Ford Fusion

#250, The Weekly Driver’s 2022 Cars of the Year

Selecting the cars of the year helps celebrate another year reviewing new cars and trucks, visiting auto shows and talking with vintage car owners, book authors and industry experts about their cars of the year. There are always great and not-so-great moments driving vehicles. The industry is always abuzz. There are always changes, oddball statistics, recalls and new models and makes. What has Elon Musk done now? Will autonomous driving and EVs ever make a significant difference? Will low-profile tires stop blowing while negotiating small divots in the road? Will Audi ever change its front-grille design? As much as the automotive industry changes, sometimes not much happens. In 2007, the year the iPhone debuted, the starting price of the Toyota

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#212, 2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost named Car of the Year

Early in 2021, a teenage boy witnessed a colleague and me exit a 2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost at a local sandwich shop. He approached us, looked at my friend and said: “Excuse me, sir. What kind of job do I need to get to afford a car like that?” A few hours later while waiting in the Ghost at a stoplight two men in a vehicle to my right that may not have made it to its destination, caught my attention. Before the light changed, they uncorked a jubilant dance of synchronized hand signs and body gestures. I didn’t know what the display meant, but I’m certain it was a good thing. Far more expensive vehicles exist. But the Ghost, with

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Versatile 2021 Ford F-150 has PowerBoost hybrid engine option

The 3.5-liter PowerBoost hybrid engine is offered as an option in the 2021 Ford F-150 and changes the game for V-6 engines in pickup trucks. The combination of a V-6 and a pickup truck was once relegated to use as service vehicles and for supervisors to drive. Ford’s creation of the hybrid PowerBoost has raised the V-6 to a new level of functionality and usefulness. The PowerBoost performs at the level of a V-8, uses less gasoline, and takes advantage of proven technology to handle wear and tear once reserved for V-8 engines. An Overview of the Ford 3.5-liter PowerBoost The Ford 3.5-liter PowerBoost is a hybrid currently used in the manufacturer’s F-series of full-sized pickups starting in 2021. It’s

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#163, The Weekly Driver Podcast’s Cars of the Year

Welcome to the 14th annual Cars of the Year list, selected by TheWeeklyDriver.com. This year, co-host Bruce Aldrich and I announce the top-10 list on this week’s episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Bruce and I individually picked 10 vehicles from the nearly 40 cars and trucks in 2020 models I reviewed and Bruce drove. Neither of us was surprised. Our choices for cars of the year were nearly identical, including our No. 1 choice, the 2020 Corvette Stingray. Unlike many publications, we wait until the end of the year to announce our selections. A year’s perspective is important. Cars of the Year Here are The Weekly Driver Podcast’s choices for 2020 (with prices), followed by cars of the year

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#138, Tom Britzman: A 1917 Saxon and 80 years of driving

Tom Britzman learned to drive at age 10. His father was enamored with automobiles and quality father-son time behind the wheel of an Austin seemed right. It was 80 years ago, but it could have been yesterday. “It was stupid,” said Britzman, a Korean War veteran who worked for 32 years for Sears, Roebuck and Co., following his Army service. “But at the time, when you’re a 10-year-old kid and you live out in the country, it was pretty exciting.” Britzman, who lives in East Garrison, California (formerly Ft. Old) is our guest in this week’s episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia talk with Britzman about his 80 years of driving. Now living with

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2020 Hyundai Sonata: new look, best sedan value

With the dominating presence of trucks and recreational vehicles, a pleasant, efficient drive in a fair-priced sedan is still appealing. The 2020 Hyundai Sonata comes to mind. Chasing the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord and Nissan Altima, the segment sales leaders for years, the Sonata begins its eighth generation. It’s a much-changed midsize sedan inside and outside. The South Korean manufacturer’s marketing slogan for the new vehicle is “Sensuous Sportiness.” Sportiness works; sensuous is a stretch. Key Takeaways Eighth-generation Sonata drops the conservative look: The fastback roofline, driving lights extending into the hood, and wide C-shaped taillights replace the staid midsize-sedan styling of prior generations. Prices run $23,400 to $33,300 across four trims: The top Limited checks in at $34,365 with

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Is Ford soon announcing a new pickup truck for 20K?

It may be called the Courier or the Ranchero. It currently has the codename 758. For now, it’s wait and see as Ford is likely to officially announce a new, small pickup truck with a base cost of less than $20,000. The unnamed vehicle, according to various industry publications, will debut in late 2021 with perhaps a return to the new of two former iconic vehicles. Ford has used the Courier nameplate on several cars and trucks, dating to the early 1950s and ending less than a decade ago in Brazil. Ranchero was the name of the coupe utility vehicle made by Ford from 1957 to 1979. The new truck, which has been discussed for several years, will continue Ford’s

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TheWeeklyDriver.com’s 2019 Best Cars, Trucks

Welcome to the 13th annual Best Cars and Trucks of the Year list, selected by TheWeeklyDriver.com. As is our logical way, we wait until the end of the year to name our selections. As in previous years, the 2019 choices were selected only from the list of 35-40 cars and trucks manufacturers provided for weekly reviews. Co-host Bruce Aldrich and I will discuss the list on The Weekly Driver Podcast. The 10 vehicles on the 2019 Best Cars, Trucks list include manufacturers from the United States, South Korea and Japan. The Weekly Driver has been writing about our main automotive vent for years. How do prestigious industry publications determine their vehicles-of-the-year selections before the calendar year starts? Selecting a list

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2019 Mazda6: worthy sedan struggles against Honda, Toyota

