In past discussions with Derrick Kuzak, Ford's product development czar, he has stressed that Ford would be making their cars and trucks much more efficient by reducing their weight and using higher technology engines. One of the first examples of that strategy was when Ford dropped the V8 engine from the powertrain plan for the upcoming Lincoln MKS sedan and will use a twin turbo V6 as its high performance powerplant.

While we can't fathom a Lincoln flagship without a V8, the proof is in how it drives and what the durability and reliability of a turbo powertrain turns out to be. In AutoPacific and VehicleVoice Internet research car buyers generally opt for displacement (larger) and less engine technology (non-turbo, for instance). The old adage that "there is no replacement for displacement" generally holds true. But we can't ignore the issues of Global Warming (if it exists) or higher gas prices or impending CAFE rules that force new technology.

Ford has laid out its powertrain philosophy in an early January press release shown below the fold...

Continue reading "Ford Announces EcoBoost Powertrains" »

Posted by George Peterson at 10:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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The Mercury Montego (now Sable) is the Ideal Large Car for 2007. Clearly, Ford designers and engineers understood the buyer they were designing the Montego for and hit the target. Montego was rated particularly favorably in its segment with respect to visibility, technology level and wheel style. The one area where Montego was rated substantially lower than the segment average was power and acceleration. This is second IVA win for Montego having won the inaugural IVA award in 2006. Upgrading from the 3.0L V6 to the 3.5L V6 for the 2008 Sable should eliminate the Montego’s power and acceleration deficiency.

Posted by Keagan Patrick at 11:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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OK, the Mazda Tribute has been around for years. Mazda has practically forgotten about it. There is very little advertising for the Tribute especially since Mazda has its more modern and upscale CX-7 and CX-9 Crossover SUVs to pitch. Because Tribute lives in the shadows of its "more important" brethren it is easy to forget about it. That's a shame, because the Tribute is a fine Crossover SUV overall, with only a few warts that could be corrected with very little investment or cost.

Mazda Tribute Derived From Ford Escape - Sweet Spot Among Crossover SUVs

Over the years, AutoPacific has had Ford Escape Crossover SUVs in product clinic research. Since introduction the Escape and its derivatives - the Mercury Mariner and Mazda Tribute - have represented the sweet spot among small to mid-size Crossover SUVs. Easy to live with, easy to get into and out of, good interior package. Wow. Very well thought-out and executed. Ford knew the solution to the SUV equation when they developed the Escape and Mazda benefits.

One of the advantages of the new 2008 Mazda Tribute and the 2008 versions of the Escape and Mariner are that they have more differentiation than they have ever had before. You can actually tell which is a Mazda, Ford or Mercury at a glance.

Not big, not small, the Tribute is a handy size. Easy to maneuver. Easy to see out of. Reasonably large rear seat and usable cargo area. All product attributes that measure up to a pleasant and affordable package. For a bit over $23,000 this Mazda Tribute is an excellent value.

Nitpicks - NVH and V6 Finesse

What are the problems? Well, there needs to be some work done on engine noise and road noise. Not insurmountable problems. The venerable 3.0L V6 engine pleasant around town but thrashy when pushed. I'd love to drive a Tribute with Ford's new 3.5L V6, but that's not in the cards.

No Passion? But Would Make a Great Car for a Young Driver

What did the office say? Of course, folks around the AutoPacific and VehicleVoice offices have strong opinions about vehicles like the Tribute. One gray hair contended that when describing all the virtues of the Tribute the one word that was not mentioned was "passion" or and other word "enthusiasm". True enough, but the Tribute, overall can be a very persuasive package without being headturning or making your blood run hot.

Others in the office observed that the Tribute would make a great vehicle for a teenager just out of high school and going off to college. The Tribute has enough room for the driver and a few friends plus the cargo room to carry their stuff. In fact, my high school buddy Bill Spiers in Metarie, Louisiana just bought one for his youngest daughter as a graduation present. She was pleased to say the least.

Also, as Bill learned, the Tribute can be found with tremendous discounts that make buying a Mazda a much better deal than a Honda CR-V or a Toyota RAV4.

