Ford getting out of the car game (basically)

[NickTheGreat]

The luxury full sized pickup has replaced the sports car as the vehicle of choice for the overcompensating man. I could really stand to have one for house and landscaping projects, but they are so damn expensive. It's unbelievable how many quad cabs are cruising around with a bed cover that never comes up until they have to get the suitcase and diaper bag out during a weekend trip to grandmas.

Hey now, I hauled 2 bags of potting soil in my truck yesterday, so STFU

 

[Tailg8er]

I can fit as much stuff in the trunk of my 2012 Civic as my wife can fit in the back of her 2009 Grand Caravan (and her old 2005 CRV). Except the Civic gets mid-30s mpg combined and is easier to drive and park in Seattle traffic. The only reason we need the minivan is to haul the four kids around.

Except when you take into account removable/foldable seats...

And I can understand what your saying about being easier to park (barely)but easier to drive in traffic? Really?


**I don't own or drive a minivan, just think you're kind of understating their pros & overstating their cons here.

 

[besserheimerphat]

Except when you take into account removable/foldable seats...

And I can understand what your saying about being easier to park (barely)but easier to drive in traffic? Really?


**I don't own or drive a minivan, just think you're kind of understating their pros & overstating their cons here.

Oh trust me I LOVE our minivan and use it like a truck - last year folded down the back seat to haul 20 bags of mulch. Have used it multiple times to haul trash to the dump, including 100 - 200lb chunks of concrete from broken fence posts. We'll use it again for our annual trip from the Seattle area to Iowa.

But with all four kids in the van we can't fold down any seats. And in that case the van cargo area doesn't hold any more than my Civic's trunk. If we only had 2 kids we'd probably have one small car for me to drive and one full size sedan to take trips in.

Edited to add that no place in Iowa has "traffic." And yes, with the street parking and garages we have out here the is a major difference in accessibility between vehicles.

 

[simply1]

On this note, dodge is really needing to sell some Rams.

 

[BoxsterCy]

Saw a new Audi S5 four door "sportback" today. Got me thinking about how adding this as a four door means they offer sedans in A3, A4, A5, A6, A7 and A8 plus the souped up S or RS versions of some. That's a whole lot of sedan options. Maybe too many since the A5 is really the same size as the A4, just cooler looking.

 

[AgronAlum]

Saw a new Audi S5 four door "sportback" today. Got me thinking about how adding this as a four door means they offer sedans in A3, A4, A5, A6, A7 and A8 plus the souped up S or RS versions of some. That's a whole lot of sedan options. Maybe too many since the A5 is really the same size as the A4, just cooler looking.

I saw an R8 driving around town a few days ago.

 

[cc1091]

This is nuts. I understand that Ford and all the other car manufacturers have an issue with producing cars vs Trucks. But when I drive down those streets where families have all their vehicles parked (because they have no driveways), I see a split: Half cars, half trucks, SUVs and Minivans. There is still a market for a car with reasonable seating for four and modest trunk capacity. Ford may want to investigate melding a few of their small offerings into ONE 'bulletproof' design that gets good gas mileage and doesn't cost an arm and a leg. I don't think the Mustang and the "Focus Active" qualify. All of Ford's recent attempts to build a 'World Car' has met with heads shaking in disapproval in North America. You would think that one of the lessons learned from these attempts would be, 'Don't bet the whole company on this concept.'