waymondospiff

Brilliant concept. Purely - it instantly conveys "Explorer" while looking bang up-to-date. And it would look brilliant sitting next to a b-market "Bronco" on the showroom floor. So, the Ford SUV lineup: Bronco - Escape - Edge - Explorer - Flex - Expedition/EL If I were any other manufacturer I may be a bit worried - it looks like Ford has it's A-Game on. Scott

I figure if Ford won't jump at the easiest, lowest-hanging-fruit for Mercury (a rebadged, midsize-CUV) then Mercury is dead. Heck, even a cheap-n-easy rebadge for three model years until Mercury goes away for good (rumour) would give an incremental volume boost. And it's not like Chicago or Oakville can't handle the additional volume. Scott

I haven't driven the Escape, but I'll believe that it drives nicely enough. My concern with powertrain is more about refinement (never a 3.0L Duratec strong point - except for the Jag 3.0 and the Mazda6's 3.0 isn't awful) and fuel economy: Toyota Rav4 FWD 3.5L 269hp - 19mpg city & 27mpg highway Ford Escape FWD 3.0L 200hp - 18mpg city & 24mpg highway Seriously? 2008 Ford Escape Limited 2001 Ford Escape XLS Imagine if the color schemes were closer (admittedly it was hard to find similar promo shots at edmunds.com for the 2008 & 2001 models.) Is the 2008 different than the 2001? Undoubtedly. Do they look the same? Definitely. I think the Escape needs a new "look" all around. Keep the trucky thing going but start with a clean sheet...I mean really, it's been seven years! Scott

Just to second most of the comments made so far: Navigator - an emergency "tweak" to fix the horrid exterior. The good thing is that most of the pieces that need to change are the trim pieces - the actual body panels are fine as is, change the grille, front & rear fascias, side cladding, lights, and tailgate and we're moving in the right direction. Some minor changes to the interior would help. And then do SOMETHING with the engine...either keep the smaller engine but work on efficiency so it has decent fuel economy numbers OR throw in the 6.8L V10 or supercharge the 5.4L to keep the numbers close to the Escalade. Explorer - nose job, immediately. Similar tweaks all over the exterior to give it a more cohesive design...actually, different body panels this time around to make the "new" Explorer not look like a 2002 Explorer with a chrome chin would be in order...but at least tweaking the details on the current model would be something. Modify the interior to either make the art deco accents (chrome instrument surround, pull-up door handles, chrome stake shift lever) fit in, or give it a more modern, yet more mainstream, appearance. Ditch the Cologne V6 - I know the 3.5L isn't "meant" for the Explorer - but it's better than the Cologne V6 - it'll be faster and quiter while (probably) returning higher fuel economy numbers. This would string the Explorer along and help prop up sales for the last couple of years. And why, oh why, oh why, oh why can't Mercury have a midsize CUV? Mercury = women, women = CUVs. Put the Mountaineer out to pasture, bring on a CD3- or D3-based CUV for Mercury - NOW! Scott

But if we add up the Escape/Mariner/Tribute then I'd have to roll up the Caliber/Compass/Patriot and that just seems odd. On the whole I'd say that Mariner buyers probably aren't cross-shopping the Tribute...so I don't think wrapping up the three models into one number makes sense. That said, considering that the current Escape is the best Ford could do with seven years it is selling better than (I) expected. I really do think the reason the Escape continues to sell well is because the Escape still looks like a little truck, unlike the svelte & curvy competition. I'd say there is a not-insignificant number of people who'd like their little truck to look like a truck, not a bloated station wagon. Now if only the 3.5L V6 & 6-speed were offered, or the 2.5L 4cyl with a five-speed automatic. And a slightly upgraded interior. And a more-differentiated exterior so it didn't look so much like the 2001 Escape. Then we'd be talking. Scott

