Heads Up! The All-new Fusion From Ford

The Ford Fusion gave Ford a strong re-entry into the mid-size sedan market for the first time since the debut of the Taurus. With the overwhelming response of the Ford Fusion, it’s no wonder why Ford continues to improve upon this award winner. The Ford Fusion is a all-star in a very crowded class, bringing luxury, muscle, and Eco-friendliness to compete against foreign makers. Ford should be proud of the Fusion and sales give them something to smile about in an uncertain market.
Sandy Springs Ford can get your new Ford Fusion Atlanta or Ford Fusion Atlanta in all different option packages. The most respected of all Ford dealership Atlanta, Sandy Springs Ford can get you rolling.

The Ford Fusion is not just competing, but setting the bar, coming in as one of the top mid-size sedans on the road. Giving you one of the most premier interiors, a powerful motor, and available all-wheel drive; the Ford Fusion gives you what few others can offer.

The Ford Fusion I4 S has a 4-cylinder engine, 6-speed manual transmission, AM/FM stereo with CD player, power windows, AdvanceTrac with electronic stability control, Anti-theft system, and 16” aluminum wheels. The Ford Fusion I4 SE has the same motor and transmission as the I4 S with audio and cruise control on the steering wheel, SIRIUS satellite radio, AdvanceTrac, and seventeen-inch 5-spoke designer wheels.The Ford Fusion V6 SE has a 3.0L Duratec flex fuel V6 engine, 6-speed select shift automatic transmission, speed-sensitive wipers, and 17” five-spoke rims. The SEL varient delivers power seats and all the other features that make the Fusion great.

The features continue with the Ford Fusion V6 SEL that has a 3.0L Duratec flex fuel V6 engine, 6-speed Selectshift automatic transmission, SecuriCode keyless entry keypad, heated power side mirrors, and 17” 5-spoke machined alloy rims. The Ford Fusion Sport has a 3.5L Duratec V6 engine, Selectshift automatic transmission, side rocker moldings, a unique decklid spoiler, modified sport-tuned suspension, and 18” five-spoke alloy wheels. Rounding out the models is the Ford Fusion Hybrid that has a 2.5L Atkinson-Cycle I4 engine and electric motor, regenerative braking system, dual LCD SmartGauge cluster with EcoGuide which grows electronic leaves the more efficient you drive, and seventeen-inch fifteen-spoke aluminum wheels.

Ford Fusion has made a amazing reputation for interior comfort and fun features. Though not the largest in it’s class, the Fusion shows it’s not the size of the dog in the fight that counts. The Ford Fusion has more than ample storage space and two adults fit comfortably in the back seat.

The Ford Fusion continues to outsell the competition and Ford has no plans of slowing down any time soon.

Ford’s European Van, The Transit Connect

Shopping for a buyers can be sure Russell & Smith Honda dealer Houston has the most vast inventory Houston car dealership home for new Ford Transit Connect Houston TX and used Ford Transit Connect Houston Texas. Theirselection of barely used is the best among used cars from the Houston car dealer.

Business owners should be ecstatic and cheering the release of the 2010 Ford Transit Connect. Gone are the days that small business owners have to drive unattractive, boxy cargo vans that carry negative connotations. The 2010 Ford Transit Connect has a businesslike and personable look, with its tall and slender shape your can easily drive though busy downtown streets. Add in lower cargo decks for easy loading and unloading and you see how amazing the Transit Connect is. All of these great features are bundled into a great work van and available with a affordable sticker price.

The 2010 Ford Transit Connect is available in either a Van or a Wagon model, which means you can either have a 2nd row seat or not. The XL package has gray plastic bumpers, air-conditioning, fifteen-inch steel wheels, two speaker stereo with auxiliary jack, and cloth fabric. In the wagon XL you will get all the standard features plus a 2-person bench seat. The XLT features full power accessories, cargo area, CD player, and cruise control. The wagon XLT has a folding three-passenger second-row bench seat. There are several selections for fleet owners such as a touchscreen display, Garmin navigation system and a wireless mouse and keyboard.

