f1anatic Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 Going upscale. I like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sponge Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 I think Ford is going to make it. The Fusion Hybrid beat out Camry and Altima hybrid, the Escape hybrid is rated very good also. Looks like the Taurus isn't your grandfathers car anymore (bout time!). Fords hat-trick is being hooked up with Mazda. Agreed... This is the first time I can recall Ford has has had this strong of a lineup since its hayday...that Fiesta is killer and they are bringing it to the US, the Fusion is a good car for its market, the Flex is awesome, the Edge is a great SUV,the new truck is killer, the Mustang is getting a little stale but it is a great car for the money, and the new Taurus is quite nice. What they did with the lineup over at Lincoln is great too. I really like that whole lineup...now Mercury i still can't figure out why it exists. My vB Gallery Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLegacy99 Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Mercury is supposed to switch over to the European Fords. An excellent idea. Can you imagine what a Mercury badged version of the Mondeo would do for Mercury dealers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguin Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Mercury is supposed to switch over to the European Fords. An excellent idea. Can you imagine what a Mercury badged version of the Mondeo would do for Mercury dealers? Yes I can. It will put an expensive small to mid sized car on their lots that no one will buy because no one even stops to look at Mercury dealers anymore. The poor bastards could re badge a Mercedes S Class and offer them for $20K and they still couldn't sell them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLegacy99 Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Yes I can. It will put an expensive small to mid sized car on their lots that no one will buy because no one even stops to look at Mercury dealers anymore. The poor bastards could re badge a Mercedes S Class and offer them for $20K and they still couldn't sell them. 120,000 people did last year. Thats more than Audi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IwannaSportSedan Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 It is the same principle that applies to blue headlight illumination. Daniel stern discusses it in his headlight color article. But physiologically, it is similar to the eye reacting to any blue-frequency light source. It is also the same principle that makes blu-blocker or selective yellow eyewear preferable to use for various purposes. Better focus, slight brightness control (not as much brightness impedance as darker tints), lower eye fatigue, and your brain can easily adapt to the color shift, and still interpret color definition, despite the yellow tint. Yellow, being the opposite chromatic value as blue, is basically a blue frequency blocking filter. http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/lights/light_color/light_color.html So, why do yellow fog lamps work better? It's because of the way the human eye interacts with different colors of light. Blue and violet are very difficult for the human optical system to process correctly. They are the shortest visible wavelengths and tend to focus in front of our eyes' retinae, rather than upon it. To demonstrate this to yourself, find a dark blue store front sign or something else that's a dark, pure blue against a dark background in the absence of white light. From any appreciable distance, it's almost impossible for your eyes to see the blue lighted object as a sharply defined form...the edges blur significantly.) Blue also is a very difficult color of light to look at if it is at all intense...it stimulates the reaction we call "glare". So, culling the blue out of the spectrum lightens the optical workload and reduces glare. For more in-depth discussion of the matter, see Bullough & Rea's excellent study on the topic. Blue light in the dash and interior does the same thing that blue light reflected back from the roadway does. It causes eye fatigue, and focus issues. Blue christmas lights, and all sorts of other blue light sources are not the most advantageous for eyesight at night. Plus blue LEDs at close-ish range tends to be very high-brightness, and somewhat harsh-looking. That may be adjustable, but if it is bright enough, it can cause your irises to contract, and limit the total amount of light into your eyes, and 'dim' your vision when you need all the light from the world outside you can get. Red is actually much more advantageous for good definition, even a high and low intensities, and without as much disruption to night vision. Orange and green moving down the spectrum. Orange, however is kind of gharish, aesthetically, IMHO. Blue lighting looks very cool and technical for the press photos, and oohs and aaahs when on a test drive, but what sells isn't necessarily what is technically superior. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
