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syrtran

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  1. Sorry, one more OT, but I just had to answer this: Children, these days - no sense of history! Can you say Traditional Cadillac Styling? That's a '68, btw.
  2. Going back to the possible renames, earlier in the thread, there's currently a little problem with reusing the Continental name, especially if you're trying to sell to the MB/BMW crowd. The problem is this: I'm willing to bet that Volkswagen pays its lawyers at least as well as Pep Boys does. Yes, I'm well aware that the two Continentals have been contemporaries, before, but I think it'll be a problem now, with VW ownership.
  3. The reason an LX 5.0 worked in the late '80s is because the base '89 - '93 GT was loaded down with a few hundred pounds of mandatory body cladding and hatch and a premium interior. As ice-capades pointed out on page 1, that's not the case today.
  4. I would sure hope that they don't just badge the Euro ST as SVT in North America. SVT isn't a badge, it's a special team of guys that do complete performance vehicles. A Focus SVT had damn well better be the equivalent of the 300HP Focus RS. (And I wouldn't mind seeing that hit our shores) Remember, SVT is the group that created the Shelby GT500 and the F-150 SVT Raptor, and had a hand in the Ford GT. I would just like to see a new MKS at LA. That's the car Lincoln really needs to be perfect if they want to get their credibility back.
  5. Think of the Volt as a 3-mode vehicle. Mode 1 is pure EV. It can go up to 40 miles at city speeds (up to 30-35 mph), less if you go faster. No gas is used at all in this mode. When it determines that the batteries are drained beyond a certain point, it goes into Mode 2. Mode 2 is EV plus on-board generator. GM is calling this the "Range Extender" mode. The electric motors (it seems there's an auxiliary one) still drive the wheels. The gas engine (aka generator) only charges the batteries and also feeds electricity to the motors. This mode is a little better than normal hybrids in that the gas "generator" runs at pretty much a constant speed, which is better for fuel consumption, This mode will possibly give you the mpg of a diesel, or even slightly better (at least, according to Motor Trend). Mode 3 is the "just another hybrid" mode. This is where the gas engine also drives the wheels. It is used, apparently, only in those situations where the electric motors aren't efficient enough to drive the vehicle - 70+ mph and - at least according to GM - only when the batteries are depleted. Other hybrids use their gas engines to drive the wheels starting at about 35-40 mph. This is the least efficient mode and is still supposed to get near 40 mpg. GM seems to think that most Volts will spend almost all of their time in pure EV mode. They think that Range Extender mode should only occur a small percentage of the time. They think that the "normal hybrid" mode should only occur rarely. It's actually a pretty clever setup, and I'd bet that the other plug-in hybrids are going to do something similar pretty soon - just as soon as the companies figure out how to get around the patent.
  6. It's worse than lame, it's retro. It's like watching a Lincoln ad from the '70s (and, yes, I watched many Lincoln ads in the '70s). In fact, the '70s campaign worked better in the '70s than this one will today. I predict it'll be changed within three months of its first airing. Compare these ads with ads from Audi, BMW, Mercedes, and even Cadillac. Those are dynamic, while these are stodgy. There's no flow, no action. It's just a bunch of camera pans on otherwise still images. The ads don't say "Luxury" or even "Smart," They say "Old man's car!" They say "Hey! let's copy Cadillac's 'does it return the favor' ads, only without the cute tag line!" Ford seriously needs a new ad agency, at least for Lincoln. Even the Ford brand ads are much better.
  7. I said "Names". In my opinion, the problem with Lincoln's scheme is that -- much like Acura and Jaguar -- it's all over the map, and hard for normal people to understand. Compare Lincoln with the others: Lincoln (MKC), MKZ, MKX, MKS, MKT -- Guess which are smaller, which are larger, and which ones are the CUVs. (Hint: I put them in size order for you). Mercedes C-class, M-class, E-class, R-class, G-class, S-class. I think M-B gets away with the CUV variations simply due to tradition. Even then, at least for the sedans, the naming is in (English) alphabetic order - C, E, S. Volvo: C30, S40, V50, S60, XC60, C70, XC70, S80, XC90. S for sedan, C for Coupe, V for wagon, XC for CUV BMW 1-, 3-, 5-, 6-, 7-series, X in front means CUV Lexus IS, ES, GS, LS for the sedans (although IS is out of place), Their C/SUVs are out of order - RX and GX for the crossovers, LX for the SUV. The LF-A is unique. Infiniti G is smaller than M, I/J were smaller, and Q was larger, EX, FX QX are the C/SUVs in size order. Cadillac ALS, BLS, CTS, STS, DTS - STS is out of sequence, and SRX is the CUV. Escalade still exists.
