MGolden

Please AWD Tourneo! come to the US.

I dont think the Tourneo Custom is ugly. It certainly isnt mainstream mini-van, but that could be good. Check out the link. If this came in AWD, I would buy one today in 9 seat and long wheel base options. http://www.ford.co.uk/Commercialvehicles/TourneoCustom

I would like to see Ford offer a nice passenger version of the Transit, with sliders. In short wheeld base,low roof form, its not that big. The options for increased cargo and/or seating would be great. It could be be, with all of the powertain offerings the Transit Euro has, a vehicle that merges a bit of Expedition, Flex, mini-van. That would be a nice replacement for my Quigley when I am done with it. -Matt

FWIW, I dont know anything about this overheating issue but I do know we are beating the balls off our fleet 6.2's. They are really awesome motors. We have 6 (i think) v10's and now 4 - 6.2's and love them all. The v10's have been very reliable (one comming up on 300k of hard miles) hopefully the 6.2l holds up as well. We only have 1 diesel left and cant wait till its worn and gone. The v10 in our 2 F550's work really well. Averaging ~7mpg which we are happy with and plenty of power. I hope that a bigger disp. version of the 6.2 is the replacement for the v10 because the 6.2 is a beast across the entire rpm range. -matt

This would be a great vehicle for farmers and landowners. There are a ton of farmers and land owners that bought the mini Jap/chinese trucks because they get great fuel mileage while running around the property. Hell, I paid 12 grand for my Polaris Ranger, I would have much rather had this thing for 6 or 7 grand more. Maybe not as offroad capable but I dont do much woods running anyway........ I think it could really work, particularly if awd/4x4.

My Mom was going to buy an edge and came home with the new explorer. She absolutely loves it, and even warmed up to MFT...... My sister came home for a visit and test drove it. She canceled her plans to buy a new Durango and is expecting her new explorer any day, I dont know of anyone who doesnt like them after a test drive. I think it has plenty of space,power and doesnt "feel" heavy. I dont understand all the negativity.

I am trying to find out what and when Ford plans on dealing with the E-Series. Lots of speculation over the past few years but all fluff to me. I just passed up a great deal on a E-wagon with the Quigley 4x4 added for my family mover. I am having second thoughts on that now but am trying to tell myself that better options are near. I am really shocked that they didnt offer the new F150 engines for 2012 but I guess there are probably lots of 5.4's laying around yet. Does anyone have new info on the E-series' future? -Matt

Our Fleet is expecting a new F550 2nd week of april. 200"WB with a v10. THis will be our second unit. This truck tows/hauls just fine with the 4.88 rear. Our boss tried everything possible to convince himself that a diesel is necessary but cannot do it. It would be nice and fun to have more power, but from a business standpoint just doesnt make sense. I get hell from all the Diesel guys on the some popular diesel sites about the business case for gas vs. diesel. They try every excuse possible to justify owning their truck. I have no problem with diesels but if you are looking at cost of ownership, with fuel prices as they are, they dont make sense. That being said, the v10 is a very robust engine. It doesnt have the v v t mech to come apart like the 5.4's we have had. We only have 1 f250 with the 6.2L and it is awesome. Much better fuel ecomony vs the v10 f250's. (13 vs 10) . If the 6.2L holds up to our normal 250-300k miles then it is a real winner. I would think with the 6 speed auto, it would do just fine towing even in the big F550. I ,like others, look for a larger version of this engine in the near future and say bye to the v10. just my thoughts.........

Having experience with a fleet containing both this isnt entirely true. WIth ~1500 lb of tools in the bed and a 4500# bumper tow generator they are nearly equal for ~100-200 feet. After that the 6.2L will walk the v10. This of course is due to the 6 speed vs 5 speed., but none the less its what it is. THe 6.2l is a beast. I hope it is as durable and can make it to 300k miles like the v10. It would make a great van engine along with the 5.0L for light van.

FWIW, A large truck parts company in my area had a whole fleet of 2wd rangers for deliver vehicles. Nine of the 19 rangers are now replaced with the transit connect. They absolutely love them and plan to make that the vehicle of choice.

"sliders that look more like suicide doors than sliders" I always thought this would be the way to go for people who "cant own a minivan". I have argued with people on here many times about the importance. of sliding doors. Last night for instance I forgot that I cannot give one of my daughters Apple Juice to drink. She downed the sippy cup in the van and about 25 minutes later exploded her diaper all over everything. I was forced to pull over to a gas station where parking was limited. I opened the sliding door and laid her on the nice large flat floor (thanks to my 1 stow and go seat being tucked under the floor) and began the disection. I couldnt work like this if the doors werent sliders.... The cost of a minivan with any sort of accessories isnt far off the Flex. It has to be that you get more conveniences....the reason I own a ...gulp...Dodge.

My vote would be to add sliding doors and capture more of the mini-van crowd. I own a Dodge because Ford doesnt make a vehicle with sliding doors.

I dont think more are necessary but I also dont think 800ft-lb is "necessary" Can anyone tell me what the 65-70 mph cruise RPM's are on the new trucks?

It looks like Dodge will be using an 8 speed automatic in their trucks in the 2012 model year. Does anyone know if Ford will be looking to upgrade the 6 speed in the near future? Just curious.......

