What is ford thinking?

Lincoln is a hollow shell, a shadow of the luxury brand it used to be. Some feel it now has the clout of um, a chrysler.

Now, the MKS was a step in the right direction. For the first time in like, decades, a lincoln is not a bigger version of a grand marquis, or a more stylish version of a ford edge, or a blingier version of an expedition.

For some reason, the price of the car is much lower than its competition (which that in itself is a good thing, it doesn't help establishing it as a middle size lux car, nor does it help improving the brand's perception in the market, and it also makes the ancient grand marquis on steriors known as the town car even more awfuly over priced, a full 5k!), but it is loaded with gizmos and features (adaptative cruise control, sweet!) and the interior while simple, is clean and well designed.

So now that lincoln/ford did something right, what's the next step? Oh yeah, mess it up. If this car is cool because it is not a clone of a ford or mercury, let's mess that up ASAP.

Here is the MKS interior:



Why not to give this interior to a ford (not even volvo or mercury) bread&butter car that already shares platform with it? Yes! Why not a Taurus?

Ford should just scrap their US operation and ship over everything Ford Europe makes.

^what he said

+1


and ROD ur screen name is a ford model.. FTMFL

milleniahead wrote:+1


and ROD ur screen name is a ford model.. FTMFL

Oh shit it is

It's also a U2 band member though

its also a dirty mexican


night rod x

Pennzoil GT-R wrote:Ford should just scrap their US operation and ship over everything Ford Europe makes.

Off topic *sigh*

While the top of the dashboard has the same "dip" for the center speaker, the dashboards and center stack are totally different in several ways. They both use different materials too. I really see nothing identical.

I think you need to study those two dashboards a little harder.

Ford Europe has great looking cars. Pennz is right and not off topic. Why don't we get the mondeo or focus?

VS wrote:Ford Europe has great looking cars. Pennz is right and not off topic. Why don't we get the mondeo or focus?

Yup. The Mondeo, Fiesta and Focus regularly top the lists as best in their class. Rod is just being a rod

Jesus, this is the European Focus? Fuck. As usual, the US gets shafted by cars that look like they have downs syndrome.



For reference, Here is the US model.

Yep. And it can't be that the European models simply don't meet crash standards or emission standards here or anything (at least not for all of them), the Modeo, if I recall correctly was the Jaguar X-type in rebadged, fancy, clothing.

ford's euro stuff is nice. mainly because they're not obligated to use bullshit american suppliers.

VS wrote:Ford Europe has great looking cars. Pennz is right and not off topic. Why don't we get the mondeo or focus?

It's complicated...

Pennz was ready to go on the "ford europe.. UK UK UK OGOGOGOGOGG UK CENTER OF TEH UNIVERZ0RS LOL" road as he manages to go on every thread. Once he turns a "pacquiao was awesome" to "hatton actually fell on purpose, p.s. uk is king of teh multivers3" jerk off, you know the kid's lost it.

Ford europe is much better than ford america, yeah (ford america's got the mustang, though). But the topic was about how ford is giving the taurus virtually the same interior as lincoln's flagship, the one car that wasn't a souped up ford...

SBF wrote:While the top of the dashboard has the same "dip" for the center speaker, the dashboards and center stack are totally different in several ways. They both use different materials too. I really see nothing identical.

I think you need to study those two dashboards a little harder.

They're not 100% the same, but too close. I will try to find better pics and post 'em here

I hope I'm wrong and also that the materials are different...

The_Edge wrote:

SBF wrote:While the top of the dashboard has the same "dip" for the center speaker, the dashboards and center stack are totally different in several ways. They both use different materials too. I really see nothing identical.

I think you need to study those two dashboards a little harder.

They're not 100% the same, but too close. I will try to find better pics and post 'em here

I hope I'm wrong and also that the materials are different...

Well in terms of materials, just look at the top of the lincoln dash, it's all leather or possible pleather. The Taurus dash is hard metallic gray-painted plastic.

the steering wheel is the main thing that looks similiar. same shape and button placement and all.

The_Edge wrote:

VS wrote:Ford Europe has great looking cars. Pennz is right and not off topic. Why don't we get the mondeo or focus?

It's complicated...

Pennz was ready to go on the "ford europe.. UK UK UK OGOGOGOGOGG UK CENTER OF TEH UNIVERZ0RS LOL" road as he manages to go on every thread. Once he turns a "pacquiao was awesome" to "hatton actually fell on purpose, p.s. uk is king of teh multivers3" jerk off, you know the kid's lost it.

Ford europe is much better than ford america, yeah (ford america's got the mustang, though). But the topic was about how ford is giving the taurus virtually the same interior as lincoln's flagship, the one car that wasn't a souped up ford...

oh rod you fucking psycho

honor man wrote:the steering wheel is the main thing that looks similiar. same shape and button placement and all.

Yeah but the fusion uses the same buttons as I imagine other models as well, but even the angles of the spokes are different on the steering wheel.

VS wrote:Ford Europe has great looking cars. Pennz is right and not off topic. Why don't we get the mondeo or focus?

well, we did get the Mondeo once...and of course Ford US even fucks THAT up.

[Cover your eyes, Pennz, this ain't gonna be pretty.]



Granted, SVT Contours have a strong cult following, but still I always thought they looked like a scowling Jabba the Hutt.

At any rate, the next generation Foci for both Europe and America will converge again, but knowing Ford, we'll get stuck with that car for another 12 years afterwards while Europe's model continues to advance.

Turbojett wrote:

VS wrote:Ford Europe has great looking cars. Pennz is right and not off topic. Why don't we get the mondeo or focus?

well, we did get the Mondeo once...and of course Ford US even fucks THAT up.

[Cover your eyes, Pennz, this ain't gonna be pretty.]



