MKII

At least right now I drive what I think are the best Ford vehicles, yes "right now". I am a consumer not some back room number cruncher worried about market share, making excuses everyday, waiting for 20?? . You seem to be the one stuck in the past, hope you are enjoying it.

But I believe Ford will retain a percentage of Volvo Cars.

I do not think Volvo will drop the V50 as it is Volvo's 2nd best seller (worldwide). Next year there’ll be a new XC60, a baby brother for the XC90, that will be heavily based on the aggressive XC60 Concept http://www.volvocars.com/campaigns/MY08/XC...ept/default.htm. Volvo also plan a luxury estate - bigger than the next generation V70 estate, and a five-door hatch to replace the S40.

I know RJ hates when someone tries to use pricing from other markets, but this is the price I paid in Estonia converted to Canadian dollars which includes 18% VAT and license fees etc. The final on the road price I paid was $22,268.00CAD(about $19,000 before tax). (And Ford of America uses the excuse the C1 Focus would be too expensive for North American market). If you could spec the C170 Focus the same in Canada the on the road price would be higher, and this is cheaper then any midsize segment vehicle I could buy in Canada. Fuel consumption (L/100 km) (mpg) City 8.7 (32.5) Highway 5.4 (52.3) Combined 6.6 (42.4) 1.6l TI-VCT mated with 5 speed manual (yes its a wee engine but I prefer it over the 2.0l I had) Standard equipment- 16" 5x3-spoke ‘machined’ alloy wheels Electrically operated and heated door mirrors, with body colour housings Body colour door handles Chrome grille surround Dark headlight surrounds Sports-style front seats Aluminium-finish handbrake release button Satin aluminium-finish instrument cluster rings Trip/fuel computer 'Quickclear' heated windscreen with heated water jets Body colour bodyside mouldings Unique sports suspension Electrically operated front and rear windows with one-touch lowering/closing, ‘bounce back’ anti-trap feature and global opening/closing CFC-free air conditioning Auto-dimming rear-view mirror Illuminated sunvisor vanity mirrors Front map lights Footwell illumination Rear overhead dome courtesy light Centre stack bezel in Mocca finish Leather gearshift knob with silver graphics and aluminium-finish ring Front carpet slip mats Autowipers, with rain sensor Headlamp washers Automatic headlights Headlamp Delay headlights (switch-off headlights) Headlamp levelling Air conditioning-cooled glovebox Driver’s side sunglasses holder Folding rear centre armrest with storage Instrument panel storage 4-spoke leather-trimmed steering wheel Cruise control Thatcham Cat 1 volume sensing alarm Sony single CD Exterior mirrors with side repeaters Cargo cover Ambient lighting ESP electronic stability Air bags front, side and side curtains ABS, with EBA (electronic brake assist) Options - 16" 5-spoke alloy wheel Sony MP3/CD RDS EON stereo radio features a ‘Keycode’ for security, 8 premium speakers Climate Control (DEATC) Dual Electronic Automatic Temperature Control Luxury velour carpet floor mats Contour rubber mats Contoured mudflaps Retractable load barrier retention net First aid kit and emergency equipment (Warning triangle, safety vest, fire extinguisher, first aid kit, towing rope and jump leads help you to be prepared for most emergency situations) Couple pics http://www.canadiandriver.com/forum/index....ach=26142;image http://www.canadiandriver.com/forum/index....ach=26160;image http://www.canadiandriver.com/forum/index....ach=26148;image http://www.canadiandriver.com/forum/index....ach=26166;image

And airvents that are from the F150, just to give it that Ford tough look.

You have no idea how wrong you are. Posters here that comment on the C1 Focus, never seen or touched or driven the car are so out to lunch. Being an owner of 3 C170 North American produced , and now owning a 2007 C1 Euro Focus, the difference is night and day.Even my wife who never has anything to say about our cars, has mentioned many times the big difference between these cars, both in handling, appearance and solidness. She says this new Focus reminds her of our Volvo S60. So do not concern yourself with the C2 being a disappointment, it will impress. As long as FoAmerican can leave the important bits alone and not soften it up too much or de-fortitude it if you know what I mean. But I fear this is what will happen and it will be again watered down to mediocre status as per FoAmerica's brillance.

Seats are improvement, dash execution is too truck-like. Exterior being so far removed from what the Focus is, is not good. Unless of course FoAmerica plans to keep this Asian styling for the 2011/12 Focus. Now thats a scary thought.

I like this execution http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4965/...%20XC60%203.jpg http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4965/...%20XC60%206.jpg

He mentioned G35. Canadian MSRP BMW Sedan 328xi $ 43,600 Infiniti Sedan G 35x $ 43,390 in Canada G35x is offered with Auto 5 spd only, no manual or 6 spd.