One of the reasons I posted this question is that I am trying to forcast my next vehicle that will replace my Dodge mini-van in 2 years or so. A 5.0L 6 speed with Quigley 4x4 is my dream Man-Van. My Dad has a 5.4L cargo E250 and it is fine for power but like others said, fuel economy would likely get better with the newer combo. Guess I'll keep dreaming.

With the superduty engines changing and the F150 changing, what will be stuffed into the E-series? The 5.0L with 6 speed sure would be nice.......

A little background..... My Dad runs a contracting company with ~9 F250-F350 trucks and 2 F450 stakebeds. These trucks average 60k miles a year with a near constant 1500 lb load but often more. They see horrible conditions including dirt,coal,limestone, salt, and the nastiest of all, Western PA winter salt baths. The trucks through the years have had a variety of engines, 5.0,5.8L, 4.9, 7.3IDI, 7.3 PS, 6.0 PS, and 6.8 I think thats about it..... It is rare for any of these not to go 300k miles and most have the chassis/body worn out, not the engine, when they are retired. With the problems he had of the early 6.0L, the late years were actually pretty good except the damn EGR going out of waranty....., he moved to the v10 and it has been AWESOME! The power is fantastic especially the 3valve hooked to the torque shift. The mileage is nearly always 10-11 but that is adequate to him. WIth the exit of the v10 it was time for his first choice between the new engines and he chose the 6.2L V8. The truck is a CrewCab FX4. I took it for a day before the bedliner got sprayed and it hit the road. I cant say how much I am impressed with the truck. It is really unbelievable. It makes my 2000 F250 seem like a dinosaur.. The engine is fantastic! It seems to accellerate faster than the V10, with a great exhaust tone. The 6 speed auto is very smooth and the hill decent control is really usable offroad. THe exterior is a love/hate. I really dont like the chrome front...but thats me. My old man loves it. THe front ford emblem is larger than the head on my daughters donkey, she was sniffing it so i got a good comparison, it really is huge. The bulging hood is a little restrictive on what you can see in front of you, but it sure does look mean. The silver paint is really nice, almost blinding in the sun. The interior is where i fell in love with it. THe flow thorugh consol is HUGE with 4 giant cup holders, which is great for the coffee drinkers and snuff chewers that drive em. THe dash is crazy. The little screen in the instrument cluster plays a Ford Commercial when you turn the key at startup, not kidding. All the little things that can be displayed and calculated through the screen using the steering wheel controls is cool such as full trip calc, pitch,roll, and steering angle. The little things like vinyl overhead mirror/sunshades, so you dont get your dirty paws in the cloth, make me love this. It is too fancy for a worktruck in my opinion, but when you spend more time in your truck than with your family it is important to make life comfortable. I think Ford did a great job! -Matt ....sorry no pics.....

Does anyone know if the crew cab got bigger? I was just in the new F150 crewcab and its like a limo sitting in the back seat.

Back to the 6.7.... Did you guys see the video in the Superduty Forum, the power numbers were given at the San Diego Auto show as 400hp 750lb-ft. I cant believe how much power these trucks have. I need one...well maybe just want one.

2000 F250 7.3L -6speed 262,000 and I beat it every day. - just replaced the 6 speed with a reman unit -bed is falling off the truck but I still love her

+1 My Dad his been replacing his diesels with v10's for the past several years. This Chassis is shot at 300k (for what he is using them for) and there is not an engine that wont last that long; he even has 2- 5.4L in F250 CC, long beds that are nearing 300k and going just fine. The mileage of the v10 blows but he still cant recoup the diesel investment in fuel cost. I suspect the only way to get your money back/ make it worth it is to tow HEAVY loads all the time. The v10 power is great and it tows circles around my 2000 7.3; not even close. The 6.2L is very much the engine he has needed for a long time.

I have 260k on my serpintine and it looks good. 2000 F250. -Matt

I borrowed my dad's 09 v10 fleet truck to tow with last week. I tow a cattle trailer that is usually 7500# + 26ft steel goosneck wiht my '00 7.3. Thats a fairly significant load for my old 7.3L and she slows way down on the hills. The v10 is a monster for towing. It is so much better in all aspects, except fuel economy, vs my 7.3. I am very impressed by the v10 and TS tranny combo. I will definately consider that to replace my current ride. Good Choice. -Matt

gotta be fake..right? ..it's on Fox news. Seriously, this is a great story.

This is also a problem in companies of all sorts. There is a lack of compensation for technical ability and performance. There are 2 reasons for this, one is my own opinion and the other I got from some HR experts. My opinon is it is so much easier to not be intimate enough with your employees to compensate them based on performance. Instead, many companies are basing salaries and raises based on resume ONLY. I just got 2 PhD's out of school and they both SUCK, but those little letters after their names allows them to climb the ladder higher than I am ALLOWED to. The other reason is that companies are afraid of being sued over compensation action among employees. If they give Joe Bagadonuts a raise that lets him make more money than Sam who has the same education, then Sam might claim descrimination; even though Sam plays Solitare all day. If Sam even files the claim, it cost the company money. So part of the problem, according to experts, is lawyers. They are forcing the equality of pay among all players, regardless of performance. Damn shame if you ask me........