Admiral

Oh boy, more '08 Focus debate. Yay, let's jump to conclusions!! Let me tell you something, I was in Seattle for the car's launch. I've driven it 100 plus miles on all kinds of roads and it IS good, very good. The steering is more precise and better weighted than the 2000-2007 models, of which, by the way, I own and drive a 2002 daily. The ride is smooth, yet the handling hasn't been corrupted, not one iota. The interior is, and this is no exaggeration, Lexus-like in its quietness. The seats are an all-new design and they are long-haul comfortable. You could easily drive 1,000 miles in a day without issue. Fit and finish is excellent, materials are good (actually the plastic has an almost a wood grain to it). The car has SYNC. Need I say more? Plus, it looks better than the God-awful Civic, not that that makes it attractive, but still. All is not bad, the sky is not falling. I bet it'll be a hit.

Huzzah! Go Taurus!

^^^ We've essentially reached parity with the Canadian dollar. Sad indeed.

This only confirms what I've known for a long time. Toyotas aren't that great. In fact, just last night I drove a 2008 Highlander Sport home. Sure it's a quiet vehicle and everything works well, the assembly quality is awesome, and the power and refinement of the 2GR-FE are very good and superb respectively, I walked away saddened. The transmission shifted like CRAP. Every gear change was an event, if that makes sense. I could feel my head move forward, pause, move backward, pause then return to neutral all during one shift. Also, the doors felt ungodly thin and chintzy, ditto for the seat fabric. I loved the engine, though.

While I certainly agree that the Taurus is among the best in its class (probably second best), and an excellent choice and value for nearly anyone, I think it needs just a few tweaks to make it tops. 1) Get rid of 'the brick' radio. Integrate the new Escape's head unit and display. Ditto for the climate controls. 2) Clean up the build quality. The car I sat in when my mom was getting her Edge had a few fit and finish issues (minor trim pieces, but still). For God's sake, fix them! 3) The back end should really have been restyled just like the front, but this is just a subjective opinion. From behind, he car looks like a Five Hundred with clears tail lamps. 4) Not that the car's performance is lacking, especially considering it delivers 28 mpg on the highway, but can we have direct injection and 300 horsepower. Please? Other than that, these changes would simply perfect an already excellent, excellent car.

^^^ No thanks. We'd rather not our dollars go to Tokyo and/or Toyota City. The way I look at it, even if I buy a Mexican-made Fusion (oh noes!), the profits still go to Dearborn. Sure, more of the dollars are 'abroad' so to speak than if I bought a new Taurus, but the dollars still go to the company that makes more vehicles in the United States than Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai, Subaru, et al combined.

Nah. My dad's a big machinist's union guy so naturally we try to 'spend our money where we make it.' Imports? Never!

My mom bought (well, leased) her first ever non-GM vehicle. She'll be taking delivery of a stripped-down Edge SE in about a week. It's black with the slate/stone/gray interior and AWD. It looks pretty sharp. I'm glad to see her Equinox, with its antiquated, Chinese-made push rod V6 and torpid handling leave the stable. I just hope the Edge is as trouble free as the Equinox (never mind the rattling/popping front end). Both of my parents have always driven GM vehicles and have never had any problems, so I hope their first new Ford doesn't leave them with a bad taste in their mouths. But I doubt it. We may have new converts. You can thank me later.

Wow. That's pretty generic. And what's up with half a sequoia on the dash and console?

Hip, Hip, Hooray for: 1) Torpid handling - Squat and dive, wallow and founder; the steering's not just numb, it's Panther numb. It's a wonder the trio doesn't come with nautical steering wheels and Dramamine for the motion sickness-inducing ride. 2) Atrocious Build Quality - Suddenly it's 1974 again. That's what the 2007 Panther customer gets, the WORST fit-and-finish that I've ever seen. EVER. 3) Storied Longevity? - I have no doubt my Focus will see a trouble-free 200,000 miles, which really isn't anything to a modern vehicle. Big deal Panthers go 200,000, most burn oil like diesels after half that many. 4) That's Right - That's all the transmission has to cajole, four lonely speeds. Too bad no one got the memo that Panthers compete in a world of five and six. 5) The Grim Reaper Wears a Blue Oval - No wonder Ford's pulling the Panther plug, their clientèle, of whom I can only assume are blind and lame is dropping faster than Bush's approval rating. 6) Long-Distance Comfort - Talk about seat support. Panther seats are as firm as soggy loaves of Wonder bread. 7) Minimalist Gauges- Because who really needs a tachometer or an oil gauge with numbers? And what exactly is the oil gauge measuring, temperature, pressure, volume? Game, Set, Match. The new Taurus wins.

OMG! That's HILARIOUS. That should NEVER happen in any vehicle. I don't care if you're off-roading a 20 year old Focus, that shouldn't happen, EVER. Judging by the literal tearing, it looks like the structure and supports are made of rice paper and bamboo.

IMO, the Taurus is better in EVERY way.

Or even a Rand McNally for five bucks, or less.

The wheels look nice. I'm anxious to see the final production version. I bet it'll be better than the concept version.

^^^ Ha ha ha! No one. It seems that people are too scared to admit that the Taurus/Sable/DC3 does everything better than the geriatric-in-more-ways-than-one Panther.

I think Blueblood's a realist. I'm a realist too. Ford has a very strong precedent of power train mediocrity, therefore it's common sense to expect new launches to be bungled or otherwise not class leading. Personally, I think it's far better to be pessimistic than optimistic, since even worst-case scenarios are better than expected.

Looks good. I think I still like Limited better though.

I just read that an hour ago. It's really the first positive review of the MKX I've seen. Motor Trend just savaged it this month. Yeah, the review was basically good, but Phelan carped about the door-to-dash gaps. Something about the driver's side gap being equal to the thickness of two dimes and the passenger's side as wide as five quarters! Sounds like an anamoly, I haven't seen/noticed this on either the Edge or MKX, but I haven't really been looking either. As for assembly plants, I think Wayne is the worst. Has anyone seen the fit and finish on the current body style Focus? It's absolutly TERRIBLE; easily amongst the WORST I've ever seen. Absolutly atrotious. I drive an '02 ZX3 and everything fits perfectly. The exterior gaps are a little wide but other than that everything is perfect. My friend has an '05, and most interior trim is crooked and poorly finished.

:P In '89 I was only five, but somehow I was a Ford fanatic; I'm not sure how, since everyone in my family drives (and drove) GM vehicles. I chose a side early. As for SHOs, they were great cars, especially the first two generations. Mind you, they were maintenance hogs, but that engine under the hood is truly one of the greatest six cylinders of all time. Powerful, free reving, bullet-proof, 8K rpm capable and sweet sounding, what more could you want 18 years ago?

More than likely they'll do nothing. No one will believe that a FWD Ford could out-drive a vaunted, RWD BMW! But really, the two cars probably don't appeal to the same customers and aren't in the same class so it won't matter that the Ford drives better, since the two would never be cross shopped.

That's really odd.

The exact same thing happened to me. I thought the photos made it look awful, but in person, the Escape is really pretty good looking, way better than the first generation. The interior is also quite fetching with Ford's new radio and climate control systems. Too bad the platform and drivelines are carryovers.

^^^ Very true. But in this market, it seems, money spent is money earned.

IMO, in the US, strong sales come from (at least the last few years): 1) Style - The vehicle must look good. 2) Quality - It can't fall apart. 3) Fit - The vehicle has to match consumers' needs and be comfortable. 4) Features - Cool stuff can't be ignored, lack thereof can't be excused. 5) Cachet - MB has terrible quality, yet they still sell.

Amen.