if only it were AWD...

Last Friday I drove to Reno, and was SO happy to just drive past all the chain controls, as long as I live in California I will only be driving AWD cars.

(not really)

 

I have no proof of this but my wild speculation is not that Ford USA actually thinks Americans don't want the Ford Euro cars, but rather this is political resistance in the executive grey haired offices of Ford USA and it's just the public statement "Americans don't want those cars" (because you can't publicly say "the Ford good ol'boys said so")

I further speculate that the Ford USA grey hairs are doing this purely as a ego-play. When the Ford Euro showed Ford USA that they could make better cars, the USA grey hairs put their hand over their ears (figuratively) and said, "fine, ok, just stay over there and send us the money". Because the RIGHT thing to do would be to fire most of the top of Ford USA and have Ford Euro run Ford GLOBAL.

Recently, apparently some shake up has happened (probably prompted by carpocalypse) as Ford Euro cars are coming to America.

That's my gut wild speculation. I have no proof.

One of the best moves Pres Bush Dubyuh did was when the car companies asked for a handout, he said, "no... make better cars."

 

Yup, I would definitely consider getting one of those. The STI IMO has 2 doors too many and would have looked much better with 2 doors less.

 

@ Least post up a pic of the current generation Fusion with something we all know & love....



The conclusion of the review sums up exactly how my impressions of both cars came out:

"We'll be honest though: we think both automakers can do better. Ford has a twin-turbocharged, 365-hp Ecoboost engine and a team of SVT engineers who just finished souping up the Mustang and F-150. Subaru has a whole raft of WRX performance parts and a talented tuning team of its own. So, how about it, guys? When can we look forward to comparing the Ford Fusion SHO and Subaru Legacy STI?"

Other than that if I had to pick a commuter car to buy this year it'd be the Fiesta once its out, I handily recommend the Fusion hybrid to anyone that's looking for an adult sized Hybrid, and the 2011 Mustang lineup is far & away the best pony car marque out there. I'll give the Ford Flex credit for being 'unique', but I'd take an Edge anyday, the next Explorer (unibody) could be interesting as well, and the Taurus SHO is a heavy (no pun intended) hitter. To be fair I also recently recommended a coworker explore the Forester XT since she and the hubby are looking for a reasonably priced/sized SUV that isn't a total bore.

It's doubtful that the 2012+ Focus SVT/ST/RS (whatever they're gonna call it) will be AWD, it will have a 200+hp boosted 4cyl, but from what we know so far it will easily be on the same level as the GTI's/MazdaSpeed 3's of the world. Give Ford some credit for making major strides in engineering, quality, and yes even style over the past 5 years. Still waiting on Subie to show up with some modernized engines/transmissions especially in light of the 2016 CAFE requirements.

 

Oh, and I for one can't wait for the new Fiesta. Great looking car, handles well and is inexpensive to run.

One feature I really like about the Flex is that the side skirts are sculpted into the doors/body panels. When you open the door, the skirt goes with it which keeps dirt off your pants when you swing your legs into/out of the car. It also makes ingress/egress a lot easier because there's less stuff to step over on your way out. Check one out at the dealership if it doesn't make sense. Pretty cool IMHO.

-Brian

 

just get a body kit for your focus