The 2010 Ford Fusion sedan was chosen as MOTOR TREND’s 2010 Car of the Year.

“Ford has proven its resilience in these tough times by delivering to market a car with broad appeal to a broad range of consumers,” said Angus MacKenzie, MOTOR TREND editor-in-chief. “The Fusion range has matured into a competitive roster of midsize sedans, able to compete with sales juggernauts such as the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. It is no surprise the Fusion now ranks in the top 10 best-selling cars in America.”

The 2010 Ford Fusion recently joined the ranks of America’s Top 10-selling vehicles and is the No.1 selling domestic car.

Check out our review of the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid here.

Review: 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid:

All Photos Copyright © 2009 Omar Rana – egmCarTech.

Press Release:

FORD FUSION NAMED 2010 MOTOR TREND CAR OF THE YEAR

-  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 with an EPA estimated 41 mpg rating in the city and 36 mpg on the highway 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 at 34 mpg tops the Toyota Camry four-cylinder by 2 mpg

DEARBORN, Mich., Nov. 17, 2009 – The Ford Fusion – America’s most fuel-efficient midsize sedan – today was named MOTOR TREND’s 2010 Car of the Year®. The award comes hot on the heels of Fusion setting record-breaking sales for 2009.

The prestigious award from MOTOR TREND comes at a time when Fusion sales are already at an all-time high, further positioning the vehicle as a formidable contender in the competitive midsize sedan market.

“The MOTOR TREND Car of the Year award is another testament of our commitment to delivering a world-class car lineup,” said Derrick Kuzak, group vice president, Ford Global Product Development, who accepted the golden calipers on behalf of the Ford team. “Whether it is the best-in-class fuel economy or quality unsurpassed by Toyota or Honda, the Fusion and Fusion Hybrid are clear evidence that Ford is serious about our car lineup.”

To win the coveted Car of the Year award, Fusion outperformed the competition – including the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan – in six new categories: design achievement, engineering excellence, intended function, efficiency, safety and value.

“The Fusion brought a vast assortment of choice that has the potential to appeal to every type of driver, from the eco-conscious to the sport-minded,” said MacKenzie. “The Fusion’s combination of comfort, fuel efficiency, assortment and technology made it a clear winner among our panel of judges.”

The 2010 Fusion and Fusion Hybrid are the most fuel-efficient sedans in America. The new models offer more power; class-exclusive technologies, such as Blind Spot Information System (BLIS®) and Ford SYNC®; and more total passenger and luggage capacity than the Toyota Camry.

The Fusion lineup expanded in the 2010 model year to include all-new Hybrid and Sport models and a new selection of gas-powered engines – all paired with six-speed transmissions – that deliver even more horsepower and better fuel economy.

Fusion: A hit from the start
The Ford Fusion has been generating excitement among journalists and consumers alike since the nameplate first launched in the fall of 2005. In fact, the introductory model – which marked Ford’s re-entry into the midsize sedan market – was a finalist for MOTOR TREND’s 2006 Car of the Year award.

Since then, Fusion’s popularity has continued to soar – and so have sales. Fusion set a sales record in April – the first full month of sales for the redesigned 2010 model and the new Fusion Hybrid – and overall sales are already at an all-time high for 2009.

With its quality unsurpassed by Toyota or Honda, best-in-class fuel economy, class-exclusive technologies and significant residual value improvement, the 2010 Ford Fusion is clearly delivering the key attributes that midsize sedan buyers want.

“Even at a time when industry-wide sales are down 26 percent, Fusion sales continue to grow,” said Ford Sales Analyst George Pipas.

The new Fusion Hybrid model has played an important role in Fusion’s success. The vehicle delivers an EPA estimated 41 mpg rating in the city and 36 mpg on the highway, topping the Toyota Camry hybrid by 8 mpg in the city and 2 mpg on the highway. It also offers innovative new technology – SmartGauge™ with EcoGuide – that coaches hybrid drivers to maximize fuel efficiency.

According to Fusion Marketing Manager Jonathan Richards, car buyers are so passionate about Fusion that they are choosing to buy the high series models – Hybrid, SEL and Sport.

“Data show that high series models account for 50 percent of sales,” he said. “Customers are also embracing technology offerings like voice-activated navigation, SYNC and Sony® Audio.”

Richards says the introduction of a Sport model is also drawing praise from Fusion customers, as is the new six-speed gearbox with SelectShift™ transmission.

Subaru of America announced today that its 2010 Subaru Outback has won the Motor Trend’s 2010 SUV of Year award. That’s two consecutive wins for Subaru, which also won the Motor Trend’s 2009 SUV of Year with its Forester model.

“The 2010 Subaru Outback offers a unique combination of comfort, efficiency, versatility and value,” said Motor Trend’s editor-in-chief, Angus MacKenzie. “It boasts car-like refinement, drivability and gas mileage on the road, yet is as capable in the rough stuff as all but the most off-road focused sport utilities. Thoughtfully engineered, cleverly detailed and competitively priced, the Subaru Outback is a terrific all-rounder with broad appeal.”

“We are doubly proud and honored to receive the MOTOR TREND 2010 Sport/Utility of the Year award for the second consecutive year,” said Thomas J. Doll, executive vice president and chief operating officer, Subaru of America Inc. “The Subaru Outback is an icon of performance and capability and was the original SUV alternative. Now with its improved power, economy and increased dimensions it is the complete package.”

Prices for the 2010 Subaru Outback start at $22,995 with a choice of a 170-hp 2.5L 4-cylinder boxer engine or a 256-hp 3.6L 6-cylinder boxer engine.

Follow the jump to see the judging criteria and the high-res image gallery.

2010 Subaru Outback:

The judging criteria included six categories:

- Design Advancement – well-executed exterior and interior styling; innovative vehicle packaging; good selection and use of materials.
- Engineering Excellence – total vehicle concept and execution; clever solutions to packaging, manufacturing and dynamics issues; cost-effective tech that benefits the consumer.
- Intended Function – how well the vehicle does the job its planners, designers, and engineers intended it to do.
- Efficiency – low fuel consumption and carbon footprint, relative to the vehicle’s competitive set.
- Safety – a vehicle’s ability to help the driver avoid a crash, as well as the secondary safety measures that protect its occupants from harm during a crash.
- Value – competitive price and equipment levels, measured against those of vehicles in the same market segment.

2010 Subaru Outback:

- By: Omar Rana

It’s that time of the year again – when Motor Trend picks the “Motor Trend SUV of the Year” for the year 2010. Last year’s award went to the 2009 Subaru Forester. It seems as though this year, Motor Trend has focused most of its attention on luxury SUVs. Either way, stay tuned for the winner who will get all the bragging rights in their new ad campaigns.

Let us know who you think should win in the comments section after the jump.

Click through for the list.

2010 Motor Trend SUV of the Year Contenders:

Acura ZDX
Audi Q5
Cadillac SRX
Chevrolet Equinox
GMC Terrain
Lexus RX
Lincoln MKT
Mercedes GLK
Subaru Outback
Toyota 4Runner
Volvo XC60

- By: Omar Rana

Remember Motor Trend’s Best-Handling Car multipage feature? Well, the publication announced today that from here on out, the feature will now be known as Motor Trend’s Best Driver’s Car.

“Motor Trend is not looking for the quickest car over the quarter mile, the car that pulls the highest lateral g through a turn, or even the fastest lap time around a racetrack,” says editor-in-chief MacKenzie. “Best Driver’s Car award process looks at expert qualitative feedback as well as quantitative data. The winner will be a car that delivers a balance of useable performance, accessible handling, and driver-friendly design; a vehicle with a multidimensional personality that will delight and reward the enthusiast driver on any road at any time, regardless of weather and traffic conditions.”

You check out Motor Trend’s 2009 Best Driver’s Car feature here.

- By: Omar Rana

We love our Top Gear - a lot. We’ll do anything to watch the most recent episodes whether it means jumping on YouTube and sorting our search results by “Relevance” or doing the whole bit torrent thing.

One of our all time favorite segments was when Hammond raced a Bugatti Veyron against a fighter jet. Apparently, the folks over at Motor Trend were the first to pull the stung when they drag-raced a Corvette against a jet back in 1986.

Editor at Large Arthur St. Antoine is now back with the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR aka Blue Devil, which he will race against at F/A-18 Hornet jet aka Blue Angel.

You can check out the video after the jump and if you want to get through the whole GM plug about how amazing the ZR1 is – forward 8 minutes into the video.

- By: Omar Rana

No big surprise here (well at least to us) - Motor Trend has awarded the 2009 Ford F-150 the 2009 Motor Trend Truck of the Year. While rivals Dodge Ram and Toyota Tundra are really strong pickups, the rules have been changed this time around.

“Fuel prices skyrocketed, the economy tanked, consumer confidence evaporated, and folks who once chose half-ton pickups more for their Marlboro-Man-image-enhancing qualities than for their towing or hauling capabilities are shopping elsewhere,” says Frank Markus of Motor Trend.

As Motor Trend points out, the Ford F-150 has a payload capacity of up to 3,030 pounds and tow ratings of up to 11,300 pounds. Even with those figures, the new 6-speed automatic, a lighter body, more aerodynamic cab offer a 12 percent boost (in the 5.4L variant) in fuel-economy.

Ford claims it sells more of its half-ton pickups to work and commercial customers than its competitors, and the company predicts this segment will grow to 45 percent of F-150 sales. We’re obsessed with the 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor.

Toyota’s Tundra took the award in 2008.

2009 Ford F-150:

Source: Motor Trend

The other day during Thanksgiving dinner a couple of us were arguing about the 0 to 60 time of the new 332-hp 2009 Nissan 370Z as reported by CARandDRIVER. The automotive enthusiast magazine said that the new Z goes from rest to 60 in 5 seconds which seemed a bit awkward to us since the new Z is smaller, lighter and more powerful this year.

