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Automotive News & Views What about the future of Ford Inc?? 
1858 messages, Last post on Oct 16, 2006 at 6:25 AM
You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
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Replying to: carguy58 (Oct 20, 2005 9:38 am) I agree that Ford benefits from mazda.. I thin kthey are smart in doing so without killing the mazda spirit. However, I am upset that the only way for Ford to sell cars to average joe is to be CHEAPER AND BETTER than Honda.. and that is a market distortion.. Igor
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Replying to: igor2 (Oct 20, 2005 10:10 am) While I've always been a Ford fan, I don't know of one car Ford has had until the Fusion that was even close to a comparable Honda, and it remains to be seen how good the Fusion is. Thank God the Taurus is gone. My wife has an '03 (company car) and while it is reliable it is a POS in every other area. Rattles, gutless v6, horrible trans shift quality, and an overall feeling of cheapness, it gets replaced in a few months, I hope it's not another Taurus. Ford let this car die on the vine and it should have been updated or replaced about 2-3 years ago. The fact that Ford still keeps the Vulcan 3.0 around makes me almost ashamed to be a Ford fan. An Accord with a 4cyl feels like a rocket compared to a Taurus with the Vulcan which is lucky to get 25mpg. I find the 500 disappointing, sure it's on a good platform, but it sorely needs a better powerplant to be considered among the top sedans in its price range. The Duratec 3.0 isn't impressive and even adding VVT it still won't match the Honda in terms of power and refinement. Honda's 3.0l v6 is very impressive and for '06 the freshened Accord sedan will offer the v6 with a 6 speed manual. Mazda has always made impressive engines. I wish Ford would let Mazda develop Ford's v6s instead of the other way around. The best thing Ford ever did was use Mazda sourced 4 cylinders. |
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Replying to: igor2 (Oct 20, 2005 10:10 am) |
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the mainstream cars might last forever, but I can't stand the lack of driving dynamics. They almost make a Buick seem like the driver is involved. Also not impressed with the insides of a Camry (layout, seat comfort, ergonomics n general). Same with the Corolla, which has a very uncomfortable driving position. To be fair, I actually own a Toyota (ok, a Scion tC), which even though it has the same engine as a Camry, feels like a polar oposite car. I do like the Accord quite a bit though, and seriously considered buying one (stickshift only, please). That's why the Fusion interested me. I like the Mazda 6, but found the seats to be uncomfortable, otherwise I probably would have bought one, plus it had some headroom issues. Both things the Fusion cured.
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Replying to: varmint (Oct 20, 2005 8:59 am)  .
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Replying to: carguy58 (Oct 20, 2005 9:31 am) Other than the optional engine in the 4WD - what's changed with the Escalade? The Navigator is more substance, less bling, that's true.
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Replying to: jefferyg (Oct 19, 2005 8:37 pm)
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Ford has product issues but still is in better shape going forward than GM. At least Ford has a good 4 cylinder mid-sized sedan coming in the Fusion/Milan/Zephr line, unlike GM's bland Chevy Malibu or somewhat better Pontiac G6. The fuel costs are now on everyone's mind, even if prices continue to moderate, the era of the big gas hogs is over (thankfully!). I have had great Ford Tauruses over the years (just sold my '94 GL, great service!), now have my second Ford Windstar (a 2000, almost no problems) but my '98 Volvo is just too maintenance intensive to keep much longer. Wasn't going to consider domestic, but now that Ford is coming back to good midsize cars, I will probably go with them. Ford needs (like GM and maybe D-C), to get their products more aligned with reality- no more Expedition/Explorer situations where they depend on regular people to drive fully featured commercial vehicles- at least not in great numbers. Feel sorry for the people that did buy those models in the last year- big payments, big fuel costs, horrible resale values.
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Replying to: chuck1959 (Oct 20, 2005 10:23 pm) But what do they all have in common? They're marketed to young people. I think the issue isn't that two door cars won't sell, but rather that they won't sell to certain demographics. That's why the Charger is a four-door...people old enough to remember the originals, and old enough to actually be able to afford them need the space and utility of a sedan at this point in their lives, and would be less likely to buy a coupe Charger (as cool as many of them undoubtably think that would be...) And in any event, a Mercury Cougar based on a Mustang platform would probably just steal certain Mustang sales...so the overall demand would likely just stay the same I'd bet.
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Replying to: john_324 (Oct 21, 2005 5:49 am)
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