The car formly known as the "Fairlane" to look Identical to Concept

[pcsario]

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.

 

If Ford wanted to avoid sliders because of some stupid grudge against minivans, they could've gone with something like this.

 

 

No matter how people want to spin this, it was the wrong choice.

[RichardJensen]

So. Where can I buy one of these things?

[Watchdevil]

The refreshed Five Hundred/Montego/Freestyle will hit the market BEFORE this new people-mover does. Seems their priorities are finally getting in order.

 

Despite the new 3-bar grille, stepped headlamps and alternate taillamps in the old hole, the 500 is still saddled with the Passat looking roofline and droopy butt... And that is what needs fixing.

[matthewq4b]

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.

 

 

You mean kinda like the Ranger and Sport track already are.

 

I still think the best thign to do is get a common chassis under them both and call em both F-100. Honda already makes a fake FWD truck. No need for Ford to tarnish their rep with trucks doing the same thing

 

Matthew

[waymondospiff]

You mean kinda like the Ranger and Sport track already are.

 

I still think the best thign to do is get a common chassis under them both and call em both F-100. Honda already makes a fake FWD truck. No need for Ford to tarnish their rep with trucks doing the same thing

 

Matthew

But Ford has the Ranger, Sport Trac, & F150 in the lineup for "truck cred." A fuel-efficient light-truck alternative could be a real asset for Ford. However, the Freestyle truck would need to be cheaper than a Sport Trac & F150, which, using the D3, would probably be hard to do.

 

The Fairlane grew from an "eh" to an "interesting" with me over the past year or so. I like the idea of the Fairlane but am wary of the actual usefulness of the vehicle as a true minivan alternative. Using the Pacifica as an example, a minivan-like crossover is heavier, less-comfortable for passengers, MUCH smaller for carrying cargo, and pricier. What's there to like? But I have enough faith in Ford to withhold judgement until the final product is on the road.

 

I do hope they keep the side stripes (but only three, not four, to mimick the front grille) and the Mini-ish white roof, but I'm guessing those are the first two things to go. And I'd like a decent interior without the lackluster Ford corporate stereo & HVAC controls. Please.

 

Scott

[pcsario]

So. Where can I buy one of these things?

 

Is that your spin or your way of missing the point on purpose?

[OrlandoGuy80]

I like the idea of the Fairlane but am wary of the actual usefulness of the vehicle as a true minivan alternative. Using the Pacifica as an example, a minivan-like crossover is heavier, less-comfortable for passengers, MUCH smaller for carrying cargo, and pricier. What's there to like?

Granted, my opinion on the "Fairlane" is based solely on pictures (as I would imagine are many BON members' opinions), but it appears to me that it is more similar to a minivan-sans-sliders than it is to a Pacifica type vehicle.

 

The floor appears to be lower than a Pacifica's and more similar to a minivan. Also, the squared off proportions will likely give the interior a greater sense of room.

 

I think the ultimately defining detail on how minivan-like it is going to be is the seating arrangement. I get the impression from everything I've read that it is going to have 2nd and 3rd rows akin to a minivan's.

 

Whatever it is, I hope it is class-leading!

[Harley Lover]

I hope either the Fairlane or the Lincoln have sliders, as that is a dealbreaker for me. Having lived with the utility that sliders provide when dealing with kids, I'd never give up that feature.

 

We've discussed this back at the time the concept was shown - is it possible for the same chassis to support both traditional doors (Fairlane) and sliders too (Lincoln)?

[OrlandoGuy80]

We've discussed this back at the time the concept was shown - is it possible for the same chassis to support both traditional doors (Fairlane) and sliders too (Lincoln)?

If it is possible, wouldn't it be nice if both were an option on the same vehicle?

 

You choose the color, wheels, option packages, and type of doors! ^_^

[RichardJensen]

If it is possible, wouldn't it be nice if both were an option on the same vehicle?

 

You choose the color, wheels, option packages, and type of doors! ^_^

That would be cool.

 

Big advantage of sliders? Your 8 year old can't swing them into a parked car.

