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Illinois is horrible place for existing businesses. The politicians here would sell their soul to the Devil (many have already) to get good publicity by bringing jobs in by promising 0 taxes for a hundred years. The problem is they just tax the F out the population and existing businesses. Meanwhile, the public sector unions are fleecing the state, making the pension funding gap larger and larger. If any of you think the UAW is crooked, do some reading on IL state pension liability. I half expect to be charged to breathe clean air. What does this mean. It means IL is losing it's population fast and that is creating a talent drain. The more people leave the higher the taxes. Rinse repeat. My prediction, is that IL will be insolvent in 10 years. Everybody that can will move out, including yours truly, once they try to bring a progressive tax (which is planned). I'd rather not move to Wisconsin, Indiana, or back to Michigan but I may have no choice. Why should I make over 100k here and live like I make 30k ? It makes no sense. Sorry, I digress. I wouldn't be surprised if Ford has significant tax protection in IL. It probably would cost an arm an a leg to move that production elsewhere too. One would assume doing a cost benefit analysis before making these decisions but you never know what is going on in Dearborn.

3, 4 - whatever it takes.

I once carried 15 40lb bags of top soil in the back of my 2008 Focus.....

Which means there will be copious amounts of hidden power to unlock when the tuners get around to richening it up to 12:1 afr !!!! Seriously, the V10s wake up in a big way when you pull WOT enrichment down from the ridiculous 14.7:1 in the factory tune. I still can't wait to see what's possible with long tubes, a bigger cam, a bigger intake, and lightweight valvetrain. This thing is literally the second coming of the BBF. It deserves a place right next to the BBC and 385-series BBF.

To that idiot in the employee forum who emphatically insisted they were cutting a shift IN YOUR FACE

I doubt that anyone actually hates the Ridgeline. That would imply that truck people actually give it any thought at all, which is an absurd premise. What most of us hate is the jake-legged peckerwoods at "car" magazines acting like it's a real truck instead of the sawed-off minivan that it is. And worse yet, trying to claim that it is the end-all and be-all of trucks, when it's less capable of doing truck tasks than a Panther with a trailer hitch. Hell, I bet you could carry more bags of mulch in the trunk of a Vic...

Just curious-why is this an issue, if your the driving it all the time?!

Yes sir!

Have we even seen Ford Hello mules running around...I know the spy guys have been getting plenty of Ford Escape shots...but the Ford Hello?? Must be a skunkwerks model...

To be honest the Colorado/Canyon are more refined than the Ranger or Tacoma. I not so “pro-Ford” that I can’t be honest about these things. Even though I’m not a GM fan I can give credit where credit is due and they deserve credit for putting a lot of effort in totally re-doing that truck for the North American market. It’s a class leading midsize if you leave the Honda Ridgeline out because I don’t really consider it a real pickup truck. If you can take the blue blinders off you can easily tell GM put more effort into making a North American friendly truck versus the Ranger. Now with that said, I ordered a Ranger because I’m 100% brand loyal to Ford. I wouldn’t consider buying anything else. If someone was not brand loyal and asked me what midsize they should check out first I’d tell them the Colorado/Canyon. Although I’d give Ford the advantage as far as power train is concerned, I’d give the Colorado/Canyon the advantage for packaging, ride and handling, and overall aesthetics.

Only if it's an orange crew cab! (inside joke!)

Unless my needs changed; I would get an F-250 with the 7.3L. I have never considered replacing my 6.8L with less torque. I have driven 6.2L's with the 6 speed and felt it was lacking over my V-10. Part of that may be because of the 4.30 gears in my truck vs 3.73 in the 6.2, as well as some of the "enhancements" my truck has received over the years. I also feel the 10 pulses per cycle was an advantage over 8 pulses. I've not seen an 8.1L GM that can out pull my truck. I'm sure this 7.3L will.

Umm.....it's a town and ski resort in Colorado.