The security features continue with the Transit Connect. To know the location of your tools and staff you can choose the Crew Chief vehicle tracking device or the Tool Link by DeWalt. Your concerns wilt away with the 2010 Transit Connect because the corporation owner was thought of in every intersection of its design.

The Transit Connect was designed from the ground up with the business owners needs in mind. This van is effortless to maneuver on busy roads, and on the open highway. The Transit Connects biggest pitfall is its inability to tow heavy cargo. Smart owners obtain the 2010 Ford Transit Connect for all their production needs.

 

Don't Miss Out On The Used Ford Fiesta Bargains

Whilst all the fuss surrounding the brand new Ford Fiesta is going on, the savvy and economically minded amongst us have spotted the ideal opportunity to bag ourselves a recession-busting bargain. Anybody who is considering buying a Ford Fiesta in the not-too-distant future is automatically going to hone in on the brand new model. These people are missing out on one of the greatest money-saving bargains available on the car market, but it’s certainly not one that I am going to turn my nose up at.

Now that the entire population are clamouring over themselves to get hold of the new Fiesta, you will find a whole host of the previous model at unbelievable discounts, especially if they are ex-demo or nearly new. The 04-08 model Fiestas are going to have trouble shifting off the forecourts with the brand new model available, so the dealerships are going to start slashing prices like they were in some kind of low-budget 70’s zombie film.

This bodes extremely well if you want a Ford Fiesta, but aren’t overly bothered about constantly being on the cusp of fashion. As a man comfortable in a wooly jumper and denim, I firmly fit into this category.

The previous Fiesta was an absolute triumph of form and function that looked and performed exactly like a scaled down Ford Focus. With a wealth of engines and trims available, there is bound to be a used Ford Fiesta to suit everyone’s tastes. The only minor drawback is finding out which bargains are available at which dealerships? That, my chums, is where the treasure hunt begins.

After routing around the web briefly, I found a huge amount of nearly new Ford Fiestas with discounts that almost made my hat fall off. For around £5,000 you can get a 2 year old Fiesta Zetec 1.4litre, with less than 14,000 miles on the clock. Just a matter of months ago this very model would have been worth almost double that!

If you’re looking for a vehicle to just get you from A to B of a weekend, how about a 1.25Litre Zetec Climate, with less than 14,000 miles on the clock for less than £5,000? The deals you can take advantage of if you look in the right places are superb.

This is a great time for first-time car buyers as well. A Used Ford Fiesta is the perfect car for new drivers as it combines, safety, practicality, economical driving and looks the part as well. With the initial cost-effective outlay of being a used Ford Fiesta, you can concentrate on using the rest of your cash upgrading the stereo, or paying the ridiculously high insurance rates for new drivers.

Whilst all the posers and trendy-types are queuing up for the new Fiesta, you could get one today, at a fraction of the price, which has practically the same engine and specification as the new model. So unless you are very concerned about the body shape of your car, can you really justify ignoring these bargain offers.  

So I guess I’ll see you down the dealerships then!

 

Ford – Shaken But Not Stirred

Like a lot of car manufacturers Ford has struggled financially in recent years and has been forced to sell a number of major assets in an attempt to return to profitability.

 

During this time the company has seen its market position fall in 2007 from the World’s second largest car manufacturer, a position it had previously held for some 56 years, to become third placed behind Toyota and General Motors respectively. To make things worse Ford then dropped to fourth place behind Volkswagen.

 

Ford underwent some rather rapid restructuring as a result and has jettisoned its two quality brands Jaguar and Land Rover to the Indian car manufacturer TATA Motors. It has also sold Aston Martin to a consortium of businessmen led by Prodrive Chairman Dave Richards, although it has retained a financial holding in the company. Financial restructuring has also taken place at Volvo who are part of the Ford group.

 

Despite these recent problems Ford continues to develop its successful model range and it is very much business as usual for Ford Europe as Ford USA attempts to get back on a stable business footing.

 

Ford’s European model range is now based on the new ‘Kinetic’ design platform and has consolidated its designs to offer an attractive collection of small, medium and large vehicles.

