59 Flexes and 50 MKS built last week

[papilgee4evaeva]

It could have been me :burnout:

 

The MKS is a NICE f**king car.

 

See, you can't just say that and not give any more details.

 

Spill, man, spill!

[Loyalbutconcerned]

I ordered a Dark Ink Blue - loaded. Should have it in 6 weeks.

[2005Explorer]

Not related to Ford...but did the TrailBlazer and Envoy go out of production? I see they quit building them.

[RichardJensen]

I think that plant is idled by the American Axle strike.

 

The Envoy is out of production, but I they're still building the Trailblazer, IIRC.

[Hugh]

See, you can't just say that and not give any more details.

 

Spill, man, spill!

Agreed...Give it up!

[Hugh]

I ordered a Dark Ink Blue - loaded. Should have it in 6 weeks.

FWD, AWD? Interior? Details please?

[NickF1011]

I think that plant is idled by the American Axle strike.

 

The Envoy is out of production, but I they're still building the Trailblazer, IIRC.

 

Well, whether they are building them or not, my dad just bought an '08. Seems nice enough and my dad basically just bought it to beat the crap out of, but man, I couldn't believe how cheap that interior is. Looked no better than the '98 Durango it replaced.

[RichardJensen]

And the '08 Trailblazer interior is light years ahead of the previous generation, which had (among other defects) GM's atrocious "let's put the stereo ==everywhere== ergonomic strategy."

[ManFord]

so when do you think we'll start seeing ads for this thing?

[danup]

It's a shame they pulled the Envoy from production, aside from the Bravada it was the nicest looking of all those cars--and for a 2003 my parents' loaded one was really nice. The Trailblazer on the other hand... front and rear fascia look about a million years old, and they don't have that nice side-crease the other GMT360s share.

Edited May 15, 2008 by danup

[suv_guy_19]

It's a shame they pulled the Envoy from production, aside from the Bravada it was the nicest looking of all those cars--and for a 2003 my parents' loaded one was really nice. The Trailblazer on the other hand--front and rear fascia look about a million years old, and they don't have that nice side-crease the other GMT360s share.

 

I agree, I always liked the Envoy from the outside.

[Big_Mack]

Correct. If the past several new vehicle launches are an indicator, they'll build several hundred (or even several thousand) and put them in quality hold while they inspect them. If all is well, they'll ship. Based on the indications from those here from OAC, the pre-production builds were pretty successful, so I don't foresee a long quality hold.

 

Man I can only imagine the amount work involved with auditing those first couple models off of the assembly line...Recently here at Volvo, we started building our first C-Level 2010 engines, and I have basically been the representative from Engineering and Research to work with the manufacturing engineers when problems arise. With the amount of work it was to identify and correct the little issues with those first assembly line 11L and 16L engines, it's gotta be about 100 times more difficult with 59 complete cars.

 

NickF1011, how do they audit a complete car? That's gotta be one hell of a job....all those random parts that somehow come up missing or installed incorrectly on those first cars has to be tough...

[rmc523]

in related news - Mark LT ceased production.

 

Igor

 

[rmc523]

You mean the grille that they plastered on instead of the regular F-150 grille ceased production.

 

 

You should go back to being retarded. You were less....ummm...retarded.

 

 

Oh yeah...because the Ford F-150 and Lincoln F-150 were SO much different...

 

 

It's not the specifics of your posts that even matter anymore. It's that you can't find ANYTHING positive to say about anything Ford-related anymore. All you do is take jabs. Some are deserved, but most are jabs for the sake of jabs. It's getting old.

 

Here we are in a thread started with the announcement of Flex and MKS starting production.

 

What do you cling to? An aside about the Mark LT no longer being built.

 

Must you two start an argument in every thread?

[NickF1011]

NickF1011, how do they audit a complete car? That's gotta be one hell of a job....all those random parts that somehow come up missing or installed incorrectly on those first cars has to be tough...

 

I have no idea what the exact procedure is, but yeah, it's got to be pretty complicated.

[igor]

I just saw a GIANT Flex billboard in one of the richest Philly suburbs (Main Line) ...

 

I just noticed it was this picture:

 

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2278/239598...fbc5e36.jpg?v=0

 

but did not have a chance to read the text - notices it at the last moment.

 

Igor

[RichardJensen]

And I'll say it again, it's a doggone shame that two of Ford's biggest hits, the Flex & Edge, are using a design language that's being killed by Ford management in order to foist upon us some sort of globaloatmeal. Thank you bizarre unsupported top-down decision making! Thank you olde tyme Detroit ways! Thank you for one last good idea scotched by disconnected management!

