I loved my Mustang, a 1991 LX 5.0 notchback with manual trans and 3.08 rear. Totally stock, but lots of fun to take to Englishtown Raceway Park. My buddy Joe Z and I used to go down a couple of times each year.
My good friend also named Joe and I used to take our Mustangs to Englishtown Raceway Park several times a season just to have fun. My Mustang was bone stock, 5.0 LX Notchback with a 5 spd manual and 3.08 rear gears. And I had thought I lost this video long ago. It's poor quality, but it's
So, I was reading AutoBlog just a while ago and came across an interesting piece refering to a Detroit News article, linked at AutoBlog, and the subject seemed like something I covered a long time ago. Ford's inane naming scheme. You know the whole "F bomb" thing. Which of course I explained long ago wasn't actually limited to F, but E and M and of course now the MK fiasco.I haven't blogged in a while, been busy, but that doesn't mean I haven't been reading about all the new Ford products around the globe. And the more I see what the rest of the world gets, the more I hope that we get it here. Igor, a regular reader and commentor, has said that we should be patient and that he's got word that we will indeed see a new crop of Euro Fords in the North American market, possibly as early as 2010 or 2011. And he seems to be right? Mulally is quoted as saying Ford is going to bring global Ford product here in that timeframe.
Well, I know what I want, I want the Kuga CUV with a Turbo Diesel and 6 speed manual.
I suspect that I'll be among a small group that mourns the passing of the Ford Ranger. But I've been reading lately that 2009 will be the end for the North American Ford Ranger. It's a shame really, but it's not really a surprise. For the last few years Ford North America has let the Ranger become obsolete, not investing anything in the platform, relegating the Ranger to the bargain bin and to fleet sales. Introduced in 1983 as a replacement for their Mazda sourced Courier compact truck, the Ranger went on to be a dominant force in compact pickups, not only here in North America, but around the world. Evolution was slow for the truck, but evolve it did, with gradual improvements across the board, power, comfort and styling, that is until about 2002, when only minor improvements in the cab size and power were the final real changes. It's been mostly trim pieces that have changed since then. I've been a vocal critic of Ford's abandonment of the "Compact" pickup market. But considering that none of these trucks are truly "Compact" any more I can't scream too loudly, nobody really cares. Take a look at Nissan, Toyota, GM and Dodge, their compact, now "Midsize" trucks are huge! I have a 1999 Ford Ranger and I love it, it's not too big, gets moderate fuel economy and can perform any task that the average home owner could expect from their personal truck. It's as comfortable off road as on, in the city as in the country and definitely at the mall or city dump. I can park this truck on Manhattan streets when I go to a Broadway show, or at Home Depot when going to pick up dry wall for endless renovations to our little Cape Cod style house. I did drive the Ranger as my solitary vehicle for several years, to weddings and to funerals and down to the recylce yard and organic dump. But I've been critical of Ford over the last few years and admittedly said that if I was in the market for a new truck the Nissan Frontier would be my choice, because unlike the Ford it has 4 doors, more power and a 6 speed manual trans.
So, as I read the posts at AutoBlog and Jalopnik about the demise of the faithful Ranger, what do I see in comment? People asking if Ford will bring this Australian Falcon Ute here as a replacemnt. Not a chance boys and girls, Ford will abandon this market segment. Besides, as cool as a new Ranchero would seem, a Ranchero isn't a Ranger. A car based pickup is not a truck. Since the Australian Falcon is not easily converted to Left Hand Drive and their Engines have no hopes of passing US Emissions, it's unlikely that Ford will rush them to our shores. 
And if this was available in North America I'd buy one tomorrow. Why, well because it's a great truck, that's why. And it has 4 doors, is available with 2 great Diesel Engines and finally a 6 speed manual transmission. And since I paid $3.40 a gallon for 87 octane gas this morning and we all know it's going go higher, maybe a nice Diesel would make a huge difference.
There had better be something really impressive about the refresh for the 09 Mustang or Ford can be expected to be handed their ass on a platter. It's bad enough that domestic competition is on it's way with the Camaro and Challenger, or that Japanese coupes will erode market share for Mustang, but now Hyundai?!