[05fordgt]

But Ford has the Ranger, Sport Trac, & F150 in the lineup for "truck cred." A fuel-efficient light-truck alternative could be a real asset for Ford. However, the Freestyle truck would need to be cheaper than a Sport Trac & F150, which, using the D3, would probably be hard to do.

 

The Fairlane grew from an "eh" to an "interesting" with me over the past year or so. I like the idea of the Fairlane but am wary of the actual usefulness of the vehicle as a true minivan alternative. Using the Pacifica as an example, a minivan-like crossover is heavier, less-comfortable for passengers, MUCH smaller for carrying cargo, and pricier. What's there to like? But I have enough faith in Ford to withhold judgement until the final product is on the road.

 

I do hope they keep the side stripes (but only three, not four, to mimick the front grille) and the Mini-ish white roof, but I'm guessing those are the first two things to go. And I'd like a decent interior without the lackluster Ford corporate stereo & HVAC controls. Please.

 

Scott

 

Hey Scott, if you haven't yet seen the Fordboldmoves video on the Fairlane Concept, on that video, there is a production ready vehicle, and from that video, you can get an idea on several things you mentioned that Ford may not keep:

 

The white roof- The video showed several different colors for roofs, black, white, and color-keyed. This is a great idea, to be different than the rest (mini aside)

 

The side stripes/ridges- The production version being shown to the consumer group had them, so I would expect them to stay. This adds to the style of the vehicle.

 

Interior- While its hard to see, if you pause the video on several spots, the center stack is totally different than the norm, and the vertical stack actually curves into the floor console real nicely. Plus the wood accent looked great inside. I know its hard to see, but from the small shots, the inside looks real nice.

Edited November 3, 2006 by 05fordgt

[rkisler]

I hope either the Fairlane or the Lincoln have sliders, as that is a dealbreaker for me. Having lived with the utility that sliders provide when dealing with kids, I'd never give up that feature.

 

We've discussed this back at the time the concept was shown - is it possible for the same chassis to support both traditional doors (Fairlane) and sliders too (Lincoln)?

 

The answer to your question is yes, but....

 

You might remember when Windstar/Freestar, in reaction to Chrysler, first lengthened the front door, then added the left side doors. All on the same basic platform.

 

But...body sides and doors are very expensive from an investment standpoint. This is one of the reasons that the MKX has the same side profile as the Edge. Body sides are usually stamped as a single piece -- it's big, the tooling is expensive, and any changes in the body side affect investment in the assembly plant. When the body side is changed, then the doors have to change also, and doors also are a high cost item. Then the roof might have to be modified. I'll estimate, for instance, that giving the MKX a different side profile would have cost Ford in the neighborhood of $100 million (and that's assuming both doors were front hinged). To engineer and produce both types of doors, the investment might go even higher (extra engineering for crash implications, hinging, sealing, etc).

 

From a marketing standpoint, there are strong feelings for and against sliders. From a functional standpoint, they can't be beat. But to some buyers sliders shout "minivan!" and they are turned off to the product.

 

Presumably, Ford has made a decision on the door arrangement by now. I'm going to guess that a fair amount of work was spent to work out the engineering details for either scenario, and I'm also going to guess that the manufacturing facilities are being prepared to be flexible for either type of door in case tastes change.

 

While on the subject, I can't imagine Ford would be considering "suicide doors" for the Lincoln. The terrible nickname alone, combined with poor function should be enough to scuttle any brilliant ideas along those lines.

[markfnc]

That would be cool.

 

Big advantage of sliders? Your 8 year old can't swing them into a parked car.

 

 

Here , Here. Our son is 5. No concept of the door swinging open. We have a Freestar and we would go to the Fairlane, if it had sliding doors. Otherwise, it is just the Freestyle again. It needs to look different than a mini van on the outside (the Fairlane does), but have the practicality of the mini van on the inside. The Freestyle does not. The Freestyle has the 3rd seat, and it does face forward so it is a step up from our previous Taurus Wagon.