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While Ford has already spilled the beans about the revised powertrain lineup for its newly redone Fusion (in standard, Sport, and Hybrid Flavors), the automaker has waited on the occasion of the L.A. Auto Show to show off the full redesign of the car.

The early verdict seems to be that the redux is quite an attractive one, with the Fusion looking more refined and upmarket in its newest iteration—a terrific thing in a market segment that offers ultra stiff competition and cross-shop happy buyers. The aggressive new front end of the car features headlights that have been well integrated with the three-bar grille, as well as a square power dome of the sort seen on the new Mustang.  Fusion Sport models get a boot lid spoiler and side skirts that amp up the go fast looks to go with the newly capable 263 horsepower 3.5-liter V-6.

Fusion’s interior has also been changed over to a slightly higher level of refinement, though the adjustments aren’t so great in scope as what we’ve seen Ford do with the Mustang living quarters. The center stack makes room for a large new 8-inch navigation screen, with cleaned up controls for the HVAC and media systems.  Plastics have been covered in softer touch materials and more metallic finish surfaces abound.

Have a closer look at the Sport and Hybrid Fusions in our gallery above, or delve deep into Ford’s thinking with the official press release below.

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While it’s impossible to make a fair judgment about the car without having had any time behind the wheel, what say you about the 2010 Ford Mustang from a purely aesthetic point of view? Are you in favor of, or opposed to the Mustang redesign after your first look? Give us your vote, in comments.

Do you like what you see so far of the new for 2010 Ford Mustang? Or do you think that the car has gone in completely the wrong direction and want to know who’s responsible for the change? In either case (we’re guessing the former), the Autobloggers have put together an interesting video, interviewing a few of the designers responsible for the new Mustang, and coving the details of the car in greater depth. Take a few minutes and listen up…this stuff is important.

+ Autoblog: VIDEO: Autoblog goes in-depth with 2010 Ford Mustang

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This week’s big news will likely emanate from the Los Angeles Auto Show, but half a world away, Ford has made some pretty significant news by rolling out the 2010 Fiesta sedan at China’s Guangzhou International Auto Show.

The betrunked subcompact will be built at Ford’s new Nanjing plant beginning early next year, but more importantly for U.S. buyers, the car will also reach North America and Asia with production facilities coming on line in Mexico and Thailand. Interestingly, Europe will have to be happy with the liftback version, as they won’t be receiving the Fiesta sedan.

(Official press release below, further live reveal shots available from our friends at Jalopnik)

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After what feels like an interminable period of waiting, following teaser shots, and hunting around for spy photographs, Ford has officially pulled the wraps off its 2010 Mustang, just hours before the car’s gala debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

Realizing what a good thing it has had with the current (fifth) generation of Mustang since that car’s launch in 2005, Ford has taken an evolutionary approach to the new car; seeking to update or change the bits that weren’t quite right, without totally tearing up the successful blueprint altogether. That philosophy is most apparent in the exterior styling of the 2010 car, where the pointed massaging of a solid design has lead to a Mustang that is tauter, more athletic, and more refined than the outgoing product.

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It had been a while since a GT500 had rolled through our test fleet, and it just so happened that we we’re scheduled to test a Roush Stage 3 BlackJack during the very same week. Having the two cars back to back made us realize how much of a total brute the GT500 can be, though there’s no arguing that the $47,995 price tag of our fully-loaded test car makes for one hell of a performance bargain.

Click through the post to read our full comments on the Shelby GT500.

The new Ford F-150 will be making its way to dealerships in the very near future, and this latest video (uploaded by the folks at Ford SVT) shows the modified F-150 Raptor being put through its paces in an undisclosed desert.

While the video says that "Yes, it's 'stock,'" we'd sure like to know what sort of modifications Ford has put into this special F-150. Does the F-150 Raptor mean that SVT is making a comeback into Ford's product line? We're not sure as of now. In the meantime, we're awaiting the chance to take a production Raptor to an undisclosed desert of our own.

+ The Car Connection: 2009 Ford F-150 Raptor: SVT Lives!

Ford invited a group of journalists to its HQ in Dearborn, Michigan yesterday to preview some of its newest powertrain technology, as well as showing a sneak peek of the upcoming 2010 Ford Fusion. We’re encouraged, to say the least, at the styling direction pointed to by this lone Fusion photo, showing a car that may have more of what it’ll take to stake a big claim in the market segment that Chevy’s Malibu has been tearing up, to say nothing of stalwarts Camry and Accord.

