Read on to find out all the reasons why you should buy Ford Fusion and more!

The car was named the 2010 car of the year by “Motor Trend” magazine. It cited the fact the Fusion is an economical, midsize sedan that won’t put a major dent in your pocketbook and that its one of the safest vehicles to be in. Besides standard four-wheel disc brakes, ABS, dual-stage airbags, and a variety of other active and passive safety measures, you can order a rearview camera system, as well as a Blind Spot Information System that warns you when another vehicle is hiding in your blind spot.

The original Ford Fusion came to market for the 2006 model year. The basics were there, but the car wasn’t fully baked. For 2010, Ford’s product teams gave the lineup a complete redevelopment so thorough, you would think the first-generation car never existed. Only the passenger-shell sheet metal and other basic architectural elements escaped being redesigned, upgraded, or replaced. Although a four-door sedan is the only body style offered, power-train choices expand from two to four, and each is new or substantially revised. There are several trim levels offered as well: base S, upmarket SE, luxurious SEL, a separate Sport model, and a Hybrid.

Everyone knows value is high on the list of potential buyers. Perhaps then, it’s here that the Fusion delivers its greatest pop. Starting at $19,695, the 2010 Fusion comes with a standard 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with 175 horsepower and 172 pound-feet of torque. EPA estimates for fuel economy with that engine mated to the six-speed automatic lead the family sedan class with 22 city/34 highway.

That $19,695 price will get you a Fusion S model with the 2.5-liter four-cylinder, power windows, locks and mirrors, air conditioning, 60/40 split rear seats, stylish 16-inch aluminum wheels.  Moving up to a preferable $21,225 SE trim will allow you tons more options (including Sync) along with standard Sirius satellite radio, nicer trim and awesome looking snowflake-style 17-inch alloys.

The $24,655 SEL four-cylinder Fusion makes the optional and preferable six-speed automatic standard all the while giving you dual-zone automatic climate control, steering wheel mounted audio controls, auto headlamps, an auto-dim rear view mirror, standard Sync connectivity, eight-way power front seats and leather upholstery. That’s a great deal for a stylish, reliable and fully loaded family sedan.

What’s not to like. Passenger room is ample with plenty of room for legs in the back seat even with a six-footer sitting behind another six-footer. The trunk is another strong point with the Fusion as 16.5 cubic feet ranks it as one of the largest in its class and the drive is as quiet as can be.

In closing, if you are looking for the practicality of a well-appointed, well-engineered and crisp-handling family-sized four-door that also offers a choice of fuel-efficient four-or six-cylinder engines and available all-wheel drive, the 2010 Ford Fusion merits serious consideration for a spot in your garage.

The North American Car and Truck of the Year awards recognize vehicles based on factors including innovation, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction and value for the dollar. A jury of 49 automotive journalists in the United States and Canada vote for the vehicles, which must be “all-new” or “substantially changed” from the previous model to qualify for the award.

If you’re driving either a Fusion or a Transit Connect, Capital Ford wants to hear from you! How’s it been, what’s it like and would you recommend it to others? Thinking of buying either one? Leave us some questions on the blog and we’ll get back to you asap.

In the winner’s circle
The Ford Fusion Hybrid edged out finalists including the Buick LaCrosse and Volkswagen Golf/GTI to win the North American Car of the Year award. It is the fourth hybrid vehicle in 17 years to win recognition as North American Car (or Truck) of the Year. It also is the second hybrid win for Ford – the most hybrid wins for any automaker. The Ford Escape Hybrid was named North American Truck of the Year in 2005.

The Transit Connect bested finalists including the Chevrolet Equinox and Subaru Outback to win the North American Truck of the Year award. It is the sixth Ford truck to win the award – the most wins of any automaker in the 17-year history of the awards program. It also is the second year in a row that Ford has captured the title. Last year, top honors went to the 2009 Ford F-150.

Fusion Hybrid a winner out of the gate

The North American Car of the Year award is the latest in an impressive string of awards and accolades for the Fusion Hybrid. Most recently, the vehicle was honored as CAR and DRIVER Magazine’s “10Best” Cars for 2010, one of AUTOMOBILE Magazine’s 2010 All-Stars, and the entire Fusion lineup captured the acclaimed MOTOR TREND Car of the Year® award.

The all-new Fusion Hybrid arrived in dealers in March, complete with a powertrain system that combines the best attributes of the gasoline engine and electric battery-driven motors to deliver the optimal experience for the customer in terms of driving performance and fuel economy. The Fusion Hybrid also offers drivers a way to be more connected to the hybrid driving experience thanks to Ford’s SmartGauge™ with EcoGuide, a unique instrument cluster execution that helps coach them on how to optimize the performance of their hybrid.

Transit Connect fills unmet needs of small businesses and fleets

Developed with the unique needs of small business owners in mind. Transit Connect is spacious, economical, and durable.

The Transit Connect was brought to the U.S. to fulfill the unmet needs of small business owners and entrepreneurs, offering them a new vehicle choice with significantly improved fuel economy, generous and accessible cargo space, and the agility and maneuverability to operate in crowded urban areas.

Powered by a 2.0-liter I-4 engine with a four-speed automatic overdrive transmission, the Transit Connect offers double the fuel economy of full-size vans, delivering an EPA-estimated 22 mpg city and 25 mpg highway.

The Transit Connect also has more than double the cargo-carrying capacity of the Chevrolet HHR Panel, making it suitable for a broader range of commercial-use applications. And it offers commercial users a cargo payload of up to 1,600 pounds – a larger payload than the full-size Dodge Ram 1500 standard-cab short-box pickup truck.

The Transit Connect also is available with the industry-exclusive Ford Work Solutions™, a suite of affordable technologies that provides customers with connectivity, flexibility, visibility and security to better run key aspects of their business.

According to Motor Trend, the 2010 Fusion bested a field of 23 contenders — including the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, BMW-7 series and Mercedes-Benz E Class.

• The 2010 Ford Fusion is MOTOR TREND magazine’s pick for its prestigious Car of the Year® award
• The Fusion bested a field of 23 contenders – including the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class – to win the prominent award
• Fusion is now among America’s top 10-selling vehicles and the No. 1-selling domestic car
• Ford Fusion is America’s most fuel-efficient midsize sedan for both hybrid and conventional gasoline models. The Fusion Hybrid tops the Toyota Camry hybrid by 8 mpg in the city and 2 mpg on the highway, while the four-cylinder Fusion with best-in-class highway fuel economy tops the Toyota Camry four-cylinder by 2 mpg

It’s no doubt this is an incredible car, from the time it launched in 2006 not only did it have a superb ride and handling but it had people asking the mind bending question of “What’s a squircle?”. The redesign for 2010 had to be special. I remember sitting in the Ford Fusion a few years ago at Percival Ford thinking “I want to own this car!” When they announced the redesign I was worried about what was going to change. Grandma’s always make the best chocolate chip cookies and to me, changing the Fusion was like Grandma telling me she got rid of the recipe and was starting from scratch. Obviously I had nothing to worry about, they nailed it so good that it’s recognized as one of the best cars in world! Who am I to doubt Grandma! If you’d like to take a closer look at the 2010 Ford Fusion because you’re interested in buying one, or simply because you’d like to see what all the buzz is about, come to Capital Ford anytime and we’d be more then happy to show you the inside and out of the Motor Trend Car of the Year!

If you’d like to watch the Motor Trend announcement of the car of the year, I’ve embedded it just below. Its about 13 minutes long.