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Showing content with the highest reputation since 01/15/2024 in all areas

  1. Forget all the other lists you see online about vehicle expenses. Here's the answer for so many consumers!
    11 points
  2. So I took the delivery of my silver radiance '24 Nautilus reserve hybrid in December last year and just hit 1500 miles on it. I was too lazy to write review but then I saw Gurgeh's great review in another post, I decide to offer my two cents? The '24 Nautilus is my second Ford vehicle, last one been a '06 Mondeo made by Ford China's Chongqing plant which was a mixed bag. The first thing I noticed is the great improvement in build quality. The Mondeo was mediocre at best while the Nautilus' body and interior panels are almost perfectly aligned. A few( ~15) out of the owners‘ group I was at that has 400+ members now claim that the sensors behind steering wheel are slightly inclined but other than that, I don't see much complaints. Kudos to Ford China for making huge progress in the last 20 years! Luckily my neighbor owns a '21 2.7 v6 Nautilus so I can switch and compare with mine. Both our cars have 21 inch wheels but mine has 255/50 tire while my neighbor's has 265/40 tire which is more sport oriented and frigile. I'm quite happy with this change as the new tires are less vunerable to potholes? Theoretically, thicker tires make the ride less bumpy but I feel the difference is negligible. Acceleration wise, my hybrid is just a tiny bit slower than the v6 when doing 0-60, like 7 sec. vs 6.5 sec. BUT when doing 0-40, the hybrid feels quickerdue to the electric motor. Also the hybrid is extremely smooth as the e-cvt doesn't have any gear. Steering is typical Ford - light and 'loose' during low speed which I personally don't like. Suspension is now made of steel instead of aluminum but still filrt the bumps and shocks pretty well. A perfect example of American land yacht. Interior space is HUUUUGE. Blows every single competitor in the same class out of water. I set my seat pass the B pillar and there's still plenty of leg room in the back for a 5'11 adult male. The trunk is massive as well and mine comes with a spare tire which is always a plus. The back seats are also adjustable and are long enough to hold my leg. I get over the lack of physical buttons pretty quick, but still think Ford should have keep the buttons for AC adjustment. The left side buttons on steering wheel are for the Blue Cruise and the right side ones are for music, volume and voice command. The belt screen allows my wife to watch movies while driving and the sound come through her headphone and don't interfere with music . It's a must have for me now? As for fuel consumption. CIty mpg is around 25~28 depending on the traffic and high way mpg is around 35. The highest mpg I achieved is 42 crusing at 40 mph.
    11 points
  3. Ugh. You can’t dictate quality. Quality is the result of processes in all areas of design and engineering and manufacturing being quality focused and which are constantly tweaked based on root cause analysis and implementing irreversible corrective actions. And tying compensation to meeting those goals.
    10 points
  4. How about don’t walk in the road when cars are coming, and you don’t get hit by one
    10 points
  5. I’m ok with this. The federal government has already spent waaaay too much on charging infrastructure with nothing to show for it. Leave it to the states and/or the private sector. Tesla has already proven they’re way more effective at it than the government.
    9 points
  6. Most of what he says is posturing or negotiating and doesn’t mean it will happen. He’ll use those threats to get something else, I agree with dumping the tax credit, it’s no longer needed.
