2007 Ford Edge (awesome CUV)

[DakotaGuy]

The EXT versions will be gone when the new ones come out BECAUSE the new 360's will be longer then the non-EXT's. Screw IRS. While I may lose flat folding 3rd row seating, SRA is the ideal setup for towing. I will sacrifice ride for towing. But, yeah. This arguement is useless. We aren't go to convince each other which one is better. haha

FYI, The TB did get a slight refresh.

http://www.dudleymartin.com/new_photos/2622543.jpg

I would agree we will never convince each other anything just like I won't convince most people around here that Ford or GM are building better vehicles then they used to but I like cars and trucks as you do so it is interesting.

You bring up a debate over IRS and a solid axle in the rear of these vehicles. This is a debate that will go on and on and no side will ever win. You will loose some towing ability, but the Explorer is still rated at 7300 lbs. towing and that is quite a bit. Not that I would ever recommend towing the max amount with any vehicle, it would still be about as capable as the Trailblazer for most towing applications except for for very heavy loads. I tow a snowmobile trailer with mine. It is not a real large trailer and it does just fine with the standard 3500 lb. towing package.

There is one major benefit of IRS on a BOF midsized SUV that is often overlooked, but I am sure was the number 1 driving force behind it at Ford. A solid axle tends to "jack" in emergency manuevers. If the force cause the vehicle to tilt too far to one side, the force applied will actually lift the outside wheel much easier then on a vehicle with IRS. It creates an easier "pick-up" of the rear wheel and when that happens, rollover is more likely. Now I am not saying that the Trailblazer has a rollover issue, because it does not, or at least not moreso then any other SUV out there. All I am saying is that Ford was doing everything they could to stop the issues with rollover. IRS allowed them the lower the frame even more. They widened the vehicle out and gave it a longer wheelbase. Now they put Roll Stability Control on is as standard equipment. It can not only detect a vehicle that is starting to skid, but can actually detect a vehicle that is starting to lift off the ground. The engine will de-power and the brakes will be applied to get the vehicles 4 wheels back on the surface.

 

[DakotaGuy]

From all your non-sensical rants, you seem to pin this anti-GM, anti-Ford attitude on anti-Americanism. Not necessarily true. Companies like Ford just generally haven't made very good cars. Watching an American car company fail isn't my idea of a good time, but this opinion didn't stem from nothing.

My best friend's dad used to buy Buicks only (for his own personal car. His wife's car could be whatever she wanted, but it was usually a Ford), and then he switched to a Toyota Camry, and he wonders what too him so long. It's not that he didn't love his 80's Buick (possibly a Regal, but it has been awhile), but it wasn't the most well put together car and had it's reliability issues.

Both my parents' previous cars are examples of poor American cars (brakes on my dad's Ford didn't work when my dad was going downhill, and he didn't know what else he could do to avoid the intersection other than to pull the hand brake a few times, drive onto the grass to slow him down, and crash into a pole.......SWEET!!), as is my father's oldest friend, who was a mechanic at Ford for almost 25 years. He says not to buy Ford, but that was 4-6 years ago.

I think people are justified in their negative opinions of these companies when they made crap for so long. You talk about a model that may or may not be very good and/or reliable, but that's one gem out of a pile of rocks.

If they're trying to produce better cars, then great, but don't blame our attitudes on our "bias against America and American companies coming through," because you don't know that. You don't know anything about how we formed our opinions, and yet you make baseless statements like this as if anti-Americanism is clearly evident (when it's not), and then you tell people that THEY base their opinions on nothing when you did the same thing regarding anti-Americanism.

You are right, I based my opinion on the wrong reasons. I am sorry for that.

Anyhow the only thing I can never figure out on here is how everyone that has owned a Japanese vehicle has never had one issue with it. No matter what they do to it, it will NEVER break down. I have plenty of friends with Japanese cars and they do have problems with them. Some have had more problems then I have with my Fords and some have had less.

I like my new Ford. I don't see the problem that people have with me driving a Ford. I always have to put up with rude comments by people I know because I don't own a Japanese vehicle. That is what I don't like. I even admit that the Japanese make some good vehicles and in some classes they do have the best, but in others they don't.

