fllcobra

I think the Nitro has a heck of a lot better appeal than the redesigned Escape. Ford did cheap out again by not restyling the exterior enough to differentiate it from the 1999 model.

Is it just me or is Ford taking a really long time to get this vehicle into showrooms? Now that the Edge is finally getting ready to launch, GM is releasing the Arcadia and the Saturn Outlook. Granted they are in a different size class but these vehicles will surely steal Ford's thunder when the Edge launches. Ford just seems late to the game, again.

I bet those milky lickers are Consumer Reports won't listen to word of mouth or read the numbers. Ford will still get screwed by that rag.

How long have owners been getting in terms of brake life for the 2006/2007 Explorer? I am trying to figure out how much I have to budget for my Mountaineer. I got a nasty surprise when the rear brake pads on my girlfriends car (Acura TSX) worn to nothing after only 36,000 miles on the odometer. The fronts had 80% life left but the rears shot. My mechanic told me that it is "normal" for that car and he also recommended that I drain and fill the transmission fluid on the TSX every other oil change. Shit, this POS is costing me over $350/year if I am going to maintain this service schedule. Fortunately, it is a lease and will be turned back in to Acura in two years, so I am not changing the transmission fluid until the end. Do Ford vehicles have brakes that piss away in under 40,000 miles?

You may want to try World Ford in Pembroke Pines or Maroone Ford at Margate. They didn't have a good selection at the time I was looking but they were very willing to work with me to find what I wanted. I ended up going to Maroone Lincoln/Mercury at Palm Beach because they had exactly what I was looking for.

I think the reason Mercury is trying to woo women is this group tends to favor imports cars. Marketing specifically to women is a bit of a gamble for the same reason aforementioned New Beetle flopped. Men won't buy them. But it is not all bad news because unlike the New Beetle men have an alternative to the Milan, the Fusion and the MKZ. I think it would be better to market Mercury to the professionals regardless of gender.

In a perfect world, there would be no speed limits or lawyers. But so long as people breathe, there will be auto collisions due to drivers who do not know how to drive. That is why people wear seatbelts and sit behind airbags. The 2007 MDX is a retarded design. It is a good thing that people are making it known. Hopefully, a loss in sales will prompt a more intelligent structure.

The question remains. Does the 2006/2007 Explorer have a stronger roof? Does it incorporate boron steel?

It sure looks like it. I have to give credit to Ford for saving the cows. Only the front surface is leather on most leather optioned Ford vehicles. The sides and back of the seats are vinyl. The last full leather seat option in cars were the 2003 Centennial Edition vehicles.

Not a bad looking piece of iron. Hope it sells well.

I think Ford finally has a great strategy for Mercury. The automotive market is fast becoming a niche market and Ford is taking the right steps to diversify its offerings to appeal to a broader range of customers. A lot of Ford fans need to realize that there are a lot of import buyers who will not step foot in a Ford showroom. Ford is doing the right with Mercury. Mercury aims directly at appealing to import buyers and right now doing what Ford badged vehicles cannot do. Get sales from Honda and Toyota owners. A lot of dealerships on the coasts are reporting that that over 60% of Milan sales are to buyers who never owned a Ford product before. Sure, Mercury is essentially a rebadge, but that is exactly what buyers want. We all know that in recent years, Ford badged vehicles now offer great platforms and a great powertrains (the 3.5L Duratec and 4.6L 3V engines with 6-spd transmissions). But styling counts. And just like the article stated, city dwellers want a more unique and expensive look both inside and out than what Ford badged vehicles offer. I am just glad that someone at Ford has the good sense to pursue niche markets.

That chrome bug guard does look overdone. I like the color of the "White Chocolate" though. It looks very similar to the previous "Cashmere TriCoat". I hope they make it with power deploying running boards. Otherwise, it looks kinda bloated.

I don't know, man. I like the chrome. The painted grill looks cheap in my opinion, and it will not stand up to the bugs and debris. My gripe is the huge blue oval billboard on the grill that breaks up the clean lines. I imagine though that if there is a strong demand, then aftermarket companies should step up and deliver a mesh grill or painted slats. Then everyone would be happy.

With Ford's hold on Volvo, Mazda, Jaguar, and Land Rover... what possible good can another foreign brand like Nissan offer to make such an alliance profitable to Ford?

Man, that doohicky isn't cheap at over $150. You might want to call the folks at Crutchfield.com

I live in Fort Lauderdale and have had my V8 Mountaineer Premier since July 16. As you know, traffic is heavy here and is fast. I typically keep up with traffic on the interstate (65 to 75 mph on I-595, I-95, and I-75) and generally drive the speed limit in town or maybe 10 miles over on roads like Federal Highway and Biscayne Blvd. I live in the city of Fort Lauderdale and the majority of my miles are in the city. I average between 14-16 mpg in the city and roughly 16-17 on the interstate when I drive to Weston or to Palm Beach via the expressways. I realized you asked about the Sport Trac, but I thought this still might be helpful.

