T he I FP * H al to n H ill s *W H E E L S A ug us t 2 9 20 13 6 Subaru of Mississauga 6160 Mavis Road (One block South of the 401) 866-302-2422 www.mississauga.subarudealer.ca 905-569-7777 ‡$500 My Subaru Rewards Card o�er applies to qualifying new 2013 Legacy and 2013 Outback lease or purchase transactions until January 3, 2014. Customer must complete an online or mail-in registration to receive o�er. The $500 pre-paid credit card has a 24-month expiry period and is valid towards the purchase of parts, accessories, services and certain extended warranties. Not transferable or convertible to cash or vehicle discount. Terms and conditions apply. Please see dealer or www.mysubarurewards.ca for details. *MSRP of$25,995/$19,995/$28,495 on 2014 Forester 2.5i (EJ1 X0)/2013 Impreza 2.0i 4-door (DF1 BP)/2013 Outback 2.5i Convenience Package (DD1 CP) Lease rate of 2.9%/0.9%/0.9% for 24/48/48 months. Monthly payment is $279/$199/$319 with $2,884/$2,745/$3,486 down payment. Option to purchase at end of lease is $19,630/$10,151/$12,327 Advertised pricing consists of MSRP plus charges for Freight/PDI ($1,595/$1,650 for 2013/2014 models), Air Tax ($100), Tire Stewardship Levy ($29.20), OMVIC Fee ($5), Dealer Admin ($199). Freight/PDI charge includes a full tank of gas. Taxes, license, registration and insurance are extra. $0 security deposit. Models shown: 2014 Forester 2.5i Limited Package (EJ2 LP) with an MSRP of $33,295. 2013 Impreza 2.0i Limited Package (DF1 LP) with an MSRP of $26,895. 2013 Outback 3.6R Limited Package (DD2 LN6) with an MSRP of $38,495. O�ers applicable on approved credit. Lease based on a maximum of 20,000 km per year, with excess charged at $0.10/km. Leasing and �nancing programs available through Subaru Financial Services by TCCI. Other lease and �nance rates and terms available; down payment or equivalent trade-in may be required. Vehicles shown solely for purposes of illustration, and may not be equipped exactly as shown. O�ers available until August 31, 2013. See Subaru of Mississauga for complete program details. Construction Sale In Progress All-Wheel Drive Standard IIHS Top Safety Pick 8.3 L/100 km City, 6.3 L/100 km Hwy† Bluetooth® iPod®/USB/AUX Integration 2014 2.5i Japanese engineering from $27,978* $279 Lease payment for 24 months* $2,884 down* 2.9% lease rate* ALG 2013 Best Midsize Utility ALG 2013 Best Midsize Utility All-Wheel Drive StandardBluetooth® iPod®/USB/AUX Integration IIHS Top Safety Pick+IIHS Top Safety Pick 8.6 L/100 km City, 6.5 L/100 km Hwy†7.5 L/100 km City, 5.5 L/100 km Hwy† Japanese engineering from $3,486 down* 0.9% lease rate* $319 Lease payment for 24 months* $30,423* Japanese engineering from $30 2013 2.5i Japanese engineering from $2,745 down* 0.9% lease rate* $199 Lease payment for 24 months* Japanese engineering from 2013 2.0i $21,923* $500 Subaru Rewards Card vines and leaves will grow when you're driving effi ciently, and shed its foliage when you don't. Like all press vehicles, my tester came with a few extras. These includ- ed an $800 appearance package that offered 18-inch machined aluminum wheels, rear spoiler, leather-wrapped steering wheel and grippy charcoal fabric with red contrast stitching. Also on board were heated front seats ($600) and a few tech items like re- verse sensing system ($400), rearview camera on 8-inch monitor ($700), and navigation ($700). And if you want even more goodies, there's adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection with cross traffi c alert, lane departure warning, lane keeping assist, rear parking sensors, auto high beams and more. Overall, even the SE interior has a premium look with plenty of soft touch materials, piano black appli- qués, metallic and chrome accents and a modern fl at-panel centre con- sole with touch-sensitive controls. In rear, passengers will fi nd plenty of headroom and legroom, and sepa- rate ventilation with 12-volt and 110- volt power outlets below. The 60/40 seats fold fl ush to a raised deck in the trunk, under which you'll fi nd the battery pack. But unlike most hybrids, it doesn't eat up a lot of space, as the Fusion's cargo capacity is still a cavernous 453 litres. Driving dynamics were also a pleas- ant surprise. You would expect barely a whiff of sportiness in a car that by its intent discourages spirited driving, yet the Fusion Hybrid offers not only responsive steering, but a taut ride that's a pleasure in the corners. And although this is no sports se- dan, the car's 2.0-litre Atkinson cycle four cylinder (141 hp, 129 lb/ft, 188 hp system total), paired with the instan- taneous torque of the electric motor, provides plenty of punch off the line, and when you need it for highway passing. The Fusion's predecessor had a 2.5- litre engine and a few more horses, but the new electric motor is more power- ful than the one it replaces, allowing the 2013 to run on electric-only up to 100 km/h for short distances. One area where Ford deserves a big 'thumbs up' is in their hybrid sys- tem's ability to transition seamlessly between gas, gas/electric and electric- only modes. Other than the tiniest shudder when the petrol engine kicks in- less than I've experienced in cars costing thousands more- I'd be hard pressed to detect these shifts without the real-time graphic display. There's still more to say about this vehicle, but sales fi gures speak for themselves. Year-to-date, as of July, Ford had moved 13,347 Fusions, which includes 729 hybrids. These are big numbers, and suggest as I did in my last review, that the Fu- sion, built on an all-new global chas- sis, has knocked it out of the park in terms of styling and technology. I would also add that in the Hybrid version, Ford offers a 'green' alterna- tive that delivers all of the above, and with few sacrifi ces - other than your time at the fuel pump. Ford Fusion Hybrid SE 2013 (at a glance) BODY STYLE: mid-size sedan DRIVE METHOD: front-engine, front wheel drive ENGINE: 2.0-litre Atkinson cycle inline four cylinder with electric motor (com- bined 188 hp) TRANSMISSION: electronically-con- trolled, continuously variable transmission CARGO: 453 litres FUEL ECONOMY: 4.0L/100km (city/ hwy/comb); as tested 6.2L/100km (city/ hwy/comb) PRICE: SE Hybrid $29,999 (see web site for packages and stand-alone options, as well as latest offers) WEBSITE: www.ford.ca Even in mid-range SE trim, the Fusion Hybrid's cabin has plenty of soft-touch materi- als, attractive fabrics and metallic fi nishes. Touch-sensitive controls and an eight-inch display with Ford's SYNC infotainment system are part of a comfortable and functional interior. Fusion a 'green' alternative Continued from pg. 1