While I lament the loss of my favorite hot hatches, I have to say, with the the Bronco, the Maverick and the 150 Lightning they are flat out on a roll. While I've heard good things about Jim Farley, presumably the three projects that I mentioned were well on their way before his arrival. What says the GRM base? Lucky or just good?
I think the Lightning has kneecapped just about every other major automaker hoping to break into EVs. Heck of an achievement. They just have to literally deliver.
Bronco is just another SUV/Wrangler thing. It'll sell well but it doesn't really move the game on. The Maverick is more interesting in a bunch of ways.
tremm said:My perception is that they created such a poor reputation for their cars that they had to stop making them.
Maverick looks like a winner of specs:price
OK, on the face of it, that sounds like a very ignorant statement from the POV that cars are a rapidly shrinking market in general, and that the Fiesta/Focus/Fusion/Mustang/ were generally pretty decent vehicles.
Looking forward, an all electric, big Transit van, built off the Lightning seems like it will be a big winner and game changer in the van market.
I suspect the long awaited new mail man truck will be based off this.
Then, if not full electric, the smaller Transit Connect with the Maverick's hybrid drivetrain seems like it'd be a winner too.
Kreb (Forum Supporter) said:tremm said:My perception is that they created such a poor reputation for their cars that they had to stop making them.
Maverick looks like a winner of specs:price
OK, on the face of it, that sounds like a very ignorant statement from the POV that cars are a rapidly shrinking market in general, and that the Fiesta/Focus/Fusion/Mustang/ were generally pretty decent vehicles.
As long as you didn't get an automatic for the Fiesta and Focus.
Kreb (Forum Supporter) said:While I lament the loss of my favorite hot hatches, I have to say, with the the Bronco, the Maverick and the 150 Lightning they are flat out on a roll. While I've heard good things about Jim Farley, presumably the three projects that I mentioned were well on their way before his arrival. What says the GRM base? Lucky or just good?
and you forgot the Mach E ?
it all looks GREAT on paper , I hope Ford can come thru with a good product and good service ,
Tesla needs to be running a little scared at a $20-$25K EV Maverick .
tremm said:My perception is that they created such a poor reputation for their cars that they had to stop making them.
Maverick looks like a winner of specs:price
Kind of a shame, I miss my Focus; 5sp were bullet proof, fun to drive, and I had the base model. They went for it on the auto, but that tech wasn't near ready.
californiamilleghia said:Kreb (Forum Supporter) said:While I lament the loss of my favorite hot hatches, I have to say, with the the Bronco, the Maverick and the 150 Lightning they are flat out on a roll. While I've heard good things about Jim Farley, presumably the three projects that I mentioned were well on their way before his arrival. What says the GRM base? Lucky or just good?
and you forgot the Mach E ?
it all looks GREAT on paper , I hope Ford can come thru with a good product and good service ,
Tesla needs to be running a little scared at a $20-$25K EV Maverick .
It's not liable to cannibalize their small pickup sales :)
The difference between a Maverick EV and an F150 EV is 1) unibody is much harder to design for both EV and ICE applications than body on frame and 2) the Maverick will not be sharing costs with the most popular vehicle on the continent. The F150 is an outlier - a very important one, but one that may set unrealistic expectations for a follow up. Far more important to the future than the Mach E, though.
I like Jim Farley, since he's a real car guy and not just a pencil pusher - He used to be known for driving his 1934 Ford hot rod to work (the only one in the parking ramp, particularly where the executives park.) He has several other souped up cars and hot rods, and drives them hard. I do wonder how he personally feels about the changeover to electric vehicles.
All I can say is that I should be retiring in just under a year, and am very much looking forward to that.
In reply to John Welsh :
All I ask is for a TC with a hybrid drivetrain. I could drop the family car count by one then.
I absolutely love my XJ. It is truly the best vehicle I've ever owned. I want to keep owning it and enjoying it. It's simple and rugged and... and.. and... but damn if a Bronco doesn't do everything the Jeep does better on paper. I want to drive one and see if I actually like it. I really wish I could get the V6 with the 7 speed. It's soooo tempting.
But then I remember it's a Ford so it'll give you the warm and fuzzys while you're sitting in it and let you down quickly.
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