Kinda hard to convince him when there's not much different from a 2013 Ford Fusion Titanium and a 2020 model but with the SE model he would be losing a bunch of features. Why do you want him to get a newer model but with less features?
when cold.. the 1-2 shift can be firm... i have a 14 2.0 fusion.. every 15000 miles i exchange 4 quarts of trans oil with new trans oil.. this keep my car shifting smooth