Most people will say that Nissan or Toyota has the best trucks, just because they like their cars and even though they have never been in a Toyota or Nissan truck they just assume they are the best because of the name. The same thing with SUV's. The Japanese do have the best cars right now, but there are some cars from GM and Ford that are just as good. Impala, G6, Fusion, Five-Hundred, how about Chrysler with it's 300? These are all good cars. The fact of the matter on here is no matter how great these companies make a vehicle, no one will even take a look at one. Why? Because buying an American car is not the trendy thing to do. It is out of style. Reliabilty used to play a big role, but you would be suprised at how much the playing field has leveled. I guess it will take a few more years to see how well the new designs do. Even if they prove to be great cars, most people will never come back because that is just how it is.

I just don't buy the whole Japanese cars will never break down. I have seen plenty of them do that. I have a friend that works in a Toyota service department. When he got the job I joked with him about working there because he would never have anything to do. It turns out that he is very busy working there and some if it is pretty major repairs.

 

[mikeyredk]

The car I want to see from ford is the GT500

 

[Abstract]

Reliabilty used to play a big role, but you would be suprised at how much the playing field has leveled. I guess it will take a few more years to see how well the new designs do.

While I agree with you that Ford and GM are genuinely trying to get into the 21st Century and building decent cars, reliability is still the #1 issue with most car buyers, and you don't repair your poor reputation in reliability in several years. How can anyone know 100% how solid and reliable a new Buick Rainer is (never heard of that car until just a few posts ago ) unless the "Rainer" model is 8-12 years old and have had time to build up a rep?

Reputations in the car industry take a long time to break down, and a long time to build up, and the Japanese definitely did NOT just come into a dominant position because of iPod-esque hype over 1-2 years. Honda and Toyota built reliable cars for a long time (although they did rust easily ).

In the late 80's when I was 8-9 years old, my mum told me how she missed the old Accord. She had owned a Ford Taurus for 3 years at the time, and after a total of 6 years, she had to sell it for only several thousand dollars. It was a rust bucket, unreliable, and all the plastic would just peel off the ceiling/sides. Pitiful.
You can't erase that memory by telling consumers that their cars are now built well and will still look and drive well in 6-8 years. You can't just say, "trust me," and hope it sticks. Honda's reputation took years to build up for me. I'm sure the same can be said about Toyota.

I agree that Ford and GM are trying, but you can't blame people for not buying GM and Ford when their reputation is so poor right now. It's all based on past histories.

 

[DakotaGuy]

In the late 80's when I was 8-9 years old, my mum told me how she missed the old Accord. She had owned a Ford Taurus for 3 years at the time, and after a total of 6 years, she had to sell it for only several thousand dollars. It was a rust bucket, unreliable, and all the plastic would just peel off the ceiling/sides. Pitiful.

Well my parents have a Taurus, it is a 2000 model, not a late 80's model and they have driven it around 130,000 miles with no major repairs. It is still a very solid car and they just got back from a 1,000 mile trip with the Taurus. They like their Taurus so much they are probably going to replace it with a new Fusion.

My brother has a 1998 Honda Accord. It has also been a good car, but no better then the Taurus. In fact, my brother and his wife needed a second vehicle, so they bought a new Mercury Mariner this summer.

In my family, our experience in reliablity has not came from the fact of where the automobile was made, it has came from how the vehicle was maintained and taken care of. Also, our vehicles that have been bought brand new have always been more reliable then used. In fact, as long as I can afford it I will never buy a used vehicle again. So many people out there just don't know how to take care of things. I know the people that push the Asian cars say you don't need to maintain them and they still will never break, but I believe that if you take care of stuff it lasts much longer.

If I was GM and Ford I would throw a 10 year 100,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty on their vehicles. It would cost them a lot more to maintain then the 3 year 36,000 mile warranty but sales increases would probably offset the cost. I think they would get a lot of new customers to check out and buy their stuff if they stood behind their vehicles for the long run and a warranty like that shows confidence. It worked wonders for the Korean companies.

You can argue all you want that Japanese cars never break down. I have a friend that works in a Toyota service department. He is busy fixing stuff and some of it major repairs. If they NEVER break down like you say, WHY is he busy??? Every company that makes products puts out some lemons. Heck, even our beloved Apple has been known for some lemons. I know, because I own one of their lemons. It's called a Rev. A iMac G5.

