Death of a Model

No this isn't some old timey detective story with a man in a trench coat wearing a fedora, wielding a snub-nose revolver trying to save some dame from goons in trench coats wearing fedoras, wielding snub-nose revolvers.

This is about the death of certain car models. Most are cars that a car guy would never care about, like the Aztek, the Caliber, or Eclipse. However, there are models that span over several generations that you think will never die out, no matter how many redesigns (good and bad), how many engines (good and bad), or how many versions of one model (good and bad) there could be, you always root for that model when it comes to magazine comparos and you always promise yourself that one day you're going to buy a new one (or old one). It becomes a part of your life and it haunts your dreams to the point of insanity. One day, the company listens to the bean counters and it's decided that they aren't selling a million a year, so it needs to be eliminated from the lineup. It upsets you, makes you feel like someone killed your puppy. It just isn't fair! What am I going to do?? Well, you're not the only one who has felt like that, I guarantee it.

For me, one of these car models is the Australian Ford Falcon. I just read an article from Autoblog.com that Ford had decided to cease factory operations in Australia. In other words: They want to shut down the only factories they have there that produce Australian only models, they want to make Ford's Australian lineup all "Global" vehicles. Slowly Ford has been pulling back its production down under and it looks like they will eventually pull the plug all together. This means that one of my favorite cars of all time is going to be discontinued. By the sound of it, it looks like it will remain alive until 2016, but it still sucks knowing of it's impending death. This actually isn't new news, I just forgot about it.

You're probably asking right now: "Why do you care? You live in the United States. They don't even sell that car there. How is this affecting you?" Well, you must not be a car guy then.

Car guys lust after things that are within reach and things that are waaaay out of reach. This is one of those waaaay out of reach type of things for myself. I used to have dreams of moving to Australia a long time ago, there's just something I enjoy about the Aussies. I enjoy the culture, the beautiful country, the people, and their accents. That move however, did not happen and here I am sitting in my living room here in good old Farm Town, USA. So, I get to lust over the Ford Falcon from afar.

One of the other disappointing things I read was that the Falcon will be replaced with the Taurus. Seriously? The Taurus? Well I guess they have to give the Australians something, even if it's an overweight, bloated pig. Now don't get me wrong, the Taurus is a fine car. It was built for the masses and it does everything it's supposed to, but if you've seen one in person, you know that it looks a little bit disproportionate. Also, on paper, the Taurus is heavier than the Falcon. Much heavier. Like 500-700 lbs heavier. I'm just not sure that the Aussies will like a car that was built for Americans. The Falcon Faithful are going to be a little more than disappointed though, the Taurus is automatic only and comes in either Front-Wheel-Drive or All-Wheel-Drive, not the Rear-Wheel-Drive platform that they're used to hooning with.

One last thing that is also disappointing is the loss of Ford AU's bulletproof 4.0L Inline-6 engine. They are one of the last companies to use an Inline-6 engine. Their engine has just as much power (if not more) as the V6 that comes in the Taurus and it definitely has more torque. The Turbo version has as much horsepower as the EcoBoost V6 in the SHO and still more torque. For those who have never had the chance to drive something with an Inline-6 engine, do yourself a favor and drive one. They are the smoothest and torque-iest engines to have in a vehicle. You'd be surprised at how strong Inline-6 powered vehicles pull off the line. It's a great engine and it's too bad it has to go too.

I guess my point for this post is that it's always disappointing when a car maker drops a car that's been around for a while and shaped our lives in some fashion or another. It like Ford's decision to drop the Crown Victoria or GM's decision to drop the entire Pontiac lineup. I personally have cars that I like from almost every car company from the USA, Japan, and Europe. It's sad for me when they let the bean counters win and decide to drop good models that they don't want to spend the money on to retool for an updated model. The death of the Ford Falcon for me is as significant as if the Ford Mustang were to be discontinued and what's interesting is the Falcon has been around longer than the Mustang and the Mustang was originally based off the Falcon.

Those damn bean counters.

*A LATER THOUGHT* 

Another thing that came to mind is that this will also mean the end of the Ford Falcon Ute. A vehicle we once knew as the Ranchero, it wasn't very popular here, but proved to be popular in many ways down in Australia. Since Ford wants to stop production of specific vehicles for specific countries and focus on Global Vehicles, this definitely means the end of the Ford Ute. Holden has no intentions on stopping production of their Ute (as far as I know), but that doesn't mean that it may not be far behind if GM chooses to do the same. So this means not only will one model be axed, but two. Realize as this happens, they will be shutting down factories, which means many Aussies will be losing their jobs. 

I can only imagine how people all those people feel.   