  8. ??? What does this have to do with Borg's claim that both Malibu and Sonata got completely new bodies during supposed MCEs while the Fusion only got new end caps during its MCE?
  9. Please give us your definition of "MCE", as the current Malibu - new in 2008, and Sonata - 2010, are on completely different platforms than their predecessors, with different wheelbases, lengths, etc. The 2010 Fusion is still on its original platform from 2005.
  10. I just think that Ford could've phased out Mercury by making the new versions be Lincoln versions. Mariner first, as it's getting replaced by the Kuga follow-on, then Milan goes away when the new CD shows up, and then a rear-drive sports sedan when (if) the Falcon/TBird thingy arrives. Tracer would've faced the problem you mention, though. MKS is a bad example as there are really only a handful of full-size luxury sedans, anyway: S-class, 7-series, A8, LS, soon-to-be-replaced DTS, XJ, and MKS. Lucerne doesn't play in this class, RL is now just a reworked TL, VW's got nothing, and I'm not counting the Equus until it's out.
  11. The only facts we have are: Mercury is being terminated, Mercury contributes only a very small fraction to Ford's sales figures, Less than 1/4 of Lincoln Mercury dealers do not also have a Ford franchise, Mercury outsells Lincoln, which is actually a misrepresentation, because... Mercury and Lincoln are the same financial entity. Everything else is just speculation. I give you Volkswagen of Europe. SEAT is the sporty, youthful co-brand to VW since 1982, and Audi sits above both. I give you Toyota of Japan. Since 1999, they've owned Daihatsu and market it as a low-cost vehicle, and Lexus is the top-selling luxury marque in Japan. Thanks for giving an example of speculation/personal opinion. You know, you have been awfully quick to respond to anyone who doesn't share your seeming dislike of Mercury, specifically, or intermediate brands in general. You're as welcome to your opinion that this was the right move right now, as the Mercury fans are that this was a bad decision, and as I and a couple others are that Lincoln isn't ready for this just yet. None of us has the real facts of what the decision-making process inside Ford was, or what the current or future income projections are for either LM or just L. All we have is our opinions, none of which are wrong, and none of which are right. You're just one voice in the crowd. Stop trying to shout over everyone else, it'll just give you a sore throat.
  12. One more thing: The mere existence of the Taurus SHO and the EB F150 says I'm not. :P 25 cents says that - barring regulatory changes - in 5 years, sales of Coyote-based Mustangs will be artificially limited. Disclaimer again - I think a 9-second Mustang with minor bolt-ons is cool, just like the rest of you. Just remember to bring your rollcage.
  13. That's good to hear. The pictures only show a K&N style filter in a box off to the driver's side. There's no shots of the underside of the hood to see if there's ductwork there. I assumed the cold-air box vented to the fender or behind the headlights.
  14. I dunno, I'm pretty impressed with a 3L 4-banger that puts out the same HP as those sorry excuse for 5.8L V8s that NASCAR allows, and almost twice the HP that the old Offy 4L Indy engines could, and can also still be driven on the street. (Yes, it really is street-legal - or it was at the time the videos were taken) At least it's still the original street block, albeit punched out a bit to 3 liters, plus, I assume, new bearings and cap and head bolts. The turbo, head, and pistons are definitely aftermarket. The light weight was achieved simply by removing the interior, tempered by the necessary roll cage and subframe connectors. SVOs are only around 3000lbs to begin with, or about 2700 with the Competition Prep package (no radio, A/C, window motors, or power door locks) Anyways, I think you people kind of missed the little smiley with the red horns. I wasn't being serious.:P :D
  15. In the future, you might want to avoid phrases like They never go over well. @thread My take on all this is still: I don't know what numbers Ford collected for the decision. I HOPE it was a sound financial one, BUT: I still think they could've waited until Lincoln Has a proper small vehicle. Neither a Focus-based or Kuga/Escape-based vehicle can be ready before the end of 2011 without being a simple rebadge has a much more competitive MKZ (mid 2011, maybe) offers a new Navigator/Aviator/MK? off the new Explorer offers a better-looking MKS (2012-2013) Right now, and by the end of 2010, Lincoln really only has good (retail) sales of the MKZ and MKX, both of which, currently, are just 'step-up' vehicles from the equivalent Ford (i.e. Mercury's traditional role). The MKS has an amazing amount of luxury, but, due to (IMO) its bland styling and ride, it's just not a competitive vehicle in its class. I don't think Lincoln is ready to stand alone, and I really have to wonder how long it'll be 'till someone makes Mullaly a better offer.
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