 

[quagmire]

If I was GM and Ford I would throw a 10 year 100,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty on their vehicles. It would cost them a lot more to maintain then the 3 year 36,000 mile warranty but sales increases would probably offset the cost. I think they would get a lot of new customers to check out and buy their stuff if they stood behind their vehicles for the long run and a warranty like that shows confidence. It worked wonders for the Korean companies.

No. They shouldn't add a 10 Year/100,000 mile warranty. While to you may see it as GM and Ford backing their product for having great reliability, many would see it as GM and Ford having no choice to have the 10yr/100,000 mile warranty due to crappy reliability. The customer says, " Hey, while this vehicle might be crap and may break down a lot, but at least it is under warranty so I don't have to spend a dime!"

 

[DakotaGuy]

No. They shouldn't add a 10 Year/100,000 mile warranty. While to you may see it as GM and Ford backing their product for having great reliability, many would see it as GM and Ford having no choice to have the 10yr/100,000 mile warranty due to crappy reliability. The customer says, " Hey, while this vehicle might be crap and may break down a lot, but at least it is under warranty so I don't have to spend a dime!"

IMO that is the only way you will get anyone to even look at their products. You can show them any reliability study around, tell them stories of the good luck you have had, advertise, do everything to make the vehicle even better then the Japanese models, but in the end, it won't do any good. No matter how good GM or Ford makes things they will still be slammed. Toyota and Honda could actually start making unreliable vehicles now and everyone would still buy them because of the name. At this point there is no other way then to back their vehicles with a first in class warranty. People will look at things if they have a great warranty and give them a try. If they have good luck, they will be back.

I bet if you asked around you would find more people willing to try the new vehicles from GM or Ford if they knew the companies were going to stand behind their product.

 

[garybUK]

I dunno why your saying Renault are bringing Nissan down, Renault make some really good cars. They spent millions of € developing some awesome diesel engines that outperform and are quieter / smoother than their petrol equivalents, they will be appearing in Nissans soon. I've seen a 1.9ltr TDI Renault Megane get 75mpg on the M6 toll road easily

Ford & GM cars over here in Europe are seen are very good cars, especially the Focus. It's one of the class leaders, very reliable and awesome to drive.

GM's European arm called Opal/Vauxhall make some really good cars, usually because their R&D teams are based in Germany so do compete with the likes of BMW/Mercedes/VW in handling (same with Ford).

Ford own Landrover / Aston Martin / Jaguar / Volvo / Mazda, they (luckily) have kept the plants in the UK and Sweden and the Volvo engines (very good) are being seen in some of the Ford's own cars.

Ford use PSA designed engines in all of their diesel cars (PSA = Peugeot Citroen) and they are very very nice.

Check out the new ford european "CUV" ??? its pretty much a class leader!!! http://www.ford.co.uk:80/safari/coming_soon/cms_sav/cms_sav_gallery/-/-/-/-

 

[yg17]

No. They shouldn't add a 10 Year/100,000 mile warranty. While to you may see it as GM and Ford backing their product for having great reliability, many would see it as GM and Ford having no choice to have the 10yr/100,000 mile warranty due to crappy reliability. The customer says, " Hey, while this vehicle might be crap and may break down a lot, but at least it is under warranty so I don't have to spend a dime!"

The way I see it, it's the complete opposite. If you know your cars suck, you provide a 3 year warranty, so once sh*t hits the fan with the car, it's not your problem. If you have faith in your car's reliability, then you provide a longer warranty believing that it won't cost you much because few will have problems.

 

[jeffy.dee-lux]

I saw the Edge in detroit and I liked it a lot. There's no denying its very simliar in exterior appearance to the Murano. The same, general shape and proportions, almost the same roof line. This car was definitely aimed right at the market that the murano helped create. But I find the Murano REALLY ugly... it was shocking and cool at first, but once you're used to it, i find i notice that its not very pretty at all. I think the edge is REALLy good looking, especially the tail:

 

[Buschmaster]

I see Ford is still "Innovating"

I used to blame China for us losing all of our automotive jobs, but I think I was all wrong. I have finally given up on my all domestic all the time mentality on automobiles.

