Gotta Have It Green 2013 Ford Mustang Boss 302 snapped getting comfy in Detroit [w/poll]
Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Coupe, Performance, Ford, Design/Style
You've heard us gush about the Ford Mustang Boss 302 before, calling this 444-horsepower coupe "The pony car's best ambassador." Sadly, we have yet to drive the updated 2013 model, which includes, among other things, a reworked front fascia, improved front-end cooling, a more assertive front splitter and new paint and graphics options.
Among those new color choices is Gotta Have It Green, which reminds us somewhat of Porsche Emerald Green popularized on 911 models in the 1970s, albeit a bit flatter. Photographed here being jockeyed into place at Ford's Detroit Auto Show stand this morning, this is actually the second look we're giving you at Gotta Have It, though these photos are markedly clearer (and more numerous) than the ones we showed you back in November. We like the new reflective 'hockey stick' side graphic that replaces the boomerang U-shaped treatment of the 2012 model, but if we're being honest, we're on the fence about the pastel-like paint finish.
If you don't (like) Gotta Have It, there's also a new Impact Blue paint choice, along with School Bus Yellow and last year's Black, Ingot Silver, Race Red and Performance White. Unfortunately, we didn't spy either of the other new colors on Ford's Cobo Hall show stand while we were there for a preview this morning, but they could still make the scene before press days get underway next week.
Speaking of high-performance Mustang models, Autoblog has learned that rumors of the 2013 Shelby GT500 Convertible debuting in Motown are 100-percent false (as if to reinforce that fact, we spotted a 2012 model on a display stand). The most-powerful 'Stang droptop will debut this auto show season, though Ford wouldn't officially say at which show (we're thinking Chicago Auto Show).
So, now that you have a better look at Gotta Have It Green, does it live up to its name? Take our second-chance poll below and let us know what you think in Comments.
Gotta Have It Green 2013 Ford Mustang Boss 302 snapped getting comfy in Detroit [w/poll] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Jan 2012 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFord takes interactivity to The Cloud with new Detroit show display
Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Etc., Technology, Ford, Infotainment
The Detroit Auto Show won't swing open its doors officially until Monday's press days, but that doesn't mean the show hasn't already taken hold at Cobo Hall, as thousands of workers are busy erecting stands, checking lighting and jockeying vehicles into place. Ford Motor Company officials invited us over a little early to get a sneak peek at their still-being-built display, and it's chock-full of technology that takes interactivity to a new level.
Dominating Ford's Living Connected display is the centrally located "Cloud Journey" ride, which literally takes showgoers through the ceiling in the name of connectivity. The circular floating platform ride accommodates a dozen belted occupants in Sparco racing seats, pushing them up from the show floor to a recess in the ceiling with a 360-degree screen. Participants are then treated to an immersive 360-degree presentation that shows Ford's vision of the near-term future of cloud-enhanced motoring (about 10 years out, officials tell us), with items like car-to-car communication, dynamic routing and so on. While you're up in The Cloud, a series of digital cameras capture riders' experiences, and they'll be able to relive the experience at home with a video if they sign up for a Blue Oval Card.
What's a Blue Oval Card? It's a free, RFID-based card that can be used all over Ford's stand. As you walk through the various displays, you can wave the card over the various receiver 'pods' to interact with the displays. Your card will then have a digital record of your progress and the vehicles in which you have expressed interest, and if you like, when you get home, you can log in to a special website that will have information tailored specifically to you based on your experience at the Detroit Auto Show. You'll be able to download video of your time on the Focus ST simulator, get digital brochures on cars you expressed interested in, share items with Facebook friends and so on.
Continue reading Ford takes interactivity to The Cloud with new Detroit show display
Ford takes interactivity to The Cloud with new Detroit show display originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Jan 2012 13:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments2012 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor
Filed under: Performance, Truck, Ford, First Drives, Off-Road
Exhilaration At 1 MPH
When thinking about the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor, one tends to picture an orange meteor barreling across the desert at absurd velocities, flying through the air, long-travel suspension dangling its dirty bits below. That's partially because desert storming and bombing down muddy, root-strewn fire roads was the Special Vehicle Team's design brief, and partially because those environs have dominated Ford's advertising efforts. Marketing shtick aside, there's little doubt that the Raptor has that Kool-Aid Man "Oooh, Yeah!" wall-crashing thing going on better than any other vehicle on sale today.
In fact, if you tend to picture the Raptor exclusively in terms of yumps and dry creekbeds, you're not alone. Ford and SVT kind of admit they did, too. But in building this street-legal trophy truck, they've come to realize that they unwittingly created a vehicle that's far more versatile than originally envisioned. Case in point: Back in 2009, a massive snowstorm crippled the ability of Ford staffers and media members trying to reach the Chicago Auto Show. In particular, Mark Fields and other key execs had to journey from Dearborn to the Windy City, and company pilots refused to take off in the horrible weather. Fields and some other executives settled on boarding the train, arriving haggard eight hours later and barely making their press conference. SVT boss Jamal Hameedi and his crew elected to travel by Raptor. Driving their trucks through inches of thick slush and ice in the fast lane at more-or-less normal highway speeds (while what little traffic was sharing the road crawled along with hazard lights aglow) was a revelation. Despite building the thing, Team SVT simply didn't expect something with wide, knobby tires and a higher center of gravity to cut through the frigid slurry like that.
It's exactly this sort of discovery process that led us to the foot of the smoothly picturesque red rocks seen here. We had arrived in a convoy of eight 2012 Raptors, having taken the easy hour's drive from Grand Junction, Colorado to Moab, Utah to tackle Hell's Revenge, a well-known 4x4 trail over this otherworldly terrain that doesn't take kindly to larger vehicles like our full-size SuperCab pickups. Solid bets for tackling Hell's Revenge include Jeep CJs and Wranglers, Toyota FJ Cruiser 4x4s and so on - vehicles with exceptional approach, departure and breakover angles. Even with its raised suspension and ground clearance of 11.2 inches front and 12.1 rear, we couldn't help but feel a bit sheepish about the Raptor's chances.
Continue reading 2012 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor
2012 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Dec 2011 11:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302
Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Ford, New Car Reviews
The Pony Car's Best Ambassador
Despite extolling their many carnal virtues for years, we know that there's still a sizable group of enthusiasts who have never managed to wrap their heads around the idea of owning a pony car. We've heard all the excuses before, from complaints about refinement, Jurassic underpinnings and muscle-straining inputs to shopworn stereotypes about the people who drive them. Thing is, if we're being honest, many of these same notions have troubled us as well - even those of us who have triumphed over our prejudices and actually bought one of the things.
Well, boys and girls, Ford finally has a four-wheeled answer for the naysayers and skeptics: The Mustang Boss 302. Just as bacon is the gateway meat for wayward vegetarians, the orange crush seen here is the four-wheeled, applewood-smoked come-on for pony car doubters. Better still, unlike that tasty bit of swine dining, it's nearly guilt-free.
The 2012 Boss 302 may carry the namesake of Ford's legendary 1969 competition car, and it might work a treat on racetracks, but Ford has made sure it's an honest-to-Detroit everyday proposition, not just a weekend warrior for waxing overconfident BMW M and Mercedes-Benz AMG preeners.
Continue reading 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302
2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFord boosts V6 F-150 forecast, will hit 100,000 sold
While there was undoubtedly some consternation among pickup truck traditionalists and industry pundits, it appears Americans like their full-size V6 pickups just fine, thank you. According to The Wall Street Journal, Ford Motor Company had expected sales of its 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6-equipped F-150 pickups to represent about 40 percent of its mix, but the turbocharged six-cylinder is on target to be around 45 percent of the mainstay model's sales tally, with sales hitting about 100,000 units in 2011.
Despite the sour economy, WSJ notes that sales of Ford's pickups are up around eight percent this year, though that increase trails that of its crosstown rivals at General Motors and Ram.
Ford boosts V6 F-150 forecast, will hit 100,000 sold originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 14 Oct 2011 10:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments2012 Formula Ford brings EcoBoost to open-wheel racing
Filed under: Motorsports, Performance, Ford, Design/Style, Racing
We're officially grabbing our helmets and ready to go racing. Ford has pulled what must have been an unusually creased sheet off of its 2012 Formula Ford racecar, and while the shape is similar to Formula F racers from years past, it somehow appears altogether modern thanks to angular items like angular air inlets and funky lightweight wheels.
The 2012-spec Formula Ford will power its way into Great Britain's 2012 Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship with 1.6-liter EcoBoost motivation and a sequential six-speed gearbox at the driver's command. While 158 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque from the production-based engine might not sound like much, the lightweight steel-tube single-seater should have no problem providing thrills for both racer and spectator alike in the many feeder series it will eventually race in. Check it out in our gallery below and learn more about the car in the official press release reprised after the jump.
Continue reading 2012 Formula Ford brings EcoBoost to open-wheel racing
2012 Formula Ford brings EcoBoost to open-wheel racing originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments2012 Ford Explorer 2.0-liter EcoBoost to net 20 mpg city, 28 highway
Ford's reborn Explorer has been selling at a brisk clip since being introduced for the 2011 model year, with some 65,823 units finding homes through June. While that's a far cry from the line's salad days back in the '90s, that total already pips the previous generation's 2010 sales figures for the entire year. And that's with just one engine, the 3.5-liter V6.
The Explorer's naturally aspirated six is about to get a more frugal companion, with Ford finally announcing that it will deliver the promised 2.0-liter four-cylinder EcoBoost soon. The new model will arrive toting some handsome fuel economy numbers, too - 20 miles per gallon in the city and 28 mpg on the highway (23 combined).
Ford is quick to note that those EPA figures mean that the 240 horsepower (at 5,500 rpm) and 270 pound-feet (at 3,000 rpm) EcoBoost engine will garner best-in-class highway economy ratings for the Explorer - some 12 percent better than the Toyota Highlander and a whopping 20 percent better than the Honda Pilot (though the latter is slated to get a new six-speed gearbox and improved mpg for 2012). Like most newer turbo DI engines, the 2.0-liter will run happily on regular 87-octane fuel.
For comparison's sake, the standard TiVCT V6 generates more horsepower - 283 ponies at 6,500 rpm- but less torque (252 lb-ft at 4,100 rpm), with commensurately lower economy figures of 17 city and 25 hwy (20 combined). That means EcoBoost intenders can expect to save about three miles per gallon across the board. Click through the jump to continue reading.
Continue reading 2012 Ford Explorer 2.0-liter EcoBoost to net 20 mpg city, 28 highway
2012 Ford Explorer 2.0-liter EcoBoost to net 20 mpg city, 28 highway originally appeared on Autoblog 5.0 on Thu, 28 Jul 2011 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsSVT boss goes on record about Ford Raptor frame damage claims [w/video]
Filed under: Performance, Wagon, Safety, Ford, Off-Road
Over the last several weeks, there have been a number of reports on web forums of frame damage incidents involving the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor. Thanks to a number of reader tips, Autoblog was the first news outlet to inquire with Ford about the matter. After launching its own investigation into the claims centering around one particular organized Raptor Run in Nevada with 14 participating vehicles and 10 bent frames, Jamal Hameedi, a 20-year Ford veteran and SVT's Chief Nameplate Engineer, agreed to talk exclusively with Autoblog.
AB: When did you first become aware of these Raptor frame claims?Hameedi: We monitor all the blogs - I think there are three or four different versions of Raptor online forums. We saw that there was one particular run where several Raptors bent their frames on the same obstacle.
AB: How many Raptors have been reported with frame damage?
Hameedi: We have four nationwide since the beginning of production.
AB: It sounded like there were more than four vehicles damaged in this individual run alone - are these not included in that total?
Hameedi: I think we've been reading that there are ten trucks in question [in that run].
"We have a pretty firm understanding of what's going on."
AB: So the four trucks you mentioned - those are just the ones that have been directly reported to Ford dealers?
Jamal Hameedi, SVT Chief Nameplate Engineer
Hameedi: Yes.
AB: Have they all been bent in more-or-less in the same way?
Hameedi: The ones on the run, I think there are varying degrees of how [badly] they are tweaked, but generally we have a pretty firm understanding of what's going on.
Continue reading SVT boss goes on record about Ford Raptor frame damage claims [w/video]
SVT boss goes on record about Ford Raptor frame damage claims [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 21 Jul 2011 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFord recalls Five Hundred, Mercury Montego sedans over fuel tank woes
Filed under: Recalls, Safety, Ford, Mercury
Ford has announced through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that it is recalling nearly 3,000 examples of its Five Hundred and Mercury Montego (pictured) sedans from the 2007 model year.
The action, which affects 2,945 vehicles, is due to potentially defective welds between the filler neck and the fuel tank, a condition that could result in a fuel leak or the smell of gasoline reaching the occupants. In the worst-case scenario, a leak could cause a fire. Cars with the affected fuel tank problem could see an illuminated dashboard warning light as a result of the evaporative emissions leak being detected.
Ford will inspect and replace the fuel tank at no cost to owners (those who have already had the procedure done at-cost can apply for reimbursement), and the Dearborn automaker will begin notifying Five Hundred and Montego owners beginning August 15. Check out the official NHTSA press release after the jump for further details.
Continue reading Ford recalls Five Hundred, Mercury Montego sedans over fuel tank woes
Ford recalls Five Hundred, Mercury Montego sedans over fuel tank woes originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 18 Jul 2011 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsReport: Ferrari bows to Ford legal pressure, renames F1 car F150th Italia [*UPDATE]
Filed under: Government/Legal, Ford, Ferrari
According to AutoWeek, Ferrari is bowing to a freshly filed Ford lawsuit, renaming its new Formula One racer the F150th Italia.Originally dubbed 'F150,' the name quickly raised the hackles of the Blue Oval's legal team, which has a longstanding claim to that alphanumeric naming convention thanks to its F-150 full-size pickup line. Ferrari had itself chosen the F150 moniker in observance of 150 years of Italian unity.
AutoWeek notes that the revised name was first revealed today on a new story published about the car's testing in Jerez, Spain on Ferrari's official website.
Thus far, Ferrari has made no official comment on the name change, or the lawsuit that Ford attorneys filed on Wednesday in Detroit.
*UPDATE: Official Ferrari statement on the naming scrum added after the jump.
[Sources: AutoWeek, Ferrari]
Continue reading Report: Ferrari bows to Ford legal pressure, renames F1 car F150th Italia [*UPDATE]
Report: Ferrari bows to Ford legal pressure, renames F1 car F150th Italia [*UPDATE] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 10 Feb 2011 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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