I was reading AutoBlog and found the story linked in title with pics of the what may be the new RWD coupe coming next year. And you know what? It looks good and if the specs are correct it's better than a Mustang on paper. And probably on the track too. While a V6 Mustang starts at $19k (realy $21K) and has 210 hp, the new Hyundai coupe will start at similar price and have a 2.0 Turbo I-4, making 215 hp! And do you think Hyundai is going to have a solid rear axel? Not a chance, I saw the Genesis concept at the NY show in April, IRS was visible and that's what I've read since. And before you say the Mustang GT has 300 HP in a V8, take a look at the specs for the V6 coupe, 300 hp and the price? Matching the base price of the Mustang GT. And what if Hyundai drops their V8 in the coupe? Well I've read that their V8 is expected to put out 360 hp without a supercharger. And you know one other thing that pisses me off? The Hyundai Coupe concept here has a moonroof, something you can't get on a Mustang. And don't tell me the Mustang comes as a convertible, if I were looking for a coupe, I'd want a moonroof. And you never know, Hyundai could eventually come out with a convertible if they feel the market will bear it. Jesus H Christ! Ford should shit themselves if Hyundai ever tries their hand at a full size truck! No doubt they won't screw it up like Toyota and Nissan did.
And I laughed my ass off the first time I drove a Hyundai back in 87. I was shopping for my first new car and bought a Ford Festiva, because it was better quality and had more equipment. Sure I payed over $1800 more than the Excell's base price, but I knew I was getting a better car. Coincidentally from Korea and actually built by Kia, who Hyundai now owns! Wow, wanted to share this great video from YouTube of Fifth Gear's Tiff having some fun with and giving stunt tips in a Ford Puma! The Puma being one of those cool Euro Fords that we never got here and probably never will. But just ask your self why you'll never see an American TV show giving tips like this. Because every jerk who tried it and then wrecked would get a lawyer and try their hand at the judicial lottery, that's why.
So much to be disapointed about in this video, cars we don't get, information that we couldn't be shown for fear of lawsuits and great television we don't get either. Oh well, at least there's YouTube.
So Ford let a group of Focus enthusiasts from Focaljet.com and Focus Fanatics tour the plant and drive the upcoming 2008 Focus. Not a bad idea, let guys who already love your brand and the model have a peak and get feedback right? But what's the quote I read in the article (linked in title) oh yeah it was "not bad." Wow praise for the faithful! Some of the comments were predicatable like why no SVT version and why kill the hatchback. As one of the young enthusiasts put it "hatchbacks are the minivan" of their generation. Sure they tried to distract the group with the new whiz bang Sync system, but they just weren't buying it. Sure they like the car, it's nice, but it's not exactly what they or I wanted is it. One comment that confused me was "Ford needs to have an SVT and 2.3-liter engine in its plans right now," then I remembered that the 2.3 was only offered in the 4 door ST model recently.
I'm sure the new Focus is a fine car, but really it's not enough. Ford eliminated the 3 and 5 door hatchbacks as well as the station wagon to "simplify the production and lineup" stupid move if you ask these guys and me. While the Focus is a benchmark car around the globe, here in the US it's an also ran. While the rest of the world gets a totally new Focus chassis (including Communist China, Russia and Latin America) we get a refreshed and cropped lineup devoid of what a Focus really was, a great all around useful car which lent itself to easy modification and personalizaion. I wonder if Igor, a regular commentor here, was among this group? Igor who I nearly gave MyFordDreams to, is a sharp character and very active on Foculjet and other enthusiast sites. I've always been impressed with his feedback, he's a real true blue Ford guy. I'd like to hear his take on this... Igor you reading this? 
Hybrids, they're great for some folks. Mostly people living in or around major urban centers. But I've never really been convinced that they're a long term answer. In my last post on the Volvo ReCharge Plug In Hybrid Concept, one commentor says that I seemed bitter. Well I wouldn't go that far, let's just say I'm not a fan. I'm actually one of the few people I know that could benefit from a Hybrid, as the majority of my driving is "City" traffic at lower speeds, and that's where Hybrids shine. Although Al Gore's kid did recently prove that a Prius can top the century mark on the highway. But let's think about Hybrids seriously. For people that do long commutes they don't make as much sense. The Highway MPG is good, but not stellar for the added cost of a Hybrid. Hybrids cost more than comperable vehicles to build, purchase and maintane. And then there's the question about life of the vehicle and what happens at the end. Hybrids are new technology, they have more computer controls than a conevetional Internal Combustion Engine vehicle. So over the useful life of a Hybrid can we expect more service problems? And where will you have it service? And what about when the car is wrecked or just met it's end, then needs to go bye bye? Will there be environmental issues with the batteries? Who covers that expense if there are?
Hybrids are nice and they make us feel good, but what's a better solution? Diesels! I've said it before and I'll say it again. Ask yourself why in Europe and the UK Diesels acount for about 50% of the market. It's because they get 15-20 % better fuel economy. But Diesel emissions smell right? Well yes and no, but we'll come back to that. Diesels make more sense for rural/suburban drivers than Hybrids and don't have those nagging service/end of life issues. Diesels do cost more than gasoline versions, so there is a price penalty to get into one, but they last longer too. Stricly speaking money spent on a Diesel vehicle is money well spent. We've all hear of those Volvos/Mercedes that the town doctor or banker has been driving for the last 20 years, well more than likely a Diesel.
