jonas1022

The rearend gearing can be changed out and optimize the mpg fairly easy. It's what used to be done in days past, say the 80's. Ford always stayed on top of the mpg race. They also had some of the most doggie accelerations times of any pickup! If consumers really start to clamor for mpgs, Ford can do some relivant changes and stay on top of the mpg ratings. Dodge is by no means a miracle worker, but the Ram does have smaller frontal area which may help. Or not.

The V-6 had about a 5000# rated class III package from the factory. What the differences are, to make it a Class III over a Class II, I do not know. IMO, the transmission is the weak link in the drivetrain. Engines seem to be bulletproof, V-6 or V-8.

That sounds mighty brave, but the fact is Jeep has yet to produce an inexpensive anything worth having. Patriot? Compass? Merely relabled Dodge/Plymouth platforms. Plymouth is dead, Dodge isn't far behind. Jeeps are traditionally expensive to buy, and maintain. I doubt that they will have an inexpensive "small" pickup without a less expensive version over at the (Dodge) Ram store. And refresh my memory. Just where is that small Dodge pickup that they used to produce and sell? Out of production, that's where.

On some other forums that I frequent, the Brits on the sites are not so kind to the C-Max. They actually prefer the Made in America Escape! That vehicle hasn't been marketed there in four or five years, IIRC. They also seem to think we are cheated with the gasoline engines, as the C-Max and GC-Max have wonderful diesel engines available.

Interesting thought. Using Asian built SUVs for an American branded car. J/K! My wife has an 08 Tribute. She/we love that thing. I bought her a Tribbie because the local Ford house tried to rob me when looking at buying a new Escape...after buying 27 cars/trucks in the past 20 years! So, I headed down the road to the Mazda house and bought the cousin of the Escape instead. I don't really have that option any longer as Mazda no longer has the Tribute model. To add insult to the injury, right next to the Mazda store is the L-M dealer. I hear that Lincoln will have a version of the new Escape however, but doubt that it will be marketed to the same price point as the Escape.

More modern take on the Astro-Ventilation system of the early 70's...it didn't look good then either.

Some car models in the Ford line up back in the 50s were all on one car! Witness the Galaxie 500 on the Fairlane 500. Later Falcon Futura, which lead to the Fairmont Futura. F series trucks: Explorer was a tape and paint package for the spring in 70, 71, and 72. The Ranger was a mid level trim package that superceded the Custom Cab (Custom was also used from 54 on trucks, then cars as in Custom, Custom 300, Custom 500), and was extended upwards to the Ranger XLT, then the Ranger XLT Lariat, finally dropping the Ranger and just calling it base, custom, XL, XLT, Eddie Baur (for a couple years in the 90's) and back to the Lariat on pickups. Edge, already mentioned. Torino on the Fairlane, then became it's own model line. Courier was a two door wagon in the 50's, and then in 72 was used on the Mazda supplied pickup. Good thread already, real head scratcher!

Maybe it's the IZUZU two seater that used to be marketed here that I am thinking about. The front end clip is almost identical, as are the wheel flares. Grill is Ford bars for sure. Not the ovoid hole Izuzu had.

Check out the thread above: http://www.blueovalforums.com/forums/index...showtopic=28363

It's not a foriegn brand, so I wouldn't expect to see too many celebrities climb into a Ford, Mercury or Lincoln product. Hybrid or not. They could get the Mazda Hybrid however, same thing with the cache of the foriegn monicker...D'oh!

I'm not quite sure why, but as I look at this truck I'm thinking of the Chevy SSR...Maybe just the bed cover, or the domed hood, or the out of usual proportions of one body panel to another. OSHA friendly? WTH is that? Just orange metallic paint...

So do we Nuc'k the press as well?

'91 Town Car had the first 4.6L.

'95 GT for the Mustang.

I thought that was already considered a part of the product mix for 2010 and later.