ZanatWork

Well, supposedly even a Radio Flyer wagon powered by a Briggs and Stratton motor is better than the current model, so....

4 little non-profane words certainly get your unmentionables bunched. I have little patience for people over-griping on projects still in the rumor stage, I tend to think it's a special breed of ridiculous to just dismiss a potential vehicle this early in the game. Plus, he said "he's done"...so...why should he care?

You won't be missed.

The nose makes me think of the NIssan GTR...so I hope it looks better in person. The lack of a true manual is a bit disappointing, but the "stat racers" should be thrilled. Even as much as I love a good manual in a sporting car, I have to admit that there's a bit of a disconnect between wanting supercar performance capabilities while preferring the slower shifting of a manual. Basically, it seems like the GT350 is the "analog purist" car while the GT500 is the "today's tech" super-Mustang. Barring the GTR-esque visual issues, I'm impressed and very pleased, overall.

I'll wait for real judgement until I see the real thing in a real color. As much as I love any prototype pics I can see, they rarely define my overall impressions of the production examples. However, regarding the earlier post about wagons-minivans-SUVs-CUVs-wagons...eh, most SUVs and CUVs rarely see unpaved roads. The basic truth is that the wagon remains too logical to not utilize, regardless how it's repackaged. Some of us really liked the Focus ST wagon, and were hoping for a successor in the Focus Active line, but whatever....

As I said when I saw this elsewhere: "too much inter-sibling romance".

As much as I'm annoyed with Ford's apparently inability to control the releases of its own product news lately, I'm also disappointed that every Bronco rumor goes from zero to ridiculous assumption in about one second. It's gonna be a mid-sized, off-road focused SUV with 300-ish hp. As much as I'm a member of the "save the manuals" club, a good auto isn't a deal breaker. I also have no real opinion on a hybrid version, as I wouldn't be likely to buy that variant.

Very agreed. I saw the Focus Active as a potential Subaru competitor, especially if it was available in a couple different guises. I do worry about that being a missed opportunity.

Yep, proof of over-medicating in this country...! 1. The GT is doing fine in racing, and I hadn't noticed that the class-rival Corvettes were than much cheaper...so your argument is bizarre. 2. The top-level Vette may hold a minimal advantage over the GT in some conditions, but it's still hilariously garish to look at and suffers typical GM build quality issues. 3. The Camaro is a far worse car than the Mustang, and only out-performs it (in some guises) by amounts slight enough to be overcome by driver skills. Why suffer gunslit windows and worst-in-class styling for 1/10th of a second at some drag strip? 4. GM is crap, and seemingly determined to stay that way. It's nothing new that they'll build a "numbers" Camaro/Corvette that still has interior trim falling off in the first year of ownership. Back away from the paint thinner, and put its lid back on.

I still have a small hope that the Flex will be one of the "whitespace" vehicles, because they really are thick on the roads out here in Washington. Mine has been amazing, one of the best and most unique vehicles I've owned. The numbers aren't pretty, and I wonder how RAM is getting increases when their quality remains everything we know and remember about FIAT.

I'm in that group, and there's a LOT of them on the road up here in Washington. I joke that it's like a Subaru for Ford lovers.

Honestly...the new system(s) had better be fairly impressive, due to all of the press Ford sought over their future electrification efforts.

I have to give unlikely kudos, on the cheeseburger front: the "fresh beef" Quarter Pounder is a massive improvement...and I'm very skeptical about anything from fast food chains.

Al-u-min-i-um.

What this confirms, however, is that Ford is able to hedge its bets with the C2 architecture. If the same set of "bones" can be re-set to accommodate cars and CUVs across a wide range, Ford should have reasonable ability to react to potential market changes more efficiently...including the capacity to re-introduce a sedan or two if the market moves that way.

I think the wagon-ish qualities of the "Active" could be very attractive to potential buyers of Subarus, and would allow Ford to challenge much of that brand's model lineup...if done properly.

GM truck fans had to endure their share of recalls, plus the serious issues that plagued the "Vortech" engines...no company is immune.

The main reason that I enjoy manual transmissions is the direct engagement, which is lacking in every "flappy paddle" car I've driven. I'm well aware that those transmissions are a bit faster, but they don't give me the same satisfaction...so it's hard to justify spending thousands on those vehicles.

I know that I've been able to change the plugs on my 1998 Expedition 5.4 without incident for quite some time, now...because I, y'know, paid attention to service instructions....

..aaaaand you know this about the as-yet-unseen CD6 Explorer how, exactly?

Here's something for all the "get over it" people: the Mustang was going to be a fwd coupe going into the 90's, too...and the writing was supposedly on the wall, nothing we can do, etc etc etc. The Mustang faithful disagreed, and got Ford to re-think the iconic pony car while GM temporarily gave up on the Camaro (and killed the Firebird). While many of us will remember that the next decade and a half involved further evolution to the ol' Fox platform, it was a ton better than what would become the short-lived Probe (though I admit a fondness for the later V6/5-speed GT models). If we seriously want a manual option in the car, we make a ton of noise and/or vote with our dollars...so no, we don't simply have to "accept", "get over it", or "move on".

Only if they were truly shopping for a sedan and their minds were made up... ...oh, and that'd be at least 2-3 years in the future, because the Fusion will be on sale that long.

That era was just plain tragic, the Troutman/Nasser combination seemed to be to limit Ford to trucks/SUVs completely by making the car offerings completely forgettable.

...or the fact that Toyota and Honda were the recall kings for 5 straight years before GM's ignition switch fiasco, FCA's transmission issues and diesel defeat scandals, etc etc etc. If people held serious grudges over stuff like that, no automaker would break even, much less make profits.

Look at the sales reports over the last few years, for Ford and every other full-line carmaker in our market. CUVs are replacing the typical car at a ridiculous rate. The Nissan Juke, the Honda HR-V, and that little crouton of a Toyota baby CUV are just the latest responses to the market...as is the Ecosport. The numbers are easily found, and the headlines at auto sites have been telling this story for years, now...so I don't know how you possibly missed all the evidence.