Serpent

I agree, but who is going to buy an F-150 when it puts out 50-80 hp less than the competition and gets pretty much the same MPG.

Yeah right. A Focus is rated at 1000 pounds towing and a Five Hundred is rated at 1500 pounds towing. Thats not going to go very far. Basically my snowmobile on a small utility trailer would overload both those vehicles. I wish Ford would bring out some kind of midsize Ranger replacement. At least they I could get a 4-banger regular cab 4x2 and get 25-40 MPG. As of yet I havent heard of that happening though, so most likely I will end up with another F-150 (most likely a regular cab 4x2 V6 XL). Id actually rathar have a car, but I dont see it being practical.

I dont think the price of gas hurts fullsize trucks all the much because most people who buy those vehicles buy them because they need them. Believe me, Id love to be able to move to a Focus or Fusion, but for me personally its just not practical. I haul firewood with my truck in the summer (I heat my house with a Vermont Castings wood stove and it saves me a lot of money on my heating bills) and I haul my snowmobile in the winter. Plus, there are various other times when I just wouldnt want to be without a truck. For me, a car really isnt even practical, no matter how expensive gas is. The price of gas is not just due to the war in Iraq. China is using more and more oil, and that plays a role as well.

Whoopity doo. Whens the last time RYR has won a race?

I dont see how anyone would be surprised over Ford's May sales numbers. The F-150 doesnt really compare to what GM and Toyota are offering (a 300 hp V8 isnt gonna cut it anymore) and the newness of the Mustang's styling has worn off. Ford also greatly reduced fleet sales, which hurt their numbers. As far as what Ford needs to do to fix things, I think they will be forced into upping the F-150 from a 5.4L to a 5.7L or 6.0L (something that is 375-400 hp) and they need to find some way to improve the fuel economy of their cars. They still fall short in comparison to the imports in terms of MPG.

I personally cant believe that Ford is just to kill the Ranger and not replace it with something else. I cant believe they wont come out with some kind of midsize truck to replace it. I agree that the reason why the Ranger has fallen is because Ford has ignored it for too long. GM, Toyota and Nissan have all upgraded and improved their small trucks whereas Ford has rolled out the same old Ranger year after year with only minor cosmetic tweaks. How do they expect to stay competitive like that? Never thought Id say this, but if Ford doesnt get their act together there just might be a Chevy Colorado or GMC Canyon in my driveway in the near future. I like my F-150, but Im going to be in the market for something that is smaller and more fuel-efficient, but I still want the ability to haul light loads every now and then. If Ford doesnt make something that fits my needs, I will have no choice but to look elsewhere. Id prefer to stay with a domestic if I can, and from what Ive read on the Colorado/Canyon they look pretty impressive.

I thought that Lutz came across as a whiner. He whined that the Japanese market is closed to GM (doesnt GM own Suzuki?) and he whined about the perceptions of quality differences between GM and Toyota. I liked his use of sarcasim, very unprofessional. Remind me, what is so great about this guy? If he is such an automotive design mastermind, why has he worked for so many different car companies? You would think that if he were so great, these companies would have done what they needed to keep him working for them. Sorry, but Lutz doesnt impress me.

If you live in Florida, I personally wouldnt spend the money for AWD. AWD is really nice if you live in a place that has snowy winters, but if you dont drive in the snow then AWD is a waste. With front-drive your car is going to get better fuel economy and actually be faster (if you can get traction) because there will be less of a drag on the engine. Some people will probably say that AWD gives you better cornering grip and it does, but are you going to use all that grip on your daily commute? Probably not enough to make it worth paying a premium for AWD.

The only thing that Toyota's 5.7L has in common with GM's 5.7L is the displacement. Other than that, the 2 engines are very different. Dual overhead cams, 32 valves and variable valve timing for the Toyota vs pushrods and 16 valves for the GM. No matter where your brand loyalty lies, if you dont think the new Tundra is impressive you need to take off the blinders. Ford is definetely going to need to step it up if they want to stay competitive in the 1/2 ton truck market. GM has stepped it up, Toyota has stepped it up and if Ford doesnt do the same the F-150 will end up sharing the same fate as the Ranger.

Thats not true. Toyota has had a partnership with GM since the late '80s. Theres a plant in California that Toyota and GM jointly own called, "New United Motor Manufacturing" (NUMMI). Every hear of a Geo/Chevy Prizm? Its a rebadged Toyota Corolla. Pontiac Vibe? At its core its a Toyota Matrix. I think Ford will be OK. They are cutting back production to suit demand and coming out with some very nice cars (500, Fusion, Zephyr, ect) that should compete very well with the Japanese and Korean makes. Toyota has issues that they need to work out if they are going to maintain their current position. They need to overhaul and improve their dealer network. People are already questioning if Toyota's quality is slipping, what are they going to say when Toyota is selling 4 times as many vehicles as they are currently selling (and when they have 4 times as many defects).

I got a card from Ford in the mail last week saying that parts to repair the cruise control switch on my F-150 will be delayed untill February. That doesnt bother me so much as the fact that nowhere does Ford say something like, "We apologize for the delay." Im not at all pleased with the way that Ford is handling this recall. Its good to know that my truck wont suddenly burst into flames, but an apology for the delay would have gone a long way in showing that Ford regrets this whole situation. Dont get me wrong, I love my F-150 but it seems like Ford would rathar sell more new trucks that to fix their mistakes and make sure that their current customers are happy.