Fusion, Dart among U.S. favorites for Car of Year
Ford Fusion.
By John Gilbert
The Ford Fusion and Dodge Dart are among the favorites from Detroit’s traditional “Big Three” that reached the short list of candidates for the 2013 North American Car of the Year award. There are five domestic nameplantes, joining five more from Japan and one from Germany that comprise the 11 cars selected by 50 independent automotive journalists.
Along with the high-style and high-tech new Fusion, and the upstart Dart compact, which combines U.S., Italian and Korean technology, the Cadillac ATS, Chevrolet Malibu, and Lincoln MKZ also made the list. Highly acclaimed Japanese competitors include the Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, Toyota Avalon, and the controversial pair of identical sports coupes in the Subaru BRZ and Toyota’s Scion branded BRZ. The only European car to make the list is a formidible one, the BMW 3-Series.
The companion North American Truck of the Year finalists include another pair of favorites — the Ram 1500 and the Ford Escape — which are two of three Detroit based candidates, joined by four Japanese, two German and one Korean among 10 contending vehicles. The compact van-like Ford C-Max joined the refined Ram 1500 from Chrysler Group, and the completely restyled Escape compact SUV, along with Germany’s Audi allroad, and the newly introduced BMW X1, while the Asian contingent includes the Acura RDX, Infiniti JX-35, Nissan Pathfinder, Mazda CX-5, all from Japan, and the Hyundai Santa Fe from Korea.
As one of 50 jury members who spent much of this year test-driving and attending introductions for the new 2013 models, I must say it is perhaps the most competitive year ever for candidates. Reducing all the completely new or significantly redesigned vehicles required votes from all the jurors, who now will reevaluate the candidates before voting to determine the top three cars and trucks. After that vote is taken in December, jurors will conduct final tests of the top three cars and top three trucks to determined the winners, which will be named at the 2013 North America n International Auto Show in Detroit in early January.
After the short list was announced, jury members interacted on a spirited debate concerning the FR-S and the BRZ. The two low, sleek sports coupes were built jointly by Toyota and Subaru, with Subaru building the flat-opposed, 200-horsepower 4-cylinder engine, and Toyota underwriting the expense and doing most of the styling. Many jury members expressed the opinion that since the cars are virtually identical, except for instrumentation and radio differences, they should be listed as a single entry, and the feeling persists that in the final voting, jurors will split their votes between the two in selecting one over the other, which will make it extremely unlikely either could win. Other jurors stated that a joint winner would be unprecedented, so the two should remain separate despite being essentially identical. Final decision on that matter is pending discussion by the jury’s steering committee.
In a normal year, completely new models of the highly successful midsize Accord and Altima would be solid favorites, and both are strong competitors this year. The Malibu, also, is new and is offering a just-introduced new engine. The Avalon, which is Toyota’s upscale version of its popular Camry, is also a worthy new model.
But the early favorite might be the Fusion, which is just being introduced in its new and almost exotic form, with various 4-cylinder engines with available all-wheel drive, and a pair of high-mileage hybrids.
The Lincoln MKZ, a rebodied luxury version of the Fusion, was a surprise to make the list, ahead of impressive new vehicles such as the Acura ILX, Lexus trio ES, GS, and LS, Hyundai’s Azera and Elantra GT, and the economical Nissan Sentra, and bargain subcompact Chevrolet Spark.
Dodge Dart.
Dodge has a strong contender in the Dart, which is a unique new vehicle with a resurrected old name. The car is built on a platform from Alfa Romeo, which is owned by Fiat, new Chrysler-Dodge owner. The Alfa Romeo Giulietta, a popular compact sedan in Europe, supplied the platform, which was lengthened, and fitted with a high-style Dodge body. Engine choices include the Fiat Abarth’s turbocharged 1.4-liter 4-cylinder, or the joint venture “Tigershark” 2.0 or 2.4-liter 4-cyinders from Hyundai engineering, and with advanced transmissions from both Italy and Korea, the whole car is built in the U.S.
