ANTAUS

Being in FL I haven't experienced that specific senario though But yes, those little details do help. Mine has 3 jets from the cowl area, this makes up for the "wide pattern" that the usual 2 hood mounted usually have. In fact, it covers pretty much every corner of the windshield. One of those pleasant surprises actually compared to many other vehicles. If they wish to do a "Winter Pkg" where they include that, heated steering wheel, heated seats, etc. it would be a great idea. I would welcome a "Summer pkg" that would include some sort of cabin ventilator while the vehicle is parked.

Now you see why I moved out of Miami LOL It's ranked #1 in rudest drivers, and 3rd in worst traffic. It's to be expected, many people there were riding horses in their former country, not cars. Usually when someone would cut me off, well, I would return the favor and actually throw my car onto their lane forcing them into the emergency lane. Damn, driving there was such a fun sport actually. I quite miss it being here in Orlando.

MY LS has them on the cowl as well. I always found the hood mounted ones pointless. Nothing but a stupid speedbump when your waxing the car, and something that would appeal to the ghettoboy crowd if they are wanting to decorated it with cute little lights. I dont see any benefit from hood mounted ones actually, than making it easier to install/replace for manufacturers.

I agree, I have said that for years. If Volvo supposedly appeals to safety conscience families, then what better offering than a minivan...one you can flip and not have it's roof crushed in as the XC90. And sure, it's going to cost a bit, but it would work.

LINK-Edmunds.com

At least it looks different, rather than the Challenger which looks like they used the old body molds lol Although I agree, it looks like it's smiling at me, but with invertred eyebrows, and buck teeth...kinda like a devilish pre-teen boy in heat.

Looks like Porky Pig with a nose ring on his snout lol

I know 2 people who have had issues getting their Kia/Hyundai serviced. They say they are covered for 5/60K yet, it's very hard for them to get anything fixed, and mostly ends up as being patched up jobs. But it'll still be awhile before this hits the media...takes a few years though...

LINK-Ford Media

We've witnessed what happens when Ford introduces a half assed idea.... The Focus americanized...The 500/FS with yestur-year engines. So in this case, maybe waiting might not be an idea. I think we all can agree that we need it NOW, but considering the past...maybe waiting a little might not be a bad thing.

LINK-Detroit News

I remember that concept actually, but if produced, it would probably sticker around $25-30K. That's one of the issue with the Ridgeline, for what it is. And since it's much more complex than BOF, then not much profits at that. People would choose a Sport Trac, or F-150 at that price. The only business cause I would see on this concept would be that it wouldn't require that much tooling to produce, and considering gas prices will continue to rise, this would give them an option.

Actually the Probe sold very well at that time, coupled with the Mazda MX6...Ford at that time, and even now, sold the most "coupes" of any other manufacturer. The 2nd generation Probe debuted in 93, sold better obviously. The Duratec 2.5L and 2.0L were good "sophisticated" engines for their time. Ford decided to kill the Probe/MX-6 for various reasons. One of them, were the high claims of warranty repair compared to the Mustang which had generation of tweaking/fine tuning considering it's simple architecture. Also, in 1997/98, I believe was the year that federal mandate required a standard passenger airbag. Instead of Ford retrofitting it (seeing they knew this years ago), they phased out those cars, along with the Aspire, Aerostar, etc. and Focus more attention on the Mustang. Tbird/Cougar/Mark8 was also shot off during that time. Also, the coupe segment has dropped quite a bit from that time. It's only now that you see a little resurgence, and some state it's because of the empty nesters who want a coupe. Hence, possible Fusion Coupe....

It's the Volvo 2.5L Turbo I-5...EU Ford is now using it on a few Ford branded vehicles. While Volvo will start phasing in the 3.2L I-6...Ford is getting the left overs.

My thoughts...

Or a Turbocharged 3.5L V6 making 350HP ? Rather than a 4.4L V8 with 315HP ?

This is nothing more than an ephiphany... Ford may sell Volvo, Ford may Sell Mazda, Ford may go backrupt, Ford MAY MAY MAY... There's nothing to verify or justify rather, it's just "May". In the lines of "What If". Funny how one story, is now going to get the medias panties up in a roar.

LINK-Autospies.com

And another point to take into consideration. When the Big3 had reliability issues in the 70's and 80s, there really wasn't a benchmark, or some set of standards that would indicate how reliable a brand was. At that time, S--t happened and you deal with it because that is, what it was. It wasn't till Toyota and Honda set such standards, that made reliability a focus for the Big3...Specially when they started seeing customers deflect to foreign brands. One Detroit start improving the issue, you might say they have lost numerous customers that will take some time to regain, and possibly (considering how hard they were burned) might never come back. In Toyota's case, which I have stated before... as a manufacturer gets bigger, the problems will be bigger. They won't be immune to this issue. It's better to have slower sustained growth, than rapid all out growth.

That sums it up well. Unfortunately the media, as well as consumers, will only take note when they see/hear about new vehicles being launches. It stirs up some interest on the brand, and gets people into the showroom. Unfortunatelyh the Edge/MkX isn't enough for now. Ford needs to have a constant cycle where 4-5 new vehicles are being introduced/refreshened at a yearly rate. Nissan is facing a similar issue with declining sales, because it's main sellers Altima/Sentra/Maxima, are in their last year of their product cycle. And following their 4-5 year redesign philosophy, this cycle has occured for over a decade. Same occurs with VW...their sales slump for awhile, because the Passat and Jetta's introductions are done at the same time...

If you look at the Windstar/Freestar, in it's time and era, it was actually good looking for what it was. Just read the lines around the car, they were nicely integrated, and in harmony. It's just now minivans have taken more of a styling emphansize, as it has been in Europe for awhile. Although risky considering the Quest as one example. The S-Max does look a bit attractive in a sport way, although that "A" Pillar window reminds me of the Aerostar. I just have a beef with those types of senseless pieces of glass. If you look at the rest of that car and remove some of the styling elements, it's really pretty basic and plain. My main beef with the Wind/Freestar were the lack of reliability, the OHV engines, and crappy transmissions. Ford last attempt sharpened up the quality and styling a bit, although changes in the exterior weren't enough to offset the bad aura it gained through time. R.I.P., Bring in the Fairlane ! And please, dont call it the FairStar... Kill this star s--t, we are on Earth !

I totally agree and really, says everything I feel in this final paragraph he wrote:.... "Now Ford wants to speed up restructuring efforts, with talk of taking waste and cost out of the product development process. My immediate reaction to such statements is that we have heard them many times before, and if the main sources of 'waste' have not already been uncovered, then something is clearly amiss. Of equal concern is the question of the personnel involved; where are the product experts, the real car people, among Ford's top ranks? Judged from outside, at least, the bench does not seem that deep. After seeing product droughts hit Ford more than once in the past, one has to ask why it has been allowed to happen again."

LINK_Ford Media

LINK-Ford Media

Good point, and during many of those years, the Mustang survived while there was a T-bird available, a Ford Probe. All relatively around the same price range, different configurations and demographics. Obviously, the coupe segment has dwindled since But again, as long as it's economically feasable, it works.