Nik J Miles

Posts Tagged ‘Ford’

By Barbara & Bill Schaffer

Portland, Ore. – The Ford Flex is one of those cars that people seem to love or hate, and we both fall strongly into the “love” column.

Originally appearing as a 2009 model, the full-size crossover has only attained moderate sales success seeming to follow the pattern set by two other full size crossovers of a similar configuration, the Chrysler Pacifica and the Mercedes-Benz R-Class.  We liked both of those other cars, too, but Pacifica was dropped in 2008 and the R-Class is scheduled to be dropped after the current model year.

People who have taken a Flex home, however, love them and give it high owner satisfaction ratings, and a top Crossover Utility Vehicle rating according to Strategic Vision’s Total Value Index. Read the rest of this entry »

By Barbara Schaffer

Richmond, Calif. – Typically a year or two after a new vehicle is introduced, the sales peak and then decline until the next new model is introduced four to six years later.  Evidently the Ford Escape didn’t get the message.

When Escape debuted in 2000 as a 2001 model sales were good and reached more than 164,000 during the first full year of production and then went on to average more than 185,000 units annually through 2010.  During that time there was a minor freshening in 2007.  Then in 2011, the year before the debut of an all-new model, Escape sold a record 254,293 to become the best-selling SUV in America.  They definitely didn’t get the message.  Read the rest of this entry »

“All-New 2013 Ford Escape: A Smarter SUV”

Saves Fuel, Money while providing new technologies 

The Blue Oval team has come up with a better way to Escape – in the 2013 Escape. There will no longer be an Escape Hybrid, but the Escape stable will continue to offer three other fuel conscious models: an updated 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, as well as a 1.6-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder and finally, a 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-banger.

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By Barbara & Bill Schaffer

Once the icon of the SUV movement in the 1990s and early 2000s, the Ford Explorer dropped off the new car-buying map.  A casualty of high fuel prices, the economic downturn and the environmental movement, Explorer was sent back to the drawing board.

Totally reinvented, the 2012 Ford Explorer has again moved to the forefront in the new age of SUVs – more economical, eco-responsible and better suited for today’s consumers.

“The all-new Explorer delivers exactly what today’s SUV buyers are looking for, combining the capability, convenience, performance and technologies they want with the fuel economy these times require,” said Bill Gubing, Ford chief program engineer. “Explorer adds refinement to redefine what a modern SUV can be.” Read the rest of this entry »

 Ford is adding its first-ever high performance version of the Ford Explorer SUV.

Taking advantage of the powerful and economical twin-turbocharged EcoBoost^® V-6 engine, the new Ford Explorer Sport boasts 350 horsepower and four-wheel drive with a Terrain Management System^™.

“Adding an EcoBoost drivetrain to Explorer Sport delivers even more fuel efficiency and performance to the lineup,” said Bill Gubing, Explorer chief engineer. “This is our highest- performance, most capable Ford Explorer ever.” Read the rest of this entry »

“Ford’s 2013 Taurus SHO AWD: More dynamic than before”

To many automotive journalists, it seemed to be a major error for Ford to drop the highly successful Taurus nameplate from the Blue oval lineup, only to replace it with the somewhat obscure 500 Series. In retrospect, it seems that many of us were right on the money in our assumption, that renaming what had been a longtime, top-selling model (more than 4 million were sold), with an unfamiliar moniker was not such a good idea, because, the Taurus lineup returned in 2010 along with its performance model, the SHO.

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“Mustang Sally never had it so good” 

There may not be as many flavors offered as an ice cream store, but the 2013 stable of Mustangs from the Blue Oval crew still has plenty of flavors from which to choose. There are V6 models in both a coupe and convertible configuration, powered by a 3.7-liter DOHC, 24-valve V6 with Ti-VCT and electronic sequential multiport fuel delivery that makes 305 horses along with 280 pound feet of torque. The V6 connects to a six-speed manual gearbox as standard, with an optionally available 5-speed automatic transmission featuring SelectShift manual shift capability. All mustangs are rear-wheel drive. V8 model ‘Stangs come in a variety of models and trims, also available as either a coupe or convertible: First is the Mustang GT with a 5.0-liter four-valve Ti-VCT V8 that delivers 420 horsepower while generating 390 pound feet of torque. Then, there’s the Mustang Boss 302 with a 5.0-liter Ti-VCT V8 that cranks out 444 horsepower and 380 pound feet of torque. How about a 5.4-liter V8 GT 500 with 550 horsepower?

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“Ford Flex for 2013: More to love”

If you happened to be a fan of the first iteration Ford Flex, then you’ll likely be an even bigger fan of the 2013 model, because there’s simply more to love. First off, both the front and rear styling display a bold new look, making the overall appeal of the vehicle even more alluring. The new 7 passenger Flex not only serves up a more captivating styling, it brings to the table a higher level of consumer oriented technology and improved fuel economy, but it delivers modern sophistication as well.

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The horsepower war has turned thermal nuclear as Ford again ups the ante with the Mustang Shelby GT500 convertible with a supercharged 650-hp engine.   The convertible joins the coupe with all the features that make both top models in their small but powerful niche.

“The Shelby GT500 convertible is every bit the performer that the coupe is,” said Kerry Baldori, SVT Global Performance Vehicles chief engineer. “All of the significant changes we made in the program were instrumental in delivering a convertible that could really shine on the track but can still be driven on a daily basis.” Read the rest of this entry »

Ford is trying to put the Ford back into the NASCAR with a new Sprint Cup car that closely resembles the new Ford Fusion.  Over the years, the NASCAR Cup cars have evolved to almost a generic look often with little resemblance to the original car.

There used to be a correlation between race cars and car sales with the idea “win on Sunday, sell on Monday.” Ford is hoping to reinforce that idea with the new design.  Unveiled recently at the Charlotte Motor Speedway the new Fusion was developed by Ford designers in an effort to bring brand identity back to the sport. The result is undeniable with the 2013 Sprint Cup car mirroring the recently unveiled 2013 Ford Fusion production car. Read the rest of this entry »