If you took full control of Ford...

"AM" (ap18961) 04/18/2015 at 14:47 • Filed to: None

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...what would you do?

I’d personally redo the interiors in the entire lineup to completely shit on GM/Chrysler. Next, I’d probably throw the 2.3 or 2.7 EB into the Fusion. Then I’d scrap the V6 in the Mustang and have the 2.3 as base engine (no extra costs like right now) and have 3.5 EB to fill that middle gap between 2.3 and 5.0.

Then I’d probably sell Lincoln because they’re too incompetent to do anything but rebadge and small upgrades.

nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul > AM 04/18/2015 at 14:49

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Ooh ooh and when you redo the interiors you can have commercials of people doing a blind review and see if they say things like “this must be a bmw or Lexus”

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > AM 04/18/2015 at 14:49

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Okay, not really, but your first line was a hanging curveball for the Office Space joke, so...

Axial > AM 04/18/2015 at 14:50

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Ford’s top-trim interiors have absolutely nothing on GM’s. Even at the low end, GM typically has the edge.

What I would do if I were in control of Ford is, first, authorize a limited run of Ford GTs with the Voodoo V8.

Then, I would invest in some RWD-AWD platforms for Lincoln. Lincoln needs attention, and it isn’t getting it. It’s Ford that’s killing Lincoln, not Lincoln.

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > AM 04/18/2015 at 14:50

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Sell it to the Chinese :)

jkm7680 > AM 04/18/2015 at 14:55

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Bring back the Crown Vic. That’s it.

aberson Bresident of the FullyAssed Committe > AM 04/18/2015 at 14:55

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HELLCAT ALL THE THINGS

yes i would buy the hellcat engine from dodge and put it in fords

mopar people be mad as fuck yo!

xxxxxx > AM 04/18/2015 at 14:56

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RS all the things

AM > Axial 04/18/2015 at 14:57

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I meant they are better than GM in a lot of other areas but they seriously fall behind many others in terms of interior. Sorry if my wording is a bit unclear.

I agree on the V8 in the GT, would be awesome!

I know Ford is killing Lincoln, we've already seen them do it once with Mercury.

dogisbadob > AM 04/18/2015 at 14:59

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First, make the dealers more like European dealers, demo models and you can order any engine you like. Then I’d lobby for the US to join the UNECE standards, which would make the 25-year shit moot.

Drop the Fiesta sedan and replace with the 2-door hatch. The ST would be available in both 2- and 4-door worldwide.

I’d sell the Focus diesel wagon over here, ST wagon, all the engines.

Make a Mondeo ST, and bring the wagon over here. The sedan would gain a rear wiper and maybe become a hatchback. On second thought, it could even wear the Taurus name over here, if not the international Mondeo name. Mondeo ST or Taurus SHO. It;d be AWD and have lots of power from a turbo-4 (sorry, transverse V6’s are stupid).

Drop the Taurass and sell the Falcon worldwide. V6, V8, diesel, sedan, LWB, wagon, and also a coupe version which could be Lincoln Mark something.

Offer the Ranger in the US.

The Mustang would have amber rear turn signals, still sequential, though, and the hazard lights would be sequential, too. It would also be available with a sunroof. Drop the V6, it’s superfluous.

Drop the Flex so they can bring the 5- and 7-seater C-Max and S-Max in gas, diesel, and of course the hybrid. (That’s why we never got them in the first place, Ford already planned on bringing them over here but chickened out at the last minute because of jealous dealers with the Flex).

If there’s too much objection to making the Mustang smaller, then make another model, perhaps with the Capri name. Something like the FRS/BRZ. Base engine would be the Focus’s 2.0L NA engine, then a 5V 200-hp version, maybe 8000 rpm, and then finally the turbo-4 from the ST/base Mustang. And of course a sunroof.

As far as Lincoln goes, make them truly special. Bring back the names. Bring back the hood ornaments. Versailles, Aviator, Town Car, Continental, Mark series coupe, Zephyr, etc. There would be a small base model Lincoln based on the Focus or Fiesta. Starting around 20k or so. Make the new Town Car actually flagship material, based off the Falcon. V6, V8, V12 options. And diesel, of course. Front bench seat would be available.