The 2019 Mazda6 is among several manufacturers’ offerings presented in recent years to infiltrate the dominance of the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. It’s automotive competition at its finest. Beyond the Mazda6, consider the Chevrolet Malibu, Ford Fusion, Hyundai Sonata, Kia Optima, Nissan Altima, Subaru Legacy and Volkswagen Passat. Reasons abound for any of the alternatives to the midsize monoliths as solid choices. Honda and Toyota sedans remain the definitions of consistency and have among the industry’s best resale values. The Mazda6 in 2018 sold about 10 percent of the Accord and Camry tallies, and its best annual sales season was 15 years ago. It can’t match the resale leaders. Little has changed on the Mazda6 since a mid-cycle refresh

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2018 Hyundai Sonata challenges Toyota, Honda sedans

Thirty years ago, a few years after the Hyundai Sonata debuted in South Korea, the midsize sedan arrived in the United States. Honda and Toyota were already well established; the newcomer had little chance of success. The 2018 Sonata, with interior and exterior makeovers, is still trailing Japanese manufacturers’ favorites, the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. But the Sonata is far removed from its early tenure reputation as a cheap sedan alternative best avoided. Except for the SUV segment, the midsize, five-seater is deep into the mix of the industry’s fiercest competition. The Ford Fusion, Chevrolet Malibu, Nissan Altima and Kia Optima also have much to offer, so how does a buyer make a choice? Honda and Toyota have stellar

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TheWeeklyDriver.com’s 2017 Best Cars of the Year

TheWeeklyDriver.com presents its 11th annual best cars of the year list. For the past two years, we selected 12 vehicles instead of 10 because we couldn’t decide what cars to leave off the lists. The selection was more clear-cut this year, so we’ve again chosen 10 vehicles. Volvo is the only manufacturer with two vehicles on the 2017 best cars list. Bentley, Genesis, Honda, Kia, Lincoln, Mazda, Volkswagen and Toyota are also represented. As editor and publisher of TheWeeklyDriver.com since 2004, I reviewed 38 cars and trucks in 2017 model years for at least a week. Most of the vehicles I drove in the calendar year; some 2017 models in 2016. I also drove at least a half-dozen other vehicles

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Danica Patrick: ‘Daytona 500, Indy 500, then I’m done’

Danica Patrick, the fiery and vastly popular race car driver, will retire in 2018 after competing in motorsports‘ two biggest races, the Daytona 500 in February and Indianapolis 500 in May. “I am done after May,” Patrick said on the eve of her last race this season. “Everyone needs to put their mind there. My plan is to be at Indy and then I’m done.” Patrick currently competes full-time in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 10 Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing. Patrick’s contract will end Sunday after the season-ending Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami. Patrick, 35, has established many firsts for female drivers and is the most successful woman driver in the history

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2017 Ford Fusion Hybrid: handsome, comfortable, efficient

Ford introduced its alternative energy lineup, including the Ford Fusion Hybrid, in early 2009 as 2010 models. The midsize sedan is now well into its second generation with a healthy list of upgrades for 2017. The Fusion Hybrid has been the most attractive hybrid sedan on the market for several years. But it has a restyled front end and new headlights for 2017, further adding to its sleek exterior lines. The heavily touted MyFord Touch infotainment center has also been replaced by the simplified Sync 3 system. Like a few other manufacturers, Ford has dispatched an automatic standard transmission shifter in the Focus. Instead, there’s a rotary selector positioned on the console. There’s also a new push-button engine starter high

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Ford F-Series trucks, siblings dominate 2016 sales

The number is staggering — 17.4 million new cars and trucks were purchased in the United States in 2016, dominated by sport utility vehicles and pick-up trucks. The Ford F-Series again paced the industry surpassing 800,000 in sales and about 250,000 more than the runner-up Chevrolet Silverado. Twelve of the top-20 best-selling vehicles in the U.S. in 2016 were either SUVs or pickup trucks. The reason: a combination of versatility and lowering gas prices. The sale of pickups has increased for years. Only six manufacturers are represented in the marketplace, but the combined sales were more than 2.2 million. The 2016 car market had two surprising results. Compact-car sales fell 6.1 percent in 2016 and midsize vehicle sales fell 11.2

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Honda dominates TheWeeklyDriver.com’s 2016 Best Cars List

For the 10th straight year, TheWeeklyDriver.com is selecting its top vehicles of the year. In 2015, we included 12 vehicles instead of 10 on the end-of-the-year list. And we’re doing the same this year. Honda has four cars on the list, the Honda Accord, Honda Civic, Honda Fit and Honda Odyssey. Toyota is represented by the Toyota Avalon Hybrid and Toyota Sienna. Lexus also has two cars on the list, the Lexus IS 200t and the Lexus RC-F. Kia, Lincoln, Mazda and Scion are also represented. As editor and publisher of TheWeeklyDriver.com since 2004, I reviewed 38 cars and trucks in 2016 model years during the 2016 calendar year. I also drove several other vehicles briefly at manufacturer preview days.

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2017 Mazda6: Major family sedan rival for Honda, Toyota

As the best-selling vehicle in the manufacturer’s lineup, the Mazda6 is part of arguably the most competitive car segment — family sedans. For 2017, the 16th year of the vehicle, the Mazda6 continues its strong market position. It’s a performance-oriented option among iconic more tradition rivals like the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, Ford Fusion and Nissan Altima. The Weekly Driver Text Drive Equipped with a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine with 184 horsepower, the 2017 Mazda6 has a six-speed automatic transmission. Acceleration seems peppier than the car’s specs, largely because of the sport-oriented tuning and responsive steering. While technically a family sedan, the Mazda6’s sporty persona is further exemplified by its cornering precision and lack wind and road noise at all speeds.

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