Posted by George Peterson at 12:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

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Montego Gets A New Engine, A New Look, and An Old Name
Having decided that they cannot afford to give up the equity of the Taurus and Sable names, with the 2008MY facelift, these names return (click here for our comments on Ford's name changes, as the Five Hundred gets renamed Taurus and Freestyle the Taurus X). Ford presented these changes at the 2007 Chicago auto show complete with all the statistics backing up the fact the customers don't know what Montego is, but they know Sable. To the tune of three times as many consumers recognizing the Sable brand as the Montego brand. At least the name, as this new Sable is nothing like the first twenty years of Sable. In summer 2007, the Sable returns to dealers, and Mercury will have to find another excuse if sales don't pick up.

What the statistics don't do is explain why a consumer coming into a Mercury dealer looking for a Sable would not be convinced to buy a Montego or Milan. If Montego sales have been disappointing to Ford, a name change is not the magic wand to fix the problem. Mercury stands a good chance of selling more Sables than Montegos more because of the product changes that come along for the 2008MY than the name game.

The biggest shortcoming of the Montego was its weak powertrain, which was more bland than its styling. In fact, the 2006 Montego won AutoPacific's first Ideal Vehicle Award by virtue of its great package and ergonomics. With the 2008MY Sable, a 260HP 3.5L DOHC 24v V6 replaces the launch 3.0L V6, gets a six-speed automatic transmission, and delivers this extra power without a decrease in fuel economy. There is an exterior and interior update to go with the name and powertrain changes. Suspension setup doesn't change, but was revised and retuned, and there is a new power steering system with an intelligent electric pump. All-wheel drive is still offered, but is a new system now that the CVT is gone.

The new front fascia and headlights takes cues from Mariner and Mountaineer, successfully dressing up the Sable. Taillights and rear fascia are also revised, and there's more chrome to be found. Overall, the exterior changes give the Sable more sophistication than the Montego carried, and the updates to the Sable are the most successful and attractive of the three new models (Taurus and Taurus X also received similar updates). We also notice that Mercury the Sable name in more places and more prominently on this new version than they did Montego badges on that car; Sable is on the rear decklid and both sides of the car. The Montego wore its name only on the rear. That alone will make it easier for consumers to know what they are looking at.

Inside, changes include a revised sound package for much-improved NVH. The options list expands to include Ford's new voice-activated hands-free in-car communications system, Sync, developed with Microsoft and a standard auxiliary input jack. The Sable also gets optional two-tone interior with contrast stitching, taking a page from the Milan and Fusion's interior schemes.

The updates to this vehicle promise a more competitive vehicle, with a more interesting exterior look and a powertrain that competes in today's market. At the end of the day, Sable's success will be all about the product, just as Montego's weak sales were all about the product. A good name won't sell a bad product just as much as a bad name won't slow sales of a great product.

Posted by Stephanie Brinley at 05:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Which cars and trucks are planted to the dealer's floor? In other words, which vehicles take the longest to sell? Who cars? Why does it matter, anyway?

Well, while it may not seem that important to you, it's critically important to the industry s a whole... from the manufacturese, component suppliers, dealers and quite a few financial institutions. First, if you know the time it takes to sell a vehicle, you know how much it is dragging on the dealer's floorplanning costs. Floorplanning is the term for the amount it costs the dealer to finance the a vehicle in inventory waiting to be sold. If a vehicle has been hanging around for weeks, he'll be more likely to deal aggressively to get rid of it. Also, vehicles that have high days supply may be less popular. From that perspective, they may be the ones you want to stay away from.

Continue reading "Stuck to the Dealer's Floor - Inventory Numbers Tell the Story" »

Posted by George Peterson at 02:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Mercury Introduced 2008 Mariner in Miami
Mercury surprised those at the 2006 South Florida International Auto Show in Miami with a reveal of their 2008 Mariner. Both the Mercury Mariner and the Ford Escape on which it is based are being updated for the 2008 model year, with sales scheduled for early in 2007. Reviewing the first pictures and information reveals a sharper and more distinctive look, but the carryover powertrain lineup is not going to help Mercury win over any buyers. Along with the show reveal, Mercury launched a site where consumers can sign up to get more information on the new Mariner.

Mariner gets all new sheetmetal and a significant update to the interior. The new SUV stays about the same size and keeps its traditional shape, losing the lower body cladding to help with a more grown-up look. The new face, with a larger and more substantial waterfall grille, helps the Mariner look taller, stronger, and more purposeful than the outgoing version. Detail touches include a Mercury badge integrated into the housing of new headlights, which now wear chrome eyebrows. Though keeping the more traditional SUV proportions, Mariner is still a front-drive-based, unit-body transverse-engine "car-based" SUV.