No More Compact Trucks, Who's To Blame?

If you live here in the United States, you have probably noticed that all of our companies have stopped producing Compact trucks. What do I consider Compact trucks? The S-10/Sonoma, Ranger, Toyota Pickup (Hilux), and Nissan Hardbody. They started showing up in masses in the 70's, hit a high in the 80's and 90's, then all but disappeared into the 2000s.

At one time in the U.S., you couldn't leave your house without seeing some sort of compact truck. The neighbor had one, your brother had one, someone on your bowling team had one, and probably the High School Football Coach had one. They became so normal in daily life, that they blended in with the the sea of Toyota Corollas and Ford Tauruses. You could always could call the buddy that had one to see if you could borrow it to run down to Builders Square to pick up some 2x4s or strap down the Honda CB750 you just bought in the bed. The pizza guy or local handyman drove one. Some how you're life was affected by these little workhorses whether you knew it or not.

For those who owned them, they bought them for their own reasons. Some wanted a small vehicle with a bed that got reasonable mileage, some wanted a small 4x4 for the winters, or maybe for the big date up at the lake with your girlfriend this weekend. (You know, I really like that girl Marty!) Either way, people bought them and they bought them in droves. For a short period of time small trucks outsold full size trucks, people loved them. This author grew up around them; my mom had an '81 Toyota Pickup, my best friend has an '06 Ranger 4x4, my uncle had two generations of Ford Ranger, and there have been various acquaintances over the years that had Rangers, S-10s, and such.

 As the years passed and the designs changed, as with everything else automotive, the small trucks we knew and loved got bigger and wider. Bigger to the point that these trucks went from compact trucks to midsize trucks. Some got better looking, some got uglier, and some, well, some didn't even really change since the 80's. The sales of small (now midsize) trucks still have had a descent following and sales are not what they once were, but they have remained marginal at best in the last 10 or so years. The Automakers have noticed the decline and while manufactures like Toyota and Nissan haven't budged, GM and Ford have decided to stop selling small trucks in the United States.

GM is going to be returning to the U.S. with the new Global Colorado platform which people are happy about. What people aren't happy about is Ford's decision to drop the small truck all together. The new Global Ranger platform is an excellent truck, but Ford is worried that the new midsize platform is going to seep into the F150 sales and they don't want disturb the sales of one of America's best selling vehicles of all time. What a load of crap. If people want something smaller than an F150, then give the public what they want. There has been an actual outcry over the internet over this whole thing. Me, honestly, I like full size trucks, but I don't necessarily need one. I don't need to haul heavy loads, I don't need to pull a huge trailer, and I don't need a massive vehicle like a full size truck. The small truck is more appealing to me. It's easier to maneuver into parking spots. I've parallel parked small trucks easier than full size trucks. They have enough of a towing capacity to pull a small camper or trailer and they have no problem hauling a load.

So who's to blame for the decline of small trucks? The consumer? Not really, fads come and go, but I feel the small truck had it's fad back 80's and 90's and continued to have a small following both by the general public and commercial fleets still today. People still buy them new or used. I see people still driving ones that they bought 10 years ago. People have bought them with 4-Cylinder and V6 engines, 2-Wheel Drive and 4-Wheel drive, made for off road, or made for the street. They are still popular, maybe not as they once were, but they still are.

So is it the Manufacturer?  I say yes. While the argument can be had that there is no place for small trucks anymore and blah blah blah, I think one should step back and take a better look at the situation. One problem is that certain trucks (*cough*Ranger*cough*) haven't had any major upgrades in many years. I'm not talking about redesigning the body every 10 years, I'm talking about all the underpinnings. Ford really didn't change much of anything but the body on the Ranger since it was introduced to us in 1983. They did however make a couple of minor upgrades to the suspension and engines over the years to the archaic little workhorse that we all knew well, but it wasn't enough to send the sales anywhere past marginal. The new Global Ranger platform would alleviate all the problems with the old Ranger.

GM made an effort by dropping the S-10/Sonoma platform and giving us the Colorado/Canyon platform instead. Unfortunately the new design was something to be desired as was the drivetrain. They lost a very good V6 and brought out a new Inline-5 that didn't have as much torque. It also lost a significant tow rating to a much lower one. They weren't as popular as their predecessor, but they still sold. As said before, GM is making an effort and will be reintroducing the newly redesigned Colorado here in the United States hopefully in the next couple years. Will it sell? Yes for sure.