 

[jeffy.dee-lux]

more importantly though... first off: i'm first and foremost a biker. i dunno how many letters i've written to my local newspaper defending cyclists or calling for more bike paths. Secondly, i get soooo pissed off at most of the people driving things that are more than what they need in a way that inconveniences others, especially cyclists trying to squeeze into their deserved place on the road. I'm also doing a minor in environmental engineering (mech eng major). But unlike most environmentally minded people, i like Ford a lot, and am REALLY impressed with what they've accomplished over the past 3 or 4 years. Bill Ford has truly shown his stock holders that it pays to be green (he's been green all along, just not very easy for CEOs to do whatever they want with shareholders money).

Lately there've been a couple new offering that have drawn scorn that isn't really called for. To pass this Edge off as just another bloated, gas guzzling SUV is very uninformed. Ford is building this thing to recapture all their lost Explorer sales, all those people who wanna get back to something a bit smaller and more fuel efficient. This thing runs on a clean little V6, through a 6 speed transmission, and has decent aerodynamics for a car this size. If people give up their big trucks for something like this, that's a big step forward. Secondly, Ford has confirmed that the Edge will be among the next wave of hybrids (along with the MKX, the 500 and the Montego), due in 2009 or 2010 i believe.

http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=22509&make_id=trust

Ford has committed to build 250,000 hybrids by 2010, as part of a corporate commitment to American Innovation. In addition to the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner Hybrids that are on the road today, Ford has announced plans to build hybrid versions of the Ford Fusion, Ford Edge, Ford Five Hundred, Mercury Montego, Mercury Milan and Lincoln MKX.


About the Expedition: Ford tried to unveil that thing quietly, not to call too much attention to it at Detroit or anything. Obviously the company isn't in a position to outright abandon that segment. If they stop building big trucks right now, they'll go bankrupt and the guys at the top that wanna do some good for the environment won't even get a chance.
So they updated the Expedition, restyled it. While macho truckers will say, hey, it still only gets the Triton 5.4L with only 300hp while the new GM trucks can get about 400hp. I think its great. Its too bad Ford doesn't have any cylinder deactivation technology lying around, it'd be perfect for their trucks, SUVs, and ESPECIALLY the crown vic cop cars idling all over the place. But they're sticking with a smaller engine and tying it to a 6 speed automatic.

Environmentalists I'm sure will also hear about this Expedition EL (good thing they didn't call it Expedition MAX) and say, FORD'S TERRIBLE, THEY BUILD TOO MANY BIG SUVs AND HERE'S YET ANOTHER ONE.... without realizing that Ford has basically taken their gargantuan Excursion and replaced with something much more efficient.

...other than that... REFEX=AWESOME, i'd definitely take one. Upscale small car with a crazy efficient power train running on fresh clean 2006 diesel. Definitely won't see a car just like that, but Ford will have a B-segment small car on the market in a couple years. Its delayed because, while they were originally going for a low end econo-box korean fighter, they've decided to go for a more upscale tiny car, since profits are tight for the cheap ones.

Ethanol Hybrid Escape! amazing! Finally, the people who say "Hybrids suck, diesel's the way!" or "Hybrids sucks, ethanol's the way" can shut their mouths and realize that there's nothing stopping us from combining these technologies.


okay, so that's my rant about ford doing good stuffs for the environment.
About the quality of ford products? They sucked in the 90s, and they've gotten a lot better since, though it'll definitely take a long time for that to settle into the minds of the masses, including many people on this board.

check out the latest from good ol' JD:
http://www.autoblog.com/2006/01/29/j-d-power-releases-long-term-vehicle-dependability-study/

all of ford's american brands are above average. Lincoln is third after Lexus and Porsche, Mercury is ahead of both Acura and Honda, Ford is right behind BMW... meanwhile Nissan's about two thirds down the list. This is a test that measures the number of reported problems per 100 cars in 3 year old cars. Obviously its just one number, doesn't tell the whole story, like how serious the problems are or anything, but it definitely gives you a grounds for relative comparison.

Okay, and now i'm hungry.

 

[SeaFox]

Maybe because people like the versatility of these types of vehicles. They really are more versatile and will do more then a normal sedan.

