Deanh Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 dare I say it looks better in the flesh.....in a garage at 12pm with the lights off..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueblood Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 I can't believe Ford would cancel the deisel in the e, no way.. :eek5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bravestar Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 reminds me of a pug....are these photos legit.... Yep, go to GMI...Ford section. It will be fine, just kind of a shocker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 I can't believe Ford would cancel the deisel in the e, no way.. :eek5: that would be stupid....I somehow doubt it, especially since it looks like there is more room in the :beak" as ugly as it is...sheesh, makes Barbara Streisands snoz look like practice..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueblood Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 that would be stupid....I somehow doubt it, especially since it looks like there is more room in the :beak" as ugly as it is...sheesh, makes Barbara Streisands snoz look like practice..... Stevie Wonder could design better stuff than what Ford is doing lately.. It's really strange considering Ford's big name design team as well.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 (edited) Stevie Wonder could design better stuff than what Ford is doing lately.. It's really strange considering Ford's big name design team as well.. somehow I don't think the budget on the E-series was huge....why?...it makes them a BOATLOAD of green...only really has the GM and to a small extent the Sprinter as competition, is reliable as hell and vans are bought for their function not much else. After saying that Ford has obviously learnt NOTHING about being complacent and is resting too much on their haunches on this vehicle...STILL wonder why they leave the 4x4's market to $14,000 Quigley!!!!!! They let another pro-active opportunity go the wayside.....Bold?????don't think so....that sticker is on my window, and from the reverse it reads bloB.....may have to turn it around... Edited March 7, 2007 by Deanh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Lessee, Ford ups class leading payload, GVWR, GAWR, etc., comes up with new security features, and new storage options, and you guys are bellyaching about styling. Thank goodness Ford actually talked to customers instead of armchair know-it-alls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 (edited) sorry Rich, I see it as lost opportunity....and curious, what is you take on the pricing...seriously I can;t see justifiction myself and i have to try and sell em! Edited March 7, 2007 by Deanh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 sorry Rich, I see it as lost opportunity....and curious, what is you take on the pricing...seriously I can;t see justifiction myself and i have to try and sell em! 1) I really don't see it as a lost opportunity. Frankly, I think the passenger hauling end of the business is going to move to Transit-style vans (after all, the Sprinter is a Transit knock-off), why? Because you can stand up in them. They're more passenger friendly. For cargo and work, they improved just about every aspect of the vehicle that matters: brakes, suspension, rated capacity, and available equipment. 2) I have never understood van pricing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BORG Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 (edited) WOW that is one ugly bastard. I'm not sure why they forced the Super-Duty nose on the E-Series, but I see no functional reason to force this update. There is no substantial mechanical, chassis, or drivetrain updates that required the new nose. They also failed to update the dashboard so they will continue using orphaned interior electricals and switchgear which can't be the ideal way of cutting cost. In any case, this is an ugly beast for an ugly business, it's not meant for the average consumer. This is a high volume product so I'm actually surprised to see such a haphazard update. Ford doesn't have much competition on this segment so they have it pretty easy. This tends to be the only way Ford is competitive, when they have no competition . Edited March 7, 2007 by BORG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 1) I really don't see it as a lost opportunity. Frankly, I think the passenger hauling end of the business is going to move to Transit-style vans (after all, the Sprinter is a Transit knock-off), why? Because you can stand up in them. They're more passenger friendly. For cargo and work, they improved just about every aspect of the vehicle that matters: brakes, suspension, rated capacity, and available equipment. 