The Ford Fusion Hybrid was recently voted the 2016 Best Hybrid Car for the Money. One thing that factored into its winning score was the amount of money that owners of the car pay for repairs over the course of five years.
Car owners in general shell out a great deal of money because of potholes. Ford says, “According to AAA, pothole damage cost U.S. drivers approximately $3 billion a year and drivers report paying $300 to repair pothole-related vehicle damage.”
The 2017 Ford Fusion V6 Sport’s dual-mode (normal for daily driving and sport for sharper handling and flatter cornering) adjustable suspension has a computer-controlled shock absorber system (aka continuously controlled damping) designed to guard against the physical and financial carnage caused by those pits. Its 12 sensors send its onboard computers signals that are used to adjust the dampers every two milliseconds in response to road surfaces. When those sensors detect the edge of a pothole, the dampers firm up to keep the wheel from dropping completely into it and minimize the wheel’s impact with the opposite side of the pothole. The front sensors then send a warning to the rear suspension so it can prepare in advance.
Look for the 2017 Ford Fusion V6 Sport, which will be powered by a 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 with a projected 325 horsepower, in dealerships this summer.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