    9 points
  7. Doing my part-wife is trading in her 2017 Escape for a 2024 Bronco Sport Big Bend
    9 points
  8. We moved to a new server today - we'll be upgrading the site sometime later this week or next week.
    9 points
  9. I took delivery of my Black Label hybrid 2024 Nautilus yesterday. I'll probably do a more complete post on it later, but thought I would drop in here my impressions on how the hybrid drives. In short, it gives a truly impressive driving experience. In my view, it is so much better than the base 2.0 I4 turbo (which itself drives quite nicely) that I can't imagine anyone foregoing the modest $1,500 cost of the option, which can be chosen along with any other trim or option package. Ford wisely left the power train upgrade option on its own -- you aren't forced to combine it with anything else. I am coming from a 2019 Black Label with the lovely 2.7 twin turbo V6. I have enjoyed that nearly trouble-free vehicle for the last 5 years and thought the 2.7 V6 ecoboost couldn't be beat by the new hybrid. I was wrong. On paper, the 2.7 has more power and more torque. In the real world in which we actually drive, this unique new hybrid system delivers its power and torque in a way that makes the 2.7 feel, frankly, a little clunky and less powerful (even though, obviously, it isn't). This is the first hybrid vehicle I have driven or owned, but I think it all comes down to the way this particular hybrid set-up combines a more powerful ICE engine with an improved e-CVT. As you work your way through the gears in a standard transmission there is a certain sweet spot in any given gear. RPMs below that spot in that gear can make power feel a little sluggish and the torque just beyond reach. Above that level the engine can feel whiney, that it is overworking and really wants to be some other place. Now imagine if you had a transmission where you were never switching gears and where you were driving all the time in that specific sweet spot. The torque is always perfectly available and the power is always at its optimal point. That's what you get with this new hybrid configuration. You get terrific torque and power for a quick start and also for fast passing at highway speeds. But the improved driving feeling is due to more than just having a(n) (electronic) Continuously Variable Transmission. The ecoboost ICE engine and the electric motor pair together seamlessly, providing a driving feeling that is greater than the sum of its two parts. From start, you begin with the instant torque of the electric motor but then the ecoboost soon engages to keep the smooth and linear power surge going. If you didn't have an indicator on the dash showing when you are in electric-only or combined mode you would rarely notice the frequent movement between the two modes. The engine is so quiet when you are driving it can be difficult to tell when it is on -- this is particularly so since you never feel any shifting gears. So, after having driven MKXs/Nautilus in their four power train configurations -- the new hybrid configuration, the 2.7 ecoboost V6, the 2.0 turbo I4, and the older MKX base naturally aspirated V6 -- I would rate the driving experience of those four power trains in that order, though none of them were bad. I should probably just leave my initial driving impression at that, but there are a couple more things about the new Nautilus that are worth mentioning, purely from a driving standpoint. The vehicle feels lighter and more nimble, the suspension simultaneously more comfortable and responsive. I reluctantly went with the 22" wheels because, frankly, I had to if I wanted a Black Label (which I very much wanted for the improved interior materials and especially improved seating surface which makes the upgrade seats the most comfortable seats I've ever driven in). But the drive quality on those 22" wheels are actually better than on the 21" wheels from my outgoing 2019 Nautilus. I looked at the two vehicles side-by-side when I took in my 2019 to trade in and was surprised that the 22" wheels looked like they had more rubber than my old 21" wheels. The overall rim/tire combination on the new Nautilus appears higher than on the previous generation Nautilus, allowing for more rubber, though maybe it is just an optical illusion and maybe the improved drive quality all comes from an improved adaptive suspension. Don't know, but this is definitely the best quality ride of any vehicle I've ever owned. It obviously doesn't handle like a mustang, but it is a Lincoln and that is not what the brand is all about. That said, given the physics of a tall mid-sized crossover the handling was not bad. I have some nitpicks with the new Nautilus (I mean, who came up with the idea of removing the bottle slot from the door storage area?), but I'm putting those aside for now until I'm ready to do a more complete review of the vehicle.
    9 points
  10. 9 points
  11. Not completely true. My wife nicknamed her 2020 Escape Karen. She could be a real b*$ch with all her sensors going off when there appeared to be no need! LOL!
    9 points
  12. Well, we pulled trigger over the weekend. I've been drooling over the Bronco since it came out, and this weekend, we were finally able to pull the trigger on one. I wanted to order one, but missed the boat for a V6 2-door (I don't want a Stroppe edition), so I've been looking pretty regularly the past couple months and had my eye on one at the dealer an hour away. Well, the rebates were good($3500...went up $1k on Thursday, the day I called about it), and the deal was decent, so we went to look. We brought it home for the night and my wife drove it home because she doesn't like driving my truck (I wasn't about to leave it at the dealership). Well, that was a mistake, because now, instead of buying me a Bronco, apparently I've bought her a Bronco that I get to drive sometimes. LOL. Now we've got two horses in the stable, and my Super Duty has been pushed to the basement garage to be relegated to trailer-towing duty. First mod will be mud flaps (ordered before we even signed the papers lol). We've got a 1/4 mile gravel driveway, and this thing throws rocks like crazy! It's already got rock chips with just over 200 miles on it. So, we just drive through the field instead of down the driveway until the mud flaps arrive.
