With the Detroit 2010 Auto Show in progress people have flocked in to see what kind of car they should be in the market for.  Every year Motor Trend magazine comes out with their Car of the Year. This year it looks like Ford does have the better idea. The 2010 Motor Trend Car of the year is the Ford Fusion. This vehicle has been picked for many reasons.

The Fusion Hybrid’s EPA estimated the vehicles gas mileage leaves the foreign auto makers at a loss for words. You can take the Fusion on a trip and drive 700 miles between fill ups. This means the average driver would only have to stop at the pumps once a moth to fill it up. The standard engine 1-4 in the Ford Fusion gets 34 miles per gallon on the highway and is the most fuel-efficient non-Hybrid mid size sedan on the road.

Most would think that a fuel efficient, mid size car would have no zip when you step on the pedal. But the quickness of the Fusion is amazing when you hit the accelerator. It’s handling is amazing also, it goes around corners like it’s held to the road with glue. This car has proven itself and would be a wise choice for buyers according to Motor Trend.

Ford features what it calls the double wishbone independent suspension with stabilizer bar. This is a feature that can be found on the top of the line sports cars and most luxury cars. Ford made the best of the independent rear suspension’s design and flexibility to give their customers a smoother ride with better control.

Then there is the V6 Fusion with all wheel drive. This improves traction, and handling on any roads or places where you drive. It handles well on snow, ice, mud, gravel or even just plain dry pavement. While you are driving, the Fusion is constantly monitoring the road conditions and distributes engine torque to any of the wheels for the most traction. In other words if the front wheels are experiencing poor traction the Fusion’s all wheel drive will automatically transfer torque to the rear wheels or the wheels that have the best traction. This would be a great feature for the weather we have had this past ten days or so. When traveling at highway speeds, the all wheel drive system automatically deactivates to help conserve fuel but can kick back in as soon as it detects wheel slippage again.

With the Fusion’s six speed transmission, the car is able to calibrate a wider range of ratios to  deliver a quicker take off from a dead stop and at low end and higher fuel economy in the high overdrive gear.  All the 2010 Ford Fusion’s have six speed transmissions to help achieve the best fuel economy. A six speed manual transmission comes standard in the Fusion S & SE with the 2.5L Duratec engine . The SEL 1-4 Model gets smooth shifting and is quiet operating . The V8 powered Fusion features the six speed select shift transmission.  You are able to over ride automatic operation and enjoy the fun to have the experience of driving a manual transmission. This transmission is designed to give seamless shifting because there is no progression of gear changes in the usual sense.

The Advanced Track SEC automatically applies the brakes and controls engine torque whenever it detects wheel slippage. It also helps stop fish tailing and skidding by controling the usual over steer or under steer. It helps with stopping power also on icy or wet pavement.

But don’t give up on GM either. The Chevy Volt is coming on strong with it’s 50 to 60 mile per gallon challenge to the Fusion. We’ll look at the Volt another time. Till next time “Keep Cruisin”

If your Club Club is having an event you would like us to tell everyone about drop me a line with all the information at djron47@yahoo.com. All information on events needs to be turned in at least two weeks before the event.

Also you may want to have one of the Clubs in the County bring their cars for display at your club or church or function.  Once again drop me a line and I will get you in touch with the Clubs in the area. The clubs of Russell County are more than happy to show off their cars.