All this talk of Sonata reminds me of this: the all-new Sonata in 2006 launched with high expectations - this was the car that proved Hyundai could take on and win against the Big Japanese makers. What ended up happening is that Hyundai built a thoroughly competent sedan that came close to the Camcordima-type cars, but didn't quite make it. It was (and is) a bit cheaper, but no longer the screaming bargain that people had come to expect from Hyundai. This left the decent Sonata without a true home - it wasn't "as good but cheaper" or "better for the same money" - and the sales reflected that. Although retail sales (volume) for the new Sonata improved vis-a-vis the replaced model, the retail volume cannot support the Alabama production capacity leading to significant fleet sales. The Chevy "Classic" was retired around this time and it's not like rental car companies stopped buying rental cars simply because GM stopped making so many... The Sonata isn't a bad car, far from it, but I'd say the Fusion is better. The Fusion isn't class leading, but it's very competitive. Scott

I thought it was pretty obvious... ...that the Edge was outsold in December by the Highlander. Obviously the Edge outsold it for the year - by a long shot. Scott

As it has for, uhh, how many years exactly? Longer than I've been alive. It's not exactly, uhh, "shocking" any more. Congrats!

The next gen C2 chassis is coming in 2011, I'd prefer to have had the C1 in 2005. And I guess Mazda keeps the price down by taking advantage of that notoriously cheap Japanese labor, eh? Scott

Make Model - Dec '07 - Total 2007 __Ford Taurus - 6,312 - 33,032 ___Ford 500 - 96 - 35,146 Total Ford D3 - 6,408 - 68,178 ___Mercury Sable - 1,386 - 10,366 __Mercury Montego - 72 - 10,755 Total Mercury D3 - 1,458 - 21,121 Ford Crown Victoria - 4,445 - 60,901 Mercury Grand Marquis - 4,087 - 50,664 Buick Lacrosse - 3,540 - 47,747 Buick Lucerne - 5,822 - 82,923 Chevrolet Impala - 17,800 - 311,128 Pontiac Grand Prix - 3,499 - 87,622 Chrysler 300 - 9,950 - 120,636 Dodge Charger - 11,115 - 119,289 Dodge Magnum - 2,278 - 30,256 Toyota Avalon - 5,694 - 72,945 Nissan Maxima - 4,047 - 52,574 Hyundai Azera - 1,597 - 21,948 Kia Amanti - 125 - 5,522 (Has the Amanti been cancelled? The volume seems to indicate it has been...) Well, as far as large FWD sedans based on a chassis designed in the last decade - the Taurus is the sales leader for December. Scott

Broken down by "class" - midsize & fullsize. Make Model - Dec '07 - Total 2007 Ford Expedition - 7,516 - 90,287 (Includes Expedition EL) Lincoln Navigator - 2,291 - 24,050 (Includes Navigator L) Chevy Tahoe - 11,351 - 146,256 Chevy Suburban - 6,773 - 83,673 GMC Yukon - 5,162 - 63,428 GMC Yukon XL - 3,683 - 45,303 Cadillac Escalade - 3,352 - 36,654 Cadillac Escalade ESV - 1,533 - 16,370 Dodge Durango - 2,480 - 45,503 Chrysler Aspen - 3,022 - 28,788 Nissan Armada - 2,656 - 31,632 Infiniti QX56 - 1,316 - 12,288 Toyota Sequoia - 2,567 - 23,273 Toyota Land Cruiser - 648 - 3,251 Lexus LX 470 - 132 - 2,468 -----Midsize SUVs----- Ford Explorer - 10,887 - 137,817 (remember when Explorer volumes were upwards of 400K/year?) Mercury Mountaineer - 1,920 - 23,849 Chevy Trailblazer - 12,072 - 134,626 GMC Envoy - 3,937 - 48,586 Saab 9-7X - 592 - 5,257 Dodge Nitro - 7,350 - 74,825 Jeep Liberty - 9,941 - 92,105 Jeep Grand Cherokee - 11,753 - 120,937 Jeep Commander - 5,821 - 63,027 Nissan XTerra - 3,911 - 51,355 Nissan Pathfinder - 4,813 - 63,056 Toyota FJ Cruiser - 4,079 - 55,170 Toyota 4Runner - 7,421 - 87,718 Lexus GX 470 - 2,748 - 23,035 Kia Sorento - 1,636 - 36,300 Scott

