ford Archives | Page 32 of 34

Roush Yates to supply Ford EcoBoost V6 for 2011 ALMS competition

Filed under: Motorsports, Ford, Racing

Roush Yates Engines has announced that it will be offering up a race-prepared version of Ford’s 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 for American Le Mans Series prototype competition in 2011. Roush Yates is developing the engines for use under the new 2011 LMP2 rules that require production-based engines. This will be the first competition application for Ford’s twin-turbocharged and direct injected V6 that debuted in 2009.

The first chassis constructor to announce support for the Ford V6 is Lola, with installation kits available for both its open-top and closed coupe 2011 LMP2 cars. According to Roush Yates spokesperson Kenna Primm, the race engine will be reduced down to the 3.2-liter maximum allowed under ALMS rules compared to the 2.8-liter displacement of the twin-turbo V6 announced by Honda at Le Mans in June. Output will likely be somewhere around 400 horsepower.

In addition to the EcoBoost V6, Roush Yates is also evaluating a race version of the Mustang’s 5.0-liter V8 for ALMS competition.

[Source: American Le Mans Series]

Continue reading Roush Yates to supply Ford EcoBoost V6 for 2011 ALMS competition

Roush Yates to supply Ford EcoBoost V6 for 2011 ALMS competition originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Aug 2010 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Roush Yates to supply Ford EcoBoost V6 for 2011 ALMS competition”

Review: 2011 Ford Fiesta SES promises the democratization of fun

Filed under: Budget, Hatchback, Ford, Reviews

2011 Ford Fiesta SES shown

2011 Ford Fiesta SES – Click above for high-res image gallery

Remember when economy cars offered few concessions beyond roll-your-own windows, rear window defrosters and AM radios? It was only a handful of years ago that features on our 2011 Ford Fiesta SES tester would’ve qualified it for premium car status – if indeed items like Bluetooth, SYNC, a capless fuel fill and knee airbags were even available.

There’s no denying the steady trickledown of luxury goods into workaday iron, and the Fiesta is rolling proof.

As you might also recall, back about 10 years ago, Ford executives and those charged with its British outpost, Jaguar, worked themselves into a froth over the possibilities offered by ‘The Democratization of Luxury’ – boldly and conveniently overlooking that when a premium feature becomes affