silvrsvt Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 http://www.autoblog.com/2006/11/02/ford-de...ical-to-concep/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 About time Ford produces a car from a concept that holds true to the original. I imagine the headlights will change a bit though, and of course, it will be scaled slightly larger all around due to the move from CD3 to D3. Good for Ford....for once. :happy feet: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted November 2, 2006 Author Share Posted November 2, 2006 I was just giving some thought to the Freestyle vs. "Fairlane" overlap. I was thinking how Ford could sepreate the two. First off an idea would to be make the Freestyle the CUV replacement/supplement to the Explorer. Offer a V8 in it and add more truck like styling. Make the other model V6 Only (with the exception of the Lincoln Fairlane)..or just be done with it and Make the Freestyle a Mercury Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZanatWork Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 I'm having a tough time warming up to that thing, but I'm also one of 5 people on Earth that likes the Freestyle (okay, the nose is kinda boring). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiberius1701 Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 (edited) I'm having a tough time warming up to that thing, but I'm also one of 5 people on Earth that likes the Freestyle (okay, the nose is kinda boring). I personally think the Freestyle is a fine looking car-what really amazes me is that if the Freestyle had a Toyota or Honda badge on it, the anti-Detroit media would do handstands!! Just look how they gush over boring looking vehicles like the Avalon (wait, it is just plain UGLY!) and the Accord (Zzzzz....). Edited November 2, 2006 by Tiberius1701 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue II Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 I was just giving some thought to the Freestyle vs. "Fairlane" overlap. I was thinking how Ford could sepreate the two. First off an idea would to be make the Freestyle the CUV replacement/supplement to the Explorer. Offer a V8 in it and add more truck like styling. Make the other model V6 Only (with the exception of the Lincoln Fairlane)..or just be done with it and Make the Freestyle a Mercury Freestyle may morph into the F-100. Some like the idea. It could be a 2 dr or a 4 dr with a pickup box. Power would be 3.7 or 4.0 Cyclone FWD or AWD. The platform is there and easily adapted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZanatWork Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 Make it a new "Ranchero", and I'll be down to the dealership directly... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misteredog Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 I'm having a tough time warming up to that thing, but I'm also one of 5 people on Earth that likes the Freestyle (okay, the nose is kinda boring). I see ALOT of Freeestyles on the road around here, I live in Detroit, they seem to be the official vehicle of hockey mums and dads, just drive by a rink in the metro area and you'll see what I mean. I've seen quite a few with New York, Ontario, Quebec, etc. plates. The point is they seem to be selling very well regionally, as for the people who keep insisting that the Freestyle is an abject failure, I don't know what to say. It seem that in some parts of the country you simply can't get people to look at a vehicle that doesn't carry an import logo. And yeah, it is a handsome car, if in a kind of bland and WASPish way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted November 2, 2006 Author Share Posted November 2, 2006 Freestyle may morph into the F-100. Some like the idea. It could be a 2 dr or a 4 dr with a pickup box. Power would be 3.7 or 4.0 Cyclone FWD or AWD. The platform is there and easily adapted. ugh not another Ridgeline! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NLPRacing Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 Freestyle may morph into the F-100. Some like the idea. It could be a 2 dr or a 4 dr with a pickup box. Power would be 3.7 or 4.0 Cyclone FWD or AWD. The platform is there and easily adapted. ugh not another Ridgeline! Since Ford has a real truck (F-Series) they could get away with offering a uni-body "truck" for people that want a "truck" that never actually use it as a "truck". A Freestyle "Sport-Trac" with a even a 3.5 Cyclone should still get good gas mileage in the 20's, carry 4 to 5 people fairly easily and still be able to carry a couple bags of fertilizer from Home Depot on the weekends. I don't know if it would catch on, but it's not the worst idea Ford ever had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyle Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 I see ALOT of Freeestyles on the road around here, I live in Detroit, they seem to be the official vehicle of hockey mums and dads, just drive by a rink in the metro area and you'll see what I mean. I've seen quite a few with New York, Ontario, Quebec, etc. plates. The point is they seem to be selling very well regionally, as for the people who keep insisting that the Freestyle is an abject failure, I don't know what to say. It seem that in some parts of the country you simply can't get people to look at a vehicle that doesn't carry an import logo. And yeah, it is a handsome car, if in a kind of bland and WASPish way. Well you do live in Michigan!! One of the things that I notice right away when ever I visit the area is just the number of domestic vehicles around. It is just not indicative of the real world because where I live most of my neighbors don't even own a domestic vehicle. Or if it is one it will be 1. truck 2. suv 3. chrsyler minivan/pacifica And the one quote that I got a kick out of from May's was about how some people around here can't even tell the difference...and now I have not seen the production version but those are the guys that make me nervous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 it's not the worst idea Ford ever had. HAH! With a hundred years of history, the Edsel, the "We'll just pay the settlements" memo, and the abandonment of the Taurus------------topping stuff like that would be a real feat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZanatWork Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 You forgot the hiring of Jac Nasser... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NLPRacing Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 HAH! With a hundred years of history, the Edsel, the "We'll just pay the settlements" memo, and the abandonment of the Taurus------------topping stuff like that would be a real feat. Don't forget abandonment of the Ranger & Panther too. In the $2 to $3 a gallon gas world that we now live in, I think people here are ready for uni-body trucks that get better gas mileage versus having a 3 ton pick-up as a daily driver that get 12 mpg that the bed is empty about 99% of the time (talking about myself here). If a Freestyle based pick-up looked better than a Ridgeline, I'm sure people would consider it (I would even consider it myself). It wouldn't need a whole lot of payload or trailer towing capacity, just enough to tow a small boat, a pair of jet ski's or small travel trailer. I like the current Sport Trac myself very much, but with it's weight, price & relatively poor fuel economy, why not just get an F150? The Ridgeline is ugly as hell and sells for as much as an F150, yet Honda is still selling them with little or no incentive. In order for Ford to succeed, they need to beet Honda & Toyota at their own game and go after every possible market. How hard could it be to make a D3 based pick-up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ds91776 Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 I do not understand how people think the Fairlane (I still think this should be the name...it sounds really classy to me) and the Freetstyle overlap. Yes they are both 3 row cuv/suv/minivan esque things but so what! The Fairlane will be significantly larger than the Freestyle, really more of a minivan in size, maybe bigger than any current minivan out there. Ford needs the Freestyle as a 3 row cuv between the Edge and the Fairlane. Folks who want 3 rows but not a truckish explorer or a huge Fairlane will gravitate towareds the Freestyle. Think of it this way. Escape is the C, Edge is the CD, Freestyle is the D, and Fairlane is "E" in size. Of course Ford is likely to offer one or two more B or C sized CUVs in the future but that is beside the point. Will they overlap a little? Sure, but not by much. Put more distinct styling and the D35 engine in the Freestyle and it will sell much better. And remember, both of these cars will share engines, transmissions, and platforms so the development costs will be minimal, especially when paired with the other D3 sisters. On a related note I have heard accusations that Lincoln will get a "rebadged" version of the Fairlane. This is a missleading statement. Lincoln will get a version, true, but it will not be a rebadge or even a good rebadge. A rebadge is when the only difference between cars is the name, logo, and extremely minor styling differences. In my book the MKZ/Zephyer, CX-7,CX-9,and MKX do not qualify as rebadges as they all have unique interiors from the base product and have huge or very significant sheetmetal differences. Also, an Envoy is not a rebadge of the Trailblazer, but the Isuzu Ascender was a rebadge of the Envoy. See? Anyway, during an early Bold Moves video we saw a blurry drawing of some overlapping cuv things, one of which looked Lincoln-esque over the top of a Fairlane type drawing. From the sketch both cars had unique sheetmetal, the Fairlane boxy and the Lincoln more swoopy, with a kickup a at the rear door. Anyhoo, I've said my peace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchdevil Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 I heard the Fairlane name will be replace with an unpronouncable symbol... Or maybe a gothic stylized "F". How does the Freestyle overlap the Fairlane? It carries passengers... And how many more SUV's and crossovers does Ford really need to develop when they could better spend resorces updating old products and adding new passenger car products that needed to come to market yesterday and also fix what's wrong with the Five Hundred/Montego/Freestyle styling blunder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 I heard the Fairlane name will be replace with an unpronouncable symbol... Or maybe a gothic stylized "F". How does the Freestyle overlap the Fairlane? It carries passengers... And how many more SUV's and crossovers does Ford really need to develop when they could better spend resorces updating old products and adding new passenger car products that needed to come to market yesterday and also fix what's wrong with the Five Hundred/Montego/Freestyle styling blunder. The refreshed Five Hundred/Montego/Freestyle will hit the market BEFORE this new people-mover does. Seems their priorities are finally getting in order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCK Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 I think this news is great, the only problem I ca see is that since the concept launched so long ago it would be possible to keep it mostly alike but change it slightly to keep it modern looking. But anything is better than old Ford which would release a fantastic looking 427 concept and give us the 500. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZanatWork Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 I dunno...when I finally saw the 427 in person, I was grossly disappointed. It carries much more presence in pics IMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiberius1701 Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 I heard the Fairlane name will be replace with an unpronouncable symbol... Or maybe a gothic stylized "F". The artist formerly known as Fairlane? :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goblue93 Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 I just hope sliding doors make it to the production model or it won't be a very good "people mover". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NLPRacing Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 I just hope sliding doors make it to the production model or it won't be a very good "people mover". I agree, but the video on the "Bold Moves" web site should the P.M.F.K.A.F., and it had traditional forward opening doors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnostic Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 I just hope sliding doors make it to the production model or it won't be a very good "people mover". I'd like to see the Ford have Sliders and the Lincoln have front hinged doors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atomcat68 Posted November 3, 2006 Share Posted November 3, 2006 I dunno...when I finally saw the 427 in person, I was grossly disappointed. It carries much more presence in pics IMHO. I imagine it is like the Chrysler 300. When seeing it in person, some angles look good and other angles look disturbing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrlandoGuy80 Posted November 3, 2006 Share Posted November 3, 2006 I just hope sliding doors make it to the production model or it won't be a very good "people mover". I suspect we'll see super-long, front-hinged doors. Sliders could label it immediately as a mom mobile, something I'm sure Ford doesn't want. This thing has really grown on me since I first saw it. I hope we actually get it at this year's CFIAS. Generally a two-year-old concept is considered a headliner. Welcome to the Sunshine State! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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