Autoblog

Our brothers-in-green have already covered the fact that Ford saw fit to provide new rides to the two American Idol finalists. This isn't a shocker; Ford is a major sponsor of the hit talent show on Fox. The chosen rides? Ford Escape Hybrids, which we have found to be very nice vehicles that return rather good fuel efficiency. According to The Detroit News, Cook is getting along with both his new car and Ford Motor Company in general rather swimmingly, "I love it. It's nice to have a new car. Ford has been amazing throughout the whole process. I definitely could see this as the start of something," says the rocker. Ford capitulates. "We don't have anything in the works with David yet but he is someone Ford would be proud to be associated with," according to Connie Fontaine. She should know, she manages Ford's relationship with American Idol. An American Idol tie-up has been made in the past, as past winner Kelly Clarkson sang a custom tune for Ford's last marketing campaign.

[Source: The Detroit News, Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the lifeguard Escapes

The Los Angeles County Lifeguards (cue the Baywatch theme and visions of Pamela and the shirtless Hoff) are getting new rides. A fleet of customized 4WD Ford Escape Hybrids is replacing the group's current pickup trucks, and the first ten (of a total 45) have been delivered. Changes made to the Escapes for lifeguard duty include the replacement of the center console with a radio rack and the removal of the 60% side of the 60/40 split rear seat. In its place is a storage unit for emergency equipment. The lifeguards' Escapes are also fitted with heavy-duty rubber mats and are literally topped off with a custom roof rack. All are finished in the signature yellow paint, which is further accented with special graphics and dark wheels. It's a pretty spiffy-looking package overall, and the hybrid part of the equation surely appeals to many in the Golden State. You can read Ford's lengthy press release after the jump.


[Source: Ford via AutoblogGreen]

For 2009, the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner (as well as the Mazda Tribute) are getting the powertrain updates that they missed out on when their exteriors were revamped last year. While the 2008 models had all-new looks and interiors, the engines and transmissions were carried over from 2007, including the four-speed automatic transmissions. We'll have more info on their new 2.5L four-cylinder and 3.0L V6 engines after we drive them next week, but Ford released some information on their new six-speed transmissions when we visited its Van Dyke Transmission Plant in Sterling Heights, MI.

The new 6F35 is a completely new six-speed automatic that will have a wider total ratio spread than the four speed it is replacing. The top gear ratio will be approximately the same as the four-speed, but the lower gears will be shorter helping off-the-line acceleration. The final drive ratio will be a little taller (numerically lower), which will help reduce the engine speed when cruising on the highway. Even with the larger first to sixth spread, the overall gap between each ratio will be smaller resulting in less engine speed drop during shifts and a quieter, smoother overall driving experience. The 6F35 uses a total of three planetary gear sets and five clutches to generate the six forward and one reverse gear.

Ford is claiming that the new transmission contributes to a 4-6% improvement in fuel efficiency depending on with which vehicle and engine it's paired. Besides the three CUVs launching shortly, the new gearboxes are also going into the revamped Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan early next year. The Van Dyke plant also builds the larger 6F50 used in the Edge, Taurus and their derivatives, as well as a smaller four-speed used in the Focus. That four-speed will also be replaced by a third smaller 6-speed in the next year or two for the Focus and Fiesta. Ford plans to double production of six-speed autoboxes by the end of 2009 to 1.4 million units and by 2012 expects 98% of all its automatics to be 6-ratio variants.

[Source: Ford]

The Catch-22 with advertising these days is that someone will undoubtedly be offended if your campaign is clever enough to be memorable. Ford of Canada came up with such an effort for the Escape, showing the CUV wearing a bumper sticker with the phrase "drive it like you stole it," and the tagline "Built for life in Manitoba." Innocuous enough, you say? Apparently not.

We can't say for sure if it's just people looking for things to get offended over, or if Canadians are just hypersensitive to Manitoba's reputation as a car theft hotspot. Either way, Ford has responded to the politically correct whining and pulled the ad while offering copious apologies. While car theft and traffic accidents are no laughing matter, especially when innocent people are tragically injured, you can't blame a car advertising campaign that uses an exceedingly common phrase for inducing an already rampant problem. We fail to see how people commiting criminal acts have anything to do with the automaker's sales efforts. Certainly, the message sent by the advertisement is that the Escape is tough enough for Canada, not that it's the car of choice for boosting. It'd be nice to see a company under unreasonable fire just offer up something like "whatevs, get a thicker skin." It's advertising, after all, not the cure for cancer. Of course, it would also have been easy enough to say "Drive it like you hate it" and send largely the same message.

Thanks for the tip, Richard!

[Source: CBC]

Ford's been cranking out hybrid CUVs on the CD2 platform for four years now, and with over 40,000 produced, it's gotten to be old hat. Since it started in 2004, Ford's managed to make the Escape, Mercury Mariner and Mazda Tribute 30-percent cheaper to build. That cost reduction, coupled with the pending introduction of the hybrid Fusion and Milan platform-mates, will allow Ford's hybrid program to actually turn a profit for the first time in 2008. The Mariner and Escape hybrids find about 21,000 owners per year, and adding the hardware to the sedans could spur sales of Ford's hybrid system, further reducing costs. We're excited to try out the sedans with the hybrid system and the potential for a winner is there if Ford manages to deliver the goods at an attractive price.