Now would be a good time to offer longer new car warranty coverage, if the numbers are correct.

BMW 328xi Horsepower 230 @ 6500 RPM , Torque (lb-ft) 200 @ 2750 RPM , 6-Speed Manual Overdrive, All Wheel Drive :happy feet:

Ford does not need to emulate others, the Euro Focus, S-Max & new Mondeo are benchmarks in their segments. Ford knows how to do it, but chooses not to do it in North America. :poke:

Ford of America offer the same standard of vehicle (talking cars not trucks) sold on the international markets. Style it whatever they think North Americans consumers taste are perceived to be. Ask RJ he seems to know what North Americans tastes are. Take advantage at this time when Toyota, the main competitor is IMO cheapening their interiors and using substandard materials. When Ford stops offering cheap, unfinished products,maybe they will get more conquest sales. But Ford needs to lead not be just as good. Reading on non brand autocar forums non-Ford consumers are more interested in new Fords but once they go to the showroom, comments made are very consistent, "nice looking, better then before but too much plastic, or cheap interior, or rough edges on the lower interior trim pieces, sloopy fit and finish, still kind of cheap looking. Ford needs to have more confidence in its product and stop being the cheap guys car company.

Roland gets it.

I have never read so many excuses as on these forums. You must “vaccinate yourself against excusitis. It's tuff defending mediocrity, excuses to do not help.

You don't get it at all and never will. BTW I never said anything about the Taurus, I pasted a review from a British business man that had a Taurus rental in Boston. BTW I am not European, I am just a simple Canadian with no bias at all, living in Europe who says it like it is. Go ahead and peel apart a new Mondeo and a N.A. Fusion and tell me which one has more substance to it. Forget the styling or accessories etc, I am talking about substance. Never mind you could not do this without prejudice anyway. You are a very good person with words and well written, but you just don't get it.

You say things so well RJ, words like bare minimum is a perfect description of what I expect from Ford of America. Europe and the rest of world will enjoy Fords with Fortitude, while North Americans will enjoy the bare minimum. You are absolutely brilliant!! The ole boys club at in Dearborn must love guys like you .

Is it safe to assume that you do understand that for some consumers whom have access to a C1 Focus that they can upgrade a 2.0l to a 1.8 TDCi for roughly USD700.00. It is quite obvious that a U.S. consumer cannot, seeing that a U.S. consumer is not offered this vehicle in the U.S. market. I was just surprised to see you post incorrect information "You can't upgrade for $700 US" and wanted to let you know that it is quite possible to upgrade for USD700.00. I guess we all can make mistakes.

Very nice post, but my post was in reference to RJ's "You can't upgrade for $700 US." What you can or cannot do or like or dislike in the USA is nice to know. So were I live you can upgrade from a 2.0l Focus to a 1.8 TDCi Focus for approximately USD700.00.

MY2007 Ford Focus 2,0 145 hp 4 dr sedan manual 275 900 EEK Ford Focus 1,8 TDCi 115 hp 4 dr sedan manual 283 900 EEK Difference 8,000 EEK into USD690.00 Pricing sourced from Ford Estonia website http://www.ford.ee/uusfocus_hinnakiri Pricing listed above includes 18 percent VAT and is on the road price MY2008 Ford Mondeo 2,0 145hp manual sedan 324900 EEK Ford Mondeo 1,8TDCi 100hp manual sedan 333900 EEK Difference 9,000 EEK into USD776.00 Pricing sourced from Ford Estonia website http://www.ford.ee/mondeo_2007_hinnakiri Pricing listed above includes 18 percent VAT and is on the road price EEK = Estonia Krooni 1 EEK = 0.0861930 USD 1 USD = 11.6019 EEK http://www.xe.com/ucc/ Why do you write Europe = Fantasyland and USD are no good in Europe?

This is an opinion from a British business man that had a Taurus SEL rental while in Boston. todayi landed down in Boston, i picked up a new Ford taurus SEL. my fellow engineer also on the trip made the first comment about our black taurus, the boot lid didn't make a 'thunk' sound so the first thing that he said was 'that sounds like a cheap car', sitting inside didn't fare any better, some of the plastics inside the car are terrible, the fake wood trim is a joke, the shiney plastics inside the car really let the interior down. the fit and finish (especially the fake wood trim) is terrible, i didn't even have to touch the plastics around the gearbox to hard to make them rattle. the black wire that goes into the rear view mirror is a after thought, and vanity mirror on the sun visor looks very cheap, it looks like it was stuck on with glue. power seems good from the 3.5L v6 once you gets the revs up. refinement is above average, to much suspension noise though, and on our particular car we hear from very strange knocking sound from the front suspension when going over large pot holes. handling is ok, i expected the car to be floaty with very alittle feed back, thats exactly what the taurus is -except that soft suspension isn't actually that good at socking up the bumps! shutlines could be better, boot lid definitely not sitting square.. i didn't want to rant about a US Ford car, but Ford really needs to up the game if its going to compete with nissan and honda in the states.

