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The Subaru Outback standout model won’t be the only wagon in town now as Ford is reported by Car and Driver to be launching a new Fusion Active wagon. Torque News reported two years ago, Ford would kill the Fusion sedan and bring a new rugged wagon built on the same platform. It’s coming more clearly into focus on what the new Ford wagon will look like. The Fusion Active will be built for one reason. To compete with the newly-redesigned 2020 Subaru Outback, the only wagon left after Volkswagen pulled the SportWagen and Alltrack from the U.S. market last year.
The new Ford Active wagon details reveal Ford wants to use the new model to bring real competition to Subaru’s Outback. Car and Driver says the new Fusion Active wagon, set to hit Ford showrooms in 2021, will come with a lifted suspension, standard all-wheel-drive, and rugged body cladding mimicking the Outback.
The Subaru Outback has a rugged “go-anywhere” attitude
The report says the all-new Fusion Active will be powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine and mated with an eight-speed automatic gearbox. The new-generation 2020 Outback with standard all-wheel-drive and 8.7-inches of ground clearance, has a new 2.4-liter turbocharged Boxer engine producing 260 horsepower in the new Onyx Edition XT, Limited XT, and Touring XT trim levels. This was a smart move by Subaru that has infused the sixth-generation Outback with a new attitude.
The new 2021 Ford Fusion Active is reported to be priced between $30,000 to $40,000 when it arrives next year, another indication Ford is taking a direct aim at the Outback. The base 2020 Subaru Outback has a starting MSRP of $26,645 for the base model and up to $39,695 for the top-of-the-line Outback Touring XT trim level.
Subaru Outback has a successful formula
The new Ford Fusion Active has replicated the Subaru Outback recipe and comes with the right name, and the model will be infused with a recreation-proposed attitude geared towards customers with active lifestyles. What Ford doesn’t have it the Outback’s 21-year history of building a loyal customer base.
Subaru has been the only automaker in the U.S. who has been successful at selling a wagon to North American shoppers. Can Ford have the same success with the Fusion Active as Subaru has had with the 2020 Outback? Stay tuned.
You Might Also Like: Subaru Created Amazing Success With The New Outback No Automaker Will Ever Duplicate
Denis Flierl has invested over 30 years in the automotive industry in a variety of roles. All of his reports are archived on our Subaru page. Follow Denis on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Subaru Report. Check back tomorrow for more Subaru news and updates at Torque News!
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Comments
It's still a Ford. Keep
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It's still a Ford. Keep dreaming
Ford doesn't keep any model
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Ford doesn't keep any model more than a couple years unless it is selling wildly. They have no commitment to any product otherwise.
No Subaru-type buyer would sign on to own a Ford that'll be an orphan model in five years.
You, sir, have hit the nail
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In reply to Ford doesn't keep any model by ASC (not verified)
You, sir, have hit the nail right on the head
Here are 4 concerns that Ford
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Here are 4 concerns that Ford needs to address:
(1) The branding. The Fusion will be dead but the Fusion Active will be their new active lifestyle wagon? I can't wait to see this vehicle dead in the water with a sign "FORD FUSION INACTIVATED" on it. Never name a vehicle with such potential for comic relief.
(2) Where will this vehicle be built? One of the virtues Subaru posseses is building the Outback in the USA. My recollection is that some of the Fusions were built in Mexico.
(3) Ford's commitment to a vehicle that isn't a major mass market seller. Subaru is a niche producer; Ford isn't, or hasn't been. I don't see how small production solves Ford's need for vastly greater income to support its infrastructure.
(4) Styling. At a time when Hyundai and Kia are racking up styling admirers, Ford is going to elevate a tired design and put cladding on it? I have seen what that vehicle looks like: it was in the film "Mad Max"!