justins

I like it. What are the chances Ranger / Bronco front styling is a variation on this?

Yeah, the grill is slightly different, but not much else...

This really looks bad - Ford Oz allegedly resisted ANCAP test of Mustang - http://www.caradvice.com.au/517339/ford-resisted-mustang-testing-ancap-alleges-a-deep-dive-into-this-weeks-shocking-two-star-crash-test-result/

Basically the same article on Wheels Magazine https://www.wheelsmag.com.au/news/1701/Ford-Mustang-V8-scores-poor-2-star-safety-rating Can't see this playing out well...

YES! I thought VERY last-gen XK8. Glad I wasn't the only one.

The REALLY sad part about that is that the CD4 Taurus is probably closer in execution to the Falcon than the Insignia is to the Commodore i.e I think the Taurus could more easily be re-badged and accepted as a Falcon than the Insignia will be as a Commodore.

I'm not sure why auto makers feel the need to (in most circumstances) bastardise the purist form of a design theme (that being the original design) in the name of "keeping it up to date". IMO, the current Mustang front end is stronger than this one, and I think I could count on 2 hands the number of MCEs that have been styled better than their forebears.

Congratulations to everyone involved!

This thing is already outdone by the CX3, Honda HRV etc, so I don't know what they're going to do to make it competitive for 2018 and beyond...

I remember a few years back Ford imported the F250 and 350 here to oz, and the headlights needed to be changed out because the originals weren't bright enough.

I think the other reviews linked to have mentioned the throttle response as well, but C&D the first to say the ride is firm... All in all a positive review though.

But at least it's positive. Not positive as in glowing, but positive in a "It knows it's place and it does it well" way.

These "Trucks" are the new SUV (or even CUV). They're "lifestyle" vehicles more than workhorse vehicles. In oz, they get used to carry motorbikes or surfboards moreso than bricks and tools.

http://www.businessinsider.com.au/new-lincoln-continental-review-2016-10?r=US&IR=T#/#verdict-44 It's BI, so perhaps not as concerned with handling and performance as much as ride and comfort, but it seems to fill the ride and comfort role pretty well...

Nah, it's so you can tow your goats around town...

We're a VERY fragmented market - more manufacturers / models sold here than in the US from memory (I could be wrong), but entire market is ~1.1million vehicles a year. Everest is struggling to take off, but that is mainly due to poor pricing / specifications more than anything IMO. If Bronco is different enough, there MAY be a business case for it, but I doubt it as things stand now.

Edge has been confirmed for that role, beginning early 2018. What will be interesting is if we end up getting the 7 seat from China. Official word is no, but who knows... Oz get Thai built Everest as Ranger based 4wd wagon.

That makes sense, actually. More margin in CUVs and market is growing, whereas hatches are a shrinking market.

First of all - shoot for the moon and if you miss at least you reach the stars. Secondly, the increase in information and data gathered, stored and analysed from autonomous test vehicles will not be linear, it will be exponential, so by the time 2021 rolls around, they won't simply have 5 times the data they have now, but 50 or 100 or 1000 times. I don't know if this will happen, but given cars can basically drive themselves now as it is, I wouldn't like to bet against it TBH.

Is not a bourbon... http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/entry/southern-comfort-soco_n_5958814

If it comes from China, that may increase chances of getting the 7 seater. "Chinese made" still has a stigma attached to it though, so it would want to be bloody good...

A few years ago they were bleeding cash from every orifice imaginable, and now $2b profit in a QUARTER is disappointing. My how times change...

With the number of resource sharing arrangements going on in the auto world, I don't think any two manufacturers can really be called strange bedfellows any longer.

It won't be next year, but it won't be 30 years either. MOST of the tech necessary for self-driving cars is already here - Radar cruise control, blind spot sensors, auto emergency braking, lane keeping, auto lights (both on/off and high beam), 360 degree sensing... The hard part, the one percent, is the decision making logic. Things that a human will do in a particular circumstance that defy what can be programmed into an AI logic. In most other areas, the 80 / 20 rule may apply i.e you work to cover 80% of circumstances, but in this use case they simply cannot do that. They need closer to 99.9999% (there will ALWAYS be exceptions). I give it 10 years tops and they will be able to.

I think the idea is that the Everest will be the 7 seat option, but for mine they're in different segments - Everest more of a Prado / Fortuna competitor, Edge more of a Kluger competitor. I think FoA want 7 seat Everest to straddle both...