2) I have never understood van pricing. I know we will still sell a boatload..it IS a great van, maybe it will look better in the flesh, however Ford missed a real opportunity here to step over conservative guidelines, but that may have been due to budgetary constraints...semi agree on the passenger haulin comment...BUT...and it's a huge BUT...the 15 passenger Quigley DIESEL conversions we occasionally get in here look AWESOME...AND in reflection made the Excursions look like overprice pieces of garbage...talk about a functional do it all type of vehicle. Maybe you are right about the Sprinter as a passenger van theory...but Ford has NOTHING in the interim, so why not at least try to attract buyers with something a little more edgy/ adventurous in the way of the buyers first hot point....STYLING....from the commercial standpoint, most of those buyers care a lot more about funtionality so that is areally a moot point....I say...come on Ford, lets get a little risky... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 guess all I am trying to say is why not try to attract additional buyers other than those that are just going to buy one regardless...the extra sale wouldn't hurt at all, just gravy...and step one in attracting new buyers is styling.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7Mary3 Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 I knew they would never get the 6.4L in the full size vans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Oval Guide Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 ARTICLE & PHOTOS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 beauty is in the eye of the beholder...think I need a drink....thats only my opinion of course, I am crossing my fingers that when they do hit the ground I will be more open minded to what I currently perceive as a half a$$ed effort.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 guess all I am trying to say is why not try to attract additional buyers other than those that are just going to buy one regardless...the extra sale wouldn't hurt at all, just gravy...and step one in attracting new buyers is styling.... What are these 'additional buyers' buying right now? I don't think there are many consumers looking at this product. I don't think this product has any kind of cross-shop competitors. And if Ford substantially revised the sheetmetal, they would have their upfitters and bodybuilders at their throats. The economy's kind of shaky right now, and Ford would be asking their third party customers to re-develop the products their selling to work with the new E-Series. This would not go over well. As it stands, I don't think the redesign is all that bad. They got the assorted lines on the van line up, and the parts bin interior proves that the Crown Vic is not going to be soldiering off into retirement the only Ford product with the billion button stereo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 (edited) What are these 'additional buyers' buying right now? I don't think there are many consumers looking at this product. I don't think this product has any kind of cross-shop competitors. And if Ford substantially revised the sheetmetal, they would have their upfitters and bodybuilders at their throats. The economy's kind of shaky right now, and Ford would be asking their third party customers to re-develop the products their selling to work with the new E-Series. This would not go over well. As it stands, I don't think the redesign is all that bad. They got the assorted lines on the van line up, and the parts bin interior proves that the Crown Vic is not going to be soldiering off into retirement the only Ford product with the billion button stereo. theres not really any competition...so why NOT be a little more adventurous, and the sheetmetal is only from the A pillar forward...NO effect on upfitters...Ford needs to get away from Superdutying the front of the van, Fusioning the Taurus and X, putting EDGE lights on them to boot, making the "NEW" focus look like Mercurys Contour cousin...where the hell is some origionality? oh...seems that is in Europe...if this is the best they can do in what? 10 years we are DOOMED I tell you...DOOMED...I can handle most of their stop gap bland styling efforts right now, but this to me is a little dissapointing....now imagine something like the supercheif front....A-pillars forward..... Edited March 8, 2007 by Deanh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 Honestly, I don't see the problem with this. Ford hasn't had a consistent set of styling cues in over a decade, and they haven't profited from having hodge-podge designs. Also, I don't see that you can do much with the front of an E-Series that doesn't look truckish, so why not make it look like your existing trucks? They can't make it look like a Corvette. And at least they've dropped the soft stick of butter blobbiness of the old E-Series. From a design consistency standpoint, I think this design is far better integrated to the rest of the van than the outgoing design which had this pseudo-aero jellybeanish quality that quickly turned into the hard lines and edges of a cargo van. I never liked the looks of the '91+ E-Series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 (edited) Honestly, I don't see the problem with this. Ford hasn't had a consistent set of styling cues in over a decade, and they haven't profited from having hodge-podge designs. Also, I don't see that you can do much with the front of an E-Series that doesn't look truckish, so why not make it look like your existing trucks? They can't make it look like a Corvette. And at least they've dropped the soft stick of butter blobbiness of the old E-Series. From a design consistency