waymondospiff

I will never underestimate the value of sliding doors for a family...but the Flex is just cool enough to justify using the "child locks" for and open up the kiddies' door time and time again. Now if only sales will lineup with this theory, then it'd be peachy. Scott

I wonder what it looks like, I wonder how much it'll cost, and I wonder why it's an option. But any news on making the MKZ more competitive is a good thing. I can't wait to see the MKX. As long as they keep the grille in check (see: MKZ, don't see: MKT) I think it has a real shot at besting the RX350. And that would be awesome. Scott

Obviously, this is a bit of a goodbye letter to the Sable as production on the car has already stopped. But I thought this would be fun to write up and see what other people think of this "last generation" Sable. So, last Friday I arrived at the airport near-enough-it-makes-no-difference to 2am and was given the keys to a 2009 Mercury Sable Premier FWD, white-on-black leather, with only 3,400 miles. I was interested because I have yet to drive either a 3.5L Duratec-powered car or an updated Taurus/Sable. So I figured this would be an interesting opportunity. And my 200 or so miles of driving was - and I hope I've encapsulated the good and the bad in the following short write up. First, the looks. Wow. I know people thought the Five Hundred/Montego were boring, plain vehicles. Well, at it's heart, that hasn't changed, the overgrown '98-'05 Passat silhoutte is still there, it's just now slathered in chrome. Big chrome grille, chrome fog lamp surrounds, chrome wheels, chrome mirrors, chrome window surrounds, chrome door handles, shiny trunk lip, chrome exhaust tips...it's all about chrome. Combined with the fact that this is a big honkin' car and that this particular car was painted white, and you can't help but think that this car is just ready to cruise to IHOP in Boca Raton at 4pm. In the left lane. With the blinker on. This car just screams old person. And I think that, more than any other reason, has been it's downfall. 'Cause the big, glammed up exterior contains a whole lot of goodness inside. The interior styling matches the outside with its conservative lines and shiny bits added for decor all over the knobs, gauges, door handles, switches and other trim pieces. The difference between the interior and the overdone exterior though is the fact that the interior looks quite smart. A noticeable upgrade from the original F.H./Montego interior, which looked much the same, but didn't have the extra dollop of shiny bits. Beyond the style is also the fact that the materials were given a serious upgrade from the F.H./Montego to Taurus/Sable refresh. All of the door panels, dash, and center console pieces felt nice, firm yet supple, and suitably upscale. Equipment wise, this rental was very nice - fog lamps, chromed-wheels, power sunroof, power windows/locks/mirrors, 2-position memory system for power drivers seat, power passenger seat, heated front seats, leather seats, Sync, automatic climate control, stability control, trip computer, puddle lamps, remote keyless entry with keypad, Sirius satellite radio, reverse sensing system, and more. Configuring one similar to this on the Mercury website comes to a price of $31,795. Not cheap, but not bad considering the content. And those features were just the icing on the cake of what is, by design, a very comfortable vehicle. That big honkin' outside contains a big honkin' inside. This car has tons and tons of space. The front seat is roomy in every direction, although their could be a touch more rearward travel in the seat. Headroom is a joke, not because it's tight, but because there's so much of it. Even with the sunroof I still had inches to go from my head to the roof. The rear seat is awesome - room to sit, cross your legs, install a billiards table, skeet shoot, hold dog races...I can't think of another vehicle, minus the expensive long-wheelbase European-brand flagships that have more rear seat room. Compared to the Buick Lucerne, well, you can't even compare it to a Lucerne. Nor an Impala. Nor a 300 or Charger. Nor just about anything. This car has space. Including the trunk. The loading floor shape is a bit odd, with a rise right before the rear seats, meaning anything that can roll with end up lodged right behind the rear seat. And you aren't going to get that from the trunk opening, it's about four feet away, you'll have to fold the seats and reach behind to get it. It would just seem more logical to have a lip up to prevent that, rather than a lip down creating a crevice for things to get stuck in. But that's a minor annoyance to the otherwise impressive trunk. Golf bags, dead