Man, I feel you pain. It probably is because I am 35 but look like I am 25. I also find that salepeople are not helpful if you shop for cars alone. But they seem to jump over their desks and run into the car lot if they see you with your girlfriend or family. I went through the same B.S. when I went to BMW a few years ago and looked at a 330. The salesguy's took one look at me and wouldn't give me the time of day. I go in with my girlfriend a few days later and they jumped to help "us" out. By then, my objectivity made me realize that these cars are overpriced, underpowered and too small. Shortly thereafter I looked at the Nissan 350Z... this was back in 2003. The sales guy was friendly enough, took my name, address and other information... but he would not let me test drive the car. He did, however, let me sit in the passenger seat while he drove it in the parking lot! That jackass. He must have run my credit after I left and realized I could afford that overpriced piece of rice, because when I got home I got a phone call from him saying, "Hey Chris, come back in, I was able to convince my manager to give you a test drive and knock off the $4,000 mark-up." For two weeks that guy kept calling. I never responded. I must admit I got the same hoity-toity attitude from my local Ford sales trolls when I went looking at the Fusion and Explorer this past summer. I finally got wise and started going through the internet sales managers. You plug in the information at the fordvehicles.com or carsdirect.com and they call you. I am told that the internet sales staff aren't driven by commission, they're driven by sales because internet customers are believed to be more serious buyers and take less time to complete a purchase. Some will still jerk you around. That is why I had to buy my last vehicle in Palm Beach... an hour's drive from where I live in Fort Lauderdale because the local dealerships were reluctant to help me when I mentioned I had an X-Plan PIN.

Dealers here typically charge a $500 fee for that kind of service though. I drove by two Ford dealerships here in Fort Lauderdale yesterday and sure enough, neither had Fusion SEL's. They did have a few stripped down S models and SE models though. Not only are the Fusions in low numbers but so are the Explorers, and Five Hundreds, too. This shortage has been going on for months. A couple who's wife works at my office saw my Mountaineer and wanted to buy one similarly equipped with Quad seating and V8 power and power running boards. But no dealer within tri-county area had one. So they ordered one and was told it would be coming in within 8 weeks. But then on a whim they went over to Chevy the same afternoon and ended up buying a bigger, more expensive Tahoe right off the lot. They drove their new ride back to Mercury and cancelled the Mountaineer order and took back their deposit. Ford still has to work out its production volume formula. While limited production keeps inventory low and prices stable, Ford has to strike a better balance in maintaining inventory. Too many people are cross shopping and 4 weeks or more is too long for most to wait to get a new vehicle.

You're absolutely right. Most people don't care. They want the best style at the best price. Reliability is now at the bottom of the list. Until the release of the Fusion, Milan, and Zephyr, Ford really had no four door sedan that could compete with the Accord or Camry. Ford again fell behind the competition by not realizing the demand for CUV's. It let the Escape basically rot on the vine while Honda kept updating the CRV. Ford finally is set to release the Edge and MkX to compete. When you make the right products with updated styles and features that people want, you get sales. That was proven with the F-150, 2005 Mustang, and Fusion/Milan/Zephyr.

The Lexus RX CUV and Lexux EX sedan is built off of the Camry platform. If you look under any of these vehicles, you will see they're all the same parts and components. That is why I don't understand why there is critism about the Fusion and MKZ sharing the same platform. The interiors are completely different and every piece of sheetmetal is different. Just like Lexus is to Toyota. Yet the critics decry "badge engineering" when Ford does it. What the F++K? The car market is becoming a niche market. The idea of building one platform unique to just a couple of cars that sell in low volumes is an expensive run yourself out of business. Platform sharing between Lincoln and Ford vehicles has to continue if this company is to compete.

The Mark X will give the RX330 a run for its money. This vehicle will not capture the hearts and minds of many, but it will get the attention of urbanites who want the utility of a SUV but want handling of a car. I see a lot of interest in Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale for this vehicle. It definitely looks more handsome than the ultra feminine RX330 and Murano.

Well, I think it looks really good. The interior has a nice color scheme. My only gripe is the radio... it looks antiquated.... It would be nicer if had a bigger readout with a dot matrix display. Just my 2 cents.

... that is kinda cheap. Even my Mountaineer has gas struts to hold up the hood. I do like the car overall, and I am glad Ford changed the name. Zephyr sounded so weak. The one thing I would like to see changed are the door handle cups. My girlfriend has long nails and constantly complains that the cups in the armrest break her nails when reaches in to pull the door shut. Take a page from GM and intregrate handles and eliminate the cheap feeling cups, please

Everyone is having "fire" sales right now. Even the Toyota Sienna is $3000 off in my market and that was unheard of last year. I do agree that Ford needs an inexpensive, reliable car that appeals to college age and first time car buyers. Honda and Toyota got their foothold by catching repeat buyers who bought their first Civic or Corolla out of school and kept coming back to the brand when it was time to trade. My first car out of high school was a used POS Chevy Malibu that died at 70,000 miles. Then I bought a 1989 Mustang LX 5.0 instead of the Camaro. That Mustang was super reliable and for over 15 years, I have stuck with Ford's. If Ford needs to focus on improving the Focus with more than a front and rear end job. It needs an reskin even if it sits on the same platform.

I think we all can agree that Ford has been on the right track this past year. The Mustang and triplets are selling well and the much needed Edge will plug a hole in the CUV spot. Right now, Ford needs the Edge to have a flawless launch and an demonstrate an excellent safety results. Consumers have taken notice and are learning that Toyota and Honda have serious problems with some of their most popular cars and are willing to switch back to domestics. This is supported by the fact that Mercury/Lincoln dealerships are reporting over 50% of their new car customers are trading in their imports for their first Ford product. I can only hope that Ford can deliver a Focus that looks different enough from its model it replaces.