Both Fusion and its Mercury twin, Milan, are also set to receive a brand new lineup of engines that Ford claims will be more powerful and fuel efficient than the current range—with one exec claiming that the company will be “unsurpassed” in terms of mpg for the segment. There’s a new 2.5-liter Duratec four-cylinder making 174 horsepower and 172 pound-feet of torque at the low end, with a 3.0-liter 240 horsepower V-6 for the mid offering, and a range-topping 3.5-liter V-6. The 3.5-liter should be right on par with the best sixes in the segment, making 263 horsepower and 249 pound-feet of torque for the Fusion Sport model.

Ford’s new 6F35 six-speed automatic transmission will also be available for each of the new engines, helping to create fuel efficiency gains of roughly ten percent for the I-4 cars, and at least a six percent improvement for the V-6 powertrains. Ford also maintains that the transmission is faster and more refined than its previous offerings, offering a “customizable” final drive ratio that will allow the company to better match the cog swapper to various vehicle performance expectations. The 6F35 will offer the SelectShift manual mode in V-6 configurations, but sadly not with the four-cylinder cars—a strange choice given the fact that Malibu’s four-banger comes complete with thumb shifters.

Scroll down below to read the full press release from Ford and tell us how you like (or dislike) your first taste of the new Fusion, in comments.

Join production and test fleet manager Steven J. Ewing as he takes us on a short tour of the Ford Mustang GT Coupe (with the new glass roof), answering some of our readers' questions along the way.

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Since the dawn of the Shelby GT500 in 2007, the exclusive, supercharged Mustang experience is no longer just for the dedicated enthusiasts willing to shell out some extra cash to aftermarket performance manufacturers. Ford now offers 500 horsepower right from the factory, and with the Shelby’s starting price of around $43,000, some enthusiasts might find it hard to justify shelling out $56,000 for a Roush BlackJack—a special edition of the company’s Stage 3 treatment limited to just 100 cars for 2009. But for those who aren’t battling in a horsepower war, we think the Roush offers a bolder appearance and a bit more driving pleasure. Conveniently, it just so happened that we had a GT500 in our test fleet during the same week that we tested the BlackJack, and after driving them back-to-back, some of us would rather have the Roush, regardless of price.

(Click through the post to continue reading this review.)

After our last round of Ask It featuring the ultra-luxurious Mercedes-Benz CL550 coupe, we decided to bring it back home to America and feature the 2009 Ford Mustang GT with the new glass roof option. This added window will indeed give us a better way to view the fall colors around our office, and the GT's 300-horsepower V-8 and five-speed manual transmission will surely make any drive a bit more pleasant.

Fire away with your questions about the Mustang in comments and stay tuned for our video response next week.

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Set to add another chapter to the illustrious and strange history of amphibious vehicles, the Seawolf150 is the aquatic pickup of your dreams—well somebody’s dreams at any rate.

Using standard Ford F-150 running gear, the good people at Seawolf will transform your trunk into a fully watertight hauler, using marine propulsion systems ranging from single engine 150 horsepower Kawasaki units, to the full-fat, twin engine, 500 horsepower offerings. The watery bits are all able to be serviced by your friendly Jet Ski mechanic and their addition to the truck won’t, according to the slightly vague website any way, alter your factory warranty from Ford.

Seawolf makes certain that each of its conversions is supplied with all the necessities for safety on the water as well, including running and navigation lights, life jackets, a CB radio, and a fire extinguisher with every truck. Pricing information is among the many questions the Seawolf150 website fails to answer, not the most heartening sign for potential customers, but we are told that a test ride can be arranged near the south Florida offices. Eat your heart out Amphicar.

+ Seawolf150

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Not wanting to miss out on the buzz that can be generated through the enthusiastic Apple user community, Ford has launched its own new App for the iPhone and iPod touch that touts its 2009 Flex crossover.

Called Flex Photo Lab, the free program works as a very light photo editor, allowing users to touch up or transform their iPhone photos in the app’s “Darkroom.” Darkroom features include spot burner and lightener, brightness and contrast adjustments, hue and saturation tools, and the always popular effects kaleidoscope and “Electric Lines.” The app doesn’t allow for ultra sophisticated digital manipulation (you can see our four minutes worth of work on a stock Flex image in the gallery above) but the price is certainly right for users who want to edit their photos just a tad—or draw funny mustaches on pics of their friends.

Ford has of course also packaged a way for users to find their nearest Flex dealer and get more information about the vehicle with the app, though the company seems primarily interested in playing up the young and techie image of the crossover. Read on below for the full press release.