I might buy that arguement if it wasn't that 75%+ of SUV's are never taken offroad. Modern SUV's really aren't made to go real offroading, you'd majorly screw up the suspension that's put in them. Really, look around on any freeway. Single yuppies driving (by themselves) around in a vehicle that can seat 7 people and is larger than they can really handle safely (but no one will tell them that).

Waaaay overkill for people who spend most of their time driving to and from work.

I kinda see it like the whole expensive sportscar/huge pickup to make up for feelings of inadequacy thing. Only here it's "I live a super active life, I'm not just another soccer mom/office dayjobber". I mean, that's what started the whole SUV craze years ago, remember? Stay-at-home mom's driving minivans for toting their families and they were getting along just fine. But the Family Ties group didn't like the image and shook it up by buying SUV's.

Getting back on topic, anyone remember when the Ford Focus first came out? They didn't sell the 5-door hatchback in the U.S. for the first couple years of production, and that was the model everyone wanted for it's euro-sporty look. Well, I saw the car up there* and all I saw was an enlarged 5-door Focus.

* Edit: the original picture, the Edge. Not the GT picture on this page of the thread.

 

[rt_brained]

Now, if Ford would take a cue from Nissan and give the Edge a distinctive growl, a la the FX35/G35/350Z group, I think they'd have themselves a winner. The worst thing they could do is water it down to please more conservative buyers.

While they're at it, Ford should launch the Focus RS stateside as well.

 

[jeffy.dee-lux]

Now, if Ford would take a cue from Nissan and give the Edge a distinctive growl, a la the FX35/G35/350Z group, I think they'd have themselves a winner. The worst thing they could do is water it down to please more conservative buyers.

While they're at it, Ford should launch the Focus RS stateside as well.

The RS was the last gen Focus. So far there isn't an RS version of the current Euro Focus, but we do have the ST which might be what you were talking about:

Its got the Volvo I5 with 223hp, so its actually faster than the last RS.

 

[aloofman]

IMO that is the only way you will get anyone to even look at their products. You can show them any reliability study around, tell them stories of the good luck you have had, advertise, do everything to make the vehicle even better then the Japanese models, but in the end, it won't do any good. No matter how good GM or Ford makes things they will still be slammed. Toyota and Honda could actually start making unreliable vehicles now and everyone would still buy them because of the name. At this point there is no other way then to back their vehicles with a first in class warranty. People will look at things if they have a great warranty and give them a try. If they have good luck, they will be back.

I bet if you asked around you would find more people willing to try the new vehicles from GM or Ford if they knew the companies were going to stand behind their product.

Actually I think it's about the opposite. There is a huge number of Americans, especially in the more rural areas, who won't even consider buying a Japanese car. (I wondered for a long time who the hell was buying all these Chevy Cavaliers for so long, since you don't see that many in Socal.) These people have been propping up the Big Three for years with a blind loyalty that they mistake for patriotism.

It's true that American makes are better than they used to be. And it's also true that the quality gap has narrowed. But it hasn't disappeared. Quality is up across the board. I'll bet that Hyundais are at least as good now as Ford was 10-12 years ago. Evidence is anecdotal, so everyone believes they have proof over who is good or bad based on their own tiny sample size.

 

[aloofman]

I dunno why your saying Renault are bringing Nissan down, Renault make some really good cars.

Renault's reputation in the U.S. is very poor. They didn't impress anyone with their cars and haven't sold them here for a long time (20 years maybe?). Obviously they've made plenty of changes since then, but Americans' last impression of Renault is the one that sticks. Ditto Peugeot and Fiat, which also abandoned the U.S. market years ago.

 

[uaaerospace]

a blind loyalty

haha...reminds me of the blind loyalty I and and most people here have for Apple Computers.

 

[quagmire]

These people have been propping up the Big Three for years with a blind loyalty that they mistake for patriotism.

Don't get me started. Their is blind loyalty in every company practically. With us being blindly loyal to Apple. I am loyal to the Big 2, but not blindly. I am sure there are tons of blind loyalists at the Toyota and Honda camps.