bodies, whatever it is you carry, it'll fit. And most likely, more than one. My suitcase and backpack looked almost comical back there - barely filling that massive space. In addition to the space of the interior is the H-point of the vehicle, or the "hip-point" - the place where your body needs to pivot to get in and out of the vehicle. The H-point is several inches above normal sedans, making it easy to get in and out of the vehicle, and giving the seats a very chair-like upright seating position that lends itself to all day comfort when on a roadtrip. While it does say "old person" unlike any Nissan 370Z, I can't stress enough how nice the entry/exit to this vehicle is. As a Miata owner, I have a special appreciation for any vehicle that doesn't require high-stress physical labor to enter or exit, and this Sable is just about the easiest thing to get in and out of. It's high enough to not require much bending and at the same time it's not a climb up like so many SUVs. It's quite nice. It'll appeal even more to the retirees, but it's a nice feature for anybody. Performance was a mixed bag, but mostly mixed with good, or, at least, predictable, elements. The 3.5L Duratech is nice. Plenty of power and punch, not afraid to rev, yet steps out quite well. The six-speed automatic is a great transmission, able to slur shifts when putzing around town or snap off a quick upshift under throttle. A form of manual override would have been nice, but for most driving the six-speed is fine left to its own devices. The ride is just a bit firmer than I would have selected for a car of this type. It's got a bit of thwack from road imperfections, more than I would have expected. It's not disruptive or annoying, it's just more than I would have expected for what I would expect to be a large, floaty boat car aimed at retirees. But this didn't translate into great handling. The Sable more than held its own through the few turns I took it around, but there was a lot of body lean in turns - enough lean that I decided to back off and slow the car down instead. Again, not unexpected considering the type of car, but I would have either dialed up the handling a bit to go with the firmer ride, or I would have given up completely and made the Sable a cloud car, all soft and pillowy and unable to turn a corner without hitting the brakes first. The steering was extremely light, and it wasn't as direct as I would have liked. This contributed to the overall desire to slow down instead of push the limits. Nothing scary or undesireable, but this isn't a car that likes to hurry or a car that will reward you on a curvy backroad. But for heading to IHOP at 4pm... I was impressed by the highway noise. This is a fairly quiet car. It's not exactly Lexus-quiet, but it'll do for most any buyer. So, this is a giant, luxuriously-equipped, peppy, quiet car at a reasonable price. So why is it being cancelled instead of selling out? Well, there are many small reasons and here's my list of annoyances: -not enough front seat rearward travel -no telescopic steering wheel (I drove knees splayed - elbows locked) -no steering wheel audio controls (Sync would help with this, but I don't want to talk to my car just to scan through the radio stations.) -brick radio (looks tacky & cheap in a pretty sharp interior) -lack of transmission control (I prefer paddles, but a manual gate works as well - pretty much anything more than D and L) -lack of auto up/down windows except for the driver -lack of window control from the keyless remote -the coarse-sounding engine. The 3.5L has plenty of power and has no fear of revving, it's just that when it does, it sounds rather unrefined. The snarl of the Nissan VQ or the quiet thrum of the Toyota 3.5L V6 is just not there, replaced with a sound that's about ten years behind the times in volume-V6 evolution. Ford can do better. While none of these alone would prevent a purchase, when added up, they are enough to make one decide to go with a competitor instead. But that assumes that someone gets past the exterior styling to begin with. I always thought that the F.H./Montego were a handsome, if subdued pair. However, all glitzed up as the Sable is, no one I saw said the car looked like anything but an old person's car. As people used the trunk or sat in the back seat, they were slowly converted over to the virtues of the Sable, but they still wouldn't consider it because of the styling. Too bad, really. I hope that Ford is able to keep the good about the current Taurus/Sable pair when the new Taurus comes out. Hopefully with the new attractive styling more people will discover all of the goodness of the car. Anyone else have any comments on the Sable or other D3s? Scott