    8 points
  13. If I said something like that publicly I would probably be fired. The double standard is ridiculous.
    8 points
  14. I totally agree and that’s why a lot of people at OAC were pissed off that ford killed the edge and nautilus there when they could’ve went hybrid earlier. Most of the people at the plant were wondering why ford didn’t go hybrid route first. It amazes me that people who aren’t corporate have more sense than these bigshots at times it seems
    8 points
  15. Crazy.....but I'm also sure this plan will change again in a few weeks, as is Ford's typical MO.
    8 points
  16. “Active” is a stupid name for the lowest trim level.
    8 points
  17. I'm convinced Ford doesn't know how to make final decisions anymore. With their planning abilities these last few years, they'll cancel it, then revive it, then call it their most important product, then cancel it again and deny it ever existed.
    8 points
  18. For the record, I’m not against unions. I’m against union tactics like strikes just to get more compensation - especially when it’s significantly higher than the rest of the market. It puts employers at a competitive disadvantage and it absolutely drives business to other states and countries. And it protects bad employees and stifles productivity. I’ve seen it first hand. I believe an employer has the right to determine employee pay. Period. If you don’t like the pay or benefits then go find another job.
    8 points
  19. Nearly a decade late to this one, but that striking gentleman is my Great Great Grandfather. Stumbling across this made my day, thanks!
    8 points
  20. Happy wife, happy life! Thanks for your contribution to the build. HRG
    8 points
  21. Blink twice if a recently banned EV obsessed commenter is holding you against your will.
    8 points
  22. Please.....this is Ford we're talking about. This plan will be cancelled, coming out next week, pushed back to 2050, and out in 3 months by next week.....
    8 points
  23. Oh you mean the way Japan has been doing it for over 50 years. What a concept. Good to see he recognizes lack of engineering talent as a big contributor.
    8 points
  24. I love it when people castigate the CEOs for their pay. Im relatively certain that you would switch jobs with the CEO if you could to receive that pay. Maybe not though, considering they’re responsible for the entire company, and whether it goes in the right direction, or the wrong direction and implications of those decisions. CEO gets paid with the market will bear for that type of position. If you don’t like it, go put yourself in a position to become a CEO. I respect anybody willing to work from the janitor to the CEO, but people make choices that put them in a position to work a given job. Some people have an easier time making those choices based on their life circumstances, but that’s life and sometimes you have to work harder than others to put yourself in the best position.
    8 points
  25. Farley needs to go. Why should Ford cede a massive amount of market share to foreign brands that will only continue to edge into Ford's "non-boring" vehicle segments? Look at the Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride. Hyundai and Kia can upsell those more premium products to their prior Sonata buyers, this Soul buyers, their Forte buyers, etc. Ford is going to have a hard time peeling buyers like this away when they're in the news for recall after recall rather than building quality products. It's hard to get buyers in the showroom to buy your "premium" products when you have a bad reputation for reliability (warranted or not).
    8 points
  26. 2022 FORD Bronco Sport Outer Banks - Badge
    8 points
  27. https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/ford-ordered-pay-25b-georgia-family-after-couple-killed-rollover-crash/ZWPLZ3UO35G5LLLTK5OSOR6HMA/?utm_campaign=trueAnthem_manual&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3U-M8ODUSY2NUwEB-Ztqq2BpcbTc4TJB0S_Qu-7VDTK1U1G18_1LVPkoc_aem_Cmxym6asJdX85o6r9IZAxQ# Jury orders Ford to pay 2.5B to family of a couple who wrecked their 2015 F250 resulting in death from the roof collapsing. They left the road and hit a drainage culvert launching the vehicle 81 feet in the air. Nothing short of a roll cage would have helped in that case. This is almost as stupid as the award for the Explorer guy driving drunk with no seatbelts leaving the road, overcorrecting and rolling it, being ejected and killed. They argued Ford should have used safety glass which would have kept him inside the vehicle. We desperately need tort reform. These verdicts and awards are outrageous.
    7 points
  28. To be fair, that was from August.....Ford's plan has likely changed at least 3 times since then lol.
    7 points
  29. The big drop in Explorer is concerning. Hyundai Palisades came out after the current Explorer and there is already a new gen which will be on sale in a few months time. The speed at which competitors are moving in this segment really reminds me of the final decade of Taurus when Ford just couldn't keep up and can only chase fleet sales.
