Blueblood

Could be, the thing was porpoising all over the place

Isn't the MKT based off the Explorer already since they are all D3? Anyways, it's just the new MKX, well at least the baleen front clip was attached to a Edge/MKX body. On another note, I hope the production Explorer handles better than this test mule!!!

Well that's what Mulally said....

Goodbye egg crate grill.. Hello Baleen whale monstrosity.. Haven't seen or heard anything about an upgrade 3.5 in the Edge, hopefully it gets the same TiVCT and about 290 horsepower, no need for a face only a mother whale could love.

Definitely better to keep both hands on the wheel while driving the canyons, fiddling around with a little button on the shifter makes it almost pointless.. Give me the paddles that everyone else uses.

I'll take one of these with a 300+ HP 2.5" Ecoboost and AWD, make mine with the Ken Block appearance package..

I think the power numbers are BS, I think they aren't going to release the actual numbers until it's about to go on sale, they've been sandbagging since the 99 Cobra fiasco. From Ford's press release "The new 2.0-liter DI Ti-VCT engine is up to 20 horsepower more powerful than the current 2.0 Duratec I-4 unit while contributing to projected fuel economy gains of more than 10 percent." That would put it at 163, and I bet we'll see more, there's just no way an all-new engine with TiVCT, 12:1 compression vs. 10:1 and direct injection only makes 12 horsepower more, and nothing but a tiny 9lb. bump in torque. At the same output as the Coyote it would make about 165 horsepower, and that's without DI, or looking at the friction gains that a 4 cylinder has.

Yes, I don't care what size it is, as long as it's driven by the proper wheels, Ford needs a RWD sedan, period, especially if they want Lincoln to be a serious luxury player.

No it did NOT have to happen, that's just retarded, not every Ford has to be the same car built off the same platform, there's comes a point where cost cutting cuts into your profits because people aren't willing to buy what you're selling. And yes the Taurus is better than a Camry, but certainly not even close to a Falcon, it's a completely different car. What Ford needs is a global RWD platform that can underpin the Mustang/Falcon/Territory/several Lincoln's/Explorer etc. If Ford is attempting build the best, trying to build everything off of inferior 80's minded FWD only platforms isn't the way to do so, like I've always said, if I wanted to buy a Toyota I'd buy one. RWD isn't a "niche", and it doesn't equal poor economy, the 30mpg 305 horse 2011 Mustang V6 proves that. Holden will be the biggest beneficiary of this error, as long as they don't surrender to the bean counters as well.

http://brisbanetimes.drive.com.au/motor-ne...00112-m334.html Might as well buy a Camry then...

The 2.0L ecotec 4 makes 260/260, 255/295 in the Regal GS, I think there's lesser version too. So if Ford's touted ecoboost 4 can only muster 208 horsepower it wold be quite a letdown.

I'm in shock, I've been waiting for us to get the global Focus for 5-6 years now?

Basically right now I'm wondering just what on Earth I'm looking at, a mish-mash of of radically different styling elements, no 3 door, horrid taillights on the hatch, and anemic numbers for the DI TiVCT 4. Awesome interior though. I guess I'll just stay with the Mustangs from now on, the V6 is only 21k anyways..

Forget it, no longer care..

!!

It's amazing how quick some fly off the handle here!

That's interesting considering at the LA auto show last month I had much more room in every dimension in the Fusion over the Taurus/MKS. That tall seating position with the new roof really does a bad job on interior space. I'm 6'1" and in the backseat of the MKS my head hits the roof, and there's no leg/foot-room whatsoever. Plenty of space in the Fusion. I think the D3 has a short wheelbase for a car of it's size which doesn't help..

Correct, and as the years went by it was further cheapened/decontented, while the opposite happened in Europe.

Those are NOT Fusion wheels, they are the 18" fanblades off the Mustang.

Yea, that's what makes it hard to believe, the spy photographers get everything these days, has Ford been testing it at area 51 or something?? :ninja: I just hope it is AWD capable.

Actually in the press pics looking down at the engine you can actually see the frame rails, looks to be a lot more room than before, I'm sure they could fit turbos below the exhaust on the sides of the block.

Good to know, a 12.5 to 1 comp pump gas 5.0 sounds damn good to me!

Talk about low expectations!! You could find 10 horsepower in 10 minutes on a dyno with a good tuner, that wouldn't be worth the cost and complexity of the new technologies. Just look at what TiVCT alone did for the D37 in the Mustang, hell my ancient 2.0L Zetec in my Focus made 130 like 12 years ago! An all new engine, with an optimized intake, head, exhaust plus TiVCT and DI should make around 180 easy. The few mods they did to the Zetec for the SVT Focus added 40 horsepower to the engine, that was with nothing but old school hot rod tech, better flowing head, exhaust, intake, and slightly more compression. A state of the art engine, designed decades later, with lower friction, windage, and parasitic drag should be way way above that, now add TiVCT AND direct injection and anything less than 180 would be embarrassing. If it put out the same Hp/per Liter as the TiVCT 3.7 it would make 164 horsepower, now add DI and 180 seems just about right, and in a very conservative tune.

An RS Focus with FWD would be as useless as a FWD SHO, good for burnouts, but not much else.. And Dean, this revoknuckle you're so fond of does not rid a car of the negatives of FWD, it only is a band-aid for torque steer.

I don't see how a FWD 4 pot eco-car could in any way match up to a 1 series...?