bzcat

Lincoln is not going to command $200K for its SUV the way Mercedes G wagen does. But $80-120K range is totally reasonable target and well within the reach of its target buyers. These are the competitive entries: Land Rover Defender, Rivian R1, Scout Traveler, Lexus GX, INEOS Grenadier, Mercedes baby G, TBD Audi based on Scout, TBD Genesis (production version of X Gran Equator concept), TBD BMW (replacement for the XM)

Also very affordable. Fully loaded Performance model (the only one available now) is under $60K.

Explorer is not the oldest in the segment... that distinction belongs to Dodge Durango. But no doubt Ford is coasting on inertia and fleet sales. Model / Model year intro Durango 2011 Atlas 2018 Ascent 2019 (already discontinued in Canada so probably not going to live on much longer in the US) Explorer 2020 Grand Cherokee 2021/2022 Pathfinder 2022 Pilot 2023 Grand Highlander 2024 CX-90 2024 Traverse 2024 (heavy update of C1XX introduced in 2018) Acadia 2024 (heavy update of C1XX introduced in 2018) Enclave 2025 (heavy update of C1XX introduced in 2018) Palisades 2026 (the previous gen was sold 2020-2025) Telluride 2027 (the previous gen was sold 2020-2026) With the exception of Durango and Atlas (Ascent sells so little it is kind of irrelevant), all others are on a 6-7 year model cycle. The Hyundai twins got replaced in 5... Ford probably should have done what GM did to Traverse/Acadia/Enclave and give the CD6 a complete refresh for 2027... but evidently that won't happen until 2030 at the earliest.

Ford needs to pony up some real money to do a Toyota-style redesign of Explorer: keep the unibody and glass but every exterior metal and plastic surface should be updated to provide a more cohesive and fresh look. That's how you extend the platform life to 2030.

Outback won basically because it was cheap. The big surprise for me was how bad the new 4Runner is... I've read a lot of how the base non-hybrid version is really under powered and the interior is really cheap and this test seems to point out just how silly it is to daily drive one of these vs. unibody based alternative. I agree with their take on Explorer. In the last facelift, Ford finally fixed the ultra cheap interior material problem. I had a rental Explorer a month ago (a XLT not Tremor) and it had been about 4 years since I last drove one. And the inside was 100% better place to be this time. The original version of this gen Explorer felt like a $25K interior inside a $50K car... you are constantly reminded you have made a bad life decision. The current version still not as nice as some but at least it doesn't feel like it belong in a Nissan Versa.

Ranger HD is an ideal platform to adapt for military use. It's probably just as capable and far more modern than other common military trucks like W461/464 G-Wagen and Landcruiser 70 Series.

From left to right: 1. Bronco Sport 2. Kuga replacement (probably replace Explorer also) 3. Kuga coupe (probably replace Capri also) 4. Puma EV (article mentioned there will be a SUV version of Fiesta) 5. Fiesta (Renault 5 rebadge) 2 and 3 are clearly the same vehicle (same mirror) and 4 and 5 are similarly related just different ride height. Check out the mirror shape and position on 4 and 5 and compare to Renault 5... draw your own conclusion.

Chinese Bronco is far too big for Europe. Whatever Ford has in mind, it's probably a C2 vehicle because that's what Valencia is setup to build. So most likely related to next gen Bronco Sport which should be a global product. I don't know why Ford would bother making 2 different ones for US and Europe. And I'm not yet fully convinced Farley will actually build this car in Europe... He tried to revive India to build this vehicle but gave up on it. Need to see what Ford's plan is for that new plant in Thailand they acquired from Suzuki.

End of CAFE enforcement probably has something to do with it.

70% of line up will get update in the next 3 years... is just business as usual at other car companies. But apparently it is a revolutionary idea at Ford 🤡 5 year model cycle is industry standard (except in China where it is 2 years max). So a competent car company should have 20% of its line up turn over each year.

How many times do I have to say it for you guys to believe me? Farley's goal all along was to make Ford Europe exit building passenger vehicles. This is why Romania was transferred to Ford Otosan. This is why there is no attempt to fix Explorer and Capri because Farley wants to shut down Cologne. This is why Escape/Kuga replacement was cancelled so no new tooling needed at Valencia. This is why Ford is not just using Renault platform for next gen EV but actually having Renault build it. Farley wants to get out of building passenger cars in Europe.

Ford has 2 ICE/hybrid CUV when every full line car companies has 4 or more covering the same size classes. We can make excuses for Ford but this is a product planning failure of epic proportion. Compact Short: Bronco Sport vs. Trailblazer, HR-V, Seltos, Corolla Cross, Kicks, Taos, Crosstrek etc. Compact long: Escape vs. Equinox, CR-V, Sportage, RAV4, Rogue, Tiguan, Forester etc. Midsize: Edge vs. Blazer, Passport, Sorento, Highlander, Murano, Atlas Sport, Outback etc. Large: Explorer vs. Traverse, Pilot, Telluride, Grand Highlander, Pathfinder, Atlas, Ascent etc.

Looks Maverick size to me

No one said the Tennessee truck will be affordable. Just midsize. 🤣 I'm fairly certain it will be a more expensive truck than Ranger. Just look at the price difference between Bronco Raptor and Ranger Raptor to understand what Ford is thinking here. Ranger nameplate has an upper limit on what MSRP the market will support. The new truck (maybe it will be Bronco branded or not... who knows) will probably be hybrid or PHEV focused and will lean way more offroad-oriented than Ranger.

We already speculated on T6 in Tennessee so that's confirmation