Nickname: Zed

Review: Ford has a lot of potential. If they could figure out how to leverage the sports car sprit of Mazda with the perceived safety of Volvo and mate that with powertrain combos of GM, then they could have a winner. As it stands, they can't. It's too bad.

Date reviewed: Sep 7, 2006 3:43 AM

Nickname: TheBigGuy1

Review: A lot of comments and truths here, and here is my opinion: Ford has lost its direction. CEO Ford admitted as much by stating that they left products "on the vine" to wither and die. They neglected their car lines and now are paying the price. Lincoln, once a grand marque is now on the critical list, and this, in particular, is a tragedy. For instance, they have diluted and made redundant the "Mark" name. The pinnacle of the Lincoln line and they bastardized it down to every car line. This was a stupid move, as dumb as eliminating the "Continental" name. Who is making these decisions? Ford, I wish you luck.

Date reviewed: Sep 3, 2006 8:06 AM

Nickname: Chuck Sorensen

Review: Return to your roots -- make the Focus look like a 1940 Ford woodie, make a 1958 to 1960 T-bird replica, etc. You own great design patents and names; stick with them!

Date reviewed: Sep 1, 2006 9:03 PM

Nickname: Classic Lincoln

Review: "The same Ford Focus, sold in Europe, is by far a better car in every category. Ford Mondeo, a flagship sedan and a mid size best seller in Europe is a better made and engendered car than any Lincoln or Ford they sell here." The European Focus (based on a Mazda Platform) is a generation newer than the version sold in the USA. Europeans prefer smaller cars for a variety of reasons. They will pay more money for a premium small car. The European Focus costs much more than Americans would pay. The Mondeo was sold here as the Contour, and was a huge failure. By European standards, it is a midsize car. By American standards it is a compact. Again, you can't sell a premium small car in the USA unless you have a premium brand name like BMW.

Date reviewed: Aug 29, 2006 9:13 PM

Nickname: KAL

Review: Here is some food for thought: Think Toyotas are perfect? Better look again at the rash of recalls that they have had here lately. The NHTSA has launched an inquiry into the suspension on 219,522 Tundra pickup trucks that are failing. The NHTSA also is reviewing Toyota's recall of 775,000 Tundras and looking into whether the liftgates on Sienna minivans could fail. In July, Toyota recalled 800,000 vehicles, including the Prius and Lexus hybrids sold in the U.S. Another recall involved 367,594 SUVs with loose clips in the floor carpet cover that could potentially cause the accelerator pedal to stick. The vehicles involved in the recall were the Lexus RX330 and Toyota Highlander SUVs from 2004 to 2005 model years, and the Lexus RX400h hybrid and Highlander Hybrid SUVs from the 2006 model year. After the July recall, The Fitch Ratings Service warned that the worldwide recall of nearly 1 million Prius hybrids and Corollas could ultimately hurt Toyota's image.

Date reviewed: Aug 26, 2006 7:24 AM

Nickname: micweb

Review: After 5 years of buying Ford Focus ZX3's for my commuter car, I switched to the Chevy Cobalt because Ford let the Focus languish. The Cobalt is faster (bigger engine) yet gets better actual gas mileage (although Ford has improved the rated gas mileage for '07). Plus, the Cobalt comes with a nifty digitial information center and every single one comes with air-con.

Date reviewed: Aug 25, 2006 4:31 PM

Nickname: The Truth

Review: The reason some of Ford's designs are boring is that they tried to emulate Toyota for a number of years. Nissan and Chrysler have nice styling. Toyota and Honda are boring.

Date reviewed: Aug 25, 2006 5:31 AM

Nickname: The Truth

Review: I get so tired of everyone espousing their decades old opinions as though they are truth. Ford's quality is above average in the 3-year dependability study, ahead of most European and some Japanes makes. Look it up. I've had Fords for 19 years now and have visited the dealer four times--all for small items. My cars have always run well and I've never had an engine or transmission problem. My current vehicle is an Escape with 44,000 miles on it and it feels brand new, not even any squeaks. Take that Japanese and European make owners.

Date reviewed: Aug 25, 2006 5:27 AM

Nickname: sms

Review: Just purchased 2006 Ford Explorer after owning and enjoying a 1996 Explorer. After just a few weeks of ownership of my 2006, I started having trouble getting it out of park. It has been at the dealership where I purchased it since Aug. 7, 2006, waiting for the part. Truly disgusted! Wish I would have kept my 1996. Like the features much better than the 2006. The chrome on the dash was not a bright idea when the sun is shining, among other things.

Date reviewed: Aug 24, 2006 11:57 PM

Nickname: Jake

Review: All the growth is in hybrids. Ford should join GM and Nissan and make the world's best hybrids. Plus, Ford doesn't need a gizillion cars. A solid small car, a sedan, an SUV, and a sports car are all that it takes. Add the hybrid option, reliability, and a good design and your done.

Date reviewed: Aug 24, 2006 10:47 PM