[NickF1011]

And I'll say it again, it's a doggone shame that two of Ford's biggest hits, the Flex & Edge, are using a design language that's being killed by Ford management in order to foist upon us some sort of globaloatmeal. Thank you bizarre unsupported top-down decision making! Thank you olde tyme Detroit ways! Thank you for one last good idea scotched by disconnected management!

 

1. It has yet to be shown if the Flex will be a hit or not.

 

2. There's no quantifiable way to judge whether the Edge would be selling better or worse with more kinetic styling.

 

Let us wait and see. I'd rather see us get something that looks more like the Fiesta with the next gen Edge than something that looks like the Flex.

[Deanh]

And I'll say it again, it's a doggone shame that two of Ford's biggest hits, the Flex & Edge, are using a design language that's being killed by Ford management in order to foist upon us some sort of globaloatmeal. Thank you bizarre unsupported top-down decision making! Thank you olde tyme Detroit ways! Thank you for one last good idea scotched by disconnected management!

Rich...they have had a MULTITUDE of chances to one up the competition when it comes to styling...so far seems only two have hit the ball outa the park ( sans trucks ) the Flex and the Edge....enough already...time to hand the torch....

[NLPRacing]

And I'll say it again, it's a doggone shame that two of Ford's biggest hits, the Flex & Edge, are using a design language that's being killed by Ford management in order to foist upon us some sort of globaloatmeal. Thank you bizarre unsupported top-down decision making! Thank you olde tyme Detroit ways! Thank you for one last good idea scotched by disconnected management!

 

The Flex isn't a hit, yet, but was the Edge really a "Dave" design? I'm sure you've seen the Edge kinetic photochop, it doesn't look too bad...

[P71_CrownVic]

And I'll say it again, it's a doggone shame that two of Ford's biggest hits, the Flex & Edge, are using a design language that's being killed by Ford management in order to foist upon us some sort of globaloatmeal.

 

Thank GOD!!! This "Dave" styling (or Dave's razor styling) should have been killed before it even saw the light of day.

 

I'm glad Ford is dumping Dave for MUCH better looking automobile styling.

Edited May 15, 2008 by P71_CrownVic

[NickF1011]

The Flex isn't a hit, yet, but was the Edge really a "Dave" design? I'm sure you've seen the Edge kinetic photochop, it doesn't look too bad...

 

And many of us liked the '10 Taurus photo leak (except RJ and a few others), which incorporated much of the Edge's profile design with a more kinetic snout.

[RichardJensen]

1. It has yet to be shown if the Flex will be a hit or not.

 

2. There's no quantifiable way to judge whether the Edge would be selling better or worse with more kinetic styling.

 

Let us wait and see. I'd rather see us get something that looks more like the Fiesta with the next gen Edge than something that looks like the Flex.

1) The Flex will be a hit. <mock Southern accent>Ah kin feel it in mah bones</mock Southern accent>

 

2) Regardless of whether the Edge would sell better =with= kinetic styling, it is clear that the 'bold' face of the Fusion, Focus, and Edge have attracted buyers. Furthermore, the Edge, of all those models, incorporates the lines of the face into the rest of the vehicle.

 

Reasoning that 'another style might sell better' is like saying that the bird in the bush might be better than the bird in the hand.

 

I have some hope, based on the Fiesta, that Ford can continue the 'toy car' design ethic that one finds in the Flex & Edge, however, the Mondeo, Focus, and next gen Taurus all appear to follow the current trend of excessive creasing and broken lines.

 

The Fiesta, especially the hatchback, looks, like the Edge and Flex (and Interceptor and Mustang), as though you could pick it up and put it in your pocket. But it's the only 'kinetic' vehicle that does anything for me. The rest are just well executed blandness. Like a perfectly made bowl of oatmeal, it's still oatmeal.

[NickF1011]

Thank GOD!!! This "Dave" styling (or Dave's razor styling) should have been killed before it even saw the light of day.

 

I'm glad Ford is dumping Dave for MUCH better looking automobile styling.

 

Yeah. Ford never should have put vertical bars on grilles of cars. They should go back to their successes and look at the grille styles they used.

 

 

Oh wait.....

[RichardJensen]

The Flex isn't a hit, yet, but was the Edge really a "Dave" design? I'm sure you've seen the Edge kinetic photochop, it doesn't look too bad...

You betcher backside it's Ford's NA design language. Look at it, the Flex, and the Interceptor. All have a wonderful 'closed gestalt' design and a simplicity of line that creates the 'toy car' look that exists only on the Fiesta of all the kinetic designs.

 

And even the Fiesta is marred by the excessive side sculpting that is a hallmark of the kinetic language and a dramatic departure from the NA language. That side sculpting is not timeless, it will age quite quickly.