mackinaw

My dealer hasn't had an F-series pickup in his lot for over a month now.

Lordy, you make me feel old.

To me, the Ranger needs another inch, maybe two, in the front passenger compartment. The only reason I didn't buy a Ranger last year was because of the lack of legroom. It just didn't comfortably fit my 6'4" frame. The Bronco Sport on the other hand, has plenty of room.

Fuel mileage is another pleasant surprise. On about 900 mile trip through Michigan's Upper Peninsula, I averaged 34 MPG. Of course all highway driving at mostly 60-65 MPH. With cylinder-deactivation, I suspect I was running on two-cylinders most of the time. Not one of my friends knew our Bronco Sport had a three-cylinder engine until I told them. In real world driving conditions, you simply can't tell.

Nonsense. We've owned a Bronco Sport for about two months now. Outer Banks, with the 1.5L 3-cylinder. My two biggest surprises upon taking delivery were the amount of interior room (it easily accommodates my 6'4" frame) and how civilized the engine is. Quick too, that turbo really adds meaningful low-end torque. I don't rev it to its 6500 RPM redline, the engine sits most of its time running between 1500-2000 RPM, on the highway, one steady speed (remember, rural driving). The balance shaft works. Cylinder deactivation is seamless and works. I'm thoroughly impressed by this engine. The only negative is that horrid "stop-start." i hate it. Luckily you just have to press one button to disable.

How many shifts was MAP working back then to pump out 35K?

I do miss seeing all those experimental cars/trucks driving around Dearborn. Time for a visit.

From Automotive News: https://www.autonews.com/manufacturing/ford-follows-gm-vw-two-new-dedicated-ev-platforms-2025-report-says?utm_source=breaking-news&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20210525&utm_content=hero-readmore

Otsego Lake is great for pike, perch and bass.

No doubt Ford has captured the PR high ground. And the frosting on the cake was for Biden to drive the Lightning. Talk about free PR. The Lighting intro may go down as one of the best ever.

Okay, now I get his point.

I saw that too. Everybody is doing poorly in Brazil. I'm glad Ford had enough smarts to finally bail.

I don't follow you. EV charging stations will be installed in high population areas first, and sparsely populated areas last. Michigan has about 10 million people, 3% who live in the Upper Peninsula. There's no real incentive to install an extensive charging system anytime soon in the U.P.

We live in the country, not the suburbs. Rural driving usually means driving long distances. In northern Michigan, towns, and gas stations, are widely spaced. A few weeks back, the small town we stayed at in Michigan's Upper Peninsula didn't even have a gas station. Widespread BEV acceptance in rural areas will be many years behind suburbs and cities.

Plus charging stations as common as gas stations.