And the answer would be no...but it came close with a pretty good December - but not quite what they needed. Make Model ~ Dec 2007 ~ change YOY MOM ~ Total 2007 ~ change YOY Ford F-Series ~ 55,069 ~ -22.0% ~ 690,589 ~ -13.2% Lincoln MK LT ~ 551 ~ -52.3% ~ 8,362 ~ -34.3% Cadillac Escalade EXT ~ 610 ~ -44.1% ~ 7,967 ~ +13.5% GMC Sierra ~ 19,782 ~ +12.8% ~ 208,243 ~ -1.2% __Chevy Avalanche ~ 5,101 ~ -24.4% ~ 55,550 ~ -2.7% __Chevy Silverado ~ 53,560 ~ +2.2% ~ 618,257 ~ -2.8% Total Chevy Pickups ~ 58,661 ~ -0.8% ~ 673,807 ~ -2.8% Dodge Ram ~ 32,118 ~ -2% ~ 358,295 ~ -2% Toyota Tundra ~ 19,219 ~ +54.1% ~ 196,555 ~ +57.4% Nissan Titan ~ 4,785 ~ -14.2% ~ 65,746 ~ -9.2% Ford held on to the number 1 spot in what was undoubtedly a difficult year, between the new Toyota competition and the all-new GM twins, in addition to the greater economic slow-down and housing slump. It'll be interesting if Ford can grow marketshare next year with the new F-150. Scott

Ordered by clearly identifiable "SUVs" and then the rest of the small wagons and such. Make Model - Dec 2007 - Total 2007 Ford Escape - 13,302 - 165,596 Mercury Mariner - 2,234 - 34,844 Mazda Tribute - 1,378 - 13,680 Mazda CX-7 - 3,487 - 41,659 Chevy Equinox - 7,704 - 89,552 Pontiac Torrent - 2,421 - 32,644 Saturn VUE - 8,328 - 84,767 (A good month for the new VUE.) Jeep Patriot - 4,987 - 40,434 Honda CR-V - 18,659 - 219,160 Toyota Rav4 - 13,816 - 172,752 Nissan Rogue - 6,288 - 17,808 Hyundai Tucson - 2,962 - 41,476 Kia Sportage - 5,109 - 49,393 Subaru Forester - 3,992 - 44,530 ------the rest of the CUV-type vehicles----- Mazda5 - 1,627 - 13,718 Kia Rondo - 1,872 - 26,020 Honda Element - 2,875 - 35,218 Subaru Outback - 5,817 - 56,079 Toyota Matrix - unknown, Matrix sales aren't broken out from the Corolla numbers Scion xA - 14 - 9,547 (out of production, replaced by xD) Scion xD - 1,638 - 10,948 Scion xB - 3,785 - 45,834 Dodge Caliber - 8,851 - 101,079 Chrysler PT Cruiser - 9,738 - 99,585 Jeep Compass - 3,295 - 39,491 Chevy HHR - 9,650 - 105,175 Pontiac Vibe - 3,345 - 37,170 Take what you will from the numbers. Overall, I think 165K for the Escape is a bit disappointing. However, add in the 35K Mariners, 13K Tributes, plus export volume and that's enough to keep Kansas City running at a good clip. Also interesting, the "heritage wagons" (PT/HHR) bring in about 100K a piece each year - that's hard-to-ignore volume in the heavily fragmented market. And my vehicle continues to do poorly - 13K for the Mazda5 this year. I'd like to think the 5spd AT, improved fuel economy, and slightly redone styling will drive sales this year...but I'm not holding my breath. Scott Edited to correct the Hyundai Tucson's sales.

