NickF1011

As for the article, wasn't it known pretty early on that Alan initially wanted to axe every brand except Ford? I think keep Lincoln was the result of a negotiation to get rid of Mercury. And now several years into the reinvention, Lincoln is in a more solid position that it has been for at least a decade.

Yeah, since that worked so well. Mercury served no purpose as it was, and it would be more difficult to manage three brand images instead of two. Toyota/Lexus/Scion is one example. Toyota and Lexus are successful while Scion languishes. All of Scion's models likely would sell better with a Toyota logo on the trunk lid. The same holds true for what any Mercury would do if it instead had a Ford logo on it.

Add in that companies are reluctant to spend any capital due to the unstable economy so their profits have been extraordinarily good, which pleases investors.

While there are changes that could probably benefit our well-being and sanity, I think most of the predictions of the "push-button world" were just unrealistic. Reminds of the "In the year 2000!" routine Conan O'Brien did for awhile.

That's debatable.

Eh, as long as it remains popular, I'm confident they'll address it with updates.

And most people who have only bought cars since 1970 will tell you most cars of similar vintage prior to 1970 look the same too. :shrug:

One thing I would love to be able to do is display my Waze map on the LCD screen to see where all the reported speed traps are.

You can buy what you want, but that's the exact reason my daily driver is no longer a manual.

Yikes. I said awhile ago it's good that it hasn't hit their trucks too badly yet. Well...

I would hope they still make some visual tweaks to them anyway, just to make them more recognizable as Super Duties. The volume certainly exists to cover any costs associated with that. Would be nice if at least most of the interiors and "under the skin" bits could be shared though.

Aluminum is in increasing demand across all industries. This only adds another level to it. Of course, just supplying the material doesn't guarantee any benefits for investors.

Could be done with a future design. Can't be done with the current designs.

Stop sale has turned to 29,000 vehicle recall. http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2014/06/27/gm-recalling-nearly-2000-cruzes-to-fix-air-bags/?intcmp=HPBucket

I would say those people were being unrealistic. Even the SN95's weighed more than that.

I think the original plan was to offer both. Not sure where that stands right now though.

And the hits keep on coming... http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2014/06/26/gm-freezes-sales-popular-chevrolet-cruze-due-to-airbag-issue/?intcmp=features

Ford's still in the lead with rolling out inflatable seatbelts!

Doesn't the Toyota Crown still fit into that equation somewhere?

Would like to see some pictures of the front end with the lights on too. Curious as to how bright the LED accents are. I'm hoping they can function as a DRL, unlike the relatively dim ones found on the current one.

Certainly was not the original plan though, and I'm still thinking it's likely they will be 2015's with a shortened model year with the 2016 launching toward the end of next year.

I'm glad to see they improved the center stack design and gave it what appears to be two storage cubbies (one on top of the dash and one ahead of the shifter). That's one area the current Edge is lacking. The current "passthrough" beneath the console looks neat, but it's not particularly useful. As a current satisfied owner, I can only say I like the improvements they have made. Nothing stands out as an apparent step backwards.

I'm fine with the ride and cost of 22" tires on my Edge Sport. They are still cheaper than the 18" tires I use on my Mustang. Not quite sure how you can argue worse handling though, except for what the added weight brings to the table. Shorter sidewalls provide for less flex in the tire, which typically improves handling.

The current Edge already has steering wheel paddles on the Sport.

Fine, you win this round.