It makes sense that Ford has brought over the high-spec features. To break out of the "cheap car" syndrome Ford will need to offer higher-end features when they introduce the Fiesta. And anyway, even if you're not going to bring those features, you can still put your best foot forward with the people stopping by to look. I doubt our feature list and model lineup will sync up with the UK. But I see a couple of models, and I do think a top-of-the-line with all options Fiesta is going to round up to $18K or more. That link didn't appear to work, but the models in AZ all appeared to be the top-spec model with multi-spoke wheels and all body-colored trim. And the blue was the dark blue paint. Probably a good thing. The drivers seat was a touch narrow for someone of my, uhhh, breadth. And for those that asked, yes, I'm "Scott", but not in "Scottsdale." I'm in Tempe, just south of Scottsdale. And my middle name ain't Dale. Scott

I got to drive a 1.6L/5-speed manual 5-Door Apple Green Fiesta at the Fiesta Movement's Ride & Drive event at a mall here in Arizona. The location was a covered outdoor area, in the valet lane. This being Scottsdale there were five Fiestas, a Land Rover, a Mercedes S-Class, and an Aston Martin sharing the valet spots. I'm thinking that this may not have been the target demographic for a subcompact, but it spot was covered, and that's important in Arizona. Unfortunately there wasn't a huge crowd at the event, but I think people may not have known what was going on. The "event" was pretty blah - a couple of people in shirts answering questions and five Fiestas. Two of the cars (one in pink and one in dark blue) were parked on display - the blue one open for examination and the pink one decked out in computers with the fiestamovement.com information loaded. Of the three driving cars one was in black and the other two were green. All five were the 5-door hatchback. There were people to answer questions, people to escort the drives, and people to "check you in" so that you could drive the cars (license, email, waiver, and you're off) and as an added bonus they gave me a card that I can allegedly redeem for 10 music downloads. The model I drove was a 1.6L/manual 5-door. It was equipped with power windows & mirrors & locks, Sync, leather (heated, natch) seats, trip computer, automatic climate control, front & rear fog lamps, tilt/telescopic steering column, mood lighting, and keyless entry/ignition. Some other nice features included the six-way adjustable drivers seat, input jack & USB slot, convex outside mirrors to eliminate blindspots (even if they do cause a bit of queasiness when you look at them), capless fuel filler, large front door map pockets, and adjustable headlights. There were a couple of features noticeably absent from the vehicle - overhead grab handles, folding mirrors, front center armrest, and "American-sized" cup holders - but overall it was very nicely equipped. The interior materials were of the "inexpensive quality" type. Everything appear sturdy and well built, but the materials were not high-end. The center dashboard silver trim is glossy, but obviously plastic and not metal. The leather upholstery on the seats was rather rough, but it did feature the oatmeal-colored contrasting stitching for nice effect. The seating position is taller, very similar to the Focus and not laid back like some other small cars. And while the front seats are narrow, there is plenty of seat travel for taller drivers and there is enough head, shoulder, and elbow room to be very comfortable. Likewise, the rear seat is roomy enough that I was comfortable (6'1" sitting behind a shorter passenger (5'6") in the front seat.) There was plenty of head room, my knees were easily splayed, not forced around the seat back. One downside to the styling, however, is the tall and small rear-seat windows - kids won't be able to see out. The center-column controls have positive tactile feedback for all of their movements, but make no mistake, this isn't a Lexus with dampened buttons, they do snick-snick. The trunk area is bigger than you'd guess from looking at the exterior. Of course, the rear seats fold down to expand the cargo area, but this exposes the Fiesta's weakness vis-a-vis the Fit - the rear seats' folding action. The Fit's rear seat famously folds flat into the floor of the car, creating a nearly seamless, low floor for cargo. The Fiesta, however, has a