Edgey

They said that about the Edge...really? It looks pretty tall and sleek to me.

Of course you won't here the testimonial saying "I would never buy this vehicle" in a Ford commercial.

I just can't get excited by the design of this vehicle. It looks nice, but it's a very boxy design that rides very low to the ground. It reminds me a lot of the akward designs from Scion and Subaru.

I think GM, for once, has a blockbusting product on its hands.

I seem to notice a significant difference in the quality of the leather in some Licnolns than in other Ford cars.

I notice that the LED lighting across the back isn't well diffused. They tucked the LEDs at the edge of the light bar and behind the Lincoln emblem. It diffuses across the light bar but not very evenly. A better solution would have been to use the Mark VIII's Neon tube which gave a brilliantly even light across the width of the trunk. It's a neat lighting effect otherwise.

Those aren't the premium chrome wheels. There are some spectacular 20 inchers I believe. The MKX looks a little ho-hum in charcoal, I don't like the flat plastic trim around the bottom edge. The MKX is the splitting image of a Chrysler Pacifica, just shrunken. I saw one on the road and mistook it for a Pacifica. The optional wheels make a huge difference however, they really spice up a fairly borrowed design.

I don't think I've ever met an attractive Volvo beyond the the current S40.

Jill is the Mercury spokesperson. "You gotta put Mercury on your list!"

I saw an EL on the road for the first time today. The front-end reminds me of the Range Rover from a distance. I didn't really like the one I saw on the road, it must have been the cheaper model. It looks too much like the old Expy unless it's fully trimmed out.

They match the headlight scheme...I assume the Escape will have something similar because they borrowed the same notched design. I would have prefered LED across the Merc. lineup, but alas!

The changes to the body have made it look a lot like an Explorer. It's much fuller and less vertical looking. It should do wonders when it's seen in person...it doesn't do much in photos. That's lame, where is the remote start? The vents aren't between the controlers and display, there is quite a bit more distance on the Ford. I can easily imagine that a taller display will work out much better since most people feel the controls...or use the ones on the steering wheel (i know I do!).

It is very disappointing to see that they have not mated the new 6-spd to the Escape/Mariner. I knew these cars wouldn't get the D35 otherwise they would resemble the Edge in pricing. Ford has been very good about substantive updates with major mechanical improvements, but everything underneath is largely carried over in this case. There is something wrong with the color and material scheme of the center console, it almost look as if trim pieces are missing or they put the wrong colors together. The space between the control panel and the vents probably could use trim or a different coloring to unify it better with the rest of the interior.

I just realized they moved the license plate down to the bumper on this car as well. I'm curious how they will occupy all that blank vertical space.

Ummmm...I have a really hard time figuring out how dramatically segregating the buttons and display is going to work out ergonomically. But we'll give it a go! I like the new look overall, certainly not the best looking ute out there but it's fairly sharp. I think I like the previous Mariner about as much as the update, but it's nice to try something new. The interior is an improvement but I'm not sold on the switchgear from these photos, it looks colorless.

Well according to the local news geniuses, Ford is considering a merger for no other reason than because it's desperate. :rolleyes:

I think the 4-door Wrangler is the smartest thing Jeep has done since the 1993 Grand Cherokee.

Ford and GM should cooperate on more projects to cust cost. Otherwise it would be catastrophic to Ford of GM to get embroiled in such a messy merger with a headstrong meglomaniac.

Granholm panders and compromises, Devos is out to make money for him and his cronies....I use to support a party but now I can't stand any of them.

I thought I've seen all the spy photos out there, I never saw one of the Expedition interior.

It would have been sharp if they carried that 'gear' design around the guages to the bevels around the vents.

Usability is a reletive thing in open source, but most of the community has recognized that it's the biggest barrier to wider acceptance so you see large groups working entirely on usability design. OSX is probably a good example of innovative usability...but I think you mentioned that elsewhere. And of course, it's a product of Open Source.

I should say that I believe certain aspects of Ford's newest products are world class, but they haven't been consistent about it. The 500 is a good example of a world class chasis saddled with a subpar drivetrain and dreary design. However, establish that you can make a half-way decent car with superb quality, functionality, and safety and sell it at an unbeatable price and all Ford needs to do is improve it over time. They put something on the market but didn't do so in a way that would segregate its customers. Now they can figure out how to adapt it to better fit the customers they are attracting. In the meantime, they are building their reputation carefully and systematically. At least, I hope Ford sees it that way because they have histrocaly launched and abandoned many products, much of which was unintentially done because of Ford's crippeling instability. Unless we want Ford to continue to be uncertain about its future products, it had better make the sacrifices now to stablize the way it handles the company.

Well, they are round....but beyond that...neither of them look the same beyond their configuration. I would say that Ford has nothing to brag about when it comes to IP design, but at least they have some nice variations, which is more than I've come to expect from Ford's relentless parts consolidating. I'm amazed the Explorer got away with a totally unique instrument panel. The real progress is made in Open Source, however there is no good example of it being adopted beyond a certain user base.

I hate to sound like a broken record, but marketshare isn't everything. Sell better cars more profitably and with less dependency on rebates and fleet customers and Ford is making far more progress then any sales increase can indicate. The Taurus appears largely responsible for a big chunk of the sales increase this month...eeesh! But what good is that marketshare if you lose money to get it? You really have to peer more deeply into the numbers because Ford can't make progress by sticking to the old way of keeping marketshare up. They have to carefully invest in their future with high quality products that deliver on customer expectations. Once they establish a sustainable way of managing products and cost, they can evolve beyond meeting basic expectations and start offering a world class lineup. Right now, Ford is learning to walk again so it isn't going to look pretty. They can't afford to trip so you won't see them running the gauntlet!