 

[SharksFan22]

I dunno -- that new Ford looks pretty nice, but not necessarily something that meets my particular needs. Reading through this thread, I'm reminded of a time when I used to be very pro-American regarding my vehicle choices but them dipped my toe into the German car world and almost never looked back. From the mid-80s until the last few years, one could make a case that many of the GM/Ford/Chrysler products were pretty bad values when compared to their Asian and European competition. However, as someone who owns one German vehicle and one GMC product I will say that the German one tends to be rather "quirky" and "tempermental" but good LORD can that thing MOVE! On the other hand, my GMC truck is boring to look at and the interior is well-described as being very "utilitarian", but the truck is darn near bulletproof. I just change the oil, put gas in it and it runs the same every day. 20 mpg no matter what the driving style and very reliable. Boring, but reliable.

Also, I'm almost 40 and clearly remember how BAD cars were 15 years ago, no matter their country of origin. In just the performance car circle, the Corvette was horribly assembled, Porsche almost died, the high-output versions of the Firebirds and Camaros were putting out around 200hp -- or the same as today's Civic Si. Today, we have so MANY choices for virtually any kind of want or need. Plus, through competition, we now have much better quality products than every before. I guess few here remember the quality and performance of the Chevy Citation X11, the efficiency of the Chevette Diesel, the Dodge Omni, or the VW Rabbit diesel.

 

[fordedge]

Ford Edge

Yeah, the Ford Edge looks darn impressive. I am looking for a Crossover for Fall and this is currently at the top of my list. Here is a site that has some good information about it. http://www.fordedge.org/ I mean look at the panoramic skylight. Very nice Ford.

 

[Counterfit]

Edit: Holy thread resurrection Fatman!
I wonder why this guy registered.

4.4L Yamaha V8.

I certainly hope they've improved on that front since their F1 days.

 

[Chip NoVaMac]

The RS was the last gen Focus. So far there isn't an RS version of the current Euro Focus, but we do have the ST which might be what you were talking about:

Its got the Volvo I5 with 223hp, so its actually faster than the last RS.

Saw the Euro Focus while in Iceland in February, it would be a nice update to what is now a very dated look here in the US.

As to the Edge, just saw one today on the road. It looks more like a replacement for the Explorer IMO.

Still a FORD - Found On the Road Dead....

 

[rhsgolfer33]

I am happy with improvements. You seem to think that everyone can get by with a tiny little car. How do I tow my trailer? How can I haul several people with me? How can I haul things? How is this tiny little car going to do on gravel roads? dirt trails? How do I my haul my snowmobile, ATV? When I want to get back to my fishing hole? A compact hatchback or sedan is not an answer for every consumer like you state. How about families with several children? How do they get them to fit in the thing? What happens to me when a Toyota Sequoia or Ford Super Duty runs a red light right into my little car turning my body into ground beef??? I agree not everyone needs a 15 passenger van or a Suburban but a vehicle like the Edge or even the Explorer has it's place.

What is funny is if you tracked mileage over the last 25 years you would see that Detroit has been improving over that time and the Japanese have gotten worse. Why? Because all Japan used to make was small cars, now they have all the same larger vehicles like GM, DaimlerChrysler, and Ford have.

I couldnt agree with you more. A tiny little 90hp car isnt going to tow a trailer, a boat, or for that matter a kid on a skateboard. I need a love the room of my 2 trucks and SUV. Im over 6 foot and getting in and out of a tiny car is actually quite hard. I practically had to roll out of the last car I had. Sure, Id love to get 24 or more mpg, but until Detroit, Japan, or Germany start rolling out cars, trucks, and SUVs that have large V6s or V8s that get that kind of mileage I wont be buying. I enjoy having the power to tow what I want and to go where I want and if I can afford it why shouldnt I have it?(I personally do think pollution is a big problem, but Im not going to pay extra thousands to get a hybrid nor am I willing to give up power or towing. Car companies have the ability to make good hybrid and low emissions engines that are still very powerfull and they need to start doing it at costs that are not thousands higher). For that matter I enjoy V6s and V8s in smaller cars, darn fun to drive, but I'll tell you what, even a powerfull 4 cyclinder like the ones in the Honda S2000s and Subaru WRX dont get very good gas mileage.

