akirby

Consumers have wanted this for a long time. It's been the dealers who have resisted it to the point of filing lawsuits. I never understood why - it can only help sell more vehicle.

What changed? Whenever this was tried in the past the dealers sued the mfr using state franchise laws. Maybe the dealers are finally giving in to customer pressure.

Water pump? That would not have been in my top 100 guesses.

If they dropped the 6.2L from the F150 I think that's a foregone conclusion. A 5.0L EB or 4.6L EB would make more sense.

If the timing is intact then it shouldn't hurt to change the oil, refill the coolant and see if you can get it restarted.

Wow - that totally sucks. Can't say I've heard of that type of failure before, but continuing to try and start it after it died probably wasn't good. The lack of coolant in the recovery bottle isn't a good sign - maybe you had a head gasket leak and had water in the oil and it froze after it left the garage?

I agree. Therefore we should all stop breathing. You go first......

Don't disagree with any of that Austin. I just don't agree with people who try to make it out to be a technological wonder that's light years ahead of anyone else. Or to look at it another way - if Ford designed a new Focus or C-Max with a larger integrated battery pack, a larger electric motor and software that allows it to stay in battery mode until the battery is depleted and provides better acceleration on battery power - wouldn't that put it on par with the current Volt? And again - the Volt has far more potential to use alternative energy sources instead of ICE. They're just not there yet.

50 does come in handy though. When I was headed to the airport to pick up my son and the warning went off at 21 miles to empty I was 30 miles from the airport and had to stop and get gas. Had it gone off at 50 I would have been able to get gas before leaving or I would have had enough to make it. And no - looking at the fuel gauge or distance to empty on my own before the warning goes off is NOT an option........... :)

Sorry - I was confusing the adaptive cruise applying the brakes with collision avoidance. I'm sure there are U.S. certifications and testing that would be required before they can just "turn it on". And since there isn't much competition out there right now it's just not a priority. I would expect Lincoln to see it first since MB has it now.

All good points. I'm not against the Volt at all. I think it was a bad business decision for GM to develop it instead of other vehicles especially regular hybrids. It has the biggest EV range of any plug-in hybrid vehicle and probably the best battery packaging. The engineering of the drivetrain components between the wheels and the ICE is impressive, but so is the engineering in the other hybrids and PHEVs. The packaging is also nice because it's a dedicated PHEV. The 40 mile (35?) EV range is not due to new technology - it's due to a bigger battery pack. Other PHEVs could do the same thing but have chosen not to for cost, supply or packaging reasons. I'm sorry but the technology required to run an ICE to generate electricity to turn electric motors attached to the wheels IS 1950s locomotive technology. That doesn't make it bad, it just makes it unremarkable. Especially when the ICE isn't any more efficient than any other ICE. If and when they get a non-ICE powerplant or a dramatically more efficient ICE powerplant - that will make it unique and that is the primary benefit of such an architecture - decoupling the power source from mechanically driving the wheels. Ford's choice not to design a specific PHEV vehicle seems obvious. They still have limited hybrid powertrains available so they're limited as to how many hybrids and phevs (and EVs) they can sell. If you can add a hybrid/phev/ev powertrain to an existing vehicle with few modifications and still sell the number you want to sell, you stand to make a lot more profit. I bet the cost of the Energi Fusion and C-Max was a tiny fraction of what GM spent on the Volt, and Ford is definitely making money on hybrids and energis while the VOLT will probably be in the red for years to come. But don't tell me the Volt in its current form is anything other than a well-executed PHEV with a larger battery.

Some people think it's still 1985 and that turbos self-destruct after 50K miles.

Remember the MKC launch only talked about the 2.3L, but it also got the 2.0L.

All US models have front radar sensors? I don't think so. My 2013 Fusion has them and it does auto-brake for collision avoidance but only to a certain degree. Why isn't it turned on in the US for models that have it? Probably a combination of testing resources and the fact that most of the competition here doesn't offer it either. I'm sure it will show up soon, but it's not as simple as just turning it on in the software.

The Energis can go up to 85 mph on battery only so I don't understand the comment about them being power limited due to a less powerful electric powertrain. I fully understand that the Volt can engage the wheels directly from the ICE - which to me makes it more like a PHEV, not less. The only difference is that the Volt only does this at high speeds whereas a PHEV does it more often at lower speeds. I'm also not discounting the engineering of the generator/motor setup that allows direct engagement, sends power directly to the electric drivetrain and charges the battery in various combinations. That's pretty slick. The problem I have is that it really doesn't change how the vehicle operates compared to a PHEV. To me a PHEV with a larger battery would have the same EV range, would provide the ability to run infinitely on gasoline when the battery is depleted and would actually get better fuel economy when the battery is depleted because it's more efficient. It recharges the same way. I just don't see the "marvel" compared to PHEVs. Where the volt's design gives it a huge advantage is when you can switch to a super efficient ICE that can be run at optimal rpm all the time OR replaced with a fuel cell or some other type of power source altogether. The potential is there but until they actually do that, to me it's just a less efficient PHEV with a bigger battery pack.

Apparently that only applies to Ford.....

They never said it's the ONLY engine that's going to be available. That's just what some folks assumed.

The software on the Focus, Fusion and Escape is different than the previous versions because the new platforms came from Europe. That's my theory at least. It's different than the Edge, e.g. that's still using a North American platform.

Not even close. I also had a 06 3.0L V6 - it only put out 221 hp/205 lb/ft of torque. The 2.0L EB puts out 240 hp and 270 lb/ft of torque. It's significantly more powerful.

Range Rover competitor as far as features, capabilities and price. I don't think it matters whether it's unibody or BOF per se.

I can almost guarantee it won't be exactly 30 MTE.

It also opens up a slot in the lineup above the MKX for the Aviator.

Do you really think Audi/VW diesel buyers are going to buy a non Audi/VW diesel anything?

But we've already made drastic reductions in emissions thanks to the EPA. It's not being ignored. There just isn't much low hanging fruit left here. Compared to China that not only produces more than the U.S. but has far less regulation and far more room for improvement.