 

The vehicle which has attracted a lot of interest recently is the new Ford Kuga. Not to be mistaken with the Cougar which along with the Probe was an attempt to revive the Capri but proved to be a failure.

 

Ford has been out of the 4×4 market for a while largely due to its involvement with Land Rover and Volvo so the Kuga has been eagerly awaited. The Kuga is a five door crossover vehicle and is only designed for occasional off-road use and is not intended to have the same capabilities or ground clearance as larger 4×4 vehicles.

 

This may not have been made clear to the presenter of the Channel 5 motoring programme Fifth Gear. He was quite complimentary about the Kuga but could not resist driving it into really punishing terrain that ultimately caused a reported £7000 worth of damage.

 

The Kuga utilises an intelligent AWD (All Wheel Drive) Haldex four wheel drive system whereby power is supplied the road wheels where necessary according to the terrain. It is powered by a 2.0 TDCI diesel engine which has been improved by Ford engineers so that it now has the lowest CO2 emissions in its class and also delivers an impressive 44mpg combined which should pacify some environmentalists. The engine has improved torque and a six-speed manual gearbox as standard. The current model range consists of the Zetec model and also the Titanium with the Titanium having a slightly higher spec although both are very well equipped.

 

The Kuga has very good safety levels with an impressive Euro NCAP rating of five stars for adult occupants, four stars for children and even three stars for pedestrians so you’ll even be ok if you are unfortunate enough to get knocked down by one! There are a large number of passive and active features including multiple air bags and a rigid safety cell. The Kuga also boasts ABS, Traction Control, and Electronic Stability Programme. Keyless entry and start can also be found as can a variety of different ‘packs’ which manufacturers now offer according to customer needs. The specifications of both are very generous though and come with 17” Alloy wheels although 19” are available. The Kuga will never match the capabilities of bigger 4×4’s but then its not really meant to and  therefore will be happy to occupy the position in the market for which it has been designed. Ford has created yet another winner here and seemingly refuses to be beaten.

Ford Focus RS – What’s in a name?

Popular culture has an additive personality.  The two main addictions being the lives of celebrities and the power of a brand.  Sometimes a name or a few words is more than enough to make hordes of people rabid with excitement, Britney Spears, Coca Cola, Ford Focus RS – all have their status as icons of modern society.

 

If someone has talent I’m all for them earning masses of money, being idolised and I may even listen to them preaching to me about global warming issues that they’ve contributed to with their private jets – Bono you know who you are.  What I don’t have any time for are the reality television ‘stars’ who crave any form of attention and limelight without having any discernable talent.  Since the advent of Big Brother, we are inundated with reality television programmes covering every conceivable topic: from being stuck on a desert island, being gifted a modelling contract, dancing and now even conducting an orchestra.   

 

Even supposed A-list celebrities get on my wick.  If anyone can tell me the talents of LiLo (that’ll be Lindsey Lohan to the uninitiated) or Paris Hilton, please send me a postcard.  Combine these two with their ever-changing fashions and you’ve got content for a year’s worth of OK! Magazine.

 

I must admit that despite my rant I’m a sucker for a label on clothing.  Despite the fact that a t-shirt from a supermarket will cover my chest as ably as one with a designer label, there’s something comforting about a well known brand, despite the fact it’ll cost ten times more and be 95 percent the same as the supermarket’s version.  The problem is that even if you look past the obvious increase in price for a branded product, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s as good quality as you’d hoped – much like finding out the new album from a band you love is rubbish, after you’ve bought it.

 

Ford find themselves in this quandary as the world waits with baited breath for the return of the iconic RS badge that will adorn the updated Focus early next year.  The RS badge has always symbolised a great Ford, regardless of the base model it’s built upon.  The RS200, Sierra, Fiesta and previous Focus were all barnstorming cars full of power and every boy racer’s dream once the RS treatment was delivered.  There is no doubt however of the one Ford that the new Focus RS must beat – the Escort Cosworth.