standpoint, I think this design is far better integrated to the rest of the van than the outgoing design which had this pseudo-aero jellybeanish quality that quickly turned into the hard lines and edges of a cargo van. I never liked the looks of the '91+ E-Series. possibly....still wreeks of lack of effort or imagination...Supercheif cues or Airstream??????...dunno, regardless it will still sell, but I think Ford needs to roll up its design sleeves...A LOT! This sort of effort is pathetic...AND LAZY! What will happen if this sort of attitude trickles down to other lines...YAWN!, hey that other brand looks cool... Edited March 8, 2007 by Deanh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2005Explorer Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 Who cares what it looks like. Contractors and ambulance companies only care about reliability. I think what is more worrisome if the lack of a diesel. I mean seriously, what's up with this? Exactly. Styling does not sell these vans. All new sheetmetal would be a waste of money. A fullsized van is a box and there is not much you can do to change the looks of a box. No one cares what they look like. I also agree that the lack of a diesel is a much bigger deal then the style of the vehicle. I don't see why the 6.4L would not fit with some modification. Possibly a late availability option??? I agree they could have updated the dashboard with something along the lines of the new SuperDuty, but then again, would it even do anything for sales? Likely not. It's the class leader just the way it is...however I agree...they better get the diesel issue (if there is one) resolved quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shoman594 Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 I think the new face looks great and was excited when I saw the pictures, but my mouth dropped when I saw the carry over interior. I was thinking at least they could have put in a new super duty type dash. The sad part about this is the money isnt there. That's why we have this mid year type grill upgrade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 possibly....still wreeks of lack of effort or imagination...Supercheif cues or Airstream??????...dunno, regardless it will still sell, but I think Ford needs to roll up its design sleeves...A LOT! This sort of effort is pathetic...AND LAZY! What will happen if this sort of attitude trickles down to other lines...YAWN!, hey that other brand looks cool... Again, I'm not seeing the quandry. The SuperChief doesn't work so well in practice because there's not enough grille to breathe through. Then, the SD grille is by far the 'loudest' grille in the biz today, but still identifiably Ford. Ford should have a different grille for their E-Series? I'm not seeing this as laziness on Ford's part. I mean you could come up with a totally unique front end for the E-Series, but what purpose would it serve? Would the E-Series be the vehicle of choice with which to launch a new design language for Ford trucks? You can call this lazy if you want, but then again, I would not call it lazy inasmuch as I would not call an architect lazy for designing one side of a building the same as the other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 I bet the Diesel issue is just due to the current problems with navistar...I doubt they'll get rid of a diesel option for the E-150 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bravestar Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 (edited) Honestly, I don't see the problem with this. Ford hasn't had a consistent set of styling cues in over a decade, and they haven't profited from having hodge-podge designs. Also, I don't see that you can do much with the front of an E-Series that doesn't look truckish, so why not make it look like your existing trucks? They can't make it look like a Corvette. And at least they've dropped the soft stick of butter blobbiness of the old E-Series. From a design consistency standpoint, I think this design is far better integrated to the rest of the van than the outgoing design which had this pseudo-aero jellybeanish quality that quickly turned into the hard lines and edges of a cargo van. I never liked the looks of the '91+ E-Series. I think that I agree whith Deanh. As the E-Series consolidates, the Chevy version expands to fill the gap. First it was a copy of the ladder frame, then drivers side rear door and now there is no diesel option. How do you expect to lead when the competition is in it for blood and all you do is minimal improvements. Retraction is no way to protect marketshare and i have to say I see more and more Chevy vans every day. I wonder how much marketshare they have grown? I would have rather things stayed the same styling wise if it would help the budget for the diesel engine. Again, the argument was why change for the sake of change? Edited March 8, 2007 by bravestar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 Actually, I don't think Chevy has made serious inroads into the E-Series market. In 2001 Ford had 48.24% of the fullsize van market. In 2006 Ford had 50.75% of the fullsize van market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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