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Ford Previews Small Car at Vancouver Fiesta Europe has it already, and now Ford's terrific little Fiesta subcompact is getting ready to tackle the North American market. The Fiesta is meant to go head to head with competitors such as the Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris and Nissan Versa, and Ford is so excited about its potential that it flew a group of writers to Vancouver, British Columbia, to sample the version on sale currently in Europe and, undoubtedly, whet our appetites for the car. And whet it they did. more... 2010 Mustang Freshened, but Still Packs Muscle The original muscle car finds itself facing serious competition from the government-controlled domestic car industry as the Dodge Challenger and Chevy Camaro vie for a slice of the Pony car market the Mustang once had to itself. Perhaps that's why, for 2010, the Mustang has been freshened somewhat, though not enough to be considered a major redesign. more... Lincoln MKZ and Ford Fusion – Variations on a Theme Whether you want your car luxurious or mainstream, the Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ sedans are nice pieces of work. I spent nearly back-to-back weeks with the four cylinder Fusion and the V6 MKZ, both of which were new 2010 models, and came away more impressed than I had expected to be. more... Focusing on a Ford and a Honda you Really "Odyssey" "Fun to drive" may not be everyone's priority, but if an everyday vehicle also has some of that factor built in it can certainly make life with it more pleasant. Such is the case with a couple of 2009 vehicles I drove recently that, while nowhere near "all new" or "all fun" are still worth a look if you're shopping for a compact sedan or minivan. The sedan, the Ford Focus, is a pleasant and well-equipped, if "style-challenged" vehicle that performs better than you might expect considering its niche near the lower end of the market. And the minivan, the 2009 Honda Odyssey, is about as nice a way to haul people and their stuff as you can get. more.... Ford F-150 Vs. Dodge Ram – Head to Head Haulers Big and brawny, with plenty of towing and hauling capability, the latest generations of full size pickup trucks are the most capable and sophisticated yet. But what are they like to drive? That's the question I asked when going into back-to-back weeks with the 2009 Dodge Ram and Ford F-150, two of the most popular examples of the big beasties. more.... Ford Flexes its Marketing Muscles with New Crossover It's big, it's boxy, it's flexible! It's the new Flex, Ford's latest entry into the increasingly crowded crossover market I took a brand new Flex on a trip across Vancouver Island and the lower mainland of British Columbia, Canada, and it performed well, better, in fact, than I thought it would. more.... Pickin' and Grinnin'? How about Truckin' and Vannin' There are utility vehicles and there are utility vehicles. Some, like the Ford Explorer Sport Trac are part pickup truck and part SUV. Others, like Ford's Taurus X, are part SUV and part minivan. Such vehicles are called crossovers today for the most part, undoubtedly because SUV's and pickup trucks have been deemed evil by a gang of vocal busybodies who'd rather see us walk than transport our families and stuff in the manner of our own choosing. But while the term "Crossover" fits well with the Taurus X, the Explorer Sport Trac is at heart an SUV converted into a pickup truck, and it looks and acts like one, too. more.... Car Enthusiasts Converge for Classic Ford Fiesta They called it a "T Party," and that description suited the event to, well, a T. It was the celebration of the Ford Model T's 100th anniversary, a week-long bash in and around Richmond, Indiana put on by the Model T Ford Club of America, with Ford offering support. The event saw literally hundreds of Ford Model T's of varying age, state of restoration, and configuration take over the Wayne County Fairgrounds for a gigantic group hug and hat tip to the vehicle that sold more than 15 million copies during its reign and helped change the world as we know it. more.... Ford's Focus isn't all new, but it's freshened and, according to Ford, features an all-new interior and improved driving dynamics. Updating the car is probably a good idea, because it sits in one of the most competitive niches in the marketplace, going head to head with vehicles such as the Toyota Corolla, Volkswagen Jetta, Hyundai Elantra, Honda Civic and others. more.... Ford Escape Hybrid – Cheap on Gas, With Room to Haul The test unit may have been a pretty "Light Ice Blue Metallic" color, but to Ford the Escape Hybrid is all green. And why not? Ford claims the Escape Hybrid is "the cleanest and most fuel-efficient SUV in the world," getting up to 41 U.S. mpg (5.7 liters/100 km in Canadian parlance) in city driving, which they say is 14 per cent better than the 2007 model and 80 per cent better in city driving than the V6 gasoline burning Escape. That's pretty good no matter how you slice it, especially in a time of high gas prices. more.... Ford says there have been more than 500 changes made to the Taurus (not including the names), to make it "more distinctive, quieter, faster and safer." Highlights include "new exterior styling, a new powertrain, a new all-wheel-drive system, more standard safety features and structural upgrades to further enhance crash protection." more.... Ford unveils plug-in hybrid vehicle (AP) Ford Motor Co. is joining the list of automakers working on a plug-in hybrid - with a twist. It combines the convenience of plugging in your car with a zero-emissions hydrogen fuel cell. more.... Let there be no confusion: Ford is hoping for a profusion of its new Fusion on roads around North America, and judging by the Fusions that are starting to appear on the roads in my neck of the woods they may not be wishing in vain. The Fusion, new for 2006 and the replacement for the aged Taurus, shares the same basic platform as the terrific Mazda 6 sedan, a car I like a lot. But it doesn't look much like a 6 inside or out; instead, it sports its own skin and demeanor and that's not a bad thing. more... Ford Escape Vs. Toyota Highlander Hybrids It’s the battle of the hybrid SUV’s! In the green corner, the Ford Escape, a nice if somewhat bland vehicle that’s pretty good for hauling, if pretty boring to drive. In the other green corner, the Toyota Highlander, a Camry-based SUV that feels more like a car than a truck, and which is not quite as boring to drive. So which is the winner? more... Ford Ponies Up the Fun in Retro Mustang It was just like having a midlife crisis, then being able to get back to reality again without having ruined my life in the meantime. “It” was a week with Ford’s new Mustang GT, the latest and possibly greatest version (not including the various Shelbys, Machs and the like, perhaps) of the car that changed the business back in the 1960’s. I took my Drivers’ Ed (kind of like Mister Ed, but featuring horsepower instead of a horse) in a 1969 Mustang convertible back longer ago than I’d care to admit, though as a hint I’ll admit that the car was new at the time. Three students and one instructor poured ourselves into the pony during the dead of winter and learned our stuff, including such cold weather exercises as parking lot donuts, though I’m not sure that was really part of the curriculum. more... Ford F250 – Guts, Glory and Guzzling When you think tough, and you think wheels, you think truck. Trucks are vehicles for when you have things to do, stuff to haul, lousy terrain to cover. A full size truck is big, brawny and loaded for bear. And they’re extremely popular, for the above reasons and others. Alas, I’m more of a SNAG (sensitive new age guy, though I’m sure my wife disagrees about the sensitive and new age parts) with a healthier dose of couch potatoness than optimal. So a lot of the benefits of a serious truck are lost on me, at least until it’s time to get firewood. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to drive one if the opportunity comes along, though; the broader cross section of vehicles I experience the better my perspective about things automotive and, hopefully, the more relevant these ramblings are. more...
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