Automotive Reviews
Posts tagged Ford
2005 Ford F-350 Super Duty Crew Cab
Jan 8th
Not many people have a use for a piece of equipment as serious as one of Ford’s Super Duty pickup trucks. That doesn’t stop plenty of people who don’t need ‘em from buying them, of course, but that’s between them and their credit cards. For the Super Duty’s many loyal, hard-working customers, Ford has introduced a round of revisions and updates that should keep the Super Duty on top of the best-seller list.
Before we noticed the new design and refinements to our test truck, however, we noticed the color. This just might be one of the most overwhelmingly yellow vehicles ever built. The hue is called “Screaming Yellow,” to be specific. Unfortunately you can’t get this cool color unless you’re in Texas, Colorado or California; it’s part of the special “Amarillo” edition, of which just 1500 will be built. Luckily, the rest of the new Super Duty’s good points are available to all. More >
2005 Ford Mustang GT
Dec 31st
The Mustang turned 40 in 2004, and for its birthday Ford has given it the ultimate present: a complete makeover. This long-overdue update of Ford’s pony car remains, if anything, truer than ever to the Mustang’s roots. The ancient chassis has been updated at long last; it’s still a rear-wheel drive car with a solid axle at the rear, but it’s been refined. And check out that face! With equal doses of modern and retro, the 2005 Ford Mustang is making a huge impression on buyers young and old.
The round lights, forward-thrust grille, blocky fender flares and three-element taillights are instantly recognizable. Ford’s designers took plenty of inspiration from the Mustang’s muscle-car heyday, and the new car has hints of just about every generation of Mustangs past. Even though the silhouette is a blast from the past, though, the Mustang’s smooth, powerful flanks are unmistakably a product of the modern era. It’s retro without being contrived. The Mustang wears its sheet metal with a chiseled flair (and bulging fender flares, too) that’s got one foot in the present and one firmly rooted in the Mustang’s illustrious past. This car drips attitude. Out back, the three-element taillights even flank a round chrome badge that’s reminiscent of the gas cap from a ’67 Mustang. Fastback coupe and convertible body styles are available; we like the looks of the coupe best, but ragtop aficionados will be glad to hear that the convertible is just as rigid as the hardtop. More >
2005 Ford Ranger Edge Tremor
Dec 8th
Consider the case of the Ford Ranger. It’s old. It’s outdated. Every other compact pickup truck on the market has grown larger, more powerful, and more refined in recent years, and some of them have gone through an entire generation or two since the last significant update to the Ranger in 1993 or so. And yet every time we slip behind the wheel of a Ranger, we’re struck by the just-rightness of it. Has Ford really been neglecting its compact truck for the past decade, or have they chosen not to mess with a good thing?
Ranger STX pictured.
For 2005, another round of evolutionary changes includes skid plates for 4×4 models and new 15″ and 16″ wheels. That’s it? Yup. The compact pickup market has softened in recent years, eaten up by SUVs and increasingly people-friendly full-size trucks, and the Ranger still manages to outsell its competitors. It’s been the best-selling compact pickup for seventeen years, so clearly Ford’s done something right. More >