A late-entry longshot is the Cadillac ATS, which is a tightly built, performance-handling compact sedan that looks like the popular CTS sedan downsized one segment. It handles well and has good interior space.
BMW’s 3-series has long been the benchmark for virtually all other manufacturers to strive to match, and the newest generation is improved in almost all manners. The 328 comes with a turbocharged 4-cylinder, and the 335 with a turbocharged inline 3.0-liter 6. Both have excellent power and can deliver exceptional fuel economy, which is more than enough to justify their price, and also make them strong entries in the Car of the Year field.
Ram (don't call me Dodge) 1500.
The Ram 1500 redesign is subtle from the outside, and only the closest scrutiny can detect any differences in styling. But under the hood, the new “don’t-call’-it-a-Dodge” Ram has Chrysler’s outstanding new Pentastar V6 engine, with high-revving power and strong fuel economy, and it is hooked up to Chrysler’s new 8-speed automatic transmission to deliver surprisingly good performance from a full-size pickup. Of course, the venerable Hemi V8 is also available, and with the 8-speed and cylinder deactivation, it is improved for power and fuel economy.
Traditional “truck” members of the jury might lean toward the Ram as the only real truck in the field, but with crossover SUVs dominating the truck/utility scene, Ford’s totally redone Escape is a solid threat, particularly with EcoBoost 4-cylinder power that delivers power of a V6 and mileage of a 4.
Ford Escape.
Mazda CX-5
Many jurors have expressed strong feelings for the Mazda CX-5, which is an entirely new vehicle built from the ground up to house Mazda’s new and impressive Skyactiv technology. Mazda, aware that 40 has become the new 30 for gas mileage, engineered an all-new 2.0-liter 4-cylinder with smaller bore, longer stroke, special valve timing, and an eye-popping combination of 13-to-1 compression ratio that can still function perfectly on regular fuel. The result is a flashy looking, excellent handling compact crossover in either front- or all-wheel drive, that can attain over 30 miles per gallon.
The BMW X1 is a strong performing compact as well, and offers all-wheel drive as an option in its new size and shape. Acura had performance success but lacked fuel economy with the turbocharged 4 in the first RDX, so the new one offers Honda’s smooth 3.5-liter V6, out of the Odyssey minivan, in a restyled body.
Nissan got both the just-to-be released Pathfinder redesign, plus the new JX-35 from its upscale Infiniti brand, and while the two look entirely different, they are basically the same platform and drivetrain.
The Santa Fe is completely redesigned, with three rows of seats and upgraded engines, and is built in West Point, Ga. The Audi allroad returns, and appears much like Audi’s long line of stylish station wagons. But this one has off-road capabilities with a strong platform and underpaneling, combined with typical Audi interior luxury.
Ford’s C-Max is an interesting little subcompact, with surprising interior room and flexibility, and with a variety of engines that range from Ford’s smaller 4-cylinders, down to an all-electric version.
Short-list vehicles for the 2013 North American Car of the Year:
BMW 3 Series, Cadillac ATS, Chevrolet Malibu, Dodge Dart, Ford Fusion, Honda Accord, Lincoln MKZ, Nissan Altima, Scion FR-S, Subaru BRZ, Toyota Avalon.
Short-list vehicles for the 2013 North American Truck/Utility of the Year:
Acura RDX, Audi allroad, BMW X1, Ford C-Max, Ford Escape, Hyundai Santa Fe, Infiniti JX 35, Mazda CX-5, Nissan Pathfinder, Ram 1500.
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About the Author
John Gilbert is a lifetime Minnesotan and career journalist, specializing in cars and sports during and since spending 30 years at the Minneapolis Tribune, now the Star Tribune. More recently, he has continued translating the high-tech world of autos and sharing his passionate insights as a freelance writer/photographer/broadcaster. A member of the prestigious North American Car and Truck of the Year jury since 1993. John can be heard Monday-Friday from 9-11am on 610 KDAL(www.kdal610.com) on the "John Gilbert Show," and writes a column in the Duluth Reader.
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