Continue reading "2008 Mercury Mariner" »

Posted by Stephanie Brinley at 11:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

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AutoPacific Take on Mercury Mariner Win - Mercury Mariner Hybrid wins the Small Crossover vehicle Motorist’s Choice Award®. Owner ratings for its image and size strongly contribute to its class-leading performance. Additionally, owner ratings for Mariner’s braking and handling reinforce its feeling of safety while driving.

IntelliChoice Analysis – Our first and only Hybird in the inaugural Motorist’s Choice award program, the Mariner blends many of the attributes other manufacturer’s envy. With an amazing estimated 5 year Cost of Ownership a stunning $7000 less than competitive vehicles in it’s class, the Mariner is a true star in the Mercury stable.

Posted by Keagan Patrick at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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INTELLICHOICE.COM AND AUTOPACIFIC TEAM UP TO ANNOUNCE FIRST ANNUAL MOTORIST’S CHOICE AWARDS

- Awards Recognize Vehicles with Highest Driver Satisfaction and Lowest Cost of Ownership -

- Infiniti QX56 Wins Highest Rating Among All Classes/Vehicle Models -

AutoPacific, the industry source for automotive owner satisfaction ratings and IntelliChoice.com, the online source for automotive ownership cost and value analysis, today announced the results of the newly established Motorist’s Choice Awards for the 2006 vehicle model year.

IntelliChoice.com and AutoPacific created the Motorist’s Choice Awards to determine the vehicles that delivered both the highest satisfaction and lowest cost of ownership. The collaboration between the two respected firms, who have each been authorities on the U.S. car market for the last 20 years, takes selected owner satisfaction data from AutoPacific’s surveys of new car and light truck buyers and combines it with IntelliChoice.com’s rating methodology to create a new measurement that speaks to both the hearts and minds of car buyers.

“While the economic analysis of car ownership remains very important—it can save or cost you thousands of dollars over the life of the vehicle—it is also important to recognize owner satisfaction as another significant influencer in vehicle purchases,” said James Bell, publisher of IntelliChoice.com. “These are the two key benchmarks we think car buyers should be most attuned to.”

“Ratings of owners’ satisfaction with their new car and truck illustrates how well the vehicle is satisfying the emotional and practical needs of the driver. Satisfaction is more than simply how well a product is screwed together and there are many more dimensions to the equation. Combining AutoPacific’s satisfaction results with the value analysis from IntelliChoice provides the car buyer with an outstanding benchmark to use when selecting a new vehicle,” said George Peterson, President of AutoPacific.

WINNERS

For the inaugural awards, IntelliChoice.com and AutoPacific identified 29 winning models by segment and class. The top-ranked vehicles in their respective categories are:

o Cars: Lexus LS430
o Trucks: Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 (2WD)
o SUV/Crossover: Infiniti QX56
o Minivans/Wagons: Audi A6 4.2 Quattro

In terms of overall rankings, the Infiniti QX56 SUV scored highest in both driver satisfaction and lowest cost of ownership, followed closely by the Lexus LS430 sedan.

Continue reading "Motorist's Choice Awards - a New Benchmark Rating Automotive Excellence" »

Posted by George Peterson at 04:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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The all-new Mercury Milan is a clear winner among Mid-Size Car competition. Milan, the Ideal Mid-Size Car, achieves its category leading performance with near ideal ratings for exterior size, interior storage, power and acceleration, right down to the ideal size of the wheels and tires. *The Mercury Milan also topped its category in AutoPacific’s 2006 Vehicle Satisfaction Awards.

The Milan is a suburban cruiser and commuter car. Not a sport sedan, Milan is best suited for tooling around town in quiet comfort. Milan shows good attention to detail especially in package-related areas like ingress/egress, ergonomics and visibility. While Milan's owners give its powertrain near ideal ratings, I'd love to drive one with the 50 extra horsepower the 2007 Lincoln MKZ (nee Lincoln Zephyr) is going to get from its new 3.5L V6 engine.

Posted by Keagan Patrick at 12:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

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Wow! What a showing in AutoPacific's inaugural Ideal Vehicle Awards! The 2006 Mercury Montego is thte top ranked vehicle, top ranked car and top ranked Large Car/Luxury Car. In addition to Montego's top place finish, Ford Motor Company swept the first three places in the awards with the Ford Crown Victoria finishing second and the Ford Five Hundred finishing third. Since all three are in the same product category, only top-rated Montego could win its category award.

Introduced in 2005 as Mercury’s version of the Ford Five Hundred, the 2006 Mercury Montego wins the Ideal Large Car/Luxury Car. Montego owners did not want to change much about their Montego. Owners of the Mercury Montego rated their cargo space and how easily they could get in and out as near ideal. These are attributes big car owners value. The Mercury Montego is the highest ranked individual vehicle with a score of 967 out of 1100, proving that Mercury understands the Montego’s priorities and preferences.

Posted by Keagan Patrick at 12:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

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An “ideal” is defined as an excellent or perfect example. In the first Ideal Vehicle Awards, announced today by automotive research and consulting firm AutoPacific, owners rate their new 2006 model year cars and trucks by how closely they come to their ideal. The cars or trucks that owners would change the least are the most ideal.

Those carmakers that best understand their customers and create the vehicle their core buyer group desires has come closest to the ideal.

The top-rated vehicle and top-rated car is the Mercury Montego in the Large Car/Luxury Car category. In fact, Ford Motor Company sweeps the first three positions overall with the Ford Crown Victoria and Ford Five Hundred in second and third place. The top-rated truck is the Honda Odyssey Minivan.

The top-rated brand overall is Hyundai out-pointing Mercury and Lincoln for the most ideal vehicle honors.

Ford Motor Company and American Honda have three segment winners apiece. BMW and Hyundai have two each.

Of the sixteen Ideal Vehicle Award (IVA) categories, Japanese brands have seven segment winners, American brands have four, European brands have three and Korean brands have two winners.

The top-rated product segment is Large Car/Luxury Car confirming that Americans continue to value large, comfortable cars suitable for suburban and highway cruising.

Top-rated 2006 Ideal Vehicle brand: Hyundai
Top-rated 2006 Ideal Product Segment: Large Car/Luxury Car

Top rated 2006 Ideal Vehicles by segment:

PASSENGER CARS:
Premium Luxury Car: Lexus LS
Entry Luxury Car: BMW 3-Series
Large Car/Luxury Car: Mercury Montego
Premium Mid-Size Car: Hyundai Sonata
Mid-Size Car: Mercury Milan
Image Compact Car: Toyota Prius
Compact Car: Ford Focus
Sports Car: Porsche 911
Sporty Car: Acura RSX

SUT, SUV, and MINIVAN:
Sport Utility Truck: Honda Ridgeline
Luxury Sport Utility: BMW X5
Large Sport Utility: GMC Yukon
Premium Mid-Size Sport Utility: Nissan Murano
Mid-Size Sport Utility: Hyundai Santa Fe
Compact Sport Utility: Subaru Forester
Minivan: Honda Odyssey

In addition to identifying segment winners, IVA also establishes numerical ideal vehicle ratings for virtually every passenger car and light truck (except pickups) in the United States market. This results from calculating owner input across 11 specific areas related to a vehicle's exterior size, passenger roominess, cargo space, driver’s seat comfort, drivers seat visibility, interior technology, power, ease of getting in and out, interior storage compartments and tires and wheels. The 2006 ratings reflect input from buyers and lessees of new vehicles acquired September 2005 through January 2006. Pickup trucks are not incorporated because of numerous body styles included within each pickup line.

Posted by George Peterson at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

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The AutoPacific 2006 Vehicle Satisfaction Awards honor products in nineteen categories or segments. Nine categories are cars and ten are trucks.

Overwhelming Win by Japanese Brands in Satisfaction by Vehicle Type

Overall, owners of Japanese brand vehicles rate their cars or trucks at the top of their category in ten of the nineteen categories. Owners of European brand vehicles rated their vehicle tops in two categories - Volkwagen Passat in the Premium Mid-Size Car Category and the MINI Cooper in the Image Compact Car class. The American Big Three had five wins... Lincoln Navigator won it all with the highest rating of any vehicle - car or truck; Cadillac CTS, Mercury Milan, Chevrolet Corvette, Chevrolet Silverado Heavy Duty. OK, that leaves two winners unaccounted for... those are from Hyundai.

The Hyundai Azera is the top rated car, even beating top class luxury cars like the Lexus LS430, jaguar XJ, BMW 7-Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class. The Hyundai Santa Fe is the top rated Mid-Size SUV for the fifth time in its six year history... this win comes just months before it is replaced by an all new Santa Fe to be produced in America.

So...

Japanese Brands - 10 with Suzuki having its first ever win
American Brands - 5 with Chrysler Group having zero wins
European Brands - 2
Korean Brands - 2

Check http://blog.vehiclevoice.com for the complete listings.

