Along with the rest of the Mustang line, the Shelby GT500 gets a revision for 2010.  The 2010 Shelby GT500 is powered by a supercharged and intercooled 5.4-liter dual overhead cam V-8 engine expected to produce 540 horsepower and 510 foot-pounds of torque.  These figures are up 40hp and 30 foot-pounds from the current model.  The car produces this improved power while also improving highway fuel economy by 2mpg.  How?  By adjusting the gear ratios in 5th and 6th gears to run at highway speeds at lower engine speed.  The redline is 6,250 rpm.  The car’s aluminum power dome hood not only adds to the Shelby’s appearance, it helps cool the engine through a hood extractor.  The twin-disc clutch on the six-speed manual transmission has been significantly upgraded, improving drivability and NVH.  The discs on the 2010 Shelby GT500 are larger – 250 mm in diameter compared with 215 mm in diameter on the outgoing model – and made of copper and fiberglass to make them more robust.

Numerous aerodynamic upgrades, including a redesigned splitter, were made to the front end of the 2010

Shelby GT500.  “We worked hard to get as much downforce with as little drag as possible,” said Kerry Baldori, chief functional engineer for SVT.  “We worked to seal off the air that comes in the front so it can’t go underneath the car.  We spent a lot time sealing components such as the radiator and intercoolor to get rid of all the leak paths.  The result of this evolution of aerodynamics is we’ve increased downforce, reduced drag and improved the overall efficiency of the 2010 Shelby GT500.”

The 2010 Shelby GT500 will be in dealer showrooms in spring.

It’s really turning into the pickup season.  Ford just introduced a new version of the F-150, the best-selling vehicle in the US for a million years; Chevrolet just announced pricing for the Silverado Hybrid; and Dodge just introduced the new Ram pickup.  It’s like Christmas for truck buyers.

The 2009 Dodge Ram came out first, sporting a new, more sophisticated look and a host of new features.  The new look that hits you first (maybe literally, but I hope not) is the grille.  It has a forward-leaning top edge, similar to the Dodge Charger.  Other exterior changes are even more subtle, but give the big pickup a more aggressive and larger appearance.  If you’re not into studying the details, you will not even notice the difference.  The Ram also (finally!) has a true crew cab configuration.  They’ve been getting by for a few years with a crew cab wanna-be called the quad cab.  It has 4 front-hinged doors, but the rear doors are smaller than a true crew cab’s, so the addition of the crew cab will certainly be welcomed by dealers and customers.  The most interesting and innovative, though, is the RamBox cargo management system (available on the crew cab) includes weatherproof, lockable, illuminated and drainable storage bins built into bed rails.  RamBox bins hold up to 10 cases of 12-ounce “beverages”.

The interior sports significantly ugraded look and materials.  The most obvious change is the new floor console with the shifter moved from the steering column.  Other interior changes are “store in the floor” storage bins with removable liners, large enough for ten 12-ounce beverages and ice, heated and ventilated front seats (heated rear seats also available), heated steering wheel, live SIRIUS Backseat TV™ and surround-sound audio system.

Under the hood, the new Ram has improved, but carryover engines, including the 3.7L V6, 4.7L V8 and 5.7L Hemi V8.  Both V8s have increased power, torque and fuel economy.

Also just introduced is the new 2009 Chevy Silverado Hybrid pickup.  The starting price is $38,995, including destination charges, but not including the $2200 federal tax credit.  Production will begin in December, arriving in dealerships in “early 2009″, according to Chevrolet.  The Silverado uses GM’s two-mode hybrid system, and delivers 21 mpg in the city, 22 on the highway for the 2WD models.  4WD models get 20 city and highway.  These numbers are 40% better in the city and 25% overall.  The hybrid can still tow up to 6100 lbs and can drive in electric-only mode up to 30mph.  It’s available as a crew cab only.

The 2009 Ford F-150 is all-new as well.  The new styling mimics the F-150’s big brother, the Super Duty, with the 3 bar chrome grille and headlamps.  It also has the tailgate step bar from the Super Duty.  With 3 cab styles, 4 box options and 7 unique trim levels, the F-150 comes in 35 different configurations.  The new top trim level, the Platinum, was created when the Lincoln Mark LT was cancelled late in the program.  They had already engineered the luxury truck, so why not use it?  Ford claims it maintains its lead as the most capable pickup on the market, delivering towing capability of 11,300 pounds across all cab configurations and payload of 3,030 pounds.  The SuperCrew model has increased interior space due to a 6″ stretch over last year’s model.  The F-150 also benefits from a better sound management package, making it much quieter inside.  Under the hood, the F-150 no longer offers a V6 entry-level engine; the 4.6L 2V V8 is the base engine - but it offers better power for the same fuel economy as the 2008 V6 (14/19).  The next step up is a 3V version of the 4.6L V8, giving more power and better fuel economy than the 2V (15/20).  The top engine is the 5.4L V8, which has more power and torque, with 12% better fuel economy than 2008.  The F-150 also comes with a full complement of safety equipment, including AdvanceTrac® with RSC®; ABS;

Safety Canopy® side curtain air bags with roll-fold technology for enhanced head protection in rollovers and side impacts; front seat-mounted side air bags; Personal Safety System®; and new seats and restraints.  The F-150 includes many other new features including the box side step, EasyFuel Capless Fuel-Filler System, Advance Trac with Roll Stability Control, trailer sway control, integrated trailer brake control, reverse camera and Ford’s SYNC system.

With all of these new choices, and gas prices down so significantly, maybe these new trucks will be successful for their makers.  With all of the bad news coming out of Detroit and Washington, some good news would be a welcome change.  So drive on down to your local truck dealer - and don’t forget your belt buckle.

Ford released details of its new-for 2010 Ford Fusion yesterday, including the picture to the left.  In addition to the bold new styling, the new Fusion (and its friend, the Mercury Milan) will have many powertrain upgrades, including:

• The new 2.5 liter I-4 engine makes 175 horsepower (14 more than the previous 2.3 liter) and will get at least 2 mpg better than a Camry and 3 mpg better than an Accord.
• The 3.0 liter V6 is improved too, delivering 19 more horsepower and 23 more lb.-ft. of torque for a total of 240 horsepower and 228 lb.-ft. of torque.
• The 3.5 liter V6 from the Edge and the Flex joins the Fusion lineup for the first time, powering the Fusion Sport model with a beefy 263 horsepower and 249 lb.-ft. of torque.
• All automatic versions will include a 6-speed transmission, which gives a 10% boost in fuel economy on the 2.5 liter and a 4-6% gain on the 3.0 liter engine.  No word on whether the manual will still be offered.
• Other gas-saving upgrades include electric power steering, adaptive spark ignition and aggressive deceleration fuel shut-off.
• Ford also released some detail about its 2nd-generation hybrid system, which make its debut on the Fusion and Milan early next year.  The system uses a smaller, lighter battery that produces 20 percent more power.  This allows the Fusion to operate in electric mode at speeds of up to 47 mph with a range of more than 700 miles of city driving.  Ford also claims fuel economy wil lbe at leastt 5 mpg better than the Toyota Camry Hybrid.  The 2009 Camry gets 33 city and 34 highway.

• Hybrid versions get the new SmartGauge™ with EcoGuide, which gives hybrid owners a more-connected, fuel-efficient driving experience by coaching them on how to optimize performance of the 2010 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan hybrids.  It uses two LCD screens on either side of the speedo that can be configured to show fuel and battery power levels and average and instant miles-per-gallon. Growing leaves and vines track and reward the driver’s efficiency.  How cute.  You’ll probably want to give your Fusion a great big hug, too.

This week, Ford announced that it will be introducing a new feature, My Key™, beginning with the 2010 Ford Focus next year. My Key™ allows parents to program certain safety features on a key-by-key basis. It is done using the vehicle’s message center. These new features include:

These first 3 are “standard” when using My Key™:

• Persistent Ford Beltminder with audio mute - Ford already has the seat belt nanny as standard equipment on all of its vehicles. It sounds a chime every minute for five minutes. This goes that extra step further to Super Nanny. First, the chime doesn’t stop after 5 minutes. But the part that will really annoy your teenager is the audio mute, which does exactly what you think. The audio system is muted until the seat belt is buckled. It also displays “Buckle Up to Unmute Audio” in the instrument cluster. Just what every teen wants - their mom programmed into the car!
• Earlier low-fuel warning - instead of warning you when you have 50 miles to go, My Key™ warns you at 75 miles. Hard to argue with this one. I could use this myself. Actually, what they really need is a low-fuel warning that gets increasingly persistent the closer you get to empty. Maybe throw in some profanity to make sure it is noticed.
• Park aid (this is the rear backup sonar that beeps when you get too close to something) and Blind Spot Information System with Cross Traffic Alert (I really don’t know what this is) cannot be deactivated.

Features that need to be programmed:

• Limited top speed of 80 mph - I can just hear the arguments now. “What if there’s an emergency, and I need to get home or to a hospital right away?” or “What if I’m going to be late for curfew?” Parents, get ready!
• Traction control system, that limits tire spin, cannot be deactivated. This one will be a bummer at the Woodward Dream Cruise.
• Limited audio volume to 44 percent of total volume. First, I want to know how Ford came up with 44%. Is that just below the “make your ears bleed” 45%? And if 44% is deemed loud enough, what kind of idiot would ever need to turn it up all the way? I’ll do the math for you. “All the way up” would be 127% louder. Wow.
• A speed alert chime at 45, 55 or 65 mph - just in case your little genius doesn’t know how fast he/she is driving. Maybe the sound needs to be limited to 44% so you can hear the speed chime?

Kidding aside (pun intended -Ed.), I think this is a great thing to help parents trust that their kids are being responsible while driving the car without supervision. Ford has research that says that parents would likely let their kids use the car more with My Key™. This will give the kids more time behind the wheel earlier, which should make for some better drivers. Teems also said that they were cool with this technology if they got to drive more. Sounds like a win-win. Everybody is happy.

Concerns

Until I see this in action, though, I have some concerns. What would stop a kid from “unprogramming” it? I assume that Ford has thought of this, but there was nothing in the press release.

Another issue is deactivation. Say you buy a brand new Focus for your angel when she’s 17. She keeps it for several years and doesn’t like how you’ve programmed it. She’s now an adult and wants the nanny gone. I’d like to be a fly on the wall for that conversation. Parent:”So exactly why do you need to drive more than 80?” or “Why would you want the radio louder than that?”

The deactivation issue also might rear its ugly head if/when you sell the car with the My Key™ still activated. Oops.

There are also potential legal issues. As mentioned above, there might actually be an emergency that involves a need to go to the hospital. I can see the headlines now. Somebody will sue Ford about this. They won’t have a case, in my opinion, but this is America! We don’t let logic influence our right to blame somebody else for our problems.

Overall, I think this is a great idea. And given Ford’s propensity to over-analyze everything, I’m sure that their legal staff (the dreaded “OGC”) has considered the issues raised above and they think this is still a good idea. I applaud the innovation. Nice work, guys.

As I made my rental reservation a couple weeks ago, I decided to splurge and spend the extra $10 / week to move from a mid-size to a full-size vehicle. This includes vehicles such as the Acura RL, Dodge Charger, Nissan Maxima and the like. As I remembered when I walked to my space in the rental lot, it also includes the Ford Crown Victoria. That’s right, I had the opportunity to play police officer for a week!

Throwing my travel bag and computer into the enormous trunk (which, for some insane reason, has a spare tire right in the middle of it taking up a ton of space), I hopped in, slid across the fine plastic front seat, and was thrilled to find that my paperwork was not in the car as it should be.

I returned to the counter and explained my plight - how could I possibly leave the lot without papers? Naturally they had them handy, but I persisted and talked my way out of the Crown Victoria and into a 2008 Mercury Sable.

Now, as some of you may know, the Sable wasn’t always a Sable. It started life as the Mercury Montego a few years ago as an all new platform while the “old” Sable was still in production. A reasonably sized sales disaster, along with her sister vehicle the Ford Five Hundred, the Montego was rebadged a Sable after the old Sable bodystyle (and President of Ford!) were discontinued. The new President, Alan Mulally, determined that a) making all of your vehicles start with the same letter as their brand (Ford Fusion, Five Hundred, Focus, Mercury Monterey, Montego, etc) was asinine, and b) so was dropping the car with the most recognized brand name in your lineup. So the Montego because the Sable, and the Five Hundred became the Taurus.

I’ve driven the “old” Sable and old Taurus, and now that I’ve driven the new Sable, let me tell you, this is a completely different vehicle that is nicer in every single regard. This particular vehicle (VIN 1MEHM40W08G620299) had a nice interior, was well put together, and best of all, was functional. Although it rode a bit soft for my liking, I could see this as a very workable vehicle for our family if we moved away from our existing vehicle. So let’s get at it in more detail:

Exterior: Well put together, broad appeal

As mentioned above, this vehicle is a couple years old, but has seen a couple minor updates and while not striking, it is far from stale. It is more accurately described as “appealing to a broad audience”; it won’t knock your socks off, but you’ll be hard pressed to find anything repulsive.

The fit and finish of this vehicle was excellent. The body panel gaps were consistent, although a bit wider than need be in some spots - tighter tolerances at sheetmetal intersections would help make this vehicle a bit cleaner looking.

While not technically part of the exterior, I should point out that the moderate sized rear decklid houses an enormous trunk. They used to advertise that this car will hold 8 bags of golf clubs (or some similar number that was significantly more passengers than will ever fit) and I don’t doubt it. I’ll bet in a pinch you could probably get 6-7 golfers to the course - 5 in the interior and the other one or two in the trunk with all the bags.

Interior: Excellent Fit & Finish

This particular unit had leather seats and a two-tone interior. As a long time Bass and Guinness fan I have a definite affinity for black and tan, so perhaps that explains why I liked this interior. I suppose the wood trim is more accurately called “blonde” as it is very light in color. And yet, unlike other vehicles this wood doesn’t appear fake, it just looks nice. Perhaps it is a very good replica, but in any case it at least looks real!

The remainder of the interior materials were equally well chosen, although my standard complaint was again present - lack of padding on the door upper where you rest your elbow. Maybe I’ve just been spoiled with my previous vehicles (OK, I have, but that’s a different story) but since spending significant time in rentals I’ve got a constantly sore elbow. I’ve got other things I could whine about as well, but I don’t get to write for a blog related to those…

The seats were supportive, but not overly sculpted - hard cornering will leave you sliding around a bit so ensure you have a good grip on the wheel. Or stay off the race track, which is probably a decent idea with this vehicle anyway.