AM > nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul 04/18/2015 at 14:59

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I hate those fucking commercials. GM marketing is completely upside down and backwards.

AM > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 04/18/2015 at 15:00

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All jokes are welcome, it has been a long and boring day (still have 3 ½ hours left).

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > AM 04/18/2015 at 15:01

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Nothing.

I think out of all the automakers Ford is doing nearly everything correctly right now.

AM > xxxxxx 04/18/2015 at 15:01

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Explorer RS? I’m in if it gets the 600hp version of th 3.5 EB

mwoodski > AM 04/18/2015 at 15:01

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Keep the Falcon alive and bring it worldwide.

AM > dogisbadob 04/18/2015 at 15:05

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I’m thinking you should be running Ford. Have to disagree on killing the Flex, I have a weird attraction to it.

Rather than being called Capri, it could be the return of the Escort.

AM > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 04/18/2015 at 15:06

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They are doing a lot of things right but they still have some things that need to be addressed such as interiors, etc.

AM > jkm7680 04/18/2015 at 15:06

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I'm inclined to agree, even if it's police issue only.

AM > aberson Bresident of the FullyAssed Committe 04/18/2015 at 15:08

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Stuff the Hellcat engine into the new Ford GT as an option with the 3.5 EB as the base engine.

Then throw the HC engine into the Stang to piss off the Mopar guys because fuck their feelings.

jkm7680 > AM 04/18/2015 at 15:08

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Even that would be awesome.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > AM 04/18/2015 at 15:10

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So instead of saying you want to completely overhaul the entire company’s product line, you could just say that you wish Ford had better/nicer/feely-er interiors...

Apart from Lincoln, I really have no faults with any of their products.

aberson Bresident of the FullyAssed Committe > AM 04/18/2015 at 15:10

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that’s a beautiful idea.

Axial > AM 04/18/2015 at 15:14

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GM’s biggest problem is that their main brand, Chevrolet, has no identity whatsoever. Ford has one, even if it can be summed up as “EcoBoost all the things.” They’ve established their brand as forward-thinking and fun, while Chevy is just shotgunning products and seeing what sticks.

Svend > AM 04/18/2015 at 15:14

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I’d harmonise the Ford line across every market. It can’t be cost effective to have to many niche models for certain markets.

Delete the smaller saloons like the Fiesta sedan and offer a full line up of estate and hatches with saloons for the mid range and large car segment with the Focus and Mondeo.

Now the Ka is deleted in some markets. Replace it with something that you haven’t just shrunk a Fiesta down to.

Though RWD has never been a thing for me, I’d want to offer a sports range with either AWD or RWD for enthusiasts and performance sector.

AM > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 04/18/2015 at 15:16

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Basically what I want to do to the entire lineup is clean up any spots where Ford tried to cut costs. Have higher quality nterior materials, more HID/LED headlights, LED tail lights across the board, a few different engines in certain models. Also, a fix for the 3.5 EB’s fuel economy.

I’d say a brand new system to replace MFT but Sync3 looks promising.

webmonkees > AM 04/18/2015 at 15:21

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Thunderbird, Bronco, Capri, Ranchero. SVO editions across the board. Even it makes no sense. See how the market reacts.

Ford Global: certifies all Ford product for US consumption. Your choice. 4-6 week delivery.

AM > Axial 04/18/2015 at 15:24

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You’re absolutely right. Chevrolet doesn’t have any identity anywhere other than North America because they use other brands in Europe like Opel, Vauxhaull, Holden. Even here in NA they don’t have much identity left because they’re forgetting who they really are and attempting to be something they’re not (referring to the new commercials with the whole “this must be a BMW” or “Feels like a Range Rover”).

Ford has taken the smart approach by having one name internationally. Doing it this way, people across seas actually know what Ford is.

AM > Svend 04/18/2015 at 15:28

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You see the thing with offering more Hatches and Estates is that Americans don’t really buy them. Other than the Fiesta/Focus, I don't see Amercians buying things like the Mondeo estate. Especially right now since Crossovers are the new trend; even sedans don’t sell as much as they used to.