Do either of you have sources to prove the point? I've never been able to find a usable, timely source for fleet volumes. I'd be surprised if the Fusion matches the G6 & Sonata for fleet volume however - both rely on heavy fleet sales. Scott

Well, the reference wouldn't be quite that obvious. Rather the use of the phrase "the cast of Fraggle Rock" as seen in pop culture...and in this case jellymoulds has an advantage as it orginates in the UK. But there you go. And the straight-up reference in this case is the fact that "midsize CUV" describes a whole bunch of different vehicles, from the turbocharged four-cylinder "Mazda5 on steroids" CX-7 to the heavy metal Acadia. Scott

Except that: Outback - $21,995 2.5i - $23,595 2.5i L.L. Bean Edition - $26,595 2.5 XT - $30,995 3.0 R L.L. Bean Edition - $31,495 Forester 2.5 X - $21,195 SPORTS 2.5 X - $21,695 2.5 X L.L. Bean Edition - $26,695 SPORTS 2.5 XT - $26,995 2.5 XT LIMITED - $27,895 The Outback is available with the 6-cylinder engine and can run decidedly more expensive than the Forester. But the interior space is so much more restrictive than a proper midsize CUV...and the volume models sell with the 2.5L flat-four whereas pretty much all midsize CUVs now use V6s. It's hard to put the Outback in the right category. The Forester, to me at least, is clearly a Rav4/CRV competitor...not a Highlander/Pilot competitor. Scott

10 points to the first person who gets the reference. Make Model - Dec 2007 - Total 2007 Ford Edge - 13,722 - 130,125 Ford Taurus X - 4,679 - 18,345 Combined D3 Sales - 4,767 - 42,110 Mazda CX-7 - 3,487 - 41,659 Mazda CX-9 - 3,066 - 25,566 GMC Acadia - 7,393 - 72,765 Saturn Outlook - 3,157 - 34,748 Chrysler Pacifica - 2,009 - 53,947 Toyota Highlander - 14,714 - 87,718 (Snatching the "best-selling Midsize CUV" crown back from the Edge.) Honda Pilot - 10,403 - 117,146 Nissan Murano - 4,199 - 76,358 (It will be interesting to see how the all-new Murano does against the Edge next year.) Hyundai Santa Fe - 9,102 - 92,421 Hyundai Veracruz - 1,222 - 12,589 Subaru Tribecca - 1,471 - 16,790 Subaru Outback - 5,817 - 56,079 (Does not include Legacy models, but does include any Outback Sedan sales) For December, the best-selling list: Highlander - Edge - Pilot - Santa Fe - Acadia For 2007, the best-selling list: Edge - Pilot - Santa Fe - Highlander - Murano - Acadia Well, 2008 will be an interesting year for the Edge, new in-house competition from the improved Taurus X & the all-new Flex, plus familiarity with the buying public and a raft of improved competitors - namely the Highlander & Murano. Let's see how it does next year, but after one year, it seems to be pretty clear - the Edge is a hit! Scott

I could. Which category though - the "compacts" like the Escape/Rav4 or the midsizers like the Edge/Highlander? I'm ambivalent towards the Outback - I liked the original, but now it seems like the Outback is an also ran, too small and running the same old flat-four with a heavy price premium over competitors. But there you go. Agreed - pushing the Fusion to "fill" a third shift is worthless, because undoubtedly the extra revenue is going to be dilluted by heavy incentives to push another 75K Fusions or so. What would be nice, of course, is for the Fusion to be so good that it could sell 3-shifts worth of production without incentives. Maybe the 2009 model will help? Scott

Make Model - Dec 2007 - Total 2007 Ford Focus - 14,023 - 173,552 Mazda3 - 9,337 - 120,291 (On what is, remember, the C1 chassis, which is too expensive for the NA market according to Ford.) Chevy Aveo - 6,323 - 67,028 Chevy Cobalt - 17,591 - 200,620 Pontiac G5 - 2,509 - 27,928 Saturn Ion - 676 - 47,873 Dodge Caliber - 8,851 - 101,079 Toyota Yaris - 5,477 - 84,799 Toyota Corolla - 28,582 - 371,390 Scion xD - 1,638 - 10,948 Scion xB - 3,785 - 45,834 Honda Fit - 5,118 - 56,432 Honda Civic - 27,190 - 331,095 (Includes Hybrid sales of 3,223 in Dec & 32,575 in 2007) Nissan Versa - 6,214 - 79,443 Nissan Sentra - 6,879 - 106,522 Hyundai Accent - 1,945 - 36,055 Hyundai Elantra - 3,757 - 85,724 Kia Rio - 2,910 - 33,370 Kia Spectra - 6,688 - 73,474 Subaru Impreza - 5,376 - 46,333 (Highest Dec & total year sales for the Impreza ever.) For the month of December, here is the C-Class sales order: Corolla - Civic - Cobalt - Focus - Mazda3 - Caliber - Sentra - Spectra For the year, it looks pretty similar: Corolla - Civic - Cobalt - Focus - Mazda - Sentra - Caliber Scott

Make Model - Dec 07 - Total 2007 Ford Fusion - 13,545 - 149,552 (150K, eh, not too bad.) Mercury Milan - 2,932 - 37,244 Mazda6 - 4,793 - 57,575 Chrysler Sebring - 9,274 - 93,130 Dodge Avenger - 8,146 - 83,804 Chevy Malibu - 12,172 - 128,312 (sales are a bit soft - I'm thinking the new Malibu supply is still in the ramp-up stage.) Pontiac G6 - 17,107 - 150,001 Saturn Aura - 5,319 - 59,964 Toyota Camry - 38,831 - 473,108 (Sales cooled a bit so they didn't hit 500K - but still - WOW! What a year for the Camry.) Honda Accord - 31,255 - 392,231 Nissan Altima - 25,151 - 284,762 Hyundai Sonata - 24,872 - 145,568 (A huge Dec., nearly 150% up YOY, can anyone say fleet sales?) Kia Optima - 3,235 - 40,901 Subaru Legacy - 13,714 - 134,507 (Includes Outback, which sold 5,817 units in Dec and 56,507 units in 2007.) For the month, the sales order: Camry - Accord - Altima - Sonata - G6 - Legacy/Outback - Fusion - Malibu For the year, the sales order: Camry - Accord - Altima - G6 - Fusion - Sonata - Legacy/Outback - Malibu Scott

Yes, please. Seriously, I'm about as far away from buying a new car right now than I've ever been...but if that were brought out in the US right now, I'd be at the dealer waiting for a test drive. That's a sweet sedan. Altima who? And the little Mazda2 is a bit of a looker - it needs bigger wheels and the MX-5's 166hp 2.0L. And who wouldn't love a Mazdaspeed MX-5? Scott

The Marauder suffered from more than just bad marketing (and the fact that it was a Mercury, not a Ford.) The Marauder screamed for torque to spin the wheels all day long - instead it got a peaky cammer under the hood. Then what could have kept it interesting was either the 2-door convertible or the supercharger. The 2-door/convertible would have required too much work/cost, but the supercharger would have been relatively easy to add. But it wasn't added - by that time it seemed that Ford had lost interest in the Marauder and the buying public quickly did too. Of course, that ignores that fact that a better car with more power, more style, more sophistication, and more potential stole all of the Marauder's thunder within two years - the Chrysler 300C. Scott

Is anyone, ANYONE, shocked by this? Scott

I agree that the Murano blows the Journey away. I agree that the exterior is a bit of a hack job. I agree that the interior looks cheap. However, the Journey is by far the best thing Chrysler has put out in several years. Have you seen the bizarre minivans? How about the weirdo "compacts" Chrysler is selling now? The cartoonish Grand Cherokee? The penny-pinched Dakota? The land-of-make-believe Commander? In that light the Journey is a huge step forward...it still puts Chrysler behind nearly every other competitor, but it's still a huge step forward. And a comment about the "interior storage innovation" of the Journey - interior storage is the latest gimmick. Sure, an in-floor ice chest may be useful or convienent, but is it going to sway your purchasing decision? Very, very doubtful. Scott

Jeep is often seen as the "crown jewel" of Chrysler...I'm not sure why, but it is. However, if increased environmental quotas & standards are going to be added, of what value is an SUV-only brand? Not much, I'd say. Scott