I've done some house cleaning and consolidation and added in a few new items to take notice of. Please review the items below for changes / updates. 1.) I request that you subscribe to this thread if you haven't already. Click the little button at the top that says "Watch topic". That way I'll get no frantic responses from any of you that don't keep up with this and ask me a million requests when I am gone or on vacation that I have already said I won't be available. You will be automatically notified as long as you have your forum / board settings set up properly. 2.) There are a number of you that have come to this forum for only the purpose of tracking and have in a sense spammed the forums with silly banter in order to fluff up your post count to get in here and demand some tracking action. I would think that if tracking was that important, many of those of you would have read my rules and responded accordingly. I know how you feel ... it is just like Terms of Service agreements or software piracy acknowledgments - you know, those agreements in software programs that scroll on forever that those people ask you to read, but you don't and you just click "agree" anyway to get to quickly click on the next prompt. Humor me and read each and every rule. I ask for a reason and there are so many rule breakers I'm close to my wits end with a lot of you. The rules are here to assist me in helping you - that is it. 3.) If you break a rule, I am no longer going to give you a kind reminder. I am simply just going to ignore your request. If you find you are being ignored, then you did something wrong. Figure it out. Re-read the rules you were supposed to have read in the first place. Then, once you are ready to comply properly, you can re-bump your thread properly. I am not going to respond until you do. 4.) I am sorry, but some of you are taking extreme advantage of my generosity and this free service I offer on my own time. Those that do are ruining it for everyone else. From now on: Absolutely no more than ONE (1) update per tracking thread, per week. I don't care if you are in the process of shipping, or have started production. You plan it out when you want to hear from me, but no more than once per week. I don't care if your lease is expiring and you need to know tracking info so you aren't left without a vehicle. Get a clue - If you are to the point where you need to know where your vehicle is in production because you may/will be left without a vehicle to drive - you have definitely already screwed up and have extremely poor planning that even I can't help you with. 5.) All PMs asking about tracking, information or updates will be deleted no questions asked. I thought this was clear, but apparently it is not. I don't care if you can't figure out how to post in this forum. No PM's about tracking or updates, period! 6.) I am not ignoring you, but at the same time I am not baby sitting your vehicle tracking either. If you want an update, bump your thread. If I haven't gotten to it in a few days, please re-bump - it may have fallen off my list of new updated topics. 7.) If you start to become annoying by wanting timely minute-by-minute updates of any minor thing that happened during your production run or shipment - please stop posting and see your dealer. I am not a service, I do this in what little free time I have because I want to. Please don't make me not want to do this anymore. If you respect my free time, I'll respect your request - it is pretty simple. You don't own me and I don't have to respond. 8.) I have to be at work to do this and I'll typically handle most requests in the morning. Don't ask me for a weekend update because you won't get it. 9.) If I have previously given you an update and in that update there was a specific date listed of something to happen next in the production run, please don't ask me for any more updates until that date has passed. I waste a ton of time with folks wanting updates to production dates I have given you when that date hasn't even happened yet - there won't be any changes. Please be smart about it. 10.) I am not the plant, delivery system, production scheduler or your dealership. Don't ask me to estimate any type of dates or time frame for you, or why things are such and such or taking so long. I can't and won't. There are a million and one variables in what happens with your order - things take as long as they take. 11.) I provide vehicle locator updates - status updates that can be found in your vehicle visibility report. That is it. Don't ask me to provide you with anything other than that, i.e.: no build sheets, no window stickers, no production schedules, no rail car information, no rail car numbers, etc. 12.) Do not make multiple threads for updates. Stick to one thread per VIN / Dealer Code-Order Number for updates. You want to follow a second car you have ordered, make a new thread for that vehicle. Repeat, do not make multiple threads for the same vehicle - even if you've provided incorrect information the first time. Just correct your mis-information in an update to your thread. I will get sick of figuring out which one I need to respond to and just not respond to any of your threads. 13.) I am a human, not an internet robot. I appreciate civility and I enjoy pleases and thank yous. However, please keep the extra chitchat outside of tracking info to a minimum because it helps me sort through threads I haven't upated yet and ones I have. 14.) I do not want anything in return for this. However, after all this work for you, my only payoffs are, 1 - knowing you are happy, and 2 - seeing that final picture of the vehicle I helped you follow for weeks on end. Please don't forget the photo. I love that. 15.) I need a valid VIN, or dealer code and order number to track your order. Please quadruple check the numbers you provide me. I know they are a long string of numbers and letters, but reporting those numbers right the first time will makes us both happier. 16.) When you bump your threads looking for more info, please repost your VIN (or Dealer Codes and Order Number) within your bump. 17.) Do not come here looking for information if you don't have either a VIN or proper, correct Dealer Code AND Order Number. Don't try to give me a Dealer Code with your vehicle description and expect me to find your vehicle. In most cases it is a needle in a haystack. Without both - forget it. If you have your DORA, the Dealer Code and Order Number are both on there, do me a favor and give me both or forget it. Also know this, most dealerships order multiple vehicles -even different types, under the same Order Number, so I will need a description of your vehicle along with your Dealer Code AND Order Number - such as: type, engine, trans, body style, that is it. Don't give me packages or trim levels, those things don't mean squat to me and are not listed in the Visibility Report as trim levels, just a laundry list of options. 18.) I am only a minor admin on this sub-forum, I have no control over how it works and how you get here. I can organize threads and close topics, but I am mostly just a user like the rest of you. Forget all the conspiracy theories of what I am doing to you in why you can't post here or your threads disappearing or whatever related to how the forum works, it is just all B.S.. 19.) If I give you a status and it is Unscheduled-Clean, that means you have a successful order in the system and it isn't currently scheduled for production. When you are in Unscheduled-Clean status I will provide updates no sooner than every two weeks, providing you bump your thread properly. There are a multitude of reasons why something doesn't progress quickly from that status to the line. It has to do with production schedules, plant availability, ordering priority numbers, where you live and that region / dealerships specific allowed allocation segments for that vehicle. I have seen Unscheduled-Clean status stay that way for weeks and weeks on end - even as long as 6 months depending on the availability of what you are ordering and speed of the plant, etc. etc. If you are upset about your vehicle being Unscheduled-Clean for an extended period, you need to work with your salesperson to try to adjust your order priority or find out what period your allocation unit is limited to. 20.) Enjoy yourself. If these updates start making you angry or hostile, or your attitude is making me angry or hostile, please go elsewhere and blow off some steam. Thanks as always. Any comments will be deleted.