Well, to our delight Motor Trend has just released their figures and they have reported a 0 to 60 mph time of 4.7 seconds. Motor Trend also reported a quarter mile run of 13.3 seconds at 105.7 mph. Pretty impressive for a car that starts at $29,930. For arguments sake the new $57,500 BMW M3 Coupe also does 0 to 60 mph in 4.7 second and the $56,610 Lexus IS-F reports a 0 to 60 mph time of 4.6 seconds.

Check out Motor Trend’s review after the jump.

2009 Nissan 370Z:

Source: WOT

Here it is – your 2009 Motor Trend Car of the Year. The Nissan GT-R, aka Godzilla, has claimed the number one spot from other impressive contenders.

“The GT-R puts Nissan on a map that thus far only designated Maranello, Sant’ Agata, Munich, and Stuttgart as points of interest,” said Motor Trend editor Ron Kiino. ”Well, it’s time to stick a tack on Tochigi. In the kingdom of supercars, the GT-R positively belongs. Be it comparing 0-to-60 sprints, quarter-mile times, 60-to-0 braking, or lateral acceleration, the GT-R is one of the world’s best.”

The Nissan GT-R took on the new BMW 135i, Acura TL, Jaguar XF, Hyundai Genesis, Pontiac G8, Dodge Challenger and many others for the title.

Head over to Motor Trend to read the full article. Don’t feel like reading? Check out the video posted after the jump.

Nissan GT-R:

While Motor Trend was hanging out at Chrysler’s Arizona Proving Grounds in over half a million dollars worth of the world’s hottest cars, they decided it was the perfect opportunity to take each vehicle to its top speed. Check out these videos of the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, Porsche 911 GT2, Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano and the Nissan GT-R as 24 Hours of Daytona winner Didier Theys takes them around a five-mile oval.

Refresher:

2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1: LS9 supercharged 6.2L V8 engine producing 638-hp and 604 lb-ft of torque.
2009 Nissan GT-R: 3.8 L twin-turbocharged DOHC V6 engine that produces 473 horsepower and a peak torque of 430 lb-ft.
2008 Porsche 911 GT2: 3.6 liter 6-cylinder producing 530-hp with a maximum torque of 505 lb-ft.
2007 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano: V12 producing 620-hp with and 448 lb-ft of torque.

Follow the jump for the videos.

2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1:

2009 Nissan GT-R:

2008 Porsche 911 GT-2:

2007 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano:

Source: MotorTrend

Motor Trend recently hit up the hot Arizona desert to test the most powerful GM car ever built – the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1.

Testing the 638-hp 6.2L V8 at Chrysler’s Proving Grounds, Motor Trend hit 0 to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds (CARandDRIVER recently reported 3.4 seconds). Comparing that to its rival, the Dodge Viper SRT-10 does 0 to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds. The guys also reported a quarter-mile run in 11.2 seconds at 130.5 mph – currently the Viper is doing 124.4 mph).

Check out Motor Trend’s complete review of the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 here.

Follow the jump for the video and our high-res image gallery.

2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1:

Out of a list of 13 finalists, the 2009 Subaru Forester has been chosen as Motor Trend’s Sport/Utility Of The Year. Of course, fuel-economy was one of the biggest factors this year that the 2009 Forester 2.5XT returned an outstanding 16.0 mpg for an all-wheel-drive SUV.

The 2009 Subaru Forester 2.5L 4-cylinder engine along with all-wheel-drive and an automatic transmission returns an estimated 20/26 mpg (city/highway).

Other finalists included the ‘pointless’ BMW X6, Chevrolet Traverse, Ford Flex, Infiniti Ex, Honda Pilot, Dodge Journey, Infiniti FX, Nissan Murano, Toyota Sequoia, Lexus LX570, Kia Borrego and the Volkswagen Tiguan.

Head over to MotorTrend to read about the Sport/Utility Of The Year.

Just a couple months ago (5 months to be exact), Motor Trend called the 2009 BMW X6 “pointless.” Well it seems like they had a change of heart and have made the X6 a contender for their 2009 SUV of the Year award.

Back in May, Motor Trend “wondered whether deep down the BMW engineers, car guys all, thought the X6 a waste of their talent.” The magazine wrote: ”You see, good as it is, the X6 is still a truck. A perfectly pointless truck.”

Well it doesn’t seem so pointless anymore. We’ll find out exactly what Motor Trend thinks of the X6 when they announced the winner on Oct 16th.

Click through for high-res images of the 2009 BMW X6.

Source: Motor Trend

Motor Trend has kicked off judging for the 2009 Motor Trend Car of the Year. The major automotive magazine is hanging out in Mojave, California at the Hyundai/Kia testing facility with 17 contenders that are undergoing performance and other evaluations.

Motor Trend points out that the Car of the Year is not a comparison test. The publication does not look at vehicles that have been on sale for the past 5 years and looks at three main things when evaluating a car: Superiority (engineering), Significance (usability) and Value (how it compares to rivals). Head over to Motor Trend to learn more about the evaluation process.

While Motor Trend finishes up their testing, we’re wondering what car you think deserves the title for the 2009 Car of the Year. Vote in the poll below and head over to the comments section after the jump if you have something more to say.

MotorTrend Class of 2009: