Comments on: Ford Britain’s “most trusted” automaker

By: 1487_GM_SALES

1487_GM_SALES — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 16:51:13 +0000

And in America, General Motors is the most trusted brand. That is why Britain relies on the US to make the decisions for them.

Funny, this article makes no sense. When I visited the UK, Fords were nowhere to be seen. In London, every other car is an Opel, a Vauxhaul, Saab or HUMMER. What this article fails to mention is HUMMER is an icon to the Brits, it is a dream ride for people living there. And those who can’t afford the luxury of owning one, go for a General Motors sedan or compact to keep them happy. Ford is just another rental car like BMW, Mercedes and Volkswagon.

By: kayne001

kayne001 — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 04:50:34 +0000

I like Ford, they aren’t a totally bad company. (talking about overall)

By: MC

MC — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 04:26:39 +0000

You see thats why Britain is smarter than the USA. lol

By: Hal

Hal — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 16:41:52 +0000

Why would I care what Reader’s Digest subscribers think?
I’m guessing the average age is somewhere north of 65.

By: Chris2021

Chris2021 — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 03:06:10 +0000

Wait i can get the Focus ST in mexico?!?! i should go over the boarder right now!

By: deutschetouring1337

deutschetouring1337 — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 00:18:37 +0000

The Euro Focus ST is based on the C1 platform (Volvo has diff names and Mazda uses C1 as well I think) which was developed by Volvo and jointly distro’d to Mazda/Ford. The SVT Focus was based off the Ford Focus RS but made in Mexico whereas the RS was built in England. I doubt Ford NA really wants to spend the money to retool right now.

As for Mexico getting the Euro ST, Mexico is another country which buys small hatchback vehicles like England. I mean comeon Mexico got the Audi S3 for godsakes?!?!? what did we get nothing, finally 8 yrs later we get the A3 chassis on US soil but no S3 go figure.

By: Chris2021

Chris2021 — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 00:12:57 +0000

What ford should do is make mercury the mid range luxury/performance division it really was. Starting with a mustang, or other RWD platform based cougar. They should also bring back the maurader

By: young insight

young insight — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 23:57:35 +0000

I’m hoping someone can answer this: Ford wont bring the European focus here because its “too expensive” but the European focus is for sale in Mexico literally next door, why is that?

also, since Ford must be a “invented here” brand, then why not give mercury european fords? i think that would work great, a mercury mondeo, etc..

By: Chris2021

Chris2021 — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 23:23:43 +0000

RSPINAJR- I would have been an ok car but my 4 speed auto tranny was mashed and i did 60 in about 30 seconds. I also topped out at 75 and if i went faster than 50 for more than 1min with overdrive on it would die on me. Otherwise good car.

Also. SVT focus is trash compared to the current ST, ST is amazing wish we had it here.

By: wobbs

wobbs — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 21:29:33 +0000

sorry lads but people over here are moving away from blands ville fords – over to toyota and mazda honda (ffs) ( yes i know ford own them and volvo etc ) – the mondeo is long in the tooth and the larges segment of drivers are fleet drivers, the other manafactures in the uk have really sharpened their pencil over the last several years and case in point the toyota avensis i have just ordered is streets ahead -go look at the new 2007 mondeo on the ford web site -your heart will sink a real let down, – what it will be to drive i cant comment on though but looks are a million miles away from the kinetic expression ( looks like a bigger version of the focus boot version ) are they sure that was the same car at the start of the bond movie
on another note the reason we drive small cars in the uk is in part down to fuel cost – even with our larger gallon woudl you lot over the pond be happy with $8 – 10 bucks a gallon

The majority of familys couldnt afford to run your beast ( and some are very very nice ) , on the price we pay here, your motors would take up 2 lanes on our dainty little roads – we call them motorways overhere, and the garages everyone shoves$ 70 bucks worth of crap into wont accomodate most of our cars.

be careful what you wish for you might just get it – do they have toyota avensis in the us btw ??

I wince at getting under 45 mpg in my 2.2 ltr oil burner, the uk tax man would love us all to drive cars with comparible us engines – bend over uk tax payer ( i dont have my vasoline either are the word running through my head )

By: RSPINAJR

RSPINAJR — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 19:11:46 +0000

hey deutschtouring – I really hope you are not trying to tell everyone that the Focus ST is the euro Focus platform – it is definately not. The ST was built to try to replace the SVT Focus in the lineup and its not even close

By: deutschetouring1337

deutschetouring1337 — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 18:57:54 +0000

The Euro Focus chassis is the same but the Focus ST has a stiffer suspension setup than the S40/Mazda3. The Focus ST designer had the car setup to run the Nurburgring, unlike Volvo who has softer springs and valved dampers for comfort. And for the Ozzies they have some awesome rwd platforms i totally agree. I had a SVT countour before my A4’s and loved it.