Another huge problem is that the small trucks don't get much better mileage than the full size trucks in their family. At one time, 4-cylinder small trucks could get high 20s in the case of mileage with owner claims of 30 mpg. Those numbers slowly declined over the years. You would think that with turbocharging and hybrids becoming the norm, they could utilize these technologies to increase the mileage significantly. The Manufacturers also need to really consider a small diesel engine to put in their small trucks, that alone would definitely change the sales figures.

One last issue is price. When your small trucks start to become more expensive than your base full size trucks, then we're having issues. Realistically, small trucks should cost as much as compact/intermediate sized cars. Of course as the options get added and you upgrade to 4-Wheel Drive, the cost is going to go up, but you shouldn't be paying almost $30k for a loaded small truck, because at that point you might as well be buying a full size truck. It just isn't logical. $25k should be the highest price a small truck should cost. They should definitely make them more affordable, it's no wonder sales have been marginal for so long.

Small Trucks have their place here in the States. They are still used for sport, work, and whatever else you can think of. If gas prices keep beating the hell out of us, possibly one day small trucks could make a comeback. After all, expensive gas was how they became popular in the first place.

Just Like Mom's.

Wagons - America's Past-Time On Life Support.

Today, Autoblog released their review of the Chevy Cruze Wagon that is going to be sold overseas (that review can be found here). After some talk with folks on a couple of automotive forums that I frequent, it made me realize that the Wagon isn't dead, but it's not quite alive either.

Wagons used to be the main family vehicle here in the good 'ole US of A. Anybody with more than 2 kids usually had one. It could carry the entire family and dog and luggage and camping gear and ... well you get the idea. They were big, powerful, and did their job like the car gods intended. You could throw a trailer hitch on and pull a camper or horse trailer and get to where you needed to go without a hiccup. But, unfortunately like most American cars in the 70's, they got downsized, made less powerful, and made uglier in some cases. It was left up to the European and Japanese car makers to give us a wagon, but they were smaller and got better fuel economy. Toyota, Datsun, Volvo, and Merecedes-Benz were just a few that gave us wagons to carry our families and entire load of groceries from the Piggly Wiggly.

Through the 80's there were still many choices of wagons out there. GM and Ford still made rear wheel drive full size wagons along side many mid-size wagons, AMC still had their popular 4-Wheel Drive Eagle Wagon, and Many overseas car makers still built a plethora of options; this author owned an '89 Toyota Corolla Wagon for many years.  We saw the birth of the SUV thanks to the Jeep Cherokee, which unfortunately changed the fate of the Wagon.

The 90's was the beginning of the end. SUVs became a major craze and car buyers saw them as a better option than the Wagon even though the only difference was ride height and optional 4-Wheel-Drive. We saw everything from the Ford Explorer to Mercedes M-Class to the Cadillac Escalade. The Wagon was still around, but unfortunately wasn't a major contender in the family car market anymore. Why buy a full size Caprice wagon when you can buy a Tahoe or Suburban? Then came the CUV. They didn't call it that then, but it's what they call it now. Why buy a Corolla or Camry Wagon when for a not much more you could get a Rav4? Everyone liked that "sitting higher than everyone else" feeling. All the "Soccer Moms" wanted to feel superior to the rest of the automotive world.

Fast Forward to 2012. Wagons are still very much alive, just not here in the States. See, in Europe and other parts of the world, the Wagon is still used as what it always has meant to be. People still accept them for their purpose and they don't feel the same about SUVs as people do here. SUVs are too large and very inefficient which is a major concern for car buyers there. Luckily, with the addition of diesel engines, they have become more efficient (but not much), but they are still too large for some. Cars are still more efficient than most CUVs.

Here in the U.S., there are few companies that still offer us Wagons. A couple Japanese companies, a few European companies, possibly a Korean company, and surprisingly, an American company. So, there are some options to be had still. I think however, in the next 10 or so years, the Wagon will vanish for us here in the States. With engine technology improving and economy getting better, CUVs seem to be taking reign over what we have left of wagons.

I feel that the Wagon is a good car, no matter the size. Easier to maneuver, easy to get in, good fuel economy, and for me, they look cool. Which is why we come full circle back to the Chevy Cruze Wagon. It's probably the best Wagon I have seen in a long time. It also looks like the inside is a proper Wagon. The other thing is that it comes with an optional diesel engine which means awesome fuel mileage. The only problem is that GM does not want to sell it in the U.S., they fear that it won't sell here. I, however, feel different. I think it could sell here. Why buy an SUV that is going to cost you $70 to fill up and get 300 miles out of the tank or buy a car that has the same interior space, costs $40 to fill up, and you get 500 miles out of the tank. Would sure make a hell of a car in the city.

I hope that one day, SUVs and CUVs can thin out and people buy them for their true purpose. Maybe then we can see the Wagon make a comeback.