projectrang Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Apparently, all ecoboost engines will be using a wideband O2 sensor to monitor air fuel ratios too. I thought that was pretty cool, but I'm sure they will be quite pricey when it comes time to replace them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguin Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 120,000 people did last year. Thats more than Audi. Except you forget the fact that Audi is an actual luxury brand that sells expensive cars. You are also mistaken about Audi sales, they sold just over 1,000,000 units last year world wide. http://www.leftlanenews.com/milestone-audi-topped-one-million-sales-in-2008.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IwannaSportSedan Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 It is new, mostly. When the novelty wears off, some other thing will capture people's attention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brady Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 I'll chime in on this since I have a 2008 Ford Taurus SEL AWD. The SEL has 263 hp and the same six speed automatic they mention here. Though the system is supposedly a front bias, as best as I can tell, the rear wheels always receive power just like the Subaru automatic systems. For 263 hp, I expected significan torque steer, but I really don't detect any. As for the AWD system, I hate the stability control, but if that is turned off, I can distinguish very little difference between the Ford AWD and that of my LGT. The cup holders next to the shifter ... not really an issue. They are spaced far enough from the lever that it doesn't interfere with retrieving my beverages. I have spent a LOT of time in this car since August and use the cup holders plenty, so I feel confident in saying that it's a non issue. I've put on 22,000 miles since delivery on August 15, 2008. I do think that the transmission is getting noticeably less "crisp" lately, so that concerns me a bit. But the 6 speed does do a good job keeping me appropriately geared while cruising through the mountains, so I don't complain too much. As for issues, I have had ridiculous issues with the audio system. The USB port for the iPod connection to MS Sync died within 4 hours of use. Then it took them about a week to diagnose the problem and find a solution. When they got that fixed, then the radio started turning off randomly while cruising. They replaced the radio and the replacement had a gremlin that backlights and features such as RBDS and Auto-speed-adjustment didn't work. I'm now on my third head-unit and I still have occasional issues with the headunit shutting itself off while cruising on the highway. I believe the problem is elsewhere in the vehicle, but am tired of dealing with having Ford investigate. Microsoft Sync pretty much sucks too. It is KIND of slick at times, but I have found too many challenges in using it to really enjoy it. I have learned some tricks around some of those challenges, but due to difficulties in use, I pretty much only listen to maybe 15-20 albums on my iPod (the ones I remember how to pull up through voice commands). And seating position - Good god the 2008 rides high. It's good to see that they are lowering the whole car as it needed to be done. Getting in my Taurus is like getting into a mini-van, and it has a similar riding experience! Handling is ok, but the car is plagued by the horrendous Continental ContiTouringContact which, last I checked, actually had a lower rating than the RE92! That said, I don't regard them as dangerous tires, but they do not inspire confidence. Very much looking forward to replacing these this summer. I'll probably do that around 50,000 miles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBad Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 The exterior is certainly not any worse then the new legacy concept IMO... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerboa113 Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 the sync is powered by microsoft. microsoft=buggy whats more.. auto techs diagnosing a computer=EPIC fail. imo, if the sync has ANY problems they should immediately replace the unit with a new one and send the old one off to a Microsoft facility for repair. I'm sure you get used to the cup holder in time. I'm just saying for drivers new to the poor placement.. they're gonna spill their coffee. brady why do you have a Taurus? Thats a lot of miles. Work vehicle? "The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." - Plato Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brady Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 Yeah, it's a work vehicle, so the Legacy just sits in the Garage. I've only put about 350 miles on her since August But work pays for all gas, maintenance, and insurance, so I really have no reason to ever drive the Legacy. I might sell her in favor of a RWD convertible of some sort (leaning toward a late 80's 911 or maybe an S2000). And while the Sync is powered by Microsoft, the USB problem was a hardware issue that Ford had issued a TSB on. Hell, I found the TSB before the Ford techs did (sound familiar anyone?! ) And with the cup holders, the rearward cupholder is virtually unobstructed by the shifter. The forward one is a bit, so in the event that I have two beverages in my cup holder, I just move the beverage I'm currently using to the rearward cup-holder. On some occasions I even use a third cup-holder in the door-pocket! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerboa113 Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 hey no argument there. If you can have your cake and eat it too, I say dig in! what about a corvette convertible? too big? "The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." - Plato Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brady Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 I've never really been much of a Corvette fan. I mean, I respect them very much, but it's just not something I've ever lusted after. Unless it was maybe a '53 White on Red. The S2000 was a desire after driving my buddy's S2000 on 17 mile drive and in Carmel a couple years ago. But I've always loved Porsche and really enjoy Dad's '87 911 Cabriolet. Add to that, the 911 is near the bottom of its value curve and it seems like a better deal than the S2000 for about the same price. Maintenance would be more for the 911, but it would hold it's value - so it's a tough call. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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