By: Ricardo Head

Ricardo Head — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 18:33:59 +0000

The old Contour was a Ford USA bastardization of what was a very good Mondeo being offered in Europe. Contour looked different, felt different, and was different. The euro Mondeo at the time was a great car – the Contour looked like an inflated Escort or something.
.
I like Ford. Ford needs to bring the new Euro Mondeo here in tact. Build it here to save some bucks, but DON’T CHANGE THE DESIGN or fit, finish, and feel. Offer an assortment of cool engines, slot it in above the Fusion (while killing the 500). The Bring the euro Focuses new mechanicals into the new USA Focus, let Mazda have its 6 while the Fusion dies in 2010, and crank up a badass new Crown Vic on the aussie RWD platform. That gives you highly competitive small, medium, and large offerings, then kill Mercury and work on some seriously competive (i.e. not-badge-engineered) Lincolns, and Ford will rock the USA auto market like it once did with a Model T and a Model A.
.
Problem with Ford USA is there are to many entrenched depts trying to justify their existence by discounting the “not-invented-here” product. Someone needs to show these depts the door.

By: RSPINAJR

RSPINAJR — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 18:31:00 +0000

Lets not forget – the Euro only Focus is already here in the form of the Mazda3 and the Volvo S40 Say what you want about the Volvo but I dont think I’ve heard a bad review of the Mazda yet. And the Mazdaspeed3 is no doubt the best in its class

By: Shawn1982

Shawn1982 — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 18:27:27 +0000

I can see that. I always see those Ford police cars and focuses. It’s easier in Europe though I think. They like those smaller cars over there like the focus.

By: RSPINAJR

RSPINAJR — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 18:26:18 +0000

Chris2021 – My first car ever was a 95 Mystique LS with the 2.5 DOHC Duratec V6 – That car was Great!

Mulally has plans to bring the European cars here we just have to wait

By: MrTreize

MrTreize — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 18:22:22 +0000

I wonder why in their own country nobody wants a ford and in the European market they sell like hotcakes… Oh yeah, because in Europe they offer better designs, better and more efficient engine designs, and to think, the lineup in europe is not SUV heavy like it is here in the US.

By: Chris2021

Chris2021 — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 17:12:04 +0000

We did have the Mondeo, the Contour/Mercury Mystique. Ive owned 2 of them including the SVT contour I have now. 95 Mystique GS with the I4 was my first ever car, god i hated that thing. Apart from the SVT those cars sucked but the latest 2 European models seemed to be a huge improvement.

By: Impulsive

Impulsive — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 16:54:34 +0000

“gbb”, you retarded primate … we’ll see how many think like you when gas prices continue their climb.

By: The Stig

The Stig — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 16:33:09 +0000

C’mon, Ford America would never allow superior cars from Ford Europe over here because that would conflict with Mark Fields’ idea of delivering engaging products to American consumers. Every time ‘big hair’ opens his mouth it’s an exercise is stupidity. No diesel passenger cars, no European products, blah, blah blah. Fields needs to get on that corporate jet a few more times before his privilege is revoked.

By: gbb

gbb — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 16:08:30 +0000

“oh yea Honda has a new super…….” as if anybody gives a **** what Honda has. Honda = crappy little beaters made for morons.

By: deutschetouring1337

deutschetouring1337 — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 15:40:38 +0000

oh yeah Honda has a new V8 super hush hush underwraps directinjection/vvt/vtec smaller displacement with a “rumoured” 38mpg non hybrid. And VAG is headed for trouble…

By: deutschetouring1337

deutschetouring1337 — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 15:34:06 +0000

The Company shares the name markets are completely different. Europe fairs better with smaller vehicles such as the Fiesta ST and Focus. Europe also is far more likely to buy a diesel than NA, as for the AWD Focus, the WRC car has it and a Mazda 4 cylinder turbo engine prepped by whoever was doing Peugeot/Citroens engine builds when they left wrc.

By: buenos

buenos — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 15:27:20 +0000

Agreed that Ford of Europe products are certainly more interesting than Ford NA products, but also consider what the competition is…. Peugot, Citroen, Renault, Fiat, not exactly paragons of quality and reliability.

By: JoshL

JoshL — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 15:13:32 +0000

Maybe if Ford made the Focus look like the Euro model, maybe if we had the Mondeo and all of the other top Ford cars then Ford wouldn’t be in so much trouble. Ford put themselves in this position and they will not get out of it unless they start doing things the way they do it in Europe…

By: Fletch

Fletch — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 15:13:31 +0000

Don’t they have AWD Focus over the pond also? Turbo would be nice.

By: dsmdriver84

dsmdriver84 — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 15:05:25 +0000

EXACTLY Ford europe doesnt have to deal with the bullshish they call exceptable product here…. it makes no sense that a domestic company would provide there better products in another country because it wouldnt directly compete with product from there own badge engineering

while gm is outsourcing better product to be used here (holden opal) because there domestic team is lacking ford is doing the total opposite.

they need to start with the mondeo – call it a tauraus call it what ever the f*ck they want just bring it here and start changing our perception of the brand

By: RSPINAJR

RSPINAJR — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 14:55:24 +0000

BRING THOSE EUROPEAN PRODUCTS HERE NOW!!!!! I really don’t think the british would feel the same if they had the North American product lineup.