Posted by George Peterson at 05:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

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The all-new Mercury Milan is a clear winner among Mid-Size competition in the AutoPacific 2006 Vehicle Satisfaction Awards. Combining excellent style, good size and roominess, sporty ride and handling, the Milan provides its owners with a very satisfying experience. Proving the excellence of the Ford CD vehicles - Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr - all did very well in their segments.

Posted by Keagan Patrick at 05:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

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Motorweek, the PBS-oriented car show, announced the winners of its 2006 Driver's Choice Awards at the 2006 Chicago Auto Show. It will be interesting to see how these winners correspond to the owner awards from VehicleVoice and AutoPacific. The surveys for the annual AutoPacific Vehicle Satisfaction Award are in the field during the 1st Quarter 2006 and winners will be announced in early May.

Their winners include:

Best of the Year: Honda Civic

Best Small Car: Honda Civic

Best Family Sedan: Hyundai Sonata

Best Minivan: Honda Odyssey

Best Convertible: Pontiac Solstice

Best Luxury Sedan: Infiniti M-Series

Best Sports Sedan: BMW 3-Series

Best Performance Car: Ford Mustang

Best Small Sport Utility Vehicle: Toyota RAV4 (guess they didn't measure it... Mid-Size SUV now)

Best Family Sport Utility Vehicle: Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer

Best Pickup Truck: Ford F-150

Best Eco-Friendly: Toyota Highlander Hybrid

Best Dream Machine: Chevrolet Corvette ZO6, Dodge Viper SRT10 Coupe, Ferrari F430

Special Category: Most Jane Car: BMW 3-Series

Posted by George Peterson at 11:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Ford Crown Vic/Mercury Grand Marquis/Lincoln Town Car

I recently had the opportunity to drive a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. Haven't driven one for years, but that is the car Hertz allocated to me. I drove it for several hundred miles on rough Canadian winter roads. When asked upon return "Any problems with the car?" I had to say "No. It is just fine". And that's the truth - sort of.

It was big enough, powerful enough (never went wide open throttle), comfortable even over rough roads, quiet, no buzzes, squeaks or rattles even after 15,000 hard rental-service miles. The radio played music and the news. Doors opened and closed. Windows went up and down. Good heater. No complaints.

Continue reading "Ford Panther Platform - Why Good Enough Isn't" »

Posted by Jim Hossack at 12:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

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The National Insurance Institute of Highway Safety announced its rankings of the ten safest 2006 model year cars on Sunday December 4, 2005. To make the ratings game easier to understand, NIIHS has developed a gold silver rating scheme. Cars receiving a GOLD rating have "Good" ratings for frontal impact, side impact and head restraints. Cars receiving a SILVER rating have "Good" ratings for frontal impact and side impacts, "Acceptable" for head restraints.

One of the key objectives for this new combined rating scheme is to push manufacturers in a subtle way towards stronger performances in all aspects of the rating game.

The winners are:

GOLD

Large Cars: Ford Five Hundred, Mercury Montego
Mid-Size Cars: Saab 9-3, Subaru Legacy
Small Car: Honda Civic 4-door

SILVER

Large Cars: Audi A6
Mid-Size Cars: Audi A3, Audi A4, Chevrolet Malibu with side airbags, Volkswagen Jetta, Volkswagen Passat

Continue reading "NIIHS Announces Safety Winners" »

Posted by George Peterson at 12:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

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Fusion Hot Out of the Blocks

Fusion is Ford's new mid-size sedan and is a very respectable piece of work. It has distinctive styling, a good sized interior and a large trunk. This combination puts Fusion in the hunt to attract buyers of mid-size cars that have been unable to consider a Ford since the demise of the easily forgotten Ford Contour (and who can't forget its predecessor - the Tempo). For the first time in years, Ford has a competitive mid-size entry worthy of consideration. The first full month of sales for the Ford Fusion was October, 2005. Fusion, right out of the blocks, looks like a surprise winner with slightly over 4,000 units sold.

In a departure from conventional mid-size car marketing, Ford says they are not going after buyers who would consider the high volume Japanese entries like Toyota Camry, Honda Accord and Nissan Altima. Instead, they think they can have a pretty healthy business selling to Mustang owners who are moving into a mid-size sedan after their fling with the most popular sporty coupe on the planet.

Continue reading "Ford Fusion Surprises?" »

Posted by George Peterson at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

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