much simpler rear seat. The Fiesta's rear seat cushion is fixed and the seat back simply folds over onto the bottom cusion, creating a nearly six inch difference between the top of the folded seat and the trunk floor. Also, the back of the seat back is painted metal which seems bad in three ways: one, the paint will most likely scratch off over time with use, two the cargo it is carrying will be prone to rattling, and three, the hard metal may scratch or damage any soft cargo. The cargo area definitely could use some additional thought before launch. But this is all the boring "before the drive" stuff. More exciting was actually driving the little Fiesta. I did not independently confirm that I was driving a 1.6L, that's what I was told, but I'll assume that's right for my comments. Also on hand was a 1.4L/automatic, and the escort said it was a 4-speed automatic. Ugh. A 100-hp engine with a 4-speed auto? No thanks. Because the green Fiesta was equipped with keyless ignition, I pressed the button and the engine started up quietly. The driving controls are all extremely light. The electronic power steering is light enough to steer with a pinky finger but was great for pulling into and out of the parking area. The clutch is very light but engages positively, leaving very few jerks in its wake. The transmission lever is much longer than I am used to in my Miata and appeared to have long, lazy throws. This could be because it is so much different than my own tight gearbox, but the shifter was very light and did not require much force to change gears. Pulling out into traffic the Fiesta steps out well but doesn't have a lot of power to spare. I was trying to act like the respectable, middle-aged man I one-day-hope-to-be and avoided flooring the throttle and I shifted at less than 3500 rpm each time, but still, the Fiesta was far from fast. I would deem the power as adequate with the knowledge that if pushed higher into the rpm range, the engine probably perks up. What was surprising is the smoothness of driving the Fiesta. The engine is quiet and free of surges. The transmission is a bit loose for my taste, but it does engage gears well. And finally, the clutch would make even a novice stick driver appear like a pro with a smooth, progressive engagement. Also, for my admittedly short drive, the interior is quite quiet. The engine is pretty quiet around town and the car doesn't transmit a ton of noise into the cabin. I mentioned that the steering is very light, but it is also very direct and fast, not requiring much effort to turn the vehicle. The ride is European - firm but forgiving. After I had my spin-around-the-block my friend drove and I took my turn in the backseat. Road blemishes are felt but are not severe. It reminds me of the original Focus here in the US - connected but not punishing. The car felt very planted zipping along down side streets. It did follow some deep grooves in one section of road, but nothing out of the ordinary. All-in-all it was a short, fun drive around the mall area. I went to the event today expecting a fun little car and came away with the impression that the Fiesta is a fun little car. I'm not wild about the limited flexibility of the cargo area, especially considering the number one competitor (Fit) has such a great cargo area. I also expected a bit more punch from the 1.6L. But this was an European model brought to the US. I think the power is adequate as-is, but I hope a US-spec version is tuned for a bit more torque to help launch the car from a stop. I also hope they keep the ride but give the steering additional weight. But these are minor suggestions. Overall I think the Fiesta is a great car. The Fiestas that were running around Scottsdale stood out from the crowd, both their unique design and the bright green exteriors. This is a great car and I think we'll be seeing a lot of them in the future. Sorry for the lengthy description, I wanted to capture as many details as possible. If you have driven the Fiesta, leave your thoughts, or if you have other specific questions, please post them. Scott

I'd go with the cautious people. Americans don't like opportunism. Ford needs to keep pushing their products and distancing themselves from the messes of Chrysler & GM. I think the second they say "General Motors" or "Chrysler" in an ad (unless they're actually closed) is the second that the backlash roars. But what do I know? Scott