I've always been a fence sitter on Hybrids, convinced they're really only useful for Urban residents. And as for Plug-In Hybrids, I'm not a fan. But Environmentalists and Hybrid fans have been clamoring for them. And Volvo wants to make them happy with their latest concept the ReCharge. Linked in the title is the story over at Jalopnik.
Here you have it, Combustion Engine (this one a Flex Fuel version) Electric Motors and Batteries. And for those unhappy Prius/Escape owners who want a plug, there's one of those as well. The idea being that for the first 100 kilometers you don't need to rely on anything but Electric. A neat idea if you're not Al Gore's kid or living outside any city, but how practical would it be in the real world?
The ReCharge has the advantage of being based on the C30 (Mazda3/Ford Focus) chassis, so development costs could be lower than something built from scrap. And since the Ford Escape Hybrid has technology that's already being developed for Fusion/Milan/Mazda6 chassis, I'm sure some things could translate easily enough. Transmission, Batteries and charging system I would guess, as well as computer controls. 
I cam across the pics of the new Mazda 6 at Jalopnik (link in title) and they're close to CGIs that had been online in the past. The Mazda 6 had always been a nice looking car, despite the criticism from Jeremy Clarkson on BBC's Top Gear. But the new 6 is a real improvement on an already nice car. I'd read and heard from Igor that the new Mazda6 would share DNA with Ford or Europe's Mondeo.
And I can see the family resemblance. Here is the 5 door Mondeo. You can see roofline and beltline similarities as well as the rear wheel arch. Word is that the next Fusion, which is Mazda 6 based will also benefit from the Mondeo's styling/chassis. For my ears that's good news.
The Mazda 6 like the Mondeo comes in 4 and 5 door as well as a handsome wagon. Right now the Fusion only comes in a 4 door version. No word on whether we can ever expect a 5 door or wagon. With Ford's push of CUV and SUV it seems unlikely to me. Toyota long ago dropped their Camry wagon, as did Honda the Accord wagon, so unlike Europe, a wagon variant isn't as important. It's a shame, but I think I'm in the minority there. 
I saw this on Jalopnik and can't tell you all the ways this gets me excited!
While there's been attention given to the new Verve concpet and for good reason, I missed any news about Ford Europe's other mini car, the Ka.
But I clicked on over to Car Scoop and caught David's post on the new Ka. 
I like it! Why can't we get something like this?
I'm a Ford guy, no doubt about it, but it's tough sometimes to be a Ford fanatic. I've owned quite a few Fords over the years and still have my Ranger. I love my Ranger, it's a great truck, but if I was going out to buy a replacement I'm not sure it would be a Ford. And that's not good for Ford, not good at all. Every company wants new customers, ones that haven't purchased their brand before, but in reality they rely heavily on repeat customers. When I bought my Ranger, it compared favorably to what was available on the market. Power was a little less and while others were growing and being re-designed Rangers had not had a major redesign and to be honest still haven't. But today the power is not competative and comparable models have been re-designed even further. To say the Ranger hasn't been re-designed isn't totally acurate either, obviously the rest of the world has a totally new Ranger with 2 great Diesel powerplants. And as I've said in the past, if I was in the market today the Nissan Frontier would be my choice, because of the powerful V6 and the 6 speed manual transmission. 
Wow, that hurt to say, but it's true. I mean, I LOVE Ford! And I won't buy a new Ranger?
And I drove to the track too! This picture was taken by my friend as we were heading towards Englishtown Raceway Park for a Mustang event. This was as I passed them at over 100 mph!
I say again, I'm a huge Ford fan, really it's true. Despite some of the harsh things I've said in the past. But maybe Ford needs to listen to their fans? I'm going to list my Fords over the years for you so you can see I'm true blue. Starting with a 67 Ford Fairlane Wagon, 79 Pinto sedan, 78 Thunderbird (pictured here in the staging lanes at Englishtown) 77 Lincoln Versailes, 88 Festiva, 91 Mustang (above photos) 92 Crown Victoria, 93 Taurus SHO and 99 Ranger.
But there are Fords out there that I would buy, just not here in the US. How about the Focus the rest of the world gets? How about the Fiesta or Mondeo? How about the Galaxy or SMax?
The Iosis concept! The showpiece of "Kinetic" design for Ford of Europe! This is where Ford should have gone for their North American designs, not the "Taurus/500". Not DAVE
And even the "lowly" Fiesta is going to be a real hottie.
I found this amazing, I posted a video in June from YouTube of TopGear's review of Focus ST and look at the traffic spike!! I have to admit that I'm also amazed at the traffic level for the months where I posted nothing at all?? 
