2005Explorer

If that is the case is the Explorer just going to be a Flex with different styling? I don't really see the point of that.

Hey you have to give Lincoln credit...at least they actually take the time to paint it a different color!

Well 30,737 people so far this year don't seem to care that they share a headlight switch.

So we could assume unless they make huge additions and make these 3 "mega factories" Ford will be down to just a few models. F-150 (possibly Expedition) Fusion, Milan, MKZ Edge, MKX, Flex A pickup, small and large crossover, a midsize sedan, and a full size SUV Now I suppose they could move the Focus to Mexico Explorer to Oakville on a new chassis SuperDuty to Ford Rouge Mustang to either Mexico or Oakville E-Series to Ford Rouge Taurus/Sable/MKS to Oakville Wouldn't it require massive additions to these factories to do this even with significant cuts in models???

I would purchase the MKZ on looks alone.

This is priceless. PCSario now makes the claim that even if Fusion owner's really like their cars, they shouldn't like them because he doesn't. So basically if you buy a Fusion you can't be happy with your car because PCSario hates it. If you own a Fusion and say you like it...YOUR A LIER!!!!!!!!

I am curious to see which one will end up being the most reliable Fusion or Malibu. This new Malibu might be great and all, but I'd like to see if any quality issues pop up before we say it is a way better car then Fusion. Reliability and build quality will make or break a car in this class faster then styling or interior will. It may prove to be a more reliable car then the CD3's, but right now those cars have set the standard for mid-size sedan quality.

The Edge sold over 14,000 this past month...that is pretty good. Didn't someone say about a year ago...she is gonna bomb??? Mercury is up 25% am I reading that right? I guess they do have a fairly fresh line-up and I assume they are getting a thousand or so CV customers trickling in since you can't buy a CV retail anymore.

The CV was not featured in that ad because it was NOT one of the 5 of the top 10 selling vehicles in the country at the time.

Everything is so depressing around here lately even though there seems to be a flicker of hope when it comes to Ford. I thought that I would remind people things were great at one time and this commercial captures that. Will Ford ever be able to advertise success like that again someday? They were a winner and it seems like after the 1996 Taurus things just started to go downhill. I have often wondered if the 2000 Taurus would have been the one that came in 1996 instead of the oval windowed beast if today things would be different. I wonder how much that one failure effected the whole mindset of the people running the company.

What is the big deal. If you really want this car buy a Mercury Grand Marquis it is the same thing with slightly different styling. People keep ragging on Ford because Mercury doesn't have any exclusive products. Well now they have one.

I think a 4.4L Turbo Diesel F-150 and Expedition that got respectable fuel economy could be huge. While they are at it a 3.7L Turbo Diesel Explorer might be a great idea as well. The problem is exactly how many years away are we now??? The diesel Explorer will never happen because they are going away from a truck based design and the F-150 and Expedition Diesel are still vaporware in my eyes.

I can't find this picture. All of the picture galleries have been updated with the new design cluster.

Well to be fair Ford has had their share of problems over the years. The big difference however is that no one ever claimed Ford to be perfect. The only thing we have heard over and over and over is that Toyota is perfect. They would never have a safety defect or make anything that might break or not work right. The bigger they are the harder they fall. I think Toyota is at the point they care more about money and being #1 then quality or safety. They are going to keep pushing them down the assembly line faster and faster and living on their near perfect reputation. Joan Claybrook is speaking out against her favorite automaker??? Say it ain't so!!! She has let Toyota off the hook for years and years.

Well I have the 4.0L and the 3.55 rear so maybe that is why mine is fine.

I have had none of the issues you talk about on my 2005 Explorer. Is is possible they have fixed the problem since then? The new V8 Explorers have a completely different transmission. I am not saying your wrong, because I owned a used 2002 Explorer V8 myself and had the rear end hum and a tranny that would jerk at times. When I got back from Iraq in 2005 the Ford Family Plan came out and I traded on a brand new 2005 model. It is a V6 because I did not really need the V8 and saved money. I have 29,000 miles on it now, which is not a lot, however the transmission is very smooth with perfect shifts and the rear end is completely silent. I guess as you say personal experience does formulate our opinions on vehicles and with that said I really like my '05 Explorer and have had zero issues.

I still think the new Malibu should have been called the Impala. I know they already have an Impala but they could have just put Caprice on that and called it good. The fleets won't care if it is called Impala or Caprice.

I don't agree with this statement at all. Today's Explorer is so much better then the one they were building in the 90's it's not even funny. The old Explorer was a modified Ranger chassis which was too narrow with a flexing frame that sat too high not to mention an engine that sat perched up on top of it all. Things got a little better after they dumped the Twin-I Beam (no more jacking in turns) but ride handling and vehicle dynamics were poor. Today's Explorer has a very stiff low riding frame. The engine is mounted lower. The wheelbase is longer. The track width is wider. It has IRS not to mention a better IFS. AdvanceTrac with RSC. Build quality has improved and powertrains are much better. The only place the old Explorer might have been better was for off-road use or for suspension modification. At the time it was one of the better midsize SUV's, but that's not saying much. Other then that today's Explorer is a much safer and improved vehicle. Notice how the roll-over problem went away after the 2002 model year??? There is a reason for that and it has more to do with the design then Firestone tires.

Well I am partial to the Explorer because I believe it is the true swiss army knife vehicle. It blends a car and truck together and it's uses are unlimited. However since you already own an F150 I would go with a Lincoln MKZ. I really like the MKZ, it is a sharp car. The reason I would choose it over a Mustang is because of rear seat room and it is available with AWD. That is my opinion anyhow.

BTW...this was done with a golf cart. Toyota Quality! It even says it right on the license plate!

Damn your an angry boy.

Whatever. New day same old shit with you. By the way if you are going to put my username on your "crush" list you might want to get it right.lol

Sure they are on their own now... Go to this website...look at the middle of the page...count 4 brands over...and what exactly do you see??? http://www.ford.com/ BTW the new Ford website looks nice.

Seems to me that Ford owned much less then 33.3% of Mazda before the 1990's. Mazda was on it's deathbed and Ford bailed it out. Ford brought Mazda back to life so let's not just jump on the bandwagon and claim that Ford ruined Mazda because they didn't.

You pull a lot of things out of your ass...so give them a break.