 

[blitzkrieg79]

more importantly though... first off: i'm first and foremost a biker. i dunno how many letters i've written to my local newspaper defending cyclists or calling for more bike paths. Secondly, i get soooo pissed off at most of the people driving things that are more than what they need in a way that inconveniences others, especially cyclists trying to squeeze into their deserved place on the road. I'm also doing a minor in environmental engineering (mech eng major). But unlike most environmentally minded people, i like Ford a lot, and am REALLY impressed with what they've accomplished over the past 3 or 4 years. Bill Ford has truly shown his stock holders that it pays to be green (he's been green all along, just not very easy for CEOs to do whatever they want with shareholders money).

Lately there've been a couple new offering that have drawn scorn that isn't really called for. To pass this Edge off as just another bloated, gas guzzling SUV is very uninformed. Ford is building this thing to recapture all their lost Explorer sales, all those people who wanna get back to something a bit smaller and more fuel efficient. This thing runs on a clean little V6, through a 6 speed transmission, and has decent aerodynamics for a car this size. If people give up their big trucks for something like this, that's a big step forward. Secondly, Ford has confirmed that the Edge will be among the next wave of hybrids (along with the MKX, the 500 and the Montego), due in 2009 or 2010 i believe.

http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=22509&make_id=trust

Ford has committed to build 250,000 hybrids by 2010, as part of a corporate commitment to American Innovation. In addition to the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner Hybrids that are on the road today, Ford has announced plans to build hybrid versions of the Ford Fusion, Ford Edge, Ford Five Hundred, Mercury Montego, Mercury Milan and Lincoln MKX.


About the Expedition: Ford tried to unveil that thing quietly, not to call too much attention to it at Detroit or anything. Obviously the company isn't in a position to outright abandon that segment. If they stop building big trucks right now, they'll go bankrupt and the guys at the top that wanna do some good for the environment won't even get a chance.
So they updated the Expedition, restyled it. While macho truckers will say, hey, it still only gets the Triton 5.4L with only 300hp while the new GM trucks can get about 400hp. I think its great. Its too bad Ford doesn't have any cylinder deactivation technology lying around, it'd be perfect for their trucks, SUVs, and ESPECIALLY the crown vic cop cars idling all over the place. But they're sticking with a smaller engine and tying it to a 6 speed automatic.

Environmentalists I'm sure will also hear about this Expedition EL (good thing they didn't call it Expedition MAX) and say, FORD'S TERRIBLE, THEY BUILD TOO MANY BIG SUVs AND HERE'S YET ANOTHER ONE.... without realizing that Ford has basically taken their gargantuan Excursion and replaced with something much more efficient.

...other than that... REFEX=AWESOME, i'd definitely take one. Upscale small car with a crazy efficient power train running on fresh clean 2006 diesel. Definitely won't see a car just like that, but Ford will have a B-segment small car on the market in a couple years. Its delayed because, while they were originally going for a low end econo-box korean fighter, they've decided to go for a more upscale tiny car, since profits are tight for the cheap ones.

Ethanol Hybrid Escape! amazing! Finally, the people who say "Hybrids suck, diesel's the way!" or "Hybrids sucks, ethanol's the way" can shut their mouths and realize that there's nothing stopping us from combining these technologies.


okay, so that's my rant about ford doing good stuffs for the environment.
About the quality of ford products? They sucked in the 90s, and they've gotten a lot better since, though it'll definitely take a long time for that to settle into the minds of the masses, including many people on this board.

check out the latest from good ol' JD:
http://www.autoblog.com/2006/01/29/j-d-power-releases-long-term-vehicle-dependability-study/

all of ford's american brands are above average. Lincoln is third after Lexus and Porsche, Mercury is ahead of both Acura and Honda, Ford is right behind BMW... meanwhile Nissan's about two thirds down the list. This is a test that measures the number of reported problems per 100 cars in 3 year old cars. Obviously its just one number, doesn't tell the whole story, like how serious the problems are or anything, but it definitely gives you a grounds for relative comparison.

Okay, and now i'm hungry.

Funny that Consumer Reports ( http://www.cnn.com/2006/AUTOS/carreviews/03/01/cr_reliability/index.html ) says something a bit different in their rankings. All I know is that my father had a Jeep Wrangler and Dodge Dakota and they were in shop constantly. From leakages to freaking transaxle breakage on a regular pavement road going at regular city speed limit. And most of my family and friends drives Japanese vehicles from Toyota to Honda to Mitsubishi and no major problems except for usual oil changes and wear and tear parts such as timing belts or alternators.