akirby

It is not logistically feasible to find one or two or a few vehicles amidst a few thousand parked vehicles and pull those out to be fixed first. So that's not really an option. What I think they should do is build a new one ASAP to replace the old one that's being repaired and offer the repaired vehicles to other dealers. That would be great customer service but I suspect there are some dealer/factory issues with doing that. As someone else said - sometimes it's not good to see the inside of the sausage factory.

It was sent to the dealers via a TSB. The maps are only available through the dealer so it's not available on syncmyride.com;

Is she taking pictures of the car or the model sitting in the showroom? If the model is Adriana Lima please share the pictures.

I would separate launch problems from ongoing problems because launch issues are not long term problems for the owners. There have been 4 significant issues over the last 3-4 years. MFT which appears to have finally been stabilized and improved with the latest update. PTU seals on AWD models which also appear to have been fixed for the most part. Powershift tranny problems - combination of defective units, bad software and poor driver education. These seem to also be fixed on the new models now. 6F35 tranny problems - mostly the shift flare problem. Seems to be a lot better if not completely fixed. There have also been some fit and finish/panel alignment issues but again those are not long term issues. And I question whether Ford has gotten worse or whether they simply fell in the rankings because the competition got that much better. The point is that while Ford has had their share of problems I don't consider these problems to be long term problems or problems that are likely to keep occurring (except maybe the 6F35 issue). Nor would I characterize a new Ford vehicle as being worse than average going forward.

I think you can make exceptions for Icons.

Here is a new one suited for Europe.

The moonroof opening partially is to prevent too much buffeting at high speeds.

And you've done your homework. You understand that keeping the Explorer will save the most money because it's paid for and it's worth the cost to get a new vehicle. Too many people would just say "my payment is $50 less than my old one and I'm saving $50/month on gas so I'm saving $100/month" and totally ignore the difference between a car payment and not having a car payment. I could easily keep my 06 Fusion several more years. But I'm willing to incur a new car payment to have something new. I also understand that I'm giving up money that could be used for a new patio or deck, etc and that's a tradeoff I'm willing to make.

Specific examples?

The latest MFT upgrade is getting very good reviews so far especially in terms of performance and speed.

I've figured out a trick to not get caught up in the monthly payment game and talk yourself into something more expensive that you don't really want or need. Instead of looking at things by monthly payment, I compare 2 vehicles and pretend one has a stack of money sitting in the seat. e.g. If you're looking at a $30K SE and a $34K Titanium - picture the SE with $4K sitting in the passenger seat. Would you rather have the SE and $4K in your pocket to spend on other stuff or would you rather have the Titanium? Or if you're looking at a new vehicle vs. keeping your old one just picture driving the old one for 2 more years with an extra $9600 in your pocket (based on the new vehicle costing $400/month). Doing this prevents you from spending $30K on a new vehicle just to save $3K in fuel costs over 5 years and thinking you're saving money. I used to be a master at rationalizing what I wanted and I didn't even realize I was doing it. It's not hard - just look at payments or short term financials and ignore the long term bigger picture. You can rationalize anything. I still buy what I want - I just do it with full disclosure now (to myself) and I acknowledge that in order to get this I'll be giving up that down the road.

My guess is they're getting either financial support or at the very least encouragement and direction and maybe people resources from corporate.

People are excited about their new car so it's natural to be disappointed at further delays. But this really has to be expected to some degree and not blown out of proportion based on rumor mongering.

That would be a compelling reason and justifiable. Remember - even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

Not that I know of. There should be no difference in smoothness - just a bit extra power with Premium.

That doesn't preclude the new Ranger from sharing the new F150 parts though. I find it hard to believe Ford wouldn't find a way to share a lot between two trucks that are that close in size. They certainly have enough volume to keep separate platforms so I guess we'll have to wait and see.

But if you have Nav you don't really have a choice because you need new maps.

It's evolving and they can't just change every vehicle all at once. I think they're experimenting with different looks right now before settling on a common theme across the board.

Was this the new Minivan that Ford previously announced? Obviously they're going after the better fuel economy angle - sort of in between the small wagons and the larger minivans. I think it will be mildly successful on a retail level which is ok since the incremental cost is probably peanuts. I wonder if they'll be adding a hybrid version - that could be a game changer.

Except we're not talking about 4 or 5 second differences or cars that only have 80 hp and can't get out of their own way. My 93 Explorer only had 160 hp and weighed a lot more.

I really think the new F150 might be sharing more parts with ROW Ranger if we believe they're downsizing the new F150. Seems like a win/win for one Ford and global platforms.

Even the people who don't really care about the gift will probably mention it to friends. Like my 2000 Lincoln LS crystal champagne flutes. Never used them but I told a lot of people about getting them and they were impressed. A little PR goes a long way.

Excellent analogy!

Kinda like 2006?

I guess you could buy a hybrid for performance or a sports car for fuel mileage but neither makes much sense to me.