truth about domestics

According to reports in the latest Automotive News, Lincoln and Mercury products will begin to get smaller and smaller over the next few years to help combat vehicle bloat and improve fuel economy.  Part of the downsizing will start next year as Ford begins bringing over some of its European vehicles like the Ford Fiesta.  Mercury will also be getting its own version of the next generation Focus.  For more details, head on over to Autoblog!

Ford Motor Company has been having one heck of a year.  First they were the only American automaker to not take government assistance.  Then they were the only one to not file for bankruptcy.  Now it’s being announced that they are going to have one of the freshest product lineups in the industry, thanks in part to the launch of 10 new or redesigned vehicles this year.  This includes the new 2010 Ford Taurus, 2010 Lincoln MKT, 4 vehicles with Ecoboost, the new Fusion, Milan and MKZ, and more.

In addition to those vehicles, 5 more will be launched next year.  The new Ford Fiesta being one, a new Focus, an electric version of the Transit Connect van, and a redesigned Super Duty pickup.  For more details, head on over to The Detroit Free Press.

It’s nice to see that Ford hasn’t had to make any changes to its product revamp, and that even in these tough times they can afford to put out some really great products.

Another stunning review for another great Ford product.  The Flex with Ecoboost made a big impression on the Autoblog staff, proving to them the benefits of Ecoboost while towing at altitude, while also showing how the Flex has improved for 2010.  The comments were interesting, but the overall impression is that the Flex is a real contender in the segment.  It provides better fuel efficiency than its SUV based competition, while offering similar gas mileage and better performance than its CUV competition.

Head on over to Autoblog to read the review.

Edmunds Inside Line recently did a comparison test of the brand new 2010 Ford Taurus and a 2009 Honda Accord, and let me begin by stating: what a terrible review! Can you make this shit any more biased? Keep reading to find out why.

The review starts out by listing off the features that each car has and finally naming the price of each vehicle.  The Taurus has loads and loads of features; features that even the reviewer states are simply not available on the Accord.  Those features include massaging seats, a blind spot information system, adaptive cruise control, Sony sound system, optional all-wheel drive and automatic high-beams.  After listing all the features that the Taurus has and the Accord does not, the reviewer says that you can save $3,575 if you go with the Accord. Duh! I wonder why!?  They optioned out the Taurus with items the Accord can only dream of having and then wonder why it’s so expensive.  If you step down into a lower trim level on the Taurus, you still get more features than on the Accord and at a lower price, which would then make the Taurus the better buy, but the author fails to mention that of course!

A little more on the features discussion: the reviewer also states that the Accord has the Acura navigation system that has been stripped of various features!? Why? I don’t know if the reviewers test vehicle had the Ford navigation system, but from what many reviews state, the Ford navigation system is one of the best (if not, the best) in the industry, even amongst luxury brands. It has features like sync, Bluetooth, USB connectivity, etc. Again, word of advice, option the vehicles similarly, and then compare them OBJECTIVELY! That is my understanding of what a proper review should be like.

Oh and lets not forget the section where the author goes on to say that the Taurus rides better, stops shorter, and has a quieter cabin than the Accord, but that’s not important.  What is important to the author is that the radio isn’t pixelated…  If the author had an ounce of sense in his head he would understand why that is.  The Accord had a navigation screen that is LCD based.  The Taurus in this case did not have a navigation system, so it has a standard LED display.  If they had bothered to get cars that were optioned similarly, the Taurus navigation system has a larger LCD screen, looks sharper, and is much more intuitive than that on the Accord.  If I had a nickle for every time the author disregards the Taurus’ strong points, I’d be able to retire.

Here comes the performance comparison. I won’t discuss the exact number here (you can read the review for that), but ultimately, the performance characteristics (times, speeds, etc.) were very similar for both vehicles. The Accord was a little quicker, with a 7.2 second 0-60, compared to Taurus’ 7.8 seconds. But in the end, the reviewer boldly states “it has no hope of catching the Accord.” What!? Clearly, both of these cars are not speed-racers, and I didn’t realize that full-size sedans were designed to be weekend track cars. And if you really wanted to get a performance full-size sedan, you do have the option of getting a 2010 Taurus SHO that has significantly more power, AWD, and ultimately will kill the Accord; but then it wouldn’t be a fair comparison.

Alright, my head is about to explode from all the stupid crap in this review. Long story short, the reviewer found issues with the Taurus and could not leave them alone. Common themes include the weight of the Taurus, the size of the Taurus, the price of the Taurus, the Taurus having too many features, more complaints about the weight of the Taurus, and more complaints about the size of the Taurus. Ultimately, the Accord wins. And not just any Accord, but the “Honda Accord EX-L with Navigation!” BAM! It’s got a navigation system! Game over baby!

Read the full craptastic review at Edmunds.

Peace.

Alex

One of my favorite reads, Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy, provides insight this week into Ford’s approach to electric vehicles.  Instead of putting all their eggs in one basket (i.e. Toyota Prius full hybrids, or series hybrids like the Chevrolet Volt) Ford has decided to use a three-tiered approach.  They will offer full hybrids, plug-in hybrids and full electric vehicles in their showrooms within two years!  For more, read John McElroy’s full article, here.

According to an article on Autobloggreen, a Chevrolet Tahoe hybrid saves more gas than it’s non-hybrid counterpart than a Prius does over say a fuel-efficient Toyota Corolla.  The logic is fairly straight forward, using their example of driving 12,000 miles per year.  In a truck/SUV, going from 12 mpg to 15 mpg yields a reduction in gas usage by 200 gallons per year.  Similarly, going from 21 mpg to 24 mpg saves 71.4 gallons per year.  Sadly, going from 50 to 60 mpg only saves 35 gallons per year.  This means that if more owners of older trucks and SUV’s went out and purchased newer, more fuel efficient models, we’d save more gas than if people went out and bought a bunch of fancy hybrids.

For more, head on over to Autobloggreen!

The Detroit Newshas a picture of a CTS-V coupe mule running around and boy is it exciting!  The coupe has a lot of the same features as the sedan version of the CTS including the mesh grill and wide tires on very sharp looking wheels.  The car is rumored to have the same 556 hp supercharged 6.2L V8 under hood as well.  Here’s to hoping the car sells well enough that I actually get to see one around here!

Steve Saleen’s new company SMS Supercars has just released details on it’s new 2010 460 and 460X Mustangs.  Both cars come with some seriously unique bodywork, as well as power and handling upgrades.  For more, head on over to Autoblog.

General Motors has released photos and official pricing for the 2010 Chevy Camaro Transformers Special Edition.  It’s not a bad looking package, however I am not sure how many Transformers fans there will be waiting in line for this one.  For all of the details, head on over to Autoblog.

Our friends over at American Muscle held a Mustang car show this past Sunday, July 19th to raise money for the charity Homes for our Troops.  The charity works to find homes for disabled veterans and their families after they return from duty.  Over 1,000 Mustang fans were in attendance, as well as some very beautiful Mustang babes.  For a full gallery from the show, click here.

Here’s proof that not only Ford Motor Company and its employees do charity and volunteer work, but fans of it’s products do too!  Way to go guys, can’t wait to see the show next year!