The steering wheel and controls were well placed and easily reached. Volume, station/track change, and cruise controls are within easy reach on the wheel while the center stack houses the radio itself, manual HVAC controls, and the requisite hazard light switch. The instrument panel includes all the usual suspects: a large, easy to read speedometer (unless you need to read your speed in km/hr, in which case you are out of luck), a large tachometer (why? it’s an automatic!), temperature and fuel gauges, and an LED readout.

A minor irritant that seems to be present in most automatic vehicles these days are the steering wheel radio and cruise controls are reversed. “What difference does it make?”, you may ask, “you have both hands available…”. And this would be true, while driving an automatic. But if you look at most manual vehicles, the cruise controls are on the right, underneath the hand that is only the wheel while not shifting. Why is this? Because you can’t use the cruise control while shifting, so there is no reason to access it with anything other than your shift hand. You may want to change the radio station, volume, etc, by contrast, and thus those are located underneath your hand that is always on the wheel. Somewhere along the line someone reversed these and thus I find myself jabbing away at the “Accel” button while trying to change the radio station. Well look at that - I found something else to whine about after all

Powertrain: Wow! Have you driven this Ford lately?

Powerful. Responsive. Smooooooth. Words you typically don’t hear in relation to Ford vehicles, and certainly not from me. And yet this car shifted so smoothly and effortlessly throughout my trip that I found myself wondering, on the Friday trip back to the airport, whether or not I was driving a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) (this is a transmission without traditional gears. -Ed). As it turns out, the answer was no, but I had to actively pay attention in order to figure out this was a conventional automatic, and I’m still not sure if it was a 5 or a 6 speed (it’s a 6-speed. -Ed). Major kudo’s to the engineers who programmed the powertrain in this vehicle for a job well done. Whether upshifting or downshifting, the engine speed matched the driveline speed and nary a jolt was felt.

Acceleration was brisk and dependable. Push on the gas pedal and off you go and yet the the throttle was not all front-loaded; push a bit harder and you get faster acceleration, push a bit harder than that and a clean downshift occurs to move you up into the powerband.

Steering was tight with a good on-center feel, but as we already determined in the seating section, you’ll again want to stay away from the racetrack as the suspension simply won’t put up with being thrown around in the corners. Body roll is abundant, as expected in a vehicle of this size and weight, the tires are already scrabbling for sufficient hold, and the car wallows a bit over dips.

Lastly, in the fuel economy arena, the Sable averaged 22 mpg during my 180 miles using just over 8.5 gallons of gas. Pretty respectable given that my morning commutes average about 30 mph in 20 miles of stop and go traffic and my evening commute is spent testing the vehicles capabilities.

The Verdict:

This car is an excellent highway cruiser and more than capable of hauling a family or group of friends around town while getting pretty good gas mileage to boot. It won’t set any land speed records, but you can certainly get yourself some speeding tickets if you aren’t careful (although I’d bet that you could out handle the LEO if he were driving an Impala).

I’m generally pretty hard on vehicles and tolerate few flaws - you know a vehicle did well when the biggest complaint is that the redundant radio controls on the steering wheel are on the wrong side.

For those of you looking for a new family mobile, you need to add this one to your consideration set - you won’t be disappointed.

Next week: 2009 Saturn Aura

Although I’ve only written up a couple of vehicle reviews, I’ve had the opportunity to drive over a dozen different vehicles over the past several months. Some cars I couldn’t spend enough time in, others I couldn’t turn in soon enough. I’ve had sub-compacts and fully loaded extended Suburbans (know what happens when gas prices skyrocket and everyone wants a small car? You get upgraded from a mid-size to an extended SUV because no one else will take it!).

Of all of those cars, not a single one compares to the 2008 Impala I just turned in. Not the Dodge “I wanna be a hearse” Magnum; not the Toyota “I’ll die if I have to accelerate” Camry; not even the stripped down Toyota “I rattle like a tin can” Corolla. No, thankfully I’ve never had another vehicle quite like this one.

In all fairness I should point out that the vehicle (VIN 2G1WT58N281223020) had 15,500 miles on it (15,722 by the time I was done) and we all know that cars fall apart at 15K miles. Except that they don’t. Even in rental service a 15K mile vehicle should still be in pretty good shape and perform almost like new. Which makes this vehicle even more disappointing.

Exterior
A bright spot of this rental experience, I was quite impressed with how well the body panels fit together, the quality of the paint job, etc. Although getting a bit long in the tooth and in need of a re-design, it is not a bad looking car; it just isn’t exciting.

Interior Materials, Fit & Finish, and Amenities
The first thing you notice when you get into the front seat of this car is that it is big. Not enormously big, more like “3 seats across the front” big. Remember those cars from when you were little? I don’t particularly either, but they are apparently still available.

The second thing you’ll notice as you get adjusted and turn on the vehicle is that the materials appear, well, cheap. Faux wood is abundant (at least I sure hope it was faux!) and so is that plasticky substance that everyone always complains about in American cars.

At least they included some padding - the dash was a little soft, the door inserts were soft, even the place where you rested your elbow had padding. It has just about enough padding for the design engineer to check the “padded” box, but nowhere near enough to have any effect on comfort. That particular area just smacked of someone following the letter of the law, but not the spirit — “Really boss, I used padded materials. See here? The spec says it should be padded to 1/100 of an inch…”

And then you start the engine, the instruments light up, and you turn on the radio. Which, as near as I can tell, came out of the 1988 Impala. I’m including a picture here so you can see the 4-character display for yourself. Luckily they included an equalizer so you could control the sound. Except the button labeled EQ isn’t really an equalizer - it just toggles between BASS and TREB. If you wait a couple seconds, however, the BASS will disappear and be replaced by a number so you can actually adjust the bass. Steering wheel controls? Not here. Radio Data System display (station call letters, artist, etc)? Yeah right! The only thing they got right on this radio is the inclusion of an aux input.

Powertrain / Driveability
The engine in the base Impala is actually quite strong - it produces a good amount of power from low RPMs and is reasonably strong at highway speeds as well. The transmission shifts nice and smoothly even under moderate to heavy acceleration. And even with the check engine light on, as it was for 4 of the 5 days I had the vehicle, it is happy to rev to full RPMs and do your bidding.

As a quick aside, please make note that Hertz will only bring you a new vehicle if the check engine light is flashing, not just on steady. According to the Roadside Assistance woman I spoke with when I asked to trade the car before any damage was done, a steady light means “the gas cap is loose” (it wasn’t), while a flashing light means “it (the engine) is mis-firing”. I’m sure all the people that are responsible for determining and assigning OBD2 codes will be pleased to know they really only needed 2, not the several hundred they presently have. But I digress.

The real issue with the vehicle was that while the engine was reasonably powerful at speed, you occasionally need more acceleration that your current gear can provide. Typically, the transmission would downshift to increase RPMs and provide the requested acceleration. And this transmission was no exception, so long as you mailed it a postcard ahead of time requesting a downshift. To say that there was a lag between flooring the accelerator and actual acceleration beginning is like saying there is a little bit of sand in the Sahara. Every car takes some getting used to, but this was outside of the acceptable range and bordering on dangerous. And yes, it was like that before the Check Engine light came on.

And then, as if that weren’t bad enough, it turns out that stopping is just as difficult as getting going. The brakes are either ON or off. There is some amount of middle ground, but it’ll take you a couple days to find it. And in the meantime you’ll be forced to listen to your passengers bitch about how hard you are pushing on the brakes. The best part of this setup is that naturally it didn’t occur them to include anti-lock brakes on the vehicle either.

Honestly, I thought every car had ABS. It never crossed my mind (well, before this car) that you could even get a car without ABS any more. Seems like it would be more expensive to design a braking system with and a braking system without ABS than to just put it on every one you build. But, for whatever reason, Chevy chose not to include ABS as standard equipment on the Impala as I found out one wet morning as I attempted to stop for a red light.

Nor, just for the record, did they include traction control. Although certainly more of an option, it was surprising to me to be able to push on the pedal and get engine revving, wheel spin, and no forward acceleration, all with out a peep from the vehicle.

Conclusion
I’m sure this vehicle is right for someone. If you simply like to get on the highway, set the cruise control at 55, and stay in one lane, it might be you. Or if, for some reason, you have an overwhelming urge to let two people call shotgun in your car. Otherwise, next time a police officer tries to pull you over, check out what he is driving. If it is an Impala just head for the nearest windy road - you’ll have lost him by the 2nd corner.

As a frequent traveler I frequently have the “privilege” of leaving my personal vehicle at Logan airport and picking up a (seemingly) random vehicle at my destination. Since this is the first review, and a review of a “sporty car” at that, I should mention that my personal vehicle is a 2002 BMW M5. Although it has superb handling, driveability, etc, there is always room for improvement so I would give that vehicle a solid 9 out of 10.

When I arrived at the JFK Hertz I had little expectation of receiving the “Pontiac G6 or equivalent” I had reserved. True to history I was not disappointed. After a brief debacle with a broken window actuator on my first vehicle I was behind the wheel of a 2008 Ford Mustang V6.

Luckily I don’t tend to have more than 1 colleague with me, because the first observation I’ll make is that this is really a 2+2: if you need to sit in the back and your legs will extend beyond the edge of the bottom seat cushion I’d suggest another vehicle. In a pinch I suppose you could carry 4 adults but otherwise they’d all have to be short (as in less than 4′ tall). At 6′2″ I had at most 4″ of room behind my seat. Hopefully this isn’t a newsflash to many of you since pony cars have long had back seats bordering on non-existent, but I thought it worth observing.

For this rental period the weather was generally warm (70F+) and sunny. My driving conditions included open road as well as stop and go traffic, highway and city. I covered 240 miles in the course of 5 days.

So with that, let’s talk about the key attributes. Before I forget, in case you stumble upon this vehicle at auction it is VIN#1ZVHT80N785207193. It had 9074 miles on it when I returned it Sept 19.

Exterior / Fit & Finish
While certainly not as exciting as some of the higher end V8 Mustangs that sport 4 lights across the front (inc. 2 fogs), the base Mustang does maintain the same relatively aggressive styling. Since this particular vehicle was white I wouldn’t say it was intimidating, but it could be if painted black or red.

Fit and finish was excellent. All panels had even gaps that were a consistent 1/8-3/16″ all around. Compared to the Ford vehicles of old, this is a significant improvement. The hood closes with a satisfying thump (and hides a reasonably clean V6 in the engine bay).

The trunk, however, was a different story. Oh, it fit nicely, and closed with a thump — but I couldn’t figure out how to open it from outside the car without the key fob. Turns out that you can’t. I know it’s a small thing, but it can’t be that hard to find a location for a lock and a handle. Once you do find your way inside, the trunk is quite spacious and looks like it would hold 4 sets of clubs (this would be helpful assuming you live close to the course or have friends who are midgets) or a complete set of luggage without too much effort.

The wheels were stylish, but surrounded by large amounts of rubber (215/65R16 are standard, but they look like 15’s with those huge sidewalls). You’ll want to upsize the wheels for looks and handling…

Interior

I’ve already touched upon the smallish backseat, but as we said, that is the price of entry in a vehicle like this. Requiring 5 years of Yoga training to be flexible enough to reach the driver’s seatbelt, however, should not be. Be prepared to turn yourself 90 degrees sideways to reach your seatbelt - it will be hanging about 6-8″ behind your left shoulder. Sounds ok, but go ahead and reach 6″ behind your left shoulder right now. Let me know how that goes.

Overall the interior is quite roomy. I had no issue getting myself settled in and had plenty of head room, leg room and shoulder room.

The shifter, while very stylish and comfortable to shift, is somewhat lacking in 1 key area of functionality - indicating what gear you are in. After carefully studying the instrument cluster to find the PRNDL markings, I finally concluded they weren’t there. A large speedo, tach, and few other key gauges were right where they should be, and proved easy to read, but the gear indicator was nowhere to be found. It is, as it turns out, down next to the shifter itself and is actually quite easy to read — if you are looking directly down on it. Unless you are sitting with your chest touching the steering wheel it is all but invisible.

Speaking of steering wheel, kudo’s to Ford to putting a thicker than average steering wheel on a sporty car - it was comfortable to grip and helped the car say “drive me” in a way that thin little wheels don’t. And for putting an Aux input for those of us who have portable mp3 players - minor points off for putting it at the bottom of the armrest storage. Next time let’s put the whole package together and also put radio controls on the steering wheel.

Interior Materials / Fit & Finish

I would characterize the interior fit & finish as very good. Like the outside, the gaps were even and minimal with no unnecessary brakes. The gauges were easy to read and appropriately located while the radio, shifter, and HVAC controls were all located in easy reach for the driver.

The materials… well… Look, I know it is rental car. And rental cars take abuse. But there is no excuse for seat material that is completely stretched out and puckering at less than 10K miles. As a consumer I’d say trade the “Mustang” logo’d fabric for a higher quality material. Thankfully it did not give the usually static shock after exiting the vehicle, but it looked bad.

The only thing worse than the seats was the general lack of anything soft. Dashboard: hard. Door panels: hard. Door panel inserts: hard. Some places are ok - but those should preferably be places I’m not going to rest a body part for long periods of time. Door panels come to mind.

Handling / Performance

An interesting thing happened on the way to the office (ok, on the way out of the Hertz parking lot): I lit up the rear tires and swung the car sideways in the middle of the road about 50′ from the guard shack. No, it wasn’t a mid-life crisis moment or the fulfillment of a childhood dream. In fact, I managed to do the same thing again at the first stop light. Convinced that Hertz had labeled the keys wrong and that I had an 8 instead of a 6 cylinder, I made the turn onto the highway and got on the throttle to see what this “bad boy” could do.

This was when I realized that a) Hertz had indeed given me a 6 cylinder and b) Ford had loaded about 230 of the 240 ft-lbs of available torque into the first 1/16″ of pedal travel. Luckily the engine guys warned the transmission guys — the tranny kicks down smoothly and quickly upon request keeping you in the powerband to take advantage of the relatively anemic 210hp. This provides satisfying driveability, gives plenty of passing power (as long as you are in double-digit speeds), and more importantly, gives you the frequent opportunity to listen to an extremely well tuned exhaust that has a nice rumble and a deep tone bordering on throaty.

Once you get used to the throttle sensitivity and realize that the enormous aspect ratio (i.e. tall) tires are also narrow with limited grip, the car is pretty stable and easy to drive in a straight line. Chirping the tires is no big feat, but you will want to make sure you don’t do so while next to someone who might interpret it as an opportunity to race. While gutsy, it is also heavy, and I’d guess that a Camry would probably give you a run for your money.

Sadly, the world is not a series of straight lines. Despite the engineers best efforts, the roads do occasionally turn. And while the steering was reasonably precisely it didn’t provide a whole lot of road feel. Again, discredit the tires to some extent. The handling was also iffy, and in long standing tradition, bumps in corners can leave the rear end feeling a bit skittish and unsettled. The solution, of course, is to drive only on straight, freshly paved roads. Here’s a suggestion for Ford: instead of spending money re-working old suspensions that still result in a compromise, how about an independent rear suspension?

Fuel Economy

Over the course of the week I logged 240 miles and used 10.7 gallons of gasoline for an average of 22.4mpg. Given that my driving style is somewhat, umm, aggressive, and that I spent considerable time in Long Island commuter traffic, I’d say that most people should expect to get somewhat higher results.

Overall

For the ~$20K price tag that one of these cars carries you get quite a bit of car. You won’t blow too many people away off the line, but the car looks good and drives ok. It does, however, have several areas that are in dire need of improvement (interior, handling) before it is a real competitor.

Exterior: 7/10 - good, but getting a bit long in the tooth
Interior: 5/10 - better materials would turn this “ho hum” into “let’s go!”
Handling: 6/10 - live axles have no place on a sporty vehicle
Performance: 7/10 - good job making a low horsepower engine seem stronger
Fuel Economy: 7/10 - good results given the hard conditions.

Overall: 6/10

See you next week with the next installment: Chevy Impala. This IS your fathers Oldsmobile…

Doug

Ford is being lambasted in various news media, including Automotive News and Business Week, for excluding the recently introduced Ford Fiesta ECOnetic from the US market. Ford will begin selling a Mexico-produced Fiesta in the US in 2010, but it will not, apparently, sell the ECOnetic here. What is the ECOnetic? It is a higher economy (65 MPG) version of the already high economy (40-45 MPG) Fiesta. It has a Diesel engine, very few creature comforts, low rolling resistance tires and special aerodynamics. According to Business Week, the cost of producing and shipping would require the price to be higher than the $25,700 at which it will sell in Europe. It would, however, be eligible for a $1300 tax credit, bringing the price to $24,400 – approximately comparable to a Toyota Prius, the current darling of the environmental crowd. Ford sources confirm to The Slandy Report that the ECOnetic is not planned for the US market – yet. If fuel prices keep rising, they will likely revisit that decision.

So is Ford making a mistake? Or are they exercising due prudence in spending what little money they have left? The Slandy Report thinks the answer is C – all of the above. The ECOnetic and its engine are made in the UK, where labor, exchange and shipping rates stack the deck against selling the car profitably in the US. There are mitigating factors, however:

• Because the Fiesta will already be produced in Mexico, why couldn’t Ford ship only the engine from the UK for assembly in the Mexican plant? It sure would cost less than shipping the entire car…
• Ford would realize a tremendous PR boost by beating the Prius’ environmental claims (presently the highest mileage vehicle for sale in the US – 48 mpg city, 45 highway) with a North America-produced product – this would help shed the image of selling only big, bloated SUVs and pickups.
• Ford tends to over-analyze everything (I’m not exaggerating) and has the attitude that “if you can’t prove it, it doesn’t exist.” Most reports say that Toyota is just starting to make money selling hybrids. They were willing to lose money for some time because they saw the long-term benefits (PR, future economies of scale, etc.). Ford needs to do the same. Even if they lose money on every ECOnetic they sell here, the car will have a halo effect over the entire company (see previous point). You can’t buy the positive image that car’s economy would give Ford.

Ford can/should limit the availability of the ECOnetic and advertise the hell out of it. Make sure every man, woman and child in the US and Canada knows that Ford sells “the highest-mileage car you can buy.” By limiting availability, they will be able to charge the $25K without any trouble – and without costly incentives. Reduced availability will also create a perceived shortage, which any first-year marketing or econ student knows is the way to create demand and profits. They should look at any loses they do incur as advertising or PR cost – it will be more effective than anything the “marketing communications” staff could come up with.

VW has started advertising for its new minivan, the Routan. The ads, which are meant to be amusing, place the tongue squarely in the cheek with some offbeat humor. Brooke Shields stars in the ads, which started to appear this weekend. She implores women to have babies “for love, not the German engineering” in the Routan ads and the mockumentary, which you can see at www.routanboom.org or www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDZSxFLcMVg. It’s actually a clever campaign, which suggests that a steep rise in childbirth is the result of couples wanting to get a Routan and its “German engineering” – not for love. The problem with the ad is that the Routan, though it is a VW, is not engineered by Germans or in Germany. To call it badge-engineered isn’t exactly correct, but this “German-engineered” minivan is actually a Dodge Grand Caravan. The styling difference is significant from the Dodge, but that’s the only difference – styling. The Routan is manufactured in Chrysler’s Windsor, Ontario assembly plant, built alongside the Grand Caravan and the Chrysler Town & Country. The VW’s engines and transmission are from the Chrysler, as is the interior layout. Chrysler kept its Stow n’ Go and Swivel n’ Go seats, as well as its optional table that fits in-between the 2nd and 3rd rows, for itself, however.

