Archive for the ‘Ford Vehicles’ Category

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Ford’s Rearview Camera System – Coming To All 2011 Models Soon

Wednesday, February 9th, 2011

Ford rear view camera

These days it’s hard to know whether or not Ford is a car company or technology company. They have certainly taken vehicle technology to new levels, so this latest is of no surprise.

Ford plans to implement its rear view camera system in nearly all of its Ford and Lincoln models by the end of 2011. This added safety feature is another valuable feature in giving drivers vehicle awareness of its surroundings.

“Ford is making new innovations such as the Rear View Camera System available to a wide range of customers in most of our vehicles to help them see better when reversing,” said Jim Buczkowski, director of electrical and electronics systems engineering at Ford. “Our research shows that visibility is one of the biggest customer concerns today, which is why we are the only company to offer a Rear View Camera System, Blind Spot Mirrors and the radar-based Blind Spot Information System with Cross Traffic system.”

Ford Fiesta Rear View Camera

The rearview camera system increases visibility and is one of the biggest concerns that Ford customers have expressed.

This will certainly help full-size pickups and vans which often encounter tight parking situations where maneuvering efficiently improves the drivers experience.

In addition, truck owners will love this feature when the time comes to hitch up a trailer. In the dark, bright reverse lighting occurs giving the driver a sufficient view regardless of the time of day.

Ford realized this need through listening to customers in coming up with features that these customers would really appreciate. The fact that Ford plans to roll this out in nearly all vehicles further supports the interests that Ford has for it’s drivers.

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The 2011 F150 Ford SVT Raptor Gets Powerful 6.2L V8 Over 2010 Raptor’s 5.4L

Thursday, February 3rd, 2011

Ford is playing musical engines with it’s new EcoBoost platform finding a home under the hood of new F-150’s, so to keep it simple they’re dropping a 6.2L into the Raptor and Harley Davidson limited edition trucks.

The upgrade to the 6.2L is music to the ears of those who wanted to get a better experience behind the wheel of something limited in production but not necessarily power.

Most of the people considering a Raptor or Harley edition won’t be disappointed to hear that a bigger engine will be chosen for 2011 models, these are just more reasons to pull the trigger based on the reviews where many said they should have put the 6.2L in to begin with.

In addition to getting extra power to the wheels, Ford is also bringing the 4 door SuperCab configuration to the 2011 models. The result is more passenger friendly, and accessible while providing additional leg room due to the longer wheelbase.

As expected, the price gets a little higher in 2011 due to the engine upgrade, putting it at a suggested starting MSRP of $41,260.

The new standard engine will put the Raptor into the segment it belongs, as one of the most capable off-road trucks that includes a suspension system that has been thoroughly tested and challenged in several offroad situations.

With the 6.2L V8, the 2011 Ford F150 Raptor boasts 411 HP and 434 ft. lbs. of torque, making it an offroad expert capable of the most technical and rugged of courses. Ford’s decision leaves little to improve upon in upcoming years, and grabs the attention of the competition and raises the bar.

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New Ford F-150 Gets EcoBoost Equipped – V6 with V8 Power

Sunday, January 30th, 2011

What would be complete without addressing one of the most in demand vehicles in the world, the Ford F-150. Ford has brought the EcoBoost technology to the F-150 allowing for a V6 to produce V8-like power all while saving on gas.

EcoBoost technology joins F-150 lineup – The 3.5-liter EcoBoost™ engine specially tuned for truck application joins the revamped powertrain lineup for the 2011 Ford F-150. This engine incorporates established heavyduty truck diesel engine technologies of turbocharging and direct fuel injection in a gasoline engine. This new EcoBoost delivers 90 percent peak torque at 1,700 rpm and continues to 5,000 rpm, making it ideally suited for trailer towing and other truck applications. The rigid testing protocol for this engine was developed from the profile of the harshest-use F-150 customer. This profile was used as the baseline for extensive computer analysis, which was then backed by hardware tests and in-vehicle validation. All tests together replicate more than 1.6 million miles of customer use.*

How Turbocharger Technology Works

The turbocharger is a wonderful piece of technology that has allowed engines for hundreds of years to incorporate the ability to reuse its own exhaust byproduct to generate more power to the engine.

An engine is nothing more than an air pump. The more air you put in, the more power it makes. The downside is when you force more air in, it heats up and then causes the potential for internal detonation which can destroy an engine. Turbochargers can work around this problem when they pair it up with an intercooler, whose job is to cool the air down before it enters the engine.

Cooler air equals more power. Cool air is much more dense than hot air, so in terms of volume of air the engine can handle before detonation, the more dense the air the higher the volume and thus the more power the engine makes.

The Ford F-150 suggested MSRP starts at $22,415 for the XL model.


*[source: media.ford.com]

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Buying A V6 or V8 Pickup Truck For Work

Monday, August 2nd, 2010

Whether you’re a painting contractor, landscaping company or residential electrician – Buying a pickup truck that will be suitable for your needs should meet a few basic requirements. These needs might include carrying sheets of plywood to the jobsite, so what does a truck need to have to allow you to do your work?

V6 or V8

It’s obvious that a V6 is going to be more wallet friendly when it comes time to fill the tank, but will it do? If you’ve been in a situation where you’re driving to the job and carrying a lot of materials you may have felt disappointed when you hit the gas to merge onto the freeway driving a V6. If that causes you grief then just go with a V8 and don’t think twice. Any savings in gas will not be worth the aggravation one can have with a lack of power.

Stop and Go Traffic

Let’s consider the previously mentioned situation wasn’t an experience you’ve encountered. In that case, consider how often you spend your time traveling – percent of time driving on city streets versus highway. If you’re on the highway often then a V8 would be the better choice to solve the merging problem, but if you do more inner city street driving, a V6 would likely be the winner. Stop and go traffic can be a killer of gas consumption and efficiency, so think about where you are driving the most and decide accordingly.

A V6 doesn’t have the power that one needs in a work truck usually, work trucks are often loaded down with tools and other materials making them quite difficult to get up to speed when needed. Even if you’re not on the highway, areas that have a lot of hills may also vindicate buying a V8.

Conclusion

Ask yourself how you need to travel for work, what types of roads do you spend the majority of your time on? City streets and stop and go traffic – get a V6, anything else get the V8.

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Fusion Interior – Glowing With New Technology Features

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

Take a look inside the 2011 Ford Fusion and you’ll see clever backlit lighting on the gauges, circular lighting around the cup holders, and even the ability to change the color to your liking.

The new technology combined with a luxury leather interior makes the Ford Fusion really glow. But besides the lighting, the leather seats, entertainment system, it’s the ability to mold all of these components together into a very satisfying experience that has my attention.  It really does have a solid integration with SYNC, and pairing a Bluetooth mobile phone takes only minutes to do.

The lighting and the seats quickly comfort you and give a sense of excitement and personality. For instance, my daughter loves the purple color, her second choice to pink. This subtle customization component albeit a simple one quickly gives the driver a close bond with the vehicle.

It’s wonderful to drive a vehicle made by a company that is embracing change, promoting technology, a truly satisfying the needs of its owners. If Ford were a computer company, Apple might see some interesting competition.

Ford answers this call to action and is developing an open source platform that will seek true innovation in a direction that will benefit the world as electric vehicles begin to emerge.

The support of Ford with the SYNC platform makes it a complete system designed for the tech geeks to the average joe who wants it all integrated and accessible.  Staying connected with the applications one needs can be the difference between making an important business meeting or coordinating a group of people through the various networking tools that people use these days.

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