North American Car of the Year Finalists Announced

Mark my words, we're going to be hearing a lot in the near future about how the 2010 North American International Auto Show marks a watershed moment in the history of the U.S. auto industry. It will be the first post-bankruptcy Detroit show for General Motors and Chrysler, and, undoubtedly, those OEMs and all the others will trumpet their new approach to an American market that's ready to embrace electric vehicles, hybrids and other fuel-efficient vehicles.

And which vehicle will carry that banner forward as winner of the 2010 North American Car of the Year award (determined at NAIAS)? Well, let's take a quick scan of the recently released "short" list of contenders, shall we?

BMW 335d: The Bavarian OEM's decision to offer a new diesel engine in its popular 3 Series is definitely worth applauding. Buyers will get the usual amount of BMW goodness wrapped around a turbocharged, 3-liter engine that develops 265 hp and a diesel-icious 425 lb-ft. of torque, while still delivering estimated EPA mileage numbers of 23 city/36 highway. But from an awards standpoint, this is still last year's car with a new engine.

Buick LaCrosse: In a way, the situation with the LaCrosse is the opposite of that with the BMW. Here, we've got next year's car in terms of great style and design, but — currently — last year's approach to powertrain efficiency. The V6 LaCrosse returns EPA figures of only 17/27. I know a four-cylinder LaCrosse is on its way, and GM gets some points for exploring the concept of a four-cylinder Buick. But there's too much uncertainty around this specific package to give it the COTY award.

Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon: This Cadillac is simply a world-class entry in its segment. On the other hand, it's also simply a CTS sedan with more cargo room behind the back seats.

Chevrolet Camaro: Another nice new car from GM—in theory. Unfortunately, there have already been a fair number of customer-satisfaction issues around the Camaro launch, and the Chevy doesn't really bring anything new to the table.

Ford Taurus: There's a lot to like about the new Taurus, but there's also a lot of Taurus—too much, in fact. The car is as big as a Cadillac Escalade and weighs about 800 lbs. more than a Honda Accord. These numbers don't add up to Car of the Year for me.

Honda Insight: If this were a Chevrolet, it might garner a few votes for its ability to show that a U.S. automaker could develop a hybrid that (very) roughly competes with the Toyota Prius. As a Honda, it's a major disappointment that already has the OEM's brain trust furiously at work on a "do over."

Kia Soul: Fun, funky and a fine way to keep the momentum up at Kia, the Soul is too late to the box-on-wheels party to earn Car of the Year.

Mazda MAZDA3: One of the best hatchbacks on the road, but I don't care for its new exterior, especially the front clip and the headlight treatment. And, again, it doesn't really show customers anything  new.

Mercedes-Benz E-Class: Frankly, to my way of thinking, a luxury car would have to offer a groundbreaking, first-of-its-kind technology to take home an award like this, and the E-Class doesn't. Plus, the profile of the sedan looks a bit too much like that of the CTS for my liking.

Porsche Panamera: See above; also, I'm morally opposed to the idea of a Porsche sedan.

Subaru Legacy: Subaru earns kudos for coaxing 26 mpg combined out of its all-wheel-drive sedan — at least when its equipped with a continuously variable transmission (CVT). The '10 Legacy stands out from the crowd, but not as far as my pick for the COTY trophy.

Suzuki Kizashi: It's a giant leap forward for the automaker, but it's only the stark contrast between the Kizashi and past Suzukis that makes it appear even mediocre.

Toyota Prius: The Prius keeps getting better, but ongoing incremental improvements do not a Car of the Year winner make.

Volkswagen Golf/GTI: VW has been on a bit of a roll lately, and the new Golf (formerly the Rabbit, then the Golf, then the Rabbit again) should help—provided that the company doesn't get bogged down in its usual combination of quality/price issues and overreaching. It might have been another of my dark-horse contenders for Car of the Year, if it wasn't for the ...

Ford Fusion/Fusion Hybrid: The refreshed Fusion in its standard trim might have been enough to take home the award on its own, but the hybrid powertrain truly raises ye olde bar. The Fusion is still the only traditional sedan with a serious hybrid option, returning mpg numbers of 41 city/39 combined/36 highway. And it does so without greatly compromising the driving experience the way the Prius does. Both versions of the Fusion also stand as solid proof of what an American automaker can accomplish, and that's an achievement — and a PR bonus — on its own.

With that being said, ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce the Krome on Cars choice for 2010 North American Car of the Year: The Ford Fusion.