Lieberman Focuses on Ford

Robert Farago
by Robert Farago

I know, I know; there's been a lot of Ford and GM bashing on this site as of late. All of it deserved. As long as car companies make crap cars– and that's ANY company making ANY crap car– The Truth About Cars is ready, willing and able to provide a no-holds-barred reality check. But here's the important bit: every TTAC writer would love to see the former Big Three produce the world's best automobiles. It literally pains us that they don't. If and when America reclaims its mojo and produces world-beating product, be it a Chevrolet Corvette or a Ford Freestyle, we will give its maker its due. To wit: Lieberman likes the Freestyle, Big Style. [His review goes up tomorrow.] It's both sad and symptomatic that Ford doesn't share JL's enthusiasm enough to dig down and make something more of a potentially great vehicle. By now, Toyota would've been busy on gen II. Will this misery never end? Oh, and if you could please suggest a photo caption in the comments, I'd be much obliged.

Robert Farago
Robert Farago

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  • Lolcopterpilot Lolcopterpilot on Jul 06, 2006

    +1 BarryO.

  • Brian E Brian E on Jul 06, 2006

    Ford promised to put 250,000 hybrids on the road by 2010, and the critics said it couldn't be done. Now, Ford is introducing the new Hybrid Climate Control System, which recycles the warm air from your breath to heat the passenger compartment of the 2007 Freestyle. You'll love the savings in energy. Your passengers will appreciate the Spicy Bean Burrito you had for lunch.

  • DaveClark DaveClark on Jul 08, 2006

    "i'm still in love with my Pontiac Aztek..."

  • Rand Rand on Jul 08, 2006

    Even with their stock market ratings below junk status, auto makers continue to not get the message that most Americans want our vehicles to be more fuel efficient and our air to be cleaner to breath and to support life on the planet Earth... Ford (Billiam) recently indicated that Ford is swerving away from hibrids and focussing on flex-fuel vehicles... this may or may not be good, but unless vehicles are more efficiently made and more efficient to drive with cost-effective-beneficial perameters, Ford and other auto makers are running in low-gear reverse... it has been shown that existing on-the-shelf technologies, if more comprehensively used in conventional vehicles would increase fuel efficiency by as more or more than 25% without appreciable impacting preformance... yet the auto industry continues to ride the brakes on cleaner-air, more fuel efficienty vehicles... and as long as they do, their junk status stock ratings apparently will be their badge of honor...??? Progressive green and social activists: Urge the auto industry to make cleaner-air, more fuel efficient vehicles... and conserve... Most automobiles are at least 25% less efficient then five to ten year old technologies should have given us if the auto industry had lived up to their claims of customer service... perhaps the good thing is that higher gas prices will result in less consumption... Unfortunately, less than cost-optimally efficient vehicles contribute disproportionally to environmental and public health and greenhouse gas problems... Urge the auto industry to make cleaner air, more fuel efficient and safer vehicles: http://www.autobuyology.org/tellcarmakerstocleantheair.pdf With the real cost of subsidized gasoline now well above $10 a gallon (http://www.icta.org/press/release.cfm?news_id=12), and with 'average' automobile ownership and operation costs over a lifetime now zoom-zooming past $500,000 (half a million dollars -- you do the math), a few auto related conservation reminders may be helpful: Go carfree (see savings above); go carless; buy smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles and rent up or larger as needed; drive less; ride-share; trip-link or group errands; negotiate a fuel inefficiency retail price reduction for less than cost-optimally fuel-efficient vehicles; urge the auto industry to stop fighting conservative and reasonable fuel efficiency and green-house gas emission standards, and to adopt long-proven, cost-effective fuel efficiency tenchologies for new vehicles; get-SMART and support comprehensive public transportation and auto-alternative programs, for others, if not for oneself; And etc., add your energy conservation choices to this list. Keep it handy, and share it. For those who cannot avoid buying an automobile, at least you don't have to pay to much... a list of car deal resources to help level the car deal playing field to favor the consumers... http://www.autobuyology.org/thankyouforteaching.pdf Rand Carlessnesshood 101 If there is one thing worse then having to buy an automobile, it's paying to much for one... "1st & 2nd law of thermo-economical-dynamics" http://www.autobuyology.org

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