 

The Cossie as it became affectionately known was a perfect example of what a good performance overhaul can do to improve the base model.  The Escort in standard trim was quite simply awful.  It was built to a cost so low that you’d be lucky if half the car didn’t fall apart on the way to the shops.  The styling was woefully bland; the handling distant at best and as for reliability, well you could rely on the fact that it would always break down.  However, a 225bhp engine, chassis upgrade, wide body kit and the iconic ‘whale tail’ spoiler transformed the car into a world beater on the rally circuit that you could happily take to the shops and return in one piece.  It was a supercar for the working class.

 

Clearly then the excitement surrounding the new Ford Focus RS is justified based on history.  The opportunity for disappointment however is also higher than ever.  So how do I rate its chances?  Firstly it’s available in a lime green so vivid that my retinas detached themselves.  Secondly it has styling that is somehow modern yet harks back to the 90’s look of the Cossie whilst being more aggressive than Joey Barton on a night out.  A rear diffuser gives it F1 chic and there are more vents than a supercomputer could count.  It all sounds a mess but let me assure you it works.

 

Performance promises to be blistering, with a 2.5 litre turbo-charged engine developing over 280bhp.  Basically on paper the Focus RS will crush every competitor in its class and embarrass a few in the upper echelons too.  My only concern would be that 280bhp through the front wheels shouts ‘torque steer’ louder than a billboard in Times Square.  Ford have allayed these fears stating that a electronic limited slip differential will solve these problems making the Focus RS not only the most powerful RS ever, but all being well a very drivable one.

 

2009 promises to be the return of an icon.  Let wallets of all sizes rejoice.

Why You Can’t Go Wrong With A Used Ford By Jon Barlow

There was a time when Ford had a pretty awful reputation in the UK. Whilst there can be no doubt that Ford have always enjoyed excellent sales figures their cars have sometimes had a reputation for having irritating faults and niggles. The problem which people seemed to experience the most was poor starting.

I remember years ago my Stepfather had a Ford Transit van that simply refused to start on cold mornings. He used to do building work whilst he was studying to be a teacher and I recall many a winter morning being summoned outside to spray vast quantities of cold start spray into the air intake as he would endeavour to start it. In fact this didn’t seem to make a blind bit of difference and I can still recall that sickly sweet alcohol smell and picture my Stepdad’s face as he grew ever more infuriated with the van. It was a bit like the famous scene from Fawlty Towers when John Cleese got so mad with his car not starting he jumped out and threatened to give it “A damn good thrashing!”

Indeed on cold mornings up and down our great nation the air would be filled with the sound of Ford starter motors refusing to do what they were supposed to as they whined in protest at the Great British winter. Of course what would usually happen would be either the battery would go flat as they were pathetically small in those days, bearing in mind the only electrical equipment you had was an AM/FM radio. Alternatively your next door neighbour who had a wised up and bought a Japanese car that always started first time would come out and say smugly “Oh dear your Mum’s flooded the engine again.” For some reason car engines only seemed to flood if a woman was driving it and to this day I still don’t know what that expression actually means.

Due to the fact that we no longer appear to have recognisable weather seasons in the UK anymore and it now just rains all year round the morning chorus of engines coughing and spluttering into life has become a thing of the past. The other major factor is that Ford really got their act together and now produces cars that are infinitely more reliable than they used to be. Service intervals on modern Fords have almost doubled and although labour costs are quite high in garages these days Ford offer a number of service packages and Ford parts are priced very competitively.

We have a 2001 Ford Mondeo and it has simply never given us any trouble (I’ve probably jinxed it now). It never uses any oil and the only thing I have had to replace on it was the reversing light switch which cost me £8.00. Sure it’s not the most exciting vehicle in the world but it does what we need it to and when you have kid’s practical functions tend to take over from style, unless you are one of these sad individuals who customise their family car as if they’ve covered it with glue and then driven through an auto accessory shop.

