sullynd

That was the original intent, but Ford quickly realized people were never going to go for it. Like someone said, they should have reconsidered at that point.

This is my concern the other way though - names can be just as tricky as the MkBranding. The Caddy boys always seem to be longing for Deville, Seville, etc. Those names suck. Continental seems logical, but I'm not sure what else.

With Mercury going away, and Lincoln on the verge of reinventing itself, again, is it time to rethink the MkBranding? I've been a supporter of the MkBranding to some extent, I don't think it's as confusing in it's current form as people make it out to be. However, as Lincoln expands it's lineup it will get to be more confusing if you ask me. Further, if there is to be a new direction going back to names may be the way to do it. A GWRD Continental may get people to take notice. What do you think? Time to go back to names?

I know it's OT, but every time I see this thread I read it as Tim Allen in the white house.

I thought Cyclone has the capability to go down to 2.7 and 3.0? Would seem to make sense to standardize on Cyclone at some point rather than continuing the old D30 line. Especially in regards to TI-VCT, DI, etc. 2.7 would make a good engine to pair with a hybrid system for larger Lincoln vehicles.

Yep.

It'a likely, in my opinion, that Fusion (EUCD2/CD4) and Escape (C2/Kuga) will be I4 only (W/Ecoboost) and that Taurus (EUCD2/CD4) and Edge (EUCD2/CD4) will be I4EB or V6. When will TI-VCT trickle through? MKX, Edge (3.5!), and Mustang are the only ones with it yet right? Will it make it's way to the EB models?

I think the better plan is to not sell cheap, stripped down, fiestas and focuses (focii?). I've seen no indication Ford plans on doing that.

People who own an ED and are able to drive it longer than four hours should consult with their doctor.

It's my hope that the MkT will be the standard for Lincoln in terms of differentiation from it's Ford counterpart. The MkZ, MkX, and Navigator all share way too much sheet metal with their Ford cousins and hopefully that will be addressed when the models are replaced (instead of their MCEs).

I don't know, I think the blonde is kinda cute.

Congrats! I've gotten over 115k mostly trouble free miles on our Escape, may yours bring you many more.

How does the Statesman sell? Is there a market down there for a Fairlane sized vehicle? Falcon is Taurus/MkS sized right?

The Lexus came first, then the Celsior. I don't believe it is sold anymore (Since Lexus is now sold in Japan), nor was it ever sold in the same market as the LS. The equivalent would be an all new Lincoln which could get sold as a Fairlane outside of Lincolns network.

Does Lincoln need a dedicated platform? No, not at all. But it does need an upper level vehicle. I wonder how many ES would be sold if there were no LS? How many C Class without the E and S? 3 Series without the 5 and 7?

Here's my ideal Ford Lineup: Lincoln: MkZ/R (RWD D2C [Four Door Mustang/Coupe/Vert]) MkS (CD4-L) MkC [Continental] (RWD E8) MkX (CD4) and MkX-L (CD4-L) MkT (D4/E8) Mercury: Milan (CD4) Messenger (C3) Mariner (C3) [Kuga] Meteor (C3) [C-Max] Ford: Fiesta (B2) Focus (C3) Mustang (D2C) Fusion (CD4) Taurus* (CD4-L) Thunderbird* (D2C [Four Door]) Escape (C3) Edge (CD4) Explorer (D4/E8) Expedition/XL (T1) C-Max (C3) Flex* (D4) *I think a CD4 Taurus overlaps a CD4 Fusion too much, and should be replaced by a Thunderbird (Or Galaxie). I'm not sure Flex lives past it's next MCE. F100 F150 Superduty

I hope this doesn't mean the end for my local Lincoln Mercury dealer. I've been getting my Fords serviced there for years. About a year ago they picked up Subaru as well, but surprisingly they got rid of it about a month ago. The local Ford store is ok, but the LM is closer, and the staff nicer. I could go to the store we got the Flex from, I was very happy with them, but they're even further away.

As I said in the other thread, our Flex has the all-weather floor mats. I'm not sure if they came from the factory that way, or if they were a dealer-installed option (They were listed on the window sticker under "Optional Equipment") but they were sitting on top of the carpeted mats. I did not notice for a week (at which point I fixed it) but I could see how someone might think that's how they're supposed to be, as "that's how they came".

My Flex came with the All Weather Mats - I assume it was a Dealer-Installed Option (IT was on the sticker) and they were installed on top of the carpeted mats. I didn't notice for a week (at which point I fixed them), but I could see how someone could wrongly assume that's how they should be, if that's the way they are when they receive the vehicle.

It really looks like a Chinese knock-off of a last gen Sonata. The badges look more similar to Chery badges than Toyota.

This has to be the worst thread title, ever.

I've had an iPhone for the last two years. I'll probably get a 4. I'm curious to see what the MS 7 Phones are like, android doesn't interest me too much. SYNC is the worst thing about my FLEX, absolutely awful. Hopefully Ford has something up their sleeves (and I still think MyFord Touch should have just been branded as SYNC).

Congrats! The Taurus is built at the Chicago Assembly Plant. There are already 2011 Taurus' at my local dealer, so I would say yes, production has already started.

Please quote me where I said BT Audio is too quiet - the quote you have there is regarding handsfree calling, which is exactly what I said in my last post. There are two bluetooth technologies at play handsfree and A2DP. A2DP ("Bluetooth Audio") is approximately the same volume as the radio. Handsfree, even with bluetooth volume all the way up on my device, is incredibly quiet. SYNC does not have the ability to pair one without pairing the other - GMs system does. It's not just the iPhone that it has issues with - it's Android as well. For SYNC to not work correctly with the iPhone and Android is an issue for Ford - whether the "blame" lies with the device or not. Do you think SYNC's target Audience is all carrying around Razrs? Yes, and if Toyotas were driving themselves off cliffs you'd think you'd have heard about it too. The volume of the prompt in comparison to the radio has nothing to do with a phone - it's all in Ford's court. It is easily twice the volume of the radio.

He also posts at GMI. He's just trying to drive clicks to his "newspaper" site.