Deanh Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 (edited) Now that said isnt the C-maxy max coming here?....and truth be told, i myself would be tickled with a 2 row optioned out ( less industrial interior amendments ala Europe ) better drivetrained ( 2.5 Fusion engine with either a 6 speed manual or auto ) Transit Connect Edited October 22, 2009 by Deanh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJRivera Posted October 22, 2009 Author Share Posted October 22, 2009 Uh, that would be the 4th row . . . . No. I said, "The last row of seats and storage behind the 3rd row might be deal breakers" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edstock Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 It's been stated a thousand times, the minivan pie is shrinking. Why fight over a smaller slice? Ford has an opportunity, IMHO, to capture the smaller end of this segment with further development of the TC. All it will take is $4 a gallon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJRivera Posted October 22, 2009 Author Share Posted October 22, 2009 I think when she told him she "hates the exterior of the Flex" he had his first clue. Actually it was the fifth clue. The first 4 times she said it, I wasn't listening, like any typical husband. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Actually it was the fifth clue. The first 4 times she said it, I wasn't listening, like any typical husband. LMAO...funny, my gal owns a small flower shop, her take, men are easy, its the women that are a Pain in the........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Ford has an opportunity, IMHO, to capture the smaller end of this segment with further development of the TC. All it will take is $4 a gallon. The minivan market has been shrinking at a huge rate vs CUV style vehicles....even smaller ones. The TC is too Industrial for general consumer usage IMO, Doesn't have the same finesse and finish that a say an Escape or Edge would have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 I have been making that argument for years, and have been flamed for it the whole time. Look at minivan sales over the past 10 years. Look at CUV sales over the past 10 years. Ford is not going to build another minivan anytime soon. The market decided this for them. It's not that we're not "compassionate". We're simply realistic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordmantpw Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Actually it was the fifth clue. The first 4 times she said it, I wasn't listening, like any typical husband. Have her give it a second look and check out the interior. My wife didn't like the exterior looks either (actually, she still doesn't ), but she fell in love with the interior. We've got 15,000 mostly trouble-free miles on ours. And I can sit in the 3rd row (I'm 5'-10") pretty comfortably. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLaudioF150 Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 If the Sienna worked, just get another one. I think they're fugly but I must admit they're reliable, well-built, and get the job done. Mercury should have a family hauler that isn't so damn polarizing as the MKT and Flex. IMO, one is a box, and the other is a nasty bling station wagon. I wish Mercury would have something in the dimensions of a Buick Enclave...offering nice cargo space, elegance, and good mileage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJRivera Posted October 22, 2009 Author Share Posted October 22, 2009 Have her give it a second look and check out the interior. My wife didn't like the exterior looks either (actually, she still doesn't ), but she fell in love with the interior. We've got 15,000 mostly trouble-free miles on ours. And I can sit in the 3rd row (I'm 5'-10") pretty comfortably. Well, my neighbor has a Flex and she's ridden in it a few times. She still can't get past the exterior. And it's not that looks are the only thing that she's focused on. (Otherwise she wouldn't have married me). Her preferred seating layout is 2+2+3. She was willing to compromise for 2+2+2 or 2+2+3, if ALL of her other requirements were met. She also has to have adaptive cruise control (which she now has on the Sienna and is available on MKT, but not Flex). And the Flex would still be smaller in the storage area than the Sienna (however looks a little bigger than the MKT - maybe because of MKT's curves). She needs/wants a minivan. The problem is I don't, and I want a Ford product. She was willing to get a Ford crossover as a compromise if only 1 or 2 of her requirements were missing (2+2+3, large rear storage, nice exterior, adaptive cruise, seats 6 or 7 comfortably), but Flex/MKT don't seem to fit the criteria for her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJRivera Posted October 22, 2009 Author Share Posted October 22, 2009 If the Sienna worked, just get another one. I think they're fugly but I must admit they're reliable, well-built, and get the job done. Mercury should have a family hauler that isn't so damn polarizing as the MKT and Flex. IMO, one is a box, and the other is a nasty bling station wagon. I wish Mercury would have something in the dimensions of a Buick Enclave...offering nice cargo space, elegance, and good mileage. Actually our Sienna has given us a good number of problems. I don't subscribe to the "foreign cars are perfect and trouble free" theory and call it like it is. (Not that you were suggesting that.) I'd bet the Honda Odessey is what we end up getting. I'm just disappointed that this is exactly what Ford is looking for - a family with 2 imports, willing to look and buy a domestic brand. If you can get enough of this demographic, other people would notice, and maybe stop the tide of "domestic cars suck" mentality. Now we'll probably get a Honda or Toyota. Ugh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aneekr Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Actually our Sienna has given us a good number of problems. I don't subscribe to the "foreign cars are perfect and trouble free" theory and call it like it is. (Not that you were suggesting that.) I'd bet the Honda Odessey is what we end up getting. I'm just disappointed that this is exactly what Ford is looking for - a family with 2 imports, willing to look and buy a domestic brand. If you can get enough of this demographic, other people would notice, and maybe stop the tide of "domestic cars suck" mentality. Now we'll probably get a Honda or Toyota. Ugh. Is your Sienna the first ('98 - '03) or second generation ('04 - '10) model? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theoldwizard Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Ford has an opportunity, IMHO, to capture the smaller end of this segment with further development of the TC. All it will take is $4 a gallon. At $4/gallon, I want something that gets better than the abysmal 23/25 that the Transit connect currently gets ! With a 1.6L turbo diesel and a PowerShift 6 speed transmission, I would bet that both the city and higway number would be in the 30's if not 40's, even meeting US emission standards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theoldwizard Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Sprinter? Hijacking the thread for a moment. I know a Ford Engineer who lives in Ann Arbor and commutes to Dearborn. Many mornings he passes a 15 passenger Transit on I-94. The "passengers" look like human torsos filled with blue liquid (windshield washer fluid?) !