How much GM pay you for that spin job you just did?

Can't we just be happy...

Yes, this is a TRUCK engine...no ifs, ands, or buts about it. When they are making over 700 HP with a super charged 5.2L, there is no need for something of this size (and weight) in a Mustang or F150. It's big, it's heavy, and it makes it's power and torque at low RPMs. It belongs in a truck. Period. Just like the V10 it's replacing. It's not fancy, it just goes about its business without making a fuss, and lets everyone forget it's even around.

I had a Colorado rental recently and I thought it was a nice truck. It road well and seemed to have plenty of power. It had the typical GM interior, which I’m not a fan of. I think the trucks look ok, however I do not like how the beltline of the rear doors curves up, instead of being more angular in nature. That characteristic has always bothered me. Fortunately the Ranger does not do that nearly as much. I will have to test drive the new Ranger to compare the two. I know the Colorado can withstand a decent crash since I wrecked the my rental unit. I’m sure the rental company didn’t appreciate that much?

I'm guessing debuting new Nav ads...

Yes, but is it a luxury vehicle??

I hope that the bulk of the hybrid, BEV and new utilities ramp up will be done within the next 12-24 months and they can focus more on existing product updates and refreshes.

It's a crossover with an open bed and it's fine as a personal vehicle to do the things you listed especially compared to a Traverse. The problem is when it gets compared to BOF trucks that do all the truck things better - payload, towing, offroading.

The 2015 Colorado launched at the LA auto show in November 2013. Ford had to have some idea by that point they really needed to get into the midsize market unless they still had the “we’re gonna put everyone into loaded F150 SuperCrews because the Ranger is about the same size and we can make mega bucks selling everyone an F150” idea. After seeing a current F150 parked next to a new Ranger I want to have some of the stuff that Ford Exec Derrick Kuzak was smoking at that time when he said T6 would not come to North America because it’s about the same size as the F150. ? Although the new Ranger is much larger then the old one it’s still a lot smaller then the F150. The reason I bring up this back story is it’s evident that Ford had a lot of time to make T6 just right for our market, but it still seems to be a rushed effort. It’s like they tried everything they could do not to enter this market hoping it would fizzle out and then at the eleventh hour decided to jump in. It’s not that the new Ranger is bad. I wouldn’t order one if I felt it was bad even though I’ve been waiting forever for this size of truck from Ford. It’s just not what it should have been with years and years of time to get it right. Toyota will soon be launching a redesigned Tacoma and you know a new Colorado is coming soon. It sounds like Ford will also be doing a major update in 3-4 model years, but many times you get judged by your first effort. The Ranger will sell well. There is a lot of pent up demand from Ranger or Ford loyalists, but after you fill them up you’ve got to get conquest customers. Is the Ranger good enough to get that Colorado/Canyon, Tacoma, Ridgeline owner to leave those models and buy a Ranger? I’m not sure at least not with the current model. I’m excited to get my Ranger because I’m a Ford guy and the size of my F150 drives me crazy living in a mountain town with narrow streets and small parking spaces, but I wish they would have done a little more with it. Did a little more with the styling, interior and suspension tuning. It wouldn’t have taken much just to give it a little more refinement. GM took those little extra steps with the Colorado and Ford didn’t. It shows from the styling of the sheet metal and slightly larger interior space to the ride and handling.