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Hoping to get the public whipped into a froth for the car’s debut at next month’s Los Angeles Auto Show, Ford has taken to leaving muled up versions of its 2010 Mustang all over the greater Detroit area. A new Mustang GT was recently spotted in the parking lot of a strip mall, allowing an armature spy photographer to take these super clear images of the car.

The mule shows off a set of new five-spoke alloys that Ford had previously tipped on the Mustang’s own website, as well as the new front end as previewed by the Giuigiaro concept of 2006. Have a closer look at the 2010 Mustang GT in our gallery above.
 
+ Mustang Evolution: Close Up 2010 Mustang Spyshots (via Autoblog)

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Ford’s enigmatic new Flex appears to be stumbling out of the sales gate. The boxy-yet-sleek three-row crossover wagon has been on the market for four months, and sales numbers have already been falling for the past two months from starting figures that were already well below expectations.

Given America’s growing financial crisis and continued fretting over gasoline prices, some of this is to be expected, but the bottom line is that Ford has gone on record hoping for 70,000-100,000 units per year, and the Flex is presently floundering at just over 2,000 units per month (about 24,000 units per year). This, despite the fact that there are already substantial cash-back options on the table for buyers. Even factoring in market conditions, early signs are that the Flex just isn’t clicking with buyers.

The Ford Motor Company announced today that they will be implementing a new technology called MyKey to allow parents to have better control over their kids' driving habits. The first examples of this will appear on the 2010 Focus Coupe and should quickly spread to other models.

MyKey uses Ford's existing technology to determine which key is being put in the ignition and then knows which driving mode to enable when the car is started. This system allows parents to limit the vehicle's top speed to 80 miles per hour and limit the stereo's volume up to 44 percent of its maximum ability. Also, MyKey does not allow the traction control system to be deactivated, and delivers a low-fuel warning at 75 miles to empty, rather than the standard 50. Cautious parents may also opt to have a speed alert chime come on at 45, 55, or, 65 miles per hour, and the system will repeatedly chime when seatbelts are not being used.

Parents of teen drivers like the idea of MyKey, and initial polling shows that 75 percent like the speed-limiting feature, 72 percent like the seatbelt reminder, and 63 percent like the audio limit feature. On the contrary, teen drivers were also polled, and 67 percent said that they disagree with the MyKey system. However, if having MyKey would, in turn, lead to more driving privileges, only 36 percent of teens would object to the system.

(Click through the post for Ford's complete press release.)

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The new Ford Flex arrives into our market at a time when consumers are downsizing from their large SUVs but still need room for the spouse, kids, dogs, etc. The retro-wagon styling of the Flex may steer some customers away, but we rather liked the styling of our Limited AWD test car. Inside, plush materials and high-tech gadgets make this family-hauler a real win. Overall, the Flex proved to be a big step forward for the Ford Motor Company and we hope their future products go in this direction, as well.

(Click through the post to read our editors’ full notes on the Flex.)

This four-minute long YouTube video is really one half Ford Escort Cosworth commercial and half extra-cheesy music video featuring the guitar stylings of Queen’s lead axe-wielder, Brian May. We’ve always loved the Cossie from afar, so we can really get behind some of the glorious detail shots and tail-out action in this nearly feature length ad (where did they show this thing?), but we must admit that May has done better work. Don’t miss the tail end when he throws a little Queen-style harmony in for good measure.

+ YouTube: Ford Escort Cosworth

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One of the more ubiquitous sights on the American Road is the Ford Ranger pickup. It is handsome, in a hard-working, rectilinear way, and you don’t see many that appear to have suffered neglect or abuse. Now the Ford Escape (and Mercury Mariner) SUVs join the Ranger pickup in its ubiquity. Not only do you see a lot of them, and not only do they look good, they are good. They may be the class-leader of the compact SUV category.

We drove a 2009 Ford Escape 4x4 to New Albany, Indiana the other day. It was sitting in my parking place at eight in the morning, and I threw my stuff into the back, adjusted the seat, and set out for New Albany, by way of Cincinnati and Louisville. The gauge indicated just less than three-quarters of a tank, and not a huge tank, at that. We cruised at seventy-five and eighty, and enjoyed plenty of passing power. When we arrived at our destination, the Escape still had fuel for exploring Louisville and New Albany, studying one another from opposite sides of the Ohio River.

(Click through the post to continue reading Davd E.'s impressions of the Escape.)

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Ford has just released some more specifics about its forthcoming 2009 F-150, including word that there will be a dedicated higher fuel economy model dubbed SFE (“Superior Fuel Economy”).