truth about domestics

Ford seemed to have a hit on their hands with the 2010 Fusion ads that claimed, “We speak car.”  Well the Fusion is selling at record levels compared to last years numbers, so now the push begins to sell the brand new 2010 Taurus and its sporty, Ecoboost equipped sibling, the Taurus SHO.  The ads focus mostly on the technological goodies that are packed into the Taurus, as well as items not found anywhere else like SYNC.  For all of the details, as well as the comparison graphics, head on over to Jalopnik.

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.

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

Earl Lucas held an important role in designing the new Ford Taurus. He originally wanted to design jewelry, started out designing jets for Gulfstream, and ended up designing the new Taurus. Pretty sweet! Check out the full article at the Detroit Free Press.

Ford CEO Alan “the Man” Mulally was recently quoted as saying that Ford plans to “[increase] production to support the desirability of Ford products.”  What??  In this economy?  What great news!  Part of the reason for this could be the onslaught of new vehicles being released by Ford this year, including the 2010 Ford Fusion and Fusion Hybrid which both lead their class in fuel economy.  Or the 2010 Mustang which is priced lower than both it’s domestic and foreign competition while still maintaining quality leadership.  Perhaps it’s the new 2010 Taurus, or the EcoBoost SHO version, or the EcoBoost 2010 Lincoln MKT and MKS?  Whatever the reason, I’m glad to hear some more positive news on this last weekend of the first half of the year!

Head over to Autoblog for more details!

The folks over at Edmunds have had the opportunity to drive the new 2010 Ford Taurus and it’s SHO sibling and have returned with some fairly positive news.  My favorite line of the entire review is as follows:

“Still, what we’ve seen so far makes us certain that the 2010 Ford Taurus SHO is by far the best SHO to date, and it seems to be yet another sign that Ford has its act together.”

If you haven’t seen the car, I suggest you take the time to browse the gallery over at Inside Line and read the review.

All I can say is…awesome!  The new EcoBoost V6 in the Taurus SHO produces 365 hp and 350 lb-ft of torque.  That’s pretty insane considering it’s only a 3.5L engine.  It looks even more impressive when it’s a bunch of neatly laid parts.  Head on over to Jalopnik for a high res image.

While the current Ford Taurus is a solid vehicle, it’s not much to look at in terms of style.  That will change when the 2010 Taurus hits the market.  The new design is a complete departure from the previous Five Hundred/Taurus design and it shows.  Esquire magazine liked the redesign so much that they named the 2010 Taurus SHO it’s Car of the Year.

Sure the Taurus isn’t out yet but it’s already getting rave reviews from magazines like Esquire and others.  For more details, and Ford’s full official press release, head on over to Autoblog.

2010 Ford Fusion hybrid (Ford)

Thanks to one of TAD’s friends, Mark, we have this article on the Ford Fusion hybrid.  Ford put together a team of drivers to see just how far a Fusion hybrid can go on a single tank of gas.  Drivers included NASCAR star Carl Edwards, high-mileage star Wayne Gerdes, and several Ford engineers.  The team drove for more than 69 continuous hours before finally rolling to a stop with the odometer reading 1,445.7 miles.  This brought the team to an average of 81.5 mpg, which is a new world record for gasoline-powered, mid-size sedans.  For the full story, head on over to PRNewsWire.

Ford's former Atlanta Assembly (Autoblog)

Ford sold it’s Atlanta Assembly plant to Jacoby Development in June 2008 and demolition began last August.  Autoblog reader Drachen sent in images of the final section of the building to be torn down, the main assembly building.  The plant had been building cars for over 60 years when it was finally shut down in late 2006.  It is sad to think about all of the history there, but hopefully the land will be converted into some new developments that will generate jobs for the area to help replace the ones lost when the plant closed.  Not to mention the stunning new Taurus already has a new home anyway, at the Chicago Assembly plant.  For the details and more pics, head on over to Autoblog.