Help me understand where all the "hate" for the Ridgeline comes from. In 2-3 years when I retire, I'm going to lose my company car, and need to buy a multi-purpose vehicle. I have a fairly narrow garage, so something as simple as a CC F-150 won't fit. Here is my criteria; 4WD or AWD Needs to comfortably tow my 2500# boat Needs to be able to occasionally bring home 4x8 sheet goods for a short distance, tailgate down/hatch open is fine (Hopefully) seats 4 adults NOT $50K (don't need/want leather seats, etc) So far, the leading candidate is the Traverse, will wait to see how the new Explorer prices out. But, the Ridgeline fits the bill. The 2019 Ranger Crew Cab was nearly impossible for me to sit in the back seat of. HRG

FTFY

If they said the Canyorado was slightly better for on the road ride quality and aesthetics over the Ranger nobody would argue (much). That’s not what they said.

There is nothing about the 7.3 that screams "expensive." It's a plain ol' iron block, not even CGI. It has one cam instead of four, and 16 valves instead of 24. There's nothing exotic about it, save the VCT. It should be significantly less expensive to build than the Boss.

Is this aftermarket?

To quote George Mallory - on why he climbed Mount Everest; "Because it's there"

It photographed better than it looks, but pretty picky about keeping my cars clean.

Everything the engineer said in the TFLTrucks video indicates that this is a purpose-built engine for the bigger trucks, built specifically around their duty cycle. That just doesn't sound like it would lend itself to performance vehicles...but I would be less shocked by it happening than I was by it being a pushrod engine. (FWIW, I thought it would be OHC, but I wasn't entirely shocked at the pushrods, given the harping on the complexity of OHC engines in this thread.)

It had one of the best commercials to go with it. Even spawned a similar one for the Mustang.

That was kinda my point - it’s like they want folks (and spy photographers) to see it.

The 6.2 is very popular in F250 and the 10-speed auto will make that even more so, the 7.3 just gives the SD buyers more option between the 6.2 and paying for the 6.7 Powerstroke...I think this is a very good move as it addresses a long standing issue with truck buyers.

Even before this review MT had a bee in their bonnet about Ford calling the Ranger :all new" and at every chance remind folks that it's an older truck I think people should take comfort in that this is a matured design with lots of the critcal bugs worked out years ago. Sure, there's a different power train for North America but the Ranger was a breath of fresh air compared to global prucks back in 2011, it absolutely knocked global Colorado out of the game

The Frontier still exists?

I'm more than happy to do it. I'll play with numbers all day if it's something I'm interested in haha. Any other variations you'd like, or a comparison/chart of specific models, I'm happy to do too, just ask. Whoops. Looks like I used the wrong formula. Here's the fixed version:

Funny thing that Motortrend crapped on the Ranger interior vs the others in that article.....but what did they have to say about it just one year ago? https://www.motortrend.com/news/refreshing-or-revolting-2019-ford-ranger-vs-chevy-colorado-toyota-tacoma/ Yes, the same Motor Trend and the same trucks. Funny, the trucks didn't change since them......maybe the advertising did?

My 99 with the 5.4L. Loved and miss it too!

Maybe Motor Trend will stop selling ratings and awards.

Then pretty much ignored them in the final ratings. You're so naive.

But - I'm doubting that any Lincoln (other than a 2-seater) would have as minuscule rear seat as a 'Stang - thus I'm assuming that a Lincoln version would ride on a lengthened Mustang chassis. If that assumption proved to be correct - then a Thunderbird COULD then in theory share that platform fairly economically. With that said, that name: Thundercougarfalconbird IS starting to grow on me a little!!! LOL ? -Ovaltine

New here but I just bought my black reserve 2018 navigator a few months ago. I dropped it off this morning to get the wheels powder coated gloss black. I have had aftermarket wheels in the past and didn’t want to go that route this time due to the various issues that come with them. I’ll post pics for those interested in doing the same.

Vin 1FTER4FHXKLA03988 Thanks

Looking really good in blue! Congrats and good luck!

Thanks for the updates, as of this weekend I am a happy customer.

Yes, but GM sandbaged their numbers. Many performance tests bore this out. Comparing the old tech. 8.1 to the 3 valve 6.8 was interesting, the 8.1 had more torque at lower r.p.m.'s and I think made for a better medium duty engine, while the V-10 was probably better in a dually pickup or motorhome. My school bus fleet buddies tell me that the PSI 8.8L derivative of the old 8.1 that's in IC buses is a lot better than the 6.8L in the Bluebirds. Of course a lot has to do with the 8.8L being substantially larger, but these guys also say on propane the 6.8's don't last.

Awaiting Shipment - Received - TP05 (Autoport Limited ) Ramp 44, Woodhaven, MI Jan-14-2019, 06:53 ET ETA Feb-10-2019.

Please update Vin 1FTER4FHXKLA03988 Thanks

Scheduled to Day (2019-01-10)