[Source: Automotive News, sub. req'd]

We're shooting from the hip this week for Podcast #71. Rather than prepare, we're going with gut reactions. Starting it off, we mull over the loss of the USGP from Indianapolis, and postulate on where else F1 may pop up in the US. An F1 race on the Vegas strip would be the bomb. Staying with motorsports, we marvel at how Team SARD spanked everyone extremely hard at Tokachi with a hybridized Supra GT. We're sure that racing will improve the hybrid breed at a much steeper pace than conventional powerplants. In other racing news, Dale Junior has split from Budweiser, so he'll have new livery to plaster all over his left-turn machine.

Moving on from racing, we ponder the leakage and eventual announcement of the Porsche 911 GT2. It's as unassuming as a Porsche can get, but it packs 530 horsepower and uses the rear wheels to push top speed to the 200 MPH realm, while being a docile everyday car. While Porsches always make us giddy little schoolboys, Subaru's recent model line revisions have us alternating between cheers and jeers. The good: the Legacy SUS, or whatever the heck they call their Outback sedan is kaput. The bad: so is the straight Legacy wagon. We devolve into a styling review of Subaru's new corporate language for a while before surfacing again to discuss the inanity surrounding presidential candidates and hybrid vehicles. Idiocy, 'nuff said.

On a lighter note, we discuss the rumored sequel to Disney/Pixar's "Cars." Not surprising when you consider how lucrative the tie-ins usually are. Off entertainment and on to entertaining cars, we ogle the leaked pictures of the FPV Falcon, and discuss the future plans of that platform here in the US. It does look mean, so thanks to that janitor who picked these renderings out of the trash. Our pithy cavalcade keeps rolling along, and we chew over Bob Lutz's latest comments about the future of diesel powerplants in the US. It's odd that Bob is cool on diesel just as GM is poised to roll out new oil-burners. Wrapping up, we put out the call to action again for the Reader Ride - add your pix to the Flickr pool and include details! The hour duration of Podcast #71 will give you enjoyment to and from work, enjoy!

SUBSCRIBE to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes
LISTEN to the show now
ADD the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator

The same basic technology that shaves seconds off of pit stops will soon be available on select Ford models for 2008. Ford's capless gas tank, or Direct Fill System (DFS), may seem like little more than a way to save a few seconds at the pump, but there are actually some additional benefits, as well. One obvious positive is that drivers won't have to get their hands dirty by unscrewing the cap, but for people with arthritis, DFS can make life a lot less painful, too. Ford's self-sealing technology can also prevent fuel evaporation caused by ill-tightened caps.

It seems like Ford has been talking up this technology forever, and now it's finally here. Autoblog Green has a quick video that shows the technology in action and you can check it out after the jump. They saw it in person a couple weeks ago and you'll first find the feature first on 2008 Ford Explorer models.

[Source: Autoblog Green]

Today Ford announced pricing for both of its redesigned compact sport utility vehicles, the 2008 Ford Escape and 2008 Mercury Mariner. The Escape will start at $19,245, including $665 for destination charges, which is $740 less than the base price of the current model. The Mariner begins at $21,345, again including $665 for destination, which is $460 less than the current model. Across each lineup, Escape prices will drop an average of $1,100 and Mariner prices $1,300. The hybrid versions of each model will also see their prices drop. The Ford Escape Hybrid falls from $26,320 to $25,740, while the Mariner Hybrid drops from $28,615 to $26,430.

Obviously both the Escape and Mariner are all new for 2008, which means you're getting more for less if you've waited this long to buy either.

2008 Ford Escape: $19,245 (inc. $665 destination)
2008 Ford Escape XLT V6: $22,545
2008 Ford Escape Hybrid: $25,740

2008 Mercury Mariner: $21,345
2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid: $26,430

Follow the jump for the official press releases distributed today for both vehicles.

Click here to see a gallery of the 2008 Ford Escape.
Click here to see a gallery of the 2008 Mercury Mariner.

[Source: Ford]

Not wanting to lose the momentum from 2006, Ford Motor Co. will offer some new lease deals and cut-rate financing on the Fusion and Mercury Milan sedans. The F-150 gets in on the action as well, with leasing and financing incentives on some models. The new deals that follow will run from January 3 to February 28.

Beginning yesterday, customers can lease a 2.3-liter equipped Fusion for $249/month for 39 months with zero cash out of pocket at signing. The Mercury Milan can be leased for even less, at $208/month, but requires $1,999 cash up front. If a lease doesn't suit your needs, 4.9% financing for up to 60 months is also available.

To generate some interest in the full-size truck market, the F-150 SuperCab XLT lease is available for $249/month for 36 months and the F150 SuperCrew XLT comes in at $299/month for 24 months, both requiring $1,999 cash at the time of signing.

Rearing its ugly head again is zero percent interest, now available for up to 60 months on the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner. One cool feature, however, is the no-charge "Moon and Tunes" package that adds a power moonroof with sun shade, AM-FM radio 6-disc CD changer, and a roof rack with cross bars.

[Source: Automotive News (sub req'd.]

UPDATE: New photos and press release available after the jump.



It seems as though the Los Angeles Auto Show will serve as the venue for both GM and Ford to bring their eco-friendly offerings to the public.

On the Ford side of things, it's been confirmed that a hydrogen fuel cell Explorer will make its debut alongside the newly redesigned 2008 Escape Hybrid. The Explorer can travel up to 350 miles on a tank of gaseous hydrogen and is equipped with electric motors on both the front and rear axles, making the 'ute 4WD.

Ford is also expected to debut the 2008 Super Duty pickup, which houses a new diesel powerplant and employs a number of emission limiting devices.

[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]