akirby

Saying that NASCAR is the number one motorsport in the U.S. is like saying the Rangers are the #1 hockey team. On top of that, NASCAR is all about the drivers and the teams now, not the mfrs. All the cars are identical. Winning on Sunday doesn't mean squat for the mfr on Monday. NASCAR is not a wise investment for any mfr right now.

I know that's what Retail typically means but in the context of the order guide saying that the manual transmission is only available on retail orders doesn't make sense. Also - at the top of each section it refers to "Retail series mix" - again, I don't think that would only apply to customer orders.

You overestimate how much the AVERAGE car buyer knows or cares about these things. Most buyers go by looks and/or performance and/or what their peers have. They don't read automotive websites and all they know about the vehicles are what they see on TV or at the dealer or on the mfr website.

I'm pretty sure Gloria reads just as many, if not more, online F150 forums as you and she has a different conclusion.

Regular.

And in temperature extremes. It's not 1985 any more and turbos are not to be feared.

I wasn't advocating fuel cells now - just saying that if you had a fully electric vehicle with a separate ICE generator (whether it was gas or electric) you could convert it to a fuel cell rather simply whereas you could not do that if the generator was part of the drivetrain. Or you could offer multiple options - ICE gas or ICE diesel or fuel cell or whatever. Remember that with a turbo diesel you control the rpm, not the driver which should make it easier to control emissions and/or maximize fuel efficiency.

I was thinking a small turbo diesel or some future technology like a hydrogen fuel cell. Since the engine would not be constrained by the operating parameters of a transmission it really opens up the options.

Most people did not buy Rangers to haul stuff. They bought them because they were cheap. In 1990 I got a std cab 4 cylinder with sliding rear window, chrome wheels, chrome bumper, 4 speaker am/fm cassette and air conditioning for $7995. I bought it because it was cheap and got decent gas mileage and came in handy for some chores. I traded that for a 4.0L supercab in 95 (manual also). I traded that one in on a car in 1999 and I've had cars ever since.

Above 70 mph the ICE is always engaged and provides some motive force through the secondary motor/generator. A traditional plug-in hybrid is way more efficient with the ICE always powering the drivetrain directly when it's running rather than indirectly through a generator. Where the Volt could shine is the use of a more efficient power source (totally disconnected from the drivetrain) that can overcome the energy conversion losses yielding better MPG. This energy source could be swapped out, upgraded or run in parallel to provide more electricity.

I think the only reason it uses the ICE directly is that the generator cannot supply enough electricity to drive the wheels on electricity alone. That's the drawback of the Volt architecture - you lose energy when you convert the ICE output to electricity and then convert it back to mechanical energy through the electric motors. It's more efficient to drive the wheels directly. That's why the Volt only gets 37 mpg once the battery is depleted whereas the Fusion Energi should get close to the Fusion Hybrid (40's).

The Hybrid is based on the SE and the Sony radio is only available on the Titanium. Retail order means non-fleet (I think).

You don't understand why most people bought Rangers and other small trucks to begin with. They were cheap utilitarian transportation. Small crossovers and hybrids didn't exist yet and gas was cheap. I bought 2 myself. As small crossovers got better and we got better fuel efficiency on all vehicles small pickup buyers changed to other vehicles. It's that simple. Same thing happened to BOF full and midsized SUVs. The market changed and it's not changing back right now regardless of the products. It may change in the future. But Ford can charge a lot more for a vehicle with better performance and/or fuel economy. It's never about absolute sales volume. In fact keeping sales volume within one plant's capacity gives you the best cost structure and spreading sales out among multiple models and segments gives the company more flexibility to absorb market changes.

The engine in the Volt only charges the battery and does not directly drive the wheels except at high speed (not sure exactly how that part works).

Seriously? This is the stupidest thing you've said in a long time.

Thanks Captain Obvious. Did it ever occur to you that people who are more likely to be shot at are more likely to have a gun themselves? Here's another factoid. Did you know that wearing a batting helmet increases your chances of being hit in the head by a baseball dramatically?

I'm planning to get a loaded Titanium Ruby Red w/19" grey wheels. I actually wanted the black interior so that wasn't an issue. Mine is $32K X plan. FWD.

8" touchscreen LCDs weren't that cheap 10 years ago.

If the ranger was the only product in it's class then that argument might hold water. But even if the Ranger was left to wither on the vine, what about the Colorado, Tacoma and Frontier? Did all of the small truck mfrs conspire together to kill the market? Of course not. The Tacoma especially was a perfectly viable alternative to folks who actually wanted or needed a small truck and the others weren't terrible either. Sometimes the market changes and it's not because of

Sometimes it's cheaper to NOT make something. Ford saved a ton of money killing the old Ranger. If they didn't have the F150 and the small truck market didn't keep failling when gas prices went up there would have been a better business case for keeping and/or upgrading it. You can't make every possible product - you have to pick and choose.

You severely overestimate the average person's initiative. I've seen perfectly capable grown people sit on their ass and collect $800/month welfare instead of working for twice that. Of course most of them lived in subsidized housing (some even second generation). If you allow people to be lazy, they will be. It's that simple.

The Lincoln LS suspension was mostly aluminum - upper and lower control arms included.

It used to cost $2K. And a 8" screen is way bigger than your iPhone.

Ok, I'll buy that. I was thinking more in terms of products.

Parallel doesn't mean "mild hybrid". All regular hybrids are parallel meaning the wheels are driven by both the ICE and electric motor. GMs eAssist only provided start/stop capability. This system is more like a normal hybrid that can operate the car in full EV mode for short periods. It just doesn't have the large battery for extended EV range like Ford and Toyota.