I like the XC60, but, honestly, Volvo needed this vehicle years ago. And that applies to all of Volvo, really. I really like the cars, but really, their lineup needs an almost top-to-bottom makeover. Edmunds.com - 2007 BMW X3 3.0si, 4,121 lbs, 0-60 in 7.2s, in 1,903 miles of driving it averaged 19.2mpg & is EPA rated 19c/26h (at the time, the current 2009 X3 is rated 17c/24h using the 2008 & later EPA rankings.) Edmunds.com - 2010 Volvo VC60, 4,247 lbs, 0-60 in 7.1s, averaged 15.6mpg & is EPA rated 15c/22h. So roughly a 10% hit in fuel economy for the XC60 vs. the X3. But you get a much better looking vehicle. And the XC60 is less expensive. If you want to go Ford: 2011 Edge/MKX with the Mid-Cycle Refresh, Flex, MKT or 2011 Explorer. Those all seem like viable options. Scott

I didn't see this posted elsewhere...my apologies if it already is up. http://www.fordvehicles.com/2011fiesta/ You can now choose "Your Fiesta" from the menu and build your Fiesta. Ostensibly, Ford is going to use this data to choose build configurations/available options for the Fiesta in the States. It's a fun little diversion. Mine is: Hatchback...Hurricane Blue...Manual...Performance Suspension, Bodykit, & Sync... Then they have a quick demographics survey (Tofu or beef jerky?) It's pretty neat and well done. And the colors are awesome. Blue, Green, Red, Orange...it's like popsicles, not a car! Scott

That's a pretty decent review, although the focus on the 3.0L engine a little too much. 7.3 sec 0-60 is too slow for a midsize sedan? If you want more power, there's the Sport model, otherwise this is MORE than enough power for 99% of buyers. I do wish the 3.0L was offered with a manual. Reminds me of the (old) Mazda6s. A little soft down low that made every day driving very easy, but keep your foot planted and that Duratec would wind out - it sounded great and it could really hustle! Scott

Nice. Almost shocking in this market. But, I would expect, the people who are buying in this economy are looking for sensible transportation and the Fusion is very sensible. Where are the sales coming from? I'd guess a combination of Malibu, Aura, & G6 - heavier on Aura & G6 due to the recent news about the brands, Sonata - since Ford is matching the lose-your-job-keep-your-car incentive, and whatever retail share Chrysler was carrying with the Sebring/Avenger (0.03%?) I'd be surprised if there is much crossover from the Accord, Camry, or Altima. Scott

From uncompetitive to a dead heat in five years...and people thought Hyundai rose quickly. A decent review with some frivilous things, especially making a decision assuming that manually-shifting an automatic family sedan is going to matter one whit to more than 0.001% of the potential customers. No mention of in-cabin ergonomics? Ingress/egress? Child-seat mounting in the back? Cargo room, opening, or shape? Nothing beyond a cursory mention of equipment? Not a bad review, but it seems like they left a lot out...not to mention that Ford hasn't "caught up" with Honda's quality...no, they've surpassed Honda's quality. Scott

The Highlander used to and the Venza now does offer a N/A 4cyl engine. Checking out weights... Mazda CX-7 Sport FWD 2.3L Turbo - 3,710lbs. Mazda Tribute i Sport FWD 2.5L - 3,276lbs. Toyota Venza FWD Base 2.7L - 3,760lbs. Nissan Rouge FWD Base 2.5L - 3,281lbs. The CX-7 is in line with the Venza, but it does weigh more than the "compact" CUVs. Scott

Post back when you figure out what you're driving (CX-7, C1-CD3 hybrid, 2.3L turbo, 5-passenger; CX-9, CD3 stretch, 3.7L V6, 7-passenger.) It'd be interesting to hear your impressions of the CX-7 engine. I haven't driven it, but I really like the styling and would consider it in place of an Escape/Tribute to replace the Escape someday. But why a turbo 4cyl? It's certainly no Ecoboost as the mileage is worse than the 3.5L Edge and reviews complain about the peakiness of the engine in everyday driving. Keep us posted. Scott

