Recent Comments:
Detroit 2008: HUMMER HX Concept {Autoblog}
Jan 9th 2008 3:13AM So, GM has quit building the Aveo, Cobalt, G4, Ion (now Astra), and 4cyl Malibu/G6/Aura? I must've missed that article! Oh wait, they didnt quit, it turns out that in some CRAZY scheme to make a profit, they decided that building different types of vehicles for different types of buyers would work. Go figure.
I own a GM small car (a 99 Saturn), and its slow, crude, uncomfortable, and gets gas mileage in the mid-to-upper 30s. I just bought it, and I didnt buy it because I hate SUVs. If I could afford something larger and nicer, I'd buy it. Small cars are usually for people who aspire (all pun intended) to larger/better ones.
Detroit 2008: HUMMER HX Concept {Autoblog}
Jan 9th 2008 3:04AM Well, as mentioned, I do like this concept. And, by no coincidence, the FJ is the only Toyota product I currently like as well, lol.
Detroit 2008: HUMMER HX Concept {Autoblog}
Jan 9th 2008 3:00AM Agreed. Simply the best looking Hummer. Ever. Its most definantly the only product they've come out with (and I realize it isnt in production yet) that I'd actually considor buying.
Its not that I'm anti-SUV, either, its just that so far their products just didnt appeal to me whatsoever.
Detroit 2008: Ford Explorer America Concept says bye-bye to body-on-frame {Autoblog}
Jan 7th 2008 2:40AM This isnt 1984, the SVO has been gone for decades. Hell, why not say its no good simply because of the Pinto?
This is a concept vehicle, guys/gals. Not everything its equippped with (including the magic ball they barrowed from the NCC 1701) will see the light of production.
This new technology they're using (EcoBoost...which sounds too much like a cross between GM's EcoTec and Boost diet drinks LOL) is viable and is more realistic that hybrids, IMO. Despite the fact that Prius sold better than expected, not everybody is willing to put up with the negatives of owning a hybrid.
Detroit 2008: Ford Explorer America Concept says bye-bye to body-on-frame {Autoblog}
Jan 7th 2008 2:34AM Expedition was just redesigned for 2007, how often should it be updated?
The GM full sized SUVs got all the attention, but the Expedition is more than compedative with them. Ford needs to advertise it more. I saw a few ads this past summer showing the advantages Expedition (and EL) have over Tahoe/Suburban, and I'd like to see more.
Mazda2 coming to America as Ford Fiesta in 2009 {Autoblog Green}
Jan 7th 2008 2:20AM "because I will not buy a Ford"
Well thats a perfectly good reason to pass up a car that you otherwise like, because of the logo on the grille! Whatever!
My only wish is that Ford would bring the car here sooner. Its sad to admit, but I dont think gas prices are going anywhere but up, so maybe it will hit the market at just the right time.
I have a long commute, and with these fuel prices, I (reluctantly) just bought a low mileage '99 Saturn SL 5-speed that gets MPG in the mid-to-upper 30s. I am coming from a Ford (Taurus), which I was very happy with, but finding a decent Ford Aspire that somebody hasnt beat the crap out of with less than 250,000 miles is not easy, at least not where I'm at. Thus, I had to go with another brand.
Years ago, I had a '90 Festiva L and I loved it. Very few problems, excelent MPG, and I sold it after putting 20,000 miles on it for the exact same amount I bought it for. Thats when gas was $1.67/gallon and I wanted something larger and more comfortable (hence the Taurus). I wish I'd kept it.
Detroit 2008: Ford Explorer America Concept says bye-bye to body-on-frame {Autoblog}
Jan 6th 2008 3:29AM I was hoping the next-gen Explorer would go back to its truck-roots and become a lower-volume off-roader akin to FJ Cruiser and H2. Oh well.
Another CUV simply doesnt make sense, unless one (as mentioned Taurus X) dies.
I loved the first and second gen Explorers. Much easier and more fun to drive than a Cherokee (and more fuel efficiant and roomy too), it was no wonder Ford sold 400K a year. Gas was cheap and people were tired of mommy-mobile minivans and station wagons.
As much as I hate to admit it, gas isnt going to get any cheaper. Its a shame, but maybe this is what Ford needs to do with the Explorer. But, with the Ranger and truck-based Explorer gone, where is somebody like me going to turn for a decent mid-sized SUV that can actually handle some mud? To the used lot for a low mileage '01 I guess...
I would love it if Ford would make this concept a uniuque Mercury vehicle, and do as I mentioned with Explorer: Turn it into a lower-vollume true off-roader in a different class than Edge/Flex/Taurus X. This would boost Mercury's bottom line and give the customer a real choice within Ford Motor Company as to what type of CUV or SUV they want.
I hate Toyota with a passion, but I do admire the FJ Cruiser. I wonder how fat and ugly it'll get the next time its redesigned (think Scion XB! LOL!).
Ford's quality turnaround leads to free money {Autoblog}
Dec 5th 2007 5:19AM Lincoln (MKZ) offers a compleatly different engine (3.5L with about 60 more HP) than Fusion/Milan.
Toyota sells a version of a Camry as a Lexus and nobody seems to care. MKZ is doing well for Lincoln.
Ford's quality turnaround leads to free money {Autoblog}
Dec 5th 2007 5:16AM [In responce to the comment about Ford's used vehicles quality.]So, would it be better to continue to build low-quality vehicles? Ford doesnt make money off somebody buying a '98 Taurus at a used car lot. Yes, higher quality older cars related into new car sales eventually (like when a college kid who's 90 Camry served him 250,000 miles, he goes and buys a new one as a result). But, this takes time, and better now than never.
It will help sales now, as well as in the future. When a custumer goes to shop midsized sedans, and ends up looking at a NEW Camry and a NEW Fusion, and Fusion comes out to be just as high on the projected reliability and everything else is there (but with a lower retail price), then Ford sells a car to a guy who would've otherwise bought a new Toyota. Its a slow process, but its working.
Fords of higher quality and lower fleet sales (increased retail) are translating into much higher resale values than in years past. Just look at the depreciation for a previous-gen (2000-07) Taurus compared to a new one.
Is the Ford Escape hybrid really the "most fuel efficient SUV"? {Autoblog Green}
Nov 20th 2007 4:15AM No kidding, thats like saying the Ford Taurus can no longer claim to be the "Safest full size car in America" because Mercury also sells the same car as Sable, which achieves the same ratings. If nobody has let you in on the secret of rebadging cars for different brands, then please, go ask your dad to explain it to you, ok?
