regfootball

i got my 500 right when the fusion came out. the fusion was a nice drive, but really is lacking so much compared to the taurus / 500. the 500 / taurus is a right size car. my family can take trips with the taurus, it is large enough to have room for everyone and luggage. all other sedans are too small to be useful. anyne who thinks the taurus / 500 is too big, nah. you're wrong. its just right. i recently drove an 08 taurus. nice car.

I still curse the door locks on my 500. I want FOrd to change it. It bothers me enough that I may not get another car set up like this. On my GM, at a stop, I shift into park and get out of the car. If i have the other doors unlocked, they unlock as well. Not so in the Ford. I now am in the habit of having to hit the unlock to get out of the car. To unlock the other doors (like say for passengers) I have to hit the unlock twice. SOmetimes I get out of the car and go in the house and realize that I have to go back and get something out of the driver's side of the car. I curse and swear because I did not unlock it and i brought the keys in the house. Now i have to go back and get the keys or go around to the other side and unlock the passenger door from the drivers side door. the keypad won't open the other doors. this is a major annoyance with me and my family and passengers. i understand safety, but this goes beyond that and borders on maniacally ridiculous. The best way to lose a customer is to make a product they despise using. I like my 500, but when the time comes to get in and out, I hate it and that happens a lot. The hate sticks with you. FOrd, if you have a clue, fix it now. Other cars are not as annoying. Say what you want about why it is set up that way, I am the customer and I cannot stand it.

i got my 500, even after test driving the impala ss. cheap interior was one reason i passed. the 500 is so much nicer. and that means a lot considering the impala had 100hp on the 500.

everywhere you turn or listen to, there is a tundra ad. also, i think the 'early adopters' that have been wating for this truck have been lining up to get one. i drove a titan once. it did nothing for me. later that day i drove an f-150 and i was reminded of what solid is. basically its toyota's PR machine that has the tundra ads on full court press and it seems to be working. funny, because NO ONE drives a tundra here in import happy mpls. i did see a new silverado on the road today with a contractor badge on it. there are still some parts of the country where you are risking serious ridicule if you drive something soft and ugly and 'imported' like a tundra. might wanna wear a bullet proof vest, too. especially if its hunting season and the hunters have been drinking. tundra=flexi frame, poor crash tests, snapping cams, ugly, cheap interior. i mean, piano black trim in a pickup. you can't get much more clueless. the titan is at least somewhat trucklike.

if they make a SHO, it should have the 3.7 and paddle shifters.

not for someone like me who would want something that hauls cargo, kids, and lots of arse. 330 hp from the base 3.7 is top drawer? who would whine about missing the turbo?

agree, and i agree with this too, who wants red seats?

sync is a much more important and impactful feature than hid.

good review

the taurus x will likely get a tish better mpg than the slightly heavier edge.

what type of mpg are you getting now?

this heavy refresh is still way cheaper than developing a new platform and crash structure and powertrains. HVAC, wind tunnel time, whatever, all good stuff, but certainly stuff like that is cheaper to do than the hard frame stuff. And its not like you shouldn't be devoting engineering resources towards developing lighter and more efficient HVAC and stuff anyways. At least you should be, you in this case just just bundle the cost of that in the focus project. I would guess Toyota is continually improving systems like that as a rule anyways. The 08 Focus is an ok stopgap if the end result is global consolidation in 2011. In the meantime, if they simply improved reliability, mpg, crashworthiness, and features and value, then we can't complain much...even if 10 other small cars might be more desirable. Dropping the hatches was a mistake IMHO, but I can see why they did. It seems like a 3 door hatch that could get 40/50 epa numbers like the old CRX would sell like hotcakes right now. Where was the development resources for that? Or a FOcus hybrid? As it stands, the single biggest improvement Ford has on the table that could actually sell the car is FOrdSync. It better not be a bundled option and it better not be expensive. Using phones and iPods in your car might be what actually sways a buyer, especially a young tech oriented one. rear DRUM brakes? geeeez.....

give me a twin force SHO taurus with AWD and paddle shifters, please!

HID has really fallen by the wayside. the threat of legislation against them and the theft issues has kind of set them back. i don't think its a big deal for the mkx to not have them.