AM > webmonkees 04/18/2015 at 15:29

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You know what, I like you and I like your idea.

Matthew Phillips > AM 04/18/2015 at 15:33

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Kill the Platinum trim and rename it Mercury along with trim related Badging, custom grille options and special colors.

All Lincolns will be offered with only the top of the line and premium engine options from Ford, the Continental would be offered in three trim levels S, LS, and Executive. A new Town car based off of the Mustang and continental chassis will be made to compete with the Pullman.

Ford will pull the Taurus a tad down market and point it at the Customers for the Charger, and point the Mercury at the Lexus customers.

The Navigator will be aluminum and will be pointed at Escalade and Range Rover customers, will have two body lengths and an interior shared with the continental. The extended length will have the second row facing the third row.

The Explorer will remain unibody, but will go the same route at the Grand Cherokee.

Mustang will continue to evolve, and will run side by side with the GT into world class territory.

Lincoln will offer a coupe to go against the Bentley... Make it personal

Lincoln will prove that you don’t meed RWD to be World class.

The Town Car will range from 95-150k and will be built to order to allow for customization. Make them limited and exclusive. RWD biased AWD with torque vectoring and the option to make it feel FWD or RWD, advance self drive tech for the long trips. Plug in hybrid tech for the entry level models and advance Diesel Hybrid tech for the upper models.

Kill the Taurus SHO and make it an ST give the SHO name to the Fusion or make an honest SRT competitor with it.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > AM 04/18/2015 at 15:38

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Ramp up the godddamn quality control in their factorys. It’s 2015, my moms Fusion should not have had to go back to the dealer to have the A and C pillar plastic realigned for gaps big enough to stick my hand in. There’s also the fraying on the leading edge of the headliner and the plastic cover thing for the sun visor mount falling off into her lap. That’s unacceptable.

Next, fix the higher horsepower EcoBoost fuel economy. They’re low compared to even their larger displacement, naturally aspirated competitors.

Offer the Fiesta 3-door and Fusion/Mondeo 5-door lift back. Offer the huge panoramic roof that the Mondeo has the option of.

Introduce the EcoSport as a small crossover competitor to go against the Juke, Trax, and Soul.

Kill the V6 Mustang, it’s pointless now.

V8 in the GT. No EcoBoost bullshit.

Invest in Lincoln so they can finally compete with Cadillac. It's what they deserve.

Svend > AM 04/18/2015 at 15:40

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Its just just about offering to the American market. Its offering an equal choice and vehicle to whether your in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Vanuatu, etc...

In the most part Mondeos don’t sell massively here in the U.K. with BMW 3-4 Series selling around equal numbers. But there is a need between the Focus and the C Max, S Max, Galaxy, etc... for a car.

AM > Svend 04/18/2015 at 15:44

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Oh I get what you're saying now, I agree !

AM > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 04/18/2015 at 15:48

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Exactly what my original point was! They need to address things like quality control and quality in general.

samssun > AM 04/18/2015 at 16:27

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Just go up an engine for the Fusion performance variants: Focus has 2.0T for ST and 2.3T for RS, Fusion should have 2.3T for ST (AWD), and 2.7TT for RS (definitely AWD). Then reignite the Mazda relationship since they have pretty cars but not a single decent engine.

Miata gets 1.6T, then 2.0T for the Mazdaspeed (maybe a 2.3 special edition, if not someone will do it). 3S gets the 2.0T, with 2.3T + AWD for the MS3. 6S gets the 2.3T + AWD, with the 2.7TT + AWD for the MS6.

JR1 > AM 04/18/2015 at 16:29

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Lincoln would be heavily invested in. High class luxury. They would get a Tesla fighter. Throughly modern and desirable. A convertible American land yacht like the days of old.

As for Ford they are on par at the moment. Nothing to change. Maybe I would add another convertible to the lineup.

AM > samssun 04/18/2015 at 16:44

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That would be just heavenly. Agree with all of your arguments.

webmonkees > AM 04/18/2015 at 21:19

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Thanks, now Ford, get on it. They’’re already there, just don’t know where it is.