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Comments
Obviously it would be better to actually measure the interior temperature of identical cars, but for some reason we can't find that type of experiment, at least not with a google search.
If you walked up to a car and wanted to know if the interior of the car was hot or cool before you opened the door, what would you do? Look for an interior thermometer or feel the glass?
Most people who lives in very hot, sunny climes will continue to eschew black interiors. And the Zephyr happens to have an attractive light one. But I say, give it up, guys. This is definitely one of those discussions not worth a hissy fit.
Never heard of this before but whatever they did has made a big difference. The air blowing out is much colder - if I set the auto climate control at 67 as I used to, I'm freezing by the end of my 15 minute drive to work. It's now set at 70 degrees.
BTW, I still haven't seen a single other Zephyr on the roads here. MPG midway through the third tank is now 15.6 - doing a little more city driving, but I'm wondering if I have a chronic lead foot and/or the AC adjustment has made the MPG worse!
The window temperature will have a positive correlation with the inside temperature but it's unlikely to be DIRECTLY proportional. The outside panel of an oven that is set to 500 degrees isn't twice as hot as that of the same oven set to 250 degrees.
BTW....the 221 HP is fine even for entering highways and passing other cars
Its very good to know Ford has that new 3.5 on the way. Are you considering test driving the MKZ when its out? You would have only had your car a year and could trade it in for what seems like a more advanced car with the same shape.
I don't think the 3.5 is oing to do much worse than the 22-25 you mentioned, thats the whole point of why it takes automakes a while to make a new engine, they up the power while keeping or increasing MPG.
This car should be a REAL threat to the ES350 since engine power is the same but the MKZ will have so many things going for it... as long as they DON'T up the price :mad:
https://www.fleet.ford.com/showroom/2007fleetshowroom/2007-MKZ.asp
Hopefully there are some interrior revisions as well.
It will be interesting to see if they have dealt with torque steer from the FWD version, since that much power might have some.
The battle continues. It never ends and hopefully we (the consumer) will continue to benefit! :shades:
just weighing pros/cons AWD vs FWD
http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=23722
As I was driving by the Lincoln store today, the line of Zephyrs at a quick glance looked like Fusions with a Lincoln front end. CTS Caddys certainly don't look like gussied up Malibus. So jazz up that interior and try to hang in there until Lincoln has enough money to make Lincolns look like Lincolns again.
No wonder you do not see them on the road.
http://media.ford.com/newsroom/release_display.cfm?release=22595
From Ford, of course! http://media.ford.com that is. They post them at the beginning of each month. Here's the June sales figures:
http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=23686
Sales of the MKZ will be very tellng regarding Lincoln's fate. 50,000 a year is good, but not a high figure. That is the projection for the MKS, and that is lower than Lincoln would like for a "volune" seller.
I think the 3.5L availability will keep the MkZ at current volumes for another year - then they might move production to the Edge/MkX plant where it could grow if necessary. Better to keep plant capacity high and dealer inventory and incentives low.
Maybe the MKX will catch on. Having a handful of products, all of which sell at less than 50,000 units a year (even if profitable), will not bring Lincoln back to where it was six or seven years ago.
I'd like to see Lincoln listed again on this forum's face page where common brand names are given, without having to resort to the drop-down menu to find it (Mercury isn't there either).
I've been at pushing this for years if some of you have remembered from earlier posts.
I've been worried about you, ANT! You're my favorite engineer, and I haven't seen you around for MONTHS! Was afraid you were in the trunk of some MKZ!!
NV
This may not apply to you but here goes, get the boys at Lincoln to get moving on the AWD MKZ, I am stationed in Japan and put a down payment on the car, but I was told it would not be ready for a NOV 15TH-DEC delivery date, only the FWD will be ready, so my wife is putting to pressure to buy the infinti G35 AWD, if anyone hear's that the MKZ AWD will be ready by MID NOV please let me know so I can get the military sales dealer know, trying to but AMERICAN (a relative term) if I can.
Chief
for a Dec 1st pick-up time, well thanks again maybe and I can cancel my order and pick-up one from a local dealer
Chief
http://www.leftlanenews.com/Lincoln_LLN.mpg
Looks like the MKZ but could be the MKS.
One thing for sure is that the MKX sure has a lot of technology features in it. I might make the switch if I coudl figure out what its fuel type and MPG ratings will be. I wish they would hurry up with the hybirds. We are about to really take it in the shorts on fuel prices. Anything that happens in the world is now used as an excuse to screw us at the pump. If the auto guys were smart they would disconnect themselves from big oil.
The MKX has headlights that move but no HIDs or LEDs. In FWD form I'm estimating 19-27 mpg based on the current Fusion/Milan/Zephyr 3.0 ratings.
S = Sedan
X = CrossOver
and Z = Well, no ideal, oh yeah Zephyr!
Bill Ford has had several years to turn this thing around, but even with the Fusion, Mustang and F150 successes, they cannot figure out what to do as a company. It is so sad. (And the ton of money wasted on weird commercials...the weirdest being Mr. Ford himself droning on.)
Ford has messed up royally before, one time being in the 70's and early 80's. They emerged from that with bold new designs: the 83 Thunderbird, the 86 Taurus/Sable, the Continentals of that decade, the Ranger, even the Escort and the Tempo (though a mediocre ride, it had bold styling for the time when everything else in that category was squared off). They built market share quickly.
But instead of updating their bread and butter car (Taurus) as Toyota did with Camry, they bought Jaguar, delayed a total revamp for 10 years and then issued that weird guppy of a Taurus that was actually a much bigger car that looked significantly smaller than the previous one. It was the product of a team of dolts, and the 2000 re-do was much too little too late. So then the pendulum wildly swung from weird to almost unspeakably boring (500).
There are people in that company who know what appeals. The 427 concept was widely praised. It could have easily been on the road in 2005. The Forty-Nine concept with some modifications would have been a far more successful 2002 T-Bird, because it had a back seat. The Continental concept was polarizing, and that love it or hate it quality would have insured its success in today's marketplace. The new European Focus would have done well here, just as the Mazda3 and Volvo S40 have. The Mondeo would have made a better Mercury than a Jaguar.
I've been in focus groups and I found the experience strange and not reflective of real life. People have a natural tendency to be conservative, but when led to new and different products by a creative designer, often over time begin seeing the thing differently and more favorably. Focus groups do not give that transition a chance.
Somehow I doubt the 86 Taurus or the 64 Mustang or the 57 T-bird or the Ford GT designs were fully dictated by focus group results. I also think it is possible the 500 was a focus group victim.
Wow, did I deviate from the MKZ or what? It's an OK design and some people even think it is pretty. But I've never seen a non-car oriented person stare at one. Usually a person only takes note of how nice it is by getting a ride in an acquaintance's. And, sorry to say, the exterior does not look like a Lincoln.
Looks like one big luxurious bowl of alphabet soup.
Notice the differentiating digit or letter for each model class is the FIRST one?
3-series, E-class, RXxxx, S-XXX
What makes the Lincoln version so ridiculous is that they are all MK-whatever. Then you need to get out the decoder ring and decipher what the suffix is supposed to mean.
It's absurd and clearly an omen of Lincolns terminal status. It's clearly stupid and I suspect that everyone at Ford is so scared that they just say "the focus group liked it" and they all pat each other on the backs for achieving mediocrity.
Bryce G. Hoffman / The Detroit News
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Ford Motor Co.
Ford's generous warranty could boost sales and lift resale values, some analysts say. See full image
Warranties at a glance
While some warranties may vary within a company, here's a quick look at what warranties automakers are offering.
DaimlerChrysler AG
Drivetrain: 3 years/36,000 miles
Basic: 3 years/36,000 miles
Roadside service: 3 years/36,000 miles
Ford Motor Co.
Drivetrain: From 5 years/60,000 miles to 6 years/70,000 miles
Basic: 3 years/36,000 miles to 4 years/50,000 miles
Roadside service: Up to 6 years/70,000 miles
General Motors Corp.
Drivetrain: From 3 years/36,000 miles to 5 years/60,000 miles
Basic: 3 years/36,000 miles to 4 years/50,000 miles
Roadside service: Up to 4 years/50,000 miles
Honda Motor Co.
Drivetrain: 5 years/60,000 miles
Basic: 3 years/36,000 miles
Roadside service: Not offered
Nissan Motor Co.
Drivetrain: 5 years/60,000 miles
Basic: 3 years/36,000 miles
Roadside service: 3 years/36,000 miles
Toyota Motor Corp.
Drivetrain: 5 years/60,000 miles
Basic: 3 years/36,000 miles
Roadside service: Not offered
Source: Edmunds.com
Ford is increasing the warranty on all of its 2007 Ford and Mercury vehicles to five years or 60,000 miles. In addition, Ford will offer free roadside assistance for the entire warranty period. How important are these benefits when you're shopping for a car?
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Ford Motor Co., struggling to gain traction with its North American turnaround effort, announced a series of moves Thursday aimed at cutting costs and boosting sales.
Ford's Board of Directors voted to cut the company's quarterly dividend in half, from 10 cents to 5 cents a share, beginning in the third quarter. The dividend is now at its lowest point since Ford eliminated payments altogether in 1982 and mirrors a 50 percent dividend reduction at General Motors Corp. in February.
Ford's directors also cut their own $200,000-a-year compensation by half. Chairman and CEO Bill Ford Jr. said the moves were necessary to maintain strong liquidity.
Also Thursday, Ford announced that it is extending the standard powertrain warranty on all Ford and Mercury vehicles from three years or 36,000 miles to five years or 60,000 miles. Lincoln's four-year or 50,000-mile standard powertrain warranty is being extended to six years or 70,000 miles. In addition, Ford said it will offer free roadside assistance for the entire warranty period and allow customers to transfer their warranties if they sell their car or truck before the warranty expires.
That makes Ford's warranty package the most generous of any full-line automaker -- a fact it hopes will bring more customers into Ford dealerships, which have seen retail sales drop 9 percent so far this year.
"The headwinds we faced at the beginning of 2006 have only become stronger, as consistently higher gasoline prices in the U.S. have caused consumer purchase preferences to shift away from SUVs and large trucks to smaller cars and crossover vehicles," Bill Ford said in a statement issued after Thursday's board meeting. "While this shift plays positively to our new vehicle offerings, we must still get our costs in line in response to segment adjustments and higher commodity prices that are affecting the company."
But Wall Street said the decision to cut dividends signals bad news ahead as Ford prepares to release its second-quarter financial results next week.
"This certainly suggests that second-quarter earnings are going to be uglier than expected," said Bradley Rubin, vice president of credit research at BNP Paribas in New York. "People are finally realizing at Ford that this turnaround is a little more difficult than they anticipated."
Ford shares closed down 32 cents Thursday to $6.56, a 4.6 percent decline.
"The dividend cut telegraphs the board's mounting concern about the company's performance," said John Casesa of New York's Casesa Shapiro Group LLC. "It's a very pessimistic signal."
The dividend cut is expected to save Ford about $375 million annually.
"Strong liquidity is an important enabler of our ongoing turnaround efforts and this action will make an important contribution," Bill Ford said.
But credit analysts said the move will not change the company's balance sheet enough to boost Ford's weak credit ratings, which have already fallen into junk-bond territory.
"The cash savings are relatively marginal," said Robert Schulz, who follows the company for Standard & Poor's in New York.
Craig Hutson, an analyst with Gimme Credit, said he expects Ford's ratings to sink even deeper.
"It is a sign that the company is acting to shore up its liquidity amid greater headwinds in the industry than it originally anticipated," he said. "A dividend cut is never good news."
But Ford's decision to extend warranties may be good news, at least for consumers.
The five-year or 60,000-mile powertrain warranty being offered on Ford and Mercury cars and trucks is substantially better than the three-year or 36,000-mile warranty offered on all of DaimlerChrysler AG's domestic nameplates and most of General Motors Corp.'s brands. More importantly, it matches the warranties offered by Ford's leading Japanese rivals: Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co., neither of which includes roadside assistance as part of their standard packages.
"Ford is setting its own path," said Cisco Codina, head of North American marketing, sales and service for Ford. "All of this is part of our strategy to become America's car company."
The new warranties, which are effective today, will be applied retroactively to customers who have already purchased 2007 cars and trucks. Moreover, the company said it will offer extended warranties to customers who buy 2006 models. The new warranties apply to all Ford, Mercury and Lincoln vehicles, except for those like Ford's diesel pickups and hybrid SUVs that already featured more attractive terms.
"It definitely gives consumers another reason to look at Ford," said Mike Jackson, an analyst with CSM Worldwide in Farmington Hills.
Boosting warranties addresses one of Ford's biggest product problems -- the resale value of its vehicles. However, the move could increase the company's warranty costs substantially.
Ford's second quarter warranty data shows that 2006 model year per-unit warranty costs are 24 percent less than those for 2005 model vehicles.
"I'm glad that we're leading instead of following," said Kenny Shreve, owner of Kenny Shreve Ford Mercury in McLeansboro, Ill.
"I feel better about Ford today than I have in years."
24,000
That's the number of American workers Ford is getting rid of in the next couple of weeks.
Are the EPA estimates that badly skewed by airconditioning and traffic lights?
That's the relevance that has to this topic. The company has to do something. Would you rather they keep workers and go out of business? GM got rid of more workers and Wall Street rwarded the company with an increase in stock price so what is Ford to do. If anything they are doing to little and should try to be even more efficient and bring out even better products. Lincoln should have been given this platform and allowed to do whatever they wanted with it and create a car where not even the roofline is the same, a more sweeping design if you will. This car should have been what the concept was period. With GM bringing out such great examples such as the new Arcadia, Enclave, Outlook triplets and all the good stuff going on over at Cadillac, Ford better buy a clue and do what everybody knows they should. Sell Jaguar and put the money into Lincoln. Jag hasn't turned a profit since they bought it. Lincoln on the other hand turned a decent profit all the way until recently.