    7 points
  30. Farley made it clear that Mustang is competing as a global sports car not just an American pony car. Sales don’t matter too much because it’s a Ford icon. V6s used to fill in the big performance gap between 4 and 8 cylinder engines. The 2.3eb IS the 6 cylinder of old. In fact it has more power than the old 4.6l v8 cobra mustang engine. A naturally aspirated I6 wouldn’t move the needle and a turbo I6 would be redundant with the coyote. It’s the answer to a question nobody is asking.
    7 points
  31. It's one thing to drive a competitor's product, it's another to state publicly that you don't want to give it up. Too much information shared that shouldn't.
    7 points
  32. https://www.iihs.org/news/detail/redesigned-lincoln-nautilus-lands-highest-iihs-accolade?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR38918cDLngYUbPqI40uqdDWB7Tfbdoyi90lYoNutaS0Rf8JQfKt6Q6Hq0_aem_AZFPwORroao3M4Oi_0tiXb1N21vu0f37IpRYba0Tq8lHNHuGTVBeDgkSCzh6o0jna2CJ0XBn2I2jP7z6DsW4jttp And 2 years from now they’ll change the test and declare it a death trap.
    7 points
  33. Received our 2025 Explorer. Really like it. The interior upgrades are very impressive. The Mohave Dusk interior color is very classy. It is a Platinum, bench seat middle row, 2.3L. Matt
    7 points
  34. 7 points
  35. They also don’t care if what they want to do actually works. What matters is they can say they did something and feel good about it and pat themselves on the back. Same applies to a lot of social issues like banning assault weapons.
    7 points
  36. Exclusive drone shot of the prototype T3 testing over the Product Development Center in Dearborn, MI. It should be noted that the Tesla Cybertruck does not have a porch.
    7 points
  37. Who'd have thought that lowering the price would spur sales? Lol.
    7 points
  38. I’ve always felt his info was true - at some point and/or that pieces of his info were true, but perhaps the pieces were put together wrong. i don’t think he’s ever made things up just to be “the source.” but what I think happens is that plans change since he got the info (we know how Ford likes to take a “spin the wheel” approach daily with its plans), so that by the time he shares it, the info - or at least parts of it - become outdated, OR that he misinterprets some things, that then result in speculation that winds up being off. The problem was he viewed his info - and perhaps more importantly, his interpretation of that info - as absolute gospel. If he were here and we for example pointed out that contractors are there now (as some have above), so his timeline doesn’t make the most sense, and that maybe some bits and pieces of what he shared may have gotten crossed up which then paint a slightly different picture than reality, he’d have gone on a tirade that none of us know what we’re talking about, his info is the only correct info, everything else is wrong.
    7 points
  39. His opinions weren’t interesting they were downright irritating because he continually ignored facts. He was just as bad as the anti-EV zealots you mention although there are only a couple of those. The rest of us are just realists and it turns out we were right all along about EV adoption taking longer and reaching a plateau and about autonomous cars not being viable.
    7 points
  40. Hey guys, just took delivery of my brand new cybertruck. As you can see, there are some small signs of wear, but Elon assured me this is normal.
    7 points
  41. What enabled those concessions back in the 70s and 80s is that the UAW built about 90% of the vehicles sold in the U.S., so it didn’t really matter how much labor cost as long as it cost the same for the big 3. You just raise prices across the board. But then the imports came and then they built plants here and now we have a global economy and you can’t just raise prices because the competition has cheaper labor. Current union leaders (or whoever is really pulling the strings) believes that raising UAW wages will make it easier to organize the transplants. It won’t, because those folks are very happy with what they have now and I’m sure their mgt has told them that without the union they’ll sell a lot more vehicles and create even more jobs, which is most likely true. A good union leader would go to Ford and say how can we keep the jobs we have and create more jobs? Then get as much as possible within that framework. And I believe Ford would go a little above and beyond to make that happen. But that’s off the table now. .
    7 points
  42. It looks like the infamous "commodity vehicles" saved the day sales wise, while the "passion" vehicles took a nose dive (the Mach-e especially, dang...). This is just one month, but it is emblematic of why I am so nervous about Ford retracting from so many vehicle segments. Cutting your lineup down to high ATP, somewhat niche vehicles without having some "bread and butter" models in-between makes them very vulnerable to fads and swift market changes. Look at how quickly the Mach-e went from being Ford's pride and joy to Ford pushing them into rental fleets.
    7 points
  43. Finally saw my first Cybertruck in the wild.
    7 points
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