Yawn. A rocket sledding hits a car and...what exactly? The host saying he's never seen anything that fast? If he flew commercial he probably went that fast getting there (Boeing B777 typical cruise mach 0.84, converts to 639 mph.) And then bald-face lying to the camera afterwards for dramatic effect ("I think we pancaked it!" when it's clearly lying in pieces all over the desert, not squished into one chunk.) And trying to fuse metal with a car accident...when you could plainly calculate if the energy in the collision would generate enough heat to melt and flash-weld the trucks together (the answer is, clearly, no.) I just don't get MythBusters...it's entertaining if you turn off your brain, but if you think through the hypothesis it's normally easy to tell what's going to happen. And I've never been a fan of the 800 angle hyper-replay programs. Whatever floats your boat. Scott

Although not unheard of, I would surprised if it's a Canada-only product. The Mazda2 would make an excellent addition to the lineup in the US. The Mazda3 is fairly pricey and if the Mazda2 can be sold for less money it would probably capture more buyers, rather than simply dilute Mazda3 sales. Time will tell, but I hope it comes! Scott

I'd be okay if they wanted that - just hook that D30 PIP to a six speed manual and we're good. It seems odd that you can load up a 4cyl/auto but not a 4cyl/manual. Interestingly, it's identical to Hyundai & Kia. The Sonata & Optima are both offering with manual transmissions, but only on the lowest trim level with no options. I'd think the days of people "cheaping out" by buying a stick shift instead of an automatic, only to save money, are over. Just as a reminder to all manufacturers - when the Mazda6 launched, it wasn't 4cyl/auto combos that Mazda underestimated in the demand forecasts - it was V6/manuals. Scott

I'm not really sure if GM's one midsize chassis strategy is really a new plan. The company has always had two midsize chassis and currently those two are W (down to only the Impala) and Epsilon (everything else.) Move Impala to either Zeta (now being called Alpha?) or Epsilon and the conversion is complete. With several vehicles riding on D3/D4, Taurus/MKS/MKT/Flex/Explorer, Ford can probably justify two separate platforms. If not, either the D3/D4 products will need to shrink some or EUCD2 will need to come in basically two related-but-heavily-modified forms: midsize and large. Like RJ said, the gap between a Fusion and a Flex in size and weight is massive. Another factor will be where the Aussies factor in - GRWD? Also, the Mustang is still hanging out on it's lonesome platform, S197/D2C. I'm not sure how these stars align in the future, if they do at all, but with Ford's latest investment into the D3/D4 chassis I would not be surprised to see it live on past EUCD2's introduction. Scott

I'm guessing that Mitsubishi & Subaru have more than cornered the market for any rally car demand in the US. I'm just saying. Scott

Ah. No harm no foul. But please watch the quotes. Agree with a "but," disagree with a "however." If your organization is heading in one direction and only one person is being a "hold up," even if for valid reasons, that person sometimes needs to go for the sake of the company. All oars in the same direction and all that... But that's assuming he was forced out, and I'm not entirely sure that's the case. Volvo is in need of a lead designer, which gives Horbury the opportunity to do rich and lavish style, which, from his body of work, appears to be his thing. Ford ranges from the nice Flex & MKS to the Fiesta & Escape. Maybe Horbury didn't want to do more heavily compromised work on the cheaper products. I do think Moray, with the Mazda experience, will be better suited for the lower-end products like Fiesta & Focus. Finally, entry-level cars designed in Europe that have done well in the US. Well...the Golf/Rabbit/Jetta. They did better back in the 80s, but VW still sell 100K or so per year of the two I'd guess. The Daewoo Kalos (known to us as the Chevy Aveo) was designed by Italdesign & heavy chassis development took place in the UK & the car was introduced at the European auto shows before the Asian (or American) shows. Although not a raging success, the Suzuki SX4 was designed by Italdesign on a Fiat chassis. That's fairly European. The Toyota Yaris is a European design on a Japanese suspension, I'm not sure if that applies. A similar European/Japanese hybrid is the Nissan Tiida (our Nissan Versa) where Renault & Nissan shared design of the chassis. A little up the ladder there's the Acura TSX - the European Honda Accord - where demand outstripped supply when it first launched. Of course, it was an artifically low supply of only around 20K per year. Too new to be a success or a failure, the Hyundai Elantra Touring is a version of the Hyundai i30 Estate - designed by Hyundai's European R&D center. And you can't forget the Mini. Also too new for a fail/succeed label is the Smart. And of course there's always the Ford Focus. I don't see why European designed compacts can't fare well in the US. After all, it's Asian compacts that have been dominating the US market for years: Civic, Corolla, Sentra/Bluebird/Sunny, Protege/Mazda3, Mazda-based Escorts, Elantra, Spectra, etc. If anything, the US market and the European market have grown closer in the decade making the viability of "World Cars." Scott

