, no humans of any kind so we decided to wring out the little Ford. For 47 minutes straight the Fusion was pinned at 111 mph with the A/C on getting 25mpg. John, Gabe and I all sat there astonished. We made one fuel stop, saw no other Bullrunners and came in… are you ready… 6th place for the day! IN A RENTED FORD FUSION!! CAN I GET A BOOYA!!!

Ford people, if you are reading this contact me immediately because I don’t think you know how good this little car is. Seriously, we should talk about perhaps producing some Ford Fusion "MR. ANGRY" editions. I LOVE THIS CAR!

Continue reading after the jump.

Continue reading "Bullrun 2008 Recap: Part 4" »

I just got off the phone with John, who is rolling with Mr. Angry in a rented Ford Fusion. You didn’t think Mike would let a wheel failure keep him out of Bullrun, did ya? Yesterday they hammered 730 miles from Big Sky, Montana to Aspen, Colorado with the rental car pegged at the 111 mph limiter. They averaged 25 mpg and got 6th for the day. Right now they are racing toward Miller Motorsports Park in Utah. Meanwhile, Richard Rawlings and his Caprice are out with a fuel pump issue. Stay tuned for more from John when he gets connectivity.