Automotive Reviews
Posts tagged Ford
2005 Ford Freestyle
Dec 7th
Wagon fans, rejoice! The full-size station wagon is back! For that lunatic fringe of unabashed station wagon fans, the Ford Freestyle is just what we’ve been looking for. Forget the Dodge Magnum, whose butch posturing is just masking the fact that it’s a station wagon. The Freestyle is a big wagon in the Country Squire tradition, and it’s proud of it.
Well, maybe that’s overstating the case a little. After all, it’s wearing SUV-style contrasting color fender flares and tall tires instead of fake wood down the sides, and Ford calls it lots of things but never a “station wagon.” But we all know what this big boy really is, even if Ford’s afraid to admit it. The Freestyle hits the streets just in time to serve the needs of buyers who like the spaciousness of a full-size SUV but are tired of the poor handling and fuel economy common to those vehicles. The Freestyle shares underpinnings with the Ford Five Hundred sedan, as well as a 3.0 liter V6 engine, available all-wheel drive and an SUV-like high seating position. More >
2005 Ford Focus ST ZX4
Dec 7th
In general, small cars are either grown-up, like the Toyota Corolla and Kia Spectra, or they’re playful. The Volkswagen Golf, Mazda3 and Ford Focus fall solidly into the latter category. Like the Golf and Mazda3, the Focus’ mission in life is to prove that frugal and sensible don’t have to mean “no fun to drive.”
A light redesign for 2005 gives the Focus a more grown up face, but its happy-go-lucky nature has only been strengthened. The hard-core SVT Focus model has gone into the bunker with the rest of Ford’s Special Vehicle Team and is not available for ’05, but many of the SVT Focus’ go-fast goodies are available on a new mainstream model, the Focus ST. The new design also (hopefully) means that the quality control problems that surfaced on the early Focus models in 1999 are long gone. More >
2011 Ford F-250 Super Duty
Nov 23rd
Even though it’s a tremendous gas hog, there’s a certain appeal to piloting the 2011 Ford F-250 around the suburbs, far outside of its towing and hauling comfort zone. The F-250 feels like a locomotive, some kind of sheetmetal giant among the scurrying crossover SUVs and minivans, and it rumbles with a certain regal majesty that’s lacking in many cars. The F-250 is a tall, powerful and noble steed, and because of that there are people willing to pay the extra price at the pump.
The fact that this truck is also a fantastic tool for doing a wide variety of very hard jobs makes the deal that much sweeter. The F-250 and the rest of Ford’s Super Duty lineup benefit from a round of major upgrades for 2011, including all-new powertrains and a new range of work-friendly features. More >