Recently we have been looking to buy a larger vehicle to cater for our rapidly expanding family and a used Ford Galaxy seems to fit the bill quite well. Although it is quite a large vehicle it doesn’t feel cumbersome to drive and there is a huge choice available on the used market with a variety of diesel engines to choose from. Some may find a Galaxy too big for their needs in which case you may consider a C-Max or the new S-Max instead if a smaller MPV is preferable. Ford has come along way in recent years and there are many good used examples around, the only sound you’ll hear in the mornings now are children complaining about having to go to school and sadly for them the excuse of “The car wouldn’t start” is a thing of the past.

Ford Focus RS – What’s in a name?

Popular culture has an additive personality.  The two main addictions being the lives of celebrities and the power of a brand.  Sometimes a name or a few words is more than enough to make hordes of people rabid with excitement, Britney Spears, Coca Cola, Ford Focus RS – all have their status as icons of modern society.

 

If someone has talent I’m all for them earning masses of money, being idolised and I may even listen to them preaching to me about global warming issues that they’ve contributed to with their private jets – Bono you know who you are.  What I don’t have any time for are the reality television ‘stars’ who crave any form of attention and limelight without having any discernable talent.  Since the advent of Big Brother, we are inundated with reality television programmes covering every conceivable topic: from being stuck on a desert island, being gifted a modelling contract, dancing and now even conducting an orchestra.   

 

Even supposed A-list celebrities get on my wick.  If anyone can tell me the talents of LiLo (that’ll be Lindsey Lohan to the uninitiated) or Paris Hilton, please send me a postcard.  Combine these two with their ever-changing fashions and you’ve got content for a year’s worth of OK! Magazine.

 

I must admit that despite my rant I’m a sucker for a label on clothing.  Despite the fact that a t-shirt from a supermarket will cover my chest as ably as one with a designer label, there’s something comforting about a well known brand, despite the fact it’ll cost ten times more and be 95 percent the same as the supermarket’s version.  The problem is that even if you look past the obvious increase in price for a branded product, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s as good quality as you’d hoped – much like finding out the new album from a band you love is rubbish, after you’ve bought it.

 

Ford find themselves in this quandary as the world waits with baited breath for the return of the iconic RS badge that will adorn the updated Focus early next year.  The RS badge has always symbolised a great Ford, regardless of the base model it’s built upon.  The RS200, Sierra, Fiesta and previous Focus were all barnstorming cars full of power and every boy racer’s dream once the RS treatment was delivered.  There is no doubt however of the one Ford that the new Focus RS must beat – the Escort Cosworth.

 

The Cossie as it became affectionately known was a perfect example of what a good performance overhaul can do to improve the base model.  The Escort in standard trim was quite simply awful.  It was built to a cost so low that you’d be lucky if half the car didn’t fall apart on the way to the shops.  The styling was woefully bland; the handling distant at best and as for reliability, well you could rely on the fact that it would always break down.  However, a 225bhp engine, chassis upgrade, wide body kit and the iconic ‘whale tail’ spoiler transformed the car into a world beater on the rally circuit that you could happily take to the shops and return in one piece.  It was a supercar for the working class.

 

Clearly then the excitement surrounding the new Ford Focus RS is justified based on history.  The opportunity for disappointment however is also higher than ever.  So how do I rate its chances?  Firstly it’s available in a lime green so vivid that my retinas detached themselves.  Secondly it has styling that is somehow modern yet harks back to the 90’s look of the Cossie whilst being more aggressive than Joey Barton on a night out.  A rear diffuser gives it F1 chic and there are more vents than a supercomputer could count.  It all sounds a mess but let me assure you it works.

 

Performance promises to be blistering, with a 2.5 litre turbo-charged engine developing over 280bhp.  Basically on paper the Focus RS will crush every competitor in its class and embarrass a few in the upper echelons too.  My only concern would be that 280bhp through the front wheels shouts ‘torque steer’ louder than a billboard in Times Square.  Ford have allayed these fears stating that a electronic limited slip differential will solve these problems making the Focus RS not only the most powerful RS ever, but all being well a very drivable one.

 

2009 promises to be the return of an icon.  Let wallets of all sizes rejoice.

« Previous Page