Granted, SVT Contours have a strong cult following, but still I always thought they looked like a scowling Jabba the Hutt.

I believe the SVTs weren't even that fast? 200 or 210 hp, right?

Maybe fast, but SVT fast? Nah...

The_Edge wrote:

Turbojett wrote:

VS wrote:Ford Europe has great looking cars. Pennz is right and not off topic. Why don't we get the mondeo or focus?

well, we did get the Mondeo once...and of course Ford US even fucks THAT up.

[Cover your eyes, Pennz, this ain't gonna be pretty.]



Granted, SVT Contours have a strong cult following, but still I always thought they looked like a scowling Jabba the Hutt.

I believe the SVTs weren't even that fast? 200 or 210 hp, right?

Maybe fast, but SVT fast? Nah...

Anybody ever replace an alternator on a V6 Contour or Cougar? You'll want to murder the engineer who developed that engine afterwards.

is that anything like replacing a thermostat on a 1989 Honda 2.0L engine, where you have to remove airboxes, intake hoses, and various other important things you can't afford to lose just to get to the damned hose, and then not having enough room to torque a ratchet to remove the bolt holding the housing on?

Turbojett wrote:is that anything like replacing a thermostat on a 1989 Honda 2.0L engine, where you have to remove airboxes, intake hoses, and various other important things you can't afford to lose just to get to the damned hose, and then not having enough room to torque a ratchet to remove the bolt holding the housing on?

Not quite. It's on the lower rear of the engine above the crossmember (where the gaps between the cm, body, and engine are hardly big enough to get a ratchet through), the only way to get it out is by removing some of the right side suspension pieces. Then bringing it through the hole between the crossmember and engine is barely big enough for it to fit one way, it involves rotating it around until you can pull it through.

The_Edge wrote:

Turbojett wrote:

VS wrote:Ford Europe has great looking cars. Pennz is right and not off topic. Why don't we get the mondeo or focus?

well, we did get the Mondeo once...and of course Ford US even fucks THAT up.

[Cover your eyes, Pennz, this ain't gonna be pretty.]



Granted, SVT Contours have a strong cult following, but still I always thought they looked like a scowling Jabba the Hutt.

I believe the SVTs weren't even that fast? 200 or 210 hp, right?

Maybe fast, but SVT fast? Nah...

Yea i got a SVT.. its not fast like that. Wasnt meant to be fast, it was built with the mondeo racing platform in mind and even has some oddball european parts in it.. SOme of the wrench nuts and screws are in metric heh


Besides with the HP numbers, other cars in the same class it fairs pretty decent.. I can beat an rsx type S, low-mid-top end. but can be beat by a gti hatch 3rd gear run.. Maybe it was chipped but the dude blew my doors off.. i thought they only had like 200 or 210 max.. it was like a 04 kind. I fucked with a type r once (200hp i think)and it was never really a chance to open it up like that but no one really shit on anybody when we were fuckin around. O and my friends old gsx raped a G35.. the gsx has 220 i think it was and the 1st gen g35 has what, 265-275 or something

U have to take gearing and all that shit into consideration when u hit the streets.. The 323's and 328's have 200 or something like that and I beat them.

SBF wrote:

Turbojett wrote:is that anything like replacing a thermostat on a 1989 Honda 2.0L engine, where you have to remove airboxes, intake hoses, and various other important things you can't afford to lose just to get to the damned hose, and then not having enough room to torque a ratchet to remove the bolt holding the housing on?

Not quite. It's on the lower rear of the engine above the crossmember (where the gaps between the cm, body, and engine are hardly big enough to get a ratchet through), the only way to get it out is by removing some of the right side suspension pieces. Then bringing it through the hole between the crossmember and engine is barely big enough for it to fit one way, it involves rotating it around until you can pull it through.

HAH the engine bay issue sucks but it still doesnt come to as bad as replacing many suspension pieces... U have to find short-cuts and shit from forums. I.E. The Lower control arms... In order to get to one of the bolts on the LCA on the right side of the car, u have to lift the engine/trans up a little on a jack just to get to it.. Its like a million hrs worth of labor to a dealer.. All u have to do tho is to basically cut the bolt , thread it out, get a new one, reverse install it, put the nut on top and cut the excess bolt up top so it doesnt scrape anything. it was proven to work by many members and shit when we had to do mine it was a snap..

Problem with mechanics (well dealership ones) is that they dont have the time to do the research on shit like that so they have to follow what the factory says..

I had to figure that shit out on my own. It took 4 hours to replace that alternator.

SBF wrote:

Turbojett wrote:is that anything like replacing a thermostat on a 1989 Honda 2.0L engine, where you have to remove airboxes, intake hoses, and various other important things you can't afford to lose just to get to the damned hose, and then not having enough room to torque a ratchet to remove the bolt holding the housing on?

Not quite. It's on the lower rear of the engine above the crossmember (where the gaps between the cm, body, and engine are hardly big enough to get a ratchet through), the only way to get it out is by removing some of the right side suspension pieces. Then bringing it through the hole between the crossmember and engine is barely big enough for it to fit one way, it involves rotating it around until you can pull it through.

Goddamn.
Yes. I think you got me beat in painintheassedness. Most certainly. definitely.

SBF wrote:I had to figure that shit out on my own. It took 4 hours to replace that alternator.

yea i just read how hard that shit is... didnt even realize how much of a bitch it is to get to.. Mines is on its way out i think too.. fk.

I actually found a fast fix for it....... buy a new car.

Hehe I pulled the engine and trans out my Legacy wagon in 3 hours.

SBF wrote:I actually found a fast fix for it....... buy a new car.

]

Hell no. I just bought this last year..

Benfolio wrote:Hehe I pulled the engine and trans out my Legacy wagon in 3 hours.

Yea havign a shop is awesome