Hmmm...yeah, no, actually, yeah, no. I re-read my post, no where did I state Moray is a "yes man." What I did ask is, Moray worked for Horbury and is now replacing him, however, the head design guy is still J Mays. Is it not a valid question to ask if this will result in change? I think it is. You, however, don't. Good for you. Anyone else? Scott

Yes but...this concept isn't about the Transit Connect, it's about family transportation in a smaller-than-common-in-the-US box. And all three of the TC, Mazda5, & C-Max are that. This concept isn't about selling manual-transmissioned TCs to families in New York - it's about introducing the concept of small-but-roomy boxes as viable family transportation. Again, no more, no less. Scott

Tried "building" a Fusion 6MT on the Ford site...it's only available in S & SE? And there aren't really any options on an SE beyond the sunroof/stereo package. Do manual buyers not like navigation, leather, power seats, auto climate control, HIDs, etc? Oddly enough, I can buy a Mazda6 Grand Touring with all the options in 4cyl/manual guise. Honda Accord? Yup, the EX-L with Navigation is available with a manual. The Subau Legacy Limited is auto-only, but the non-turbo lower models are available in stick shift as are the top-of-the-line 4cyl turbos in the GT. Nissan limits the options similar to the Fusion on the 2.5S Altima: no leather, navigation, etc. However, Nissan is forgiven for still offering a V6/manual combination, and it can be loaded up. Why no Fusion SEL 6MT? Scott

The difference is ratios. For whatever reason, automotive engineers & marketing-types have determined that it's a huge inconvience to downshift a manual transmission car on the highway to pass, therefore they've kept the gearing low enough to keep the engine in a powerband sufficient to pass quickly without downshifting. This doesn't apply to automatics as they can program the car to downshift out of the top gear quickly to provide drivers with passing power. I can drive 25 mph in the top gear of my MX5. And on the highway I'm turning north of 3500 rpm. It is very easy to pass, but I'd gladly downshift to pass if that meant a proper set of ratios to bring the engine down to 2500 rpm or less on the highway. A great example is the Dodge Neon. The original Neon manual had a tall 5th gear - at 70 it was turning roughly 2500 rpm - and was ranked, throughout it's five year lifespan between 38 to 41 mpg highway. When the 2000 Neon came out, Chrysler specifically mentioned the gear ratios had been changed in an effort to making passing easier. At 70 mph the engine was turning around 3100 rpm and highway fuel economy was 35 mpg. I'd gladly take the fuel economy over highway "snap" anyday. Scott

So, Horbury is out, back to Volvo where they really need the help. A move most likely involving money and to make a pending sale more attractive to the buyer. "Callum the other" is in as Ford's Design Chief. J Mays, the design head honcho, is still in place. Will there be any noticeable difference anywhere in the chain? Scott

A concept fortelling the C-Max in two years. Nothing more, nothing less. Of course, I could always mention that if someone thinks that a less-is-more concept in family motoring is a brillant and worthwhile idea you can pick up that very vehicle, today, from your Mazda dealer: the Mazda5. But I wouldn't do that, I have too much class to stoop to putting a in post here. Yes, too much class. Scott