So how does VW get away with calling the Routan’s engineering “German”? They apparently revised the Routan’s suspension and steering and improved the driving dynamics to make it feel and handle more like a VW (they also revised the styling, as mentioned above). When they agreed to this arrangement, Chrysler was still part of DaimlerChrysler (a German company), so they might have been able to do nothing and still claim the German connection. Alas, Chrysler is an American company again, so VW had some work to do.

To the casual observer, this child will not look anything like it’s American parents, so many will choose this van simply because it’s not American. How ironic that the leader (and inventor) of minivans since their inception 25 years ago will increase its sales by selling a version whose main selling point is that it is not American.

The 2009 Ford Flex, just introduced this summer, is not subtle. It is a large, boxy vehicle that doesn’t go unnoticed as it cruises suburbia. Ford calls the Flex the next-generation people mover. They better hope so, because they cancelled their minivans, the Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey. What? Never heard of them? You’re not alone. Ford discontinued the twins in 2006, after only 2+ years on the market. In a decision that seemed, at the time, to be foolhardy, Ford pulled the plug rather than improve the products to compete better. Ford seemed to be saying, “If you can’t beat ‘em, quit.” With a bit of hindsight, they were actually saying, “Go where they ain’t.” This brings us to the Flex.

The Flex is a crossover that ostensibly replaces the Freestar in Ford’s lineup (see related article on crossovers). It is a large vehicle (202” long) that looks like a Mini Cooper or a Scion xB all grown up. It is a simple, two-box shape, which reminds us of an old station wagon more than a minivan – neither description Ford likes. Since it was introduced to the world as the Fairlane concept at the North American International Auto Show in 2005, the look has really grown on me. I now find it stylish and modern, with a clean, uncluttered look. The interior is similarly handsome and comfortable.

Driving the Flex

As a person who prefers, and is used to, smaller cars, the 202” Flex was an adjustment. It seemed giant, hard to maneuver and park. As I got used to the size, however, I realized that this is a (somewhat) agile cruiser. Its 3.5L V6 makes 262 horsies and 248 lb.-ft. of torque, which are more than reasonable for this class. We averaged a very good 26 MPG in all highway miles for our weekend with the Flex. This is more than the EPA says it gets on the highway – 24. The ride is very smooth and comfortable. You won’t mistake it for a sports car, but it really doesn’t try either.

The Flex seats either 6 or 7, depending upon whether you choose the 2nd row captain’s chairs ($870 option on the Limited package that we tested). The seats were leather and very comfortable – no fatigue issues on our long weekend trip from suburban Detroit to Dayton, OH.

The Flex starts at $28,995 for a front-wheel drive Flex SE. For that price, you get the 3.5L engine with a 6-speed auto tranny, leather-wrapped steering wheel with auxiliary audio controls, Ford’s Advance Trac system with roll stability control, battery saver, airbags all around, Safety Canopy™ - 1st, 2nd & 3rd Row w/Rollover Sensor, SecuriLock Pass Anti Theft and tire Pressure Monitor System. Also included are 4-Wheel Disc Brakes w/ABS, Easy Fuel™ Capless Filler, 4 power points, a Reverse Sensing System that alerts you to any obstacles behind you when you back up, privacy glass and Ford’s exclusive Securicode keyless entry system. The mid-level SEL is $33,165 and adds heated leather seats, power passenger seat, dual-zone electronic temperature control, Sony 6-CD audio with 12 speakers, fake wood trim, universal garage door opener and a cargo net in the rear. The top of the line Limited also includes memory feature for driver’s seat, exterior mirrors and power-adjustable pedals, Ford SYNC™, ambient lighting, wood-trimmed steering wheel, 2nd row footrests, power liftgate, 110V inverter and security approach lamps, high-intensity discharge headlamps, 19” aluminum wheels, LED taillamps and Satin-aluminum appliqué on the power liftgate. All this for $35,800. All-wheel drive is available on the SEL and Limited for $1850.

Cool Features include Ford SYNC™ (optional on SE and SEL), a refrigerated 2nd row console (optional on SEL & Limited), the multi-panel Vista Roof™ (optional on SEL & Limited) and the Easy Fuel™ capless filler (standard).

SYNC™ is a Ford and Microsoft-developed system that allows voice command of various audio, navigation and climate-control functions. The coolest is voice control of your iPod. You simply tell the system what track, genre, playlist or artist you’d like to hear, and it plays it. Way cool.

The Easy Fuel™ capless fuel-filler system has an integrated spring-loaded flapper door that allows you to simply insert the fuel nozzle into the tank to fill up – no screw cap is required. Easy Fuel automatically seals after the fuel nozzle is removed – no need to re-secure the cap – emitting fewer evaporative emissions into the environment. Easy Fuel™ was introduced on the 2008 Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer, and will be offered as standard equipment on the Ford, Lincoln and Mercury passenger vehicle lineups during the next five years.

The look of the Flex isn’t for everybody, and that’s a good thing. It certainly stands out in a crowd. As I said above, I’ve grown to like it. If you don’t like it, there are plenty of other choices out there, including from Ford.

Overall rating: 7 out of 10.

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