Agree, the 3 bar looks very nice on the Taurus-X, but not on the sedan, too Tempo-ish looking. When I saw the Taurus on the lot beside the FiveHundred, the Taurus looks like a cheaper car.

I believe the offical curb weight is down by 60 pounds, not 100 lbs as first mention in the preliminary release.

I suppose a full day compared to owning two MY2005 ZX5 SES variants is more credible. BTW my brother just picked up a C170 2007 ZX5 SES this past Monday and he echo's my concern with lack of substance and sub-par fit and finish. Maybe our expectation of what a CAD20,000 vehicle should be differs from yours Nick1011.

Equipment is one thing, but the issues that have kept the North American Focus cheap is the car itself. Having owned 3 North American Focus I can say that this car is big time cheap, maybe not the labour to build it, but structually, and the materials used from the plastics, disc brake material, switch gear, etc, the Focus is most definitely cheap, plus the fit and finish is a joke. I am not complaining about the dynamics, this is the C170s most positive aspect and beats all others in the segment. If you judge a vehicle buy its equipment, then yes the Focus SES variants are nicely equipped. I would take a base C1 Focus even without a radio anyday over a C170 SES variant for the reason that I know that I have a real car wrapped around me. I moved from Canada to Estonia last week, and just purchased a MY2007 C1 Ford Focus Ghia Station wagon nicely equipped for a "One the road price" in Canadian dollars 22,268.00 or USD20,000.00. On the road price includes 18% tax, registration, license, and all fees. Specs - Powerplant 1.6l TI-VCT (Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing) 115hp 115 ft/lb at 4150 rpm. Yes I know its not a race car but I have not had any problems with Bimmers or Mercs running me over in daily driving. And the wee engine is so much more refined then the (yes quicker) 2.0l I had in my last 2 ZX5's. I do not miss the buzzy 2.0l at all. Fuel consumption (L/100 km) (mpg) City 8.7 (32.5) Highway 5.4 (52.3) Combined 6.6 (42. :happy feet: Standard equipment- 16" 5x3-spoke ‘machined’ alloy wheels Electrically operated and heated door mirrors, with body colour housings Body colour door handles Chrome grille surround Dark headlight surrounds Sports-style front seats Aluminium-finish handbrake release button Satin aluminium-finish instrument cluster rings Trip/fuel computer 'Quickclear' heated windscreen with heated water jets Body colour bodyside mouldings Unique sports suspension Electrically operated front and rear windows with one-touch lowering/closing, ‘bounce back’ anti-trap feature and global opening/closing CFC-free air conditioning Auto-dimming rear-view mirror Illuminated sunvisor vanity mirrors Front map lights Footwell illumination Rear overhead dome courtesy light Centre stack bezel in Mocca finish Leather gearshift knob with silver graphics and aluminium-finish ring Front carpet slip mats Autowipers, with rain sensor Headlamp washers Automatic headlights Headlamp Delay headlights (switch-off headlights) Headlamp levelling Air conditioning-cooled glovebox Driver’s side sunglasses holder Folding rear centre armrest with storage Instrument panel storage 4-spoke leather-trimmed steering wheel Cruise control Thatcham Cat 1 volume sensing alarm Sony single CD Exterior mirrors with side repeaters Cargo cover Ambient lighting ESP electronic stability Air bags front, side and side curtains ABS, with EBA (electronic brake assist) 5 headrests, 2 front are WHIPS ala Volvo system Front seats Anti-submarining ala Volvo systen Seats – ISOFIX mounting brackets for integrated child seat Options - 16" 5-spoke alloy wheel Sony MP3/CD RDS EON stereo radio features a ‘Keycode’ for security, 8 premium speakers Climate Control (DEATC) Dual Electronic Automatic Temperature Control Luxury velour carpet floor mats Contour rubber mats Contoured mudflaps Retractable load barrier retention net First aid kit and emergency equipment (Warning triangle, safety vest, fire extinguisher, first aid kit, towing rope and jump leads help you to be prepared for most emergency situations) And bunch of other stuff I am to lazy to type. Hopefully by 2011 North American consumers will be able to see and feel the difference of the C2 or MKIII Focus compared to the C170 Focus, it is shocking and I am not talking about amenities, I am talking about structual, substance, fit and finish and quality.