 I'm not gonna hold my breath......

No Money, Mo Problems

Every car guy/gal gets frustrated when it comes to money, especially when there is something that he/she wants. Either it comes down to that they don't know where to spend the money or they just don't have it to buy what they want, which is where my dilemma is.

Since I was a kid I have always wanted a Tri-Five Chevy, but now being an adult I can see that slipping away unless I have $20k-$30k sitting in the bank. I have scoured the internet looking up cars for sale day in, day out and everything I find is always way out of reach. I've seen junkers for $8,000 to pristine restorations for $50,000 or higher. As most car people know, classic cars have reached a ridiculous point in pricing. Everybody thinks they have a car that's going to fetch them a King's Ransom just because its 60 years old, even cars that aren't desirable. Boy, have the times changed.

For the last several weeks I have been passing a '55 Chevy Bel Air 4-door sitting outside of a farm. Before I get into details, I must tell you that at one point in life I didn't like 4-Door cars, it was either 2-Door Coupes or nothing else. That all changed when I bought my 4-Door '65 Chevelle Malibu back in high school. I realized they were good for something. My mom used to have a saying: "4-Doors, No Waiting". Boy was she right.

Back to the Bel Air -

When I finally stopped, I saw that it was ratty and it definitely was a "fixer-upper". I have to say though, I fell in love. I saw a possible future project car for myself, which I have been yearning for. I looked it over and even though it was lacking an engine and transmission, I saw potential. Straight body, solid frame, a little bit of cancer to be concerned about, and it had most of it's trim and glass. I have restored cars mechanically and body wise for years, so this particular car didn't look too be like a too much of a hassle.

But the price, the price is what sold me. Only $800. That's right, Eight-Hundred. When I pulled up, I expected to see $2000, but was I wrong. I thought about all the possibilities, how much repro sheet metal and interior parts would cost, and the blank slate I had in front of me. Then it hit me, I don't have $800......

It's not that I don't have the $800, it's that I don't have $800 to go spending on a car. Money has been so tight, especially for the last couple years. You always want to get something fun or exciting, but you always have that gremlin gnawing on your conscious that your money needs to go to important stuff. I know I'm not the only person this is happening to in this day and age, but it sure feels like it. I hope that one day everything can get back on track and I can reach for the cars I want.

Unfortunately, I'm going to have to let this one slip through my fingers.........

What's Ford Doing Right?

So I just received my latest issue Car and Driver that just happened to grace the presence of my mailbox. The main article in this particular issue is a comparo between the Ford GT500 and the Chevy ZL1. My post today isn't about the comparison between the two (sort of). It's about the incredible mileage that GT500 gets.

The numbers are impressive between the two SuperPonies. The GT500 has a SuperCharged 5.8L V8 with 665 hp and 631 ft-lbs of torque. It has a 6-speed manual with a 3.31 rear axle ratio. 0-60 in 3.5 seconds and had a top speed of 189 mph. It also weighs 3882 lbs.

The ZL1 also has a SuperCharged 6.2L V8 with 580 hp and 556 ft-lbs of torque. It has a 6-speed manual with a 3.73 rear axle ratio. 0-60 in 4 seconds and a top speed of 189 mph. It weighs 4118 lbs.

Now keep those numbers in your head, because here's the kicker: The GT500 gets 24 mpg Highway! Realize that these are the EPA estimated guidelines, but that means that people will probably get better mileage in real world conditions. Before you say "Well that's not really great mileage in today's standards", take into consideration that this is a Muscle Car, not a compact Ecocar. Most times you are lucky if you can squeeze 20 mpg out of a fire-breathing V8 Muscle Car, but 24 mpg is outstanding when you are talking about something with a V8 with over 600 hp. Now I realize that the GT500 also has a 3.31 rear axle ratio and this is definitely going to contribute to the mileage, but it's still getting outstanding acceleration times. Supercars like Ferrari and Lamborghini have comparable stats to the GT500, but they still get mileage under 20 mpg.

Now Ford has been doing pretty well with their EcoBoost engines. They're pushing large amount of horsepower and getting exceptional mileage back on vehicles that at one time got marginal mileage, including the F150. I know engine management technology have vastly improved over the last 10 years, but Ford has definitely found something that I feel will change car engine technology. It's much more than turbocharging the engine.

So, I'm going to back to my original question: What is Ford doing right? What have they figured out that no other manufacturer has?  665 hp AND 24 mpg AND 3.5 sec 0-60? Where am I? Am I on the right planet?

If you know me, you know I'm not a huge Ford fan. I don't hate them, but I don't love them. But, I have to give credit where credit is due and I'm really looking forward to the future.