Edgey

All of these details were probably brought up well before they became issues in focus groups. I'm sure they had a list of cost-cutting measures that they made and waited to see what the focus groups would pick on the most.

Mullally also realizes that there is a difference between consolidating for consolidation's sake and making products tailored to a certain market. Ford has a wealth of Truck resources in NA, not to mention platforms, engines, drivetrains, etc... The Asia/Pacific Ranger is a VERY different product. Toyota, Nissan, all make trucks unique to those markets btw.

Well, you'd need an all new Ranger for a longer nose, and length is always an issue for a truck. Length reduces ground clearance over rough terrain.

I doubt the Thai Ranger can be designed to work for the NA market, the truck environments are wildly different from here to there. I would be shocked if this is Ranger successor.

I have never been drawn to Mazda, something about it seems tuned too obliquely to the sporting-side of the spectrum. I'm looking for a better compromise, something a little more sophisticated and understated.

http://www.thecarconnection.com/Auto_News/...175.A11401.html GM has already made the leap to replace its SUVs with Crossovers, Ford is still supplementing the Explorer with crossovers. When is Ford going to go ahead and replace the Explorer with a Crossover? From what I see of the Fairlane, it's mostly a Freestyle replacement and resembles it in shape, size, and overall functionality. It will not take on the Pilots, Lamdas, and Pacificas of the world. Is there still a sustainable niche for the Explorer, or has the time come to cut this one out of the portfolio. Ford really doesn't need another Taurus and Crown Victoria.

I'm actually investigating Volvos right now, although I have yet to drive them and I'm concerned about Volvo quality (not that my LS has been a flawless ride). The nearest Volvo dealer isn't very convenient and I don't want to deal with that if I have troubles. Volvo certainly doesn't price out as the value option, they seem to place a premium on their badging . But I'm looking for something a little more unique and Lincoln is about as exciting as Buick. The Aviator has a 5.1 THX system for the rear-seat DVD player and it is a brilliant sounding system. I never thought I'd finally hear something coming out of a Ford car that sounded that good.

Great review of the Milan/MKZ, I have the EXACT same opinion of the CD3 designs. The Milan is by far the best looking of the three IMO, especially on the interior. The Milan has the looks, style, and features of an MKZ...but damn that D30! If I could get a Milan with a D35 and HID headlights, I would have exactly what I want. The THX II system is not so great in the MKZ, it is MUCH better in the Aviator. Some advice for Lincoln, concentrate on overall material quality, not just genuine trim materials. I would gladly give up gigantic slabs of wood and aluminum in my car if it means the plastics are a much higher grade. And please loose the retro dash design! It looks great in photography, but it's very unpleasant to sit behind. I'm 6'3" but I feel like I'm peering over the dash like an old man. Is it really necessary for Lincoln to chase away people younger than 60 with designs like this?

OK, after that Top Gear review, I'm sold on the S-Max . But I won't join the chorus demanding its importation. It's nice to see that somewhere on this planet, Ford is the critics choice.

One of those lonely dots!

I must be getting old! I'm not sure those were 20" rims actually, but they have the same design of the 20" rims on the Navigator and Mark LT. The rims ultimately put on the production MKX are all 18" and not as attractive. They will do, but they are as weak as the ones put on the MKZ. The rims on the MKZ are just awful! They are almost as bad as GM rims! It's a well known fact that GM is incapable of designing attractive wheels .

Hey, I went directly from Ford to Lincoln, I skipped Mercury altogether!

OK, so I'm trying to order a MKX and I see that there is nothing in the brochure or website about the 20" chrome rims that the car had originally been showcased in. They are on the Navigator and Mark LT, but they have vanished from the MKX. What happened?

I was already on the side of the fence with the Cobalt. I never understood the venom spewed at the car. It stands out in the segment in terms of interior and exterior material quality. It's a very spiffy little car. The Focus is also a great car, but it's a little stingy on the material quality. I fully expect that to be remedied next year in '08. In fact, the new Focus has some of the attributes of the cobalt, such as the chrome door handles which really elevates the appearance of the car. The Cobalt is an economy car easier to live with than the classically stripped down American econoboxes.

I was joking about the omni-directional seating! The joke was suppose to mean that if you didn't have a 3rd row back there, then you could chose to sit facing any direction. Somebody up there actually asked if the seat was rear or forward facing. I had to crack a joke at that! Sorry As for the Fairlane replacing the minivan...definitely not! Ford is offering a 7 seater, but it's not a minivan equivalent. Ford will no longer be pursuing that market segment. They are only interested in the customer looking for an alternative to the minivan. I think it was Mays who said that Ford no longer needs to compete in every segment and the minivan is one segment Ford has chosen to leave. It is a big segment and it may disqualify Ford as a 'full-line' company, but they can't spend money where they know they are not going to see growth.

Why do so many of their products seem to be half-measures? If they had the money, why carry over so much (between model years and brands)?

You know the 2008 NA Focus will look dramatically newer than the C1 Focus, despite the carried over components. The coupe just doesn't look right, a coupe design doesn't work with that tall shape. I remember when the ZX2 was introduced. It was celebrated as the breakthrough way in which to turn around a new product. It was developed in record time (18 months if I recall), featured completely unique sheet-metal and interior design, and designed entirely on the computer. What happened to that Ford, now they seem paralyzed by a need to compromise everything because they are so poor!

Ahh, good advice. I'll ask her to check that.

That heavy sunroof has got to make a significant difference in the fuel economy of the vehicle. I wonder what model the MPG is based on. I know some of the rags have complained that fuel economy is around 15MPG, which is probably the fully loaded model.

I wonder if the Focus will have a stack design similar to the new Escape, with the modular switchgear and displays. I'd also be pleasantly surprised if they added Navigation as an option.

The Auxiliary Jack can be found in several locations on Ford vehicles. For example, the MKZ has it in the center console. How you are suppose to use your Ipod if the cord gets pinched by the armrest, I don't know! The new Expedition has it just above the parcel tray, which makes a lot more sense. I guess the point is that Ford found a way to get this feature available in most vehicles, even if it's half-assed until they can redesign the dashboards.

Richard likes to come up with every excuse in the world why a feature shouldn't be available on a Ford and GM is stupid for bothering their customers with this. My favorite excuse for why Ford didn't have an iPod connection in their vehicles is because Ford's brilliant safety engineers discovered it was a potential hazard. In the meantime, those same engineers couldn't figure out that their CD3 cars would perform terribly in crash tests. But of course, the IIHS tests are completely bogus!

The article was dreadful. There was a line in the article about "Ford is barely in business at all"...yeah! Thank you Automobile but I will not be renewing my subscription.

Well, it's a start. Clearly these cars need to go back to the drawing board for some improvements. Still, I don't think Ford will have a hard time satisfying customers and maintaining a sustainable sales volume. And I still don't understand what vehicle they are comparing the Edge to. They liked the Edge better than the Nissan Murano, but claim it's not competitive. I don't get it! If the customer is better off looking at the competition, what would they be looking at? I just read another very negative review of the Edge in the latest issues of Automobile magazine, essentially panning it as a bad example of 'business as usual' at Ford. All of the negative reviews will do SOME harm, but not much. At least if sales are not blockbuster, then maybe those of us looking for one with rebates will finally get one . The major complaints seem to revolve around the interior design, handling, steering, breaking, and rear seat comfort. Almost everybody likes the drive train and styling. I was surprised to hear comments about the lack of an on-center feel in the steering.

So much for the update. Expy sales are also likely to be hit hard by the GM units which are eating up whatever shrinking market is left. This is certainly a product Ford won't need in the near future.