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJRivera Posted October 22, 2009 Author Share Posted October 22, 2009 Is your Sienna the first ('98 - '03) or second generation ('04 - '10) model? 2nd generation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theoldwizard Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 ...An Expedition is overkill as I don't tow, and not as fuel efficient. It will be interesting to see the fuel economy on the Expedition when it get the new 5.0L V8 ! I'm betting +2 mpg city, maybe +4 mpg highway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 She also has to have adaptive cruise control (which she now has on the Sienna and is available on MKT, but not Flex). I've always wondered who used this and why. How does she use it and why does she like it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 (edited) I've always wondered who used this and why. How does she use it and why does she like it? probably to avoid rear ending someone due to the fact she is disciplining Jnr in the second row....lol Edited October 22, 2009 by Deanh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 I'm just disappointed that this is exactly what Ford is looking for - a family with 2 imports, willing to look and buy a domestic brand. But you have to factor that against the very high cost of developing a premium minivan. These things now ride on practically standalone chassis, with little shared outside of wiring and powerpacks, and while there is still a demand, it's a market segment that is shrinking dramatically both overall and as a percentage of the total market. You are essentially asking Ford to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on a mature and dwindling segment with very little of that money capable of being amortized over multiple vehicles. Minivans are a tough nut to crack. It took Toyota about fifteen years to get the Sienna right (remember the Previa? Remember that horrible abomination that came before the Previa?), Honda scored a hit with their inhouse Odyssey, but not before trying to fob off a very lousy MPV on an unwilling public. Mazda, Nissan, and GM never figured out the minivan market. Ford did for a few years ('98-00) before their headgasket issues doomed them, and that after a dozen years of failed attempts. The "passengers" look like human torsos filled with blue liquid (windshield washer fluid?) !! Is he in the car pool lane? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 If the Sienna worked, just get another one. I think they're fugly but I must admit they're reliable, well-built, and get the job done. Mercury should have a family hauler that isn't so damn polarizing as the MKT and Flex. IMO, one is a box, and the other is a nasty bling station wagon. I wish Mercury would have something in the dimensions of a Buick Enclave...offering nice cargo space, elegance, and good mileage. So you want a Mercury Flex/MKT.... BAM! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoveTaurus Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 (edited) Actually our Sienna has given us a good number of problems. I don't subscribe to the "foreign cars are perfect and trouble free" theory and call it like it is. (Not that you were suggesting that.) I'd bet the Honda Odessey is what we end up getting. I want to know what problems does your Sienna has? I too, think Odyssey is designed pretty good in terms of spacial use, I like its mpg and noise cancellation! I have a Freestyle. I love the MKT styling. I am turn off by MKT's 3rd row space and the cargo space behind it. I don't want to buy any vehicle which has less space than my Freestyle. One time I tested the Freestyle's cargo space, took a couple standard size luggage, try assemble them behind them behind 3rd row. I squeezed in 4 medium size rectangular luggage, 2 compact size rectangular luggage plus one or two soft bags stacked up over the window line. With the MKT, if I have 7 passengers, I can't even go fruit picking! I am a minivan fan, just don't like its mommobile image. Edited October 27, 2009 by LoveTaurus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OAC_Sparky Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 I know a Ford Engineer who lives in Ann Arbor and commutes to Dearborn. Many mornings he passes a 15 passenger Transit on I-94. The "passengers" look like human torsos filled with blue liquid (windshield washer fluid?) !! Is the Blue Man Group playing at Cobo? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NLPRacing Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 I'm surprised that 3rd row seating is that high on your priority list. Very few customers are going to be driving around with 6 adults. I'm disappointed with the storage of the Flex after the 3rd row. I was half thinking of replacing my 12 year old Econoline. I would like something that could carry 4 adults and twin grandchildren and still have reasonable storage. I don't think I can get a double stroller, diaper bags, toys and enough adult luggage for a weekend trip in the rear of a Flex. Sigh. Nothing replaces an Econoline for interior volume. Sounds like you could use either an Expedition EL or a Flex with a hitch rack. I've had a 2000 Econoline conversion (great van!) & a 98, 01 & 07 Expedition. I would have to say that while I was a big fan of the van, the Expeditions have been great too. Hijacking the thread for a moment. I know a Ford Engineer who lives in Ann Arbor and commutes to Dearborn. Many mornings he passes a 15 passenger Transit on I-94. The "passengers" look like human torsos filled with blue liquid (windshield washer fluid?) !! Interesting... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANTAUS Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 So you want a Mercury Flex/MKT.... BAM! I love it, works for me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzhead Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 (edited) First of all, kudos for wanting to buy domestic. That is so important for the future of our country, and its middle class. I don't care if someone's liberal or conservative, to me the ones who are the "good guys", from the standpoint of civic responsibility, are the ones who support American workers. Second, I've got to put in a good word for the quality of Chrysler products - I drive a 300C and my wife drives a Pacifica (we both also share a Ford Focus), and both Chrysler products have been completely satisfying and trouble free. Now the Pacifica bears some of the attributes of the MKT - a premium ride but the back row is suitable only for small children, with little usable headroom. That's okay for us, because we've gotten beyond our carpooling years. But why not consider the Town and Country? If a minivan is what you need, the T&C ought to hit the sweet spot, especially with the 4.0 engine, and has flexible interior options that none of the competition has. At least in a T&C, I can drive a minivan without the stigma of being seen in a vehicle that brands me as indifferent to my community. Edited October 23, 2009 by Jazzhead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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