Are Fords American?

pitchfork said:
The reasons I don't like american cars is they're built for lazy people.
Automatic, light steering, soft suspension to soak up the bumps and big heavy to fit the big americans in. With a heavy guzzling block up front because they don't need fuel economy or efficiency as it's so cheap for petrol over there.

In return you'll get a big lazy car which cant corner to save it's life. With lifeless steering, a lot of americas roads are straight anyway.

The only redeeming feature is looks. You can get some good looking brutes.
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What was wrong with that? Its not perfect for the market now but it was like that for years and years.
 
SoliD said:
Ford as a company are american but in the main, mondeo and focus etc are all built for the European market so would be european cars in many peoples eyes.
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The focus and the mondeo are sold in the states and always have been.

Just like the escort was.
 
atpbx said:
The focus and the mondeo are sold in the states and always have been.

Just like the escort was.
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No they weren't, the american escort was totally different and the mondeo over there was a mercury something or the other but that also looked different
 
mk1/2 mondeo was sold as the contour although it looks a fair bit different. MK3 mondeo was never sold there afaik

Mk1 focus is the same as ours and was sold there untill a year or two ago. There new focus doesent look much like ours from memory
 
Sone said:
mk1/2 mondeo was sold as the contour although it looks a fair bit different. MK3 mondeo was never sold there afaik

Mk1 focus is the same as ours and was sold there untill a year or two ago. There new focus doesent look much like ours from memory
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Their focus was longer and had a longer hooter, i remember this because Ford used the american MK1 focus for WRC for this reason IIRC
 
pitchfork said:
The point is the cars weren't good cars, they were tailored towards a market of idiots, people buy the cars because a lot of americans are blind patriots.
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but you don't need awesome-handling, over-engineered manual cars for the US market. cars drive in straight lines at low speeds, so their crappy cars are actually perfect for what is required ;)
remember that being crudely built with low-quality plastics means that the retail price can be kept much lower than what we have in europe..
 
pitchfork said:
The point is the cars weren't good cars, they were tailored towards a market of idiots, people buy the cars because a lot of americans are blind patriots.
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WHAT! :rolleyes:

Do you really know much about the motor industry at all?

These were the cars people wanted, they were cheap so people could buy them, easily far cheaper than any foreign brand for an equivalent vehicle. This all boils back to what I said about the Ford Mustang, a lot of people think its horrid without tuning. But it's £10k. You cant even get a new Focus here for £10k. You clearly have some form of prejudice against Americans which forms no basis for a discussion.

Do your research.
 
They are the cars americans wanted. Hence why they're cheap, good looking and lazy.
That doesn't make them good cars does it, americans have never made a good car, theres no doubt a lot of american cars are cool, the old ones anyway. Purely for styling. I'd love a roush mustang because it's a cool car and it's been tuned to be a good car.
If the europeans offered better cars at the same price americans wouldn't buy them.

And if I have predjudice against the americans it's because I worked with them for years, I know what they're like, selfish and blindly patriots, can't see what their leader is doing to the rest of the world.
 
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Fett said:
JRS and Lashout_UK maintain the balance.

"Bar the Mustang (once tweaked) nothing else from the states is liked."

ZR1
Z06
Ford GT
Viper
CTS-V

etc...and that is ignoring all the past posts on older American cars, modified or not.
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ZR1 ...................leaf springs
Z06....................leaf springs
Ford GT ..............great car (still has leaf springs:p)
Viper..................leaf springs
CTS-V................ never seen it before, granted it looks nice


Granted, I have no problem with leaf springs, but because of Top Gear people have been ragging on them big time.
 
pitchfork said:
They are the cars americans wanted. Hence why they're cheap, good looking and lazy.
That doesn't make them good cars does it, americans have never made a good car, theres no doubt a lot of american cars are cool, the old ones anyway. Purely for styling. I'd love a roush mustang because it's a cool car and it's been tuned to be a good car.
If the europeans offered better cars at the same price americans wouldn't buy them.
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But thats the thing, being a 'Good' car is completely relative to where/who/what you're using it for. For example the the F-150 is a brilliant truck, and sales have proven it. Its rubbish over here because its too big and not suited to european roads. You have to define what is a good car, and also realise that criteria is for yourself. Of course others may share it, it doesnt make it universal. Things like Quality isnt relative however, (i mean Things Gone Wrong, not the feel of plastics), and the US havent been as good as foreign brands until now.

pitchfork said:
And if I have predjudice against the americans it's because I worked with them for years, I know what they're like, selfish and blindly patriots, can't see what their leader is doing to the rest of the world.
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I'm just not a fan of sweeping generalisations (as you can tell :p), you know yourself not all americans are like that.
 
SpeedFreak said:
ZR1 ...................leaf springs
Z06....................leaf springs
Ford GT ..............great car (still has leaf springs:p)
Viper..................leaf springs
CTS-V................ never seen it before, granted it looks nice


Granted, I have no problem with leaf springs, but because of Top Gear people have been ragging on them big time.
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The Viper and GT have leaf springs? Not sure about that personally.

The (standard) CTS-V ran a sub 8 minute lap at the 'Ring, so officially the fastest production saloon to run there. That's quite an achievement when you look at it's European rivals.
 
SpeedFreak said:
ZR1 ...................leaf springs
Z06....................leaf springs
Ford GT ..............great car (still has leaf springs:p)
Viper..................leaf springs
CTS-V................ never seen it before, granted it looks nice


Granted, I have no problem with leaf springs, but because of Top Gear people have been ragging on them big time.
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Ford GT has all aluminium double wishbone suspension all round with coilover dampers.

Dodge Viper has all independant all round aluminium suspension with coilovers.

CTS-V suspension resembles that of any European competitor, with magnetic ride control.

Z06, ZR1 & the later Corvette family are the only ones to utilise composite transverse springs, to give them their full name, as Chevrolet are the only ones who have been able to finance and develop such technology over the decades.

....and they're more "leaf spring" as there's only one leaf per 2 wheels! Good system though :)

Taking "information" or opinions from Top Gear is a potentially sure fire way to humiliate yourself when you engage in conversation with someone who knows what they're talking about :p
 
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Hey, I never once claimed that Top Gear were correct, just that they have done nothing but accelerate the belief that most US cars are crap. That was also not really the purupose of the thread.
 
Well, they do and they don't. Like I said last time they'll **** something off one week, rave about it the next, buy one the week after, then claim they hate it, then they love it........Swings and roundabouts :)
 
atpbx said:
The focus and the mondeo are sold in the states and always have been.

Just like the escort was.
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I didnt say that, I said that they were European cars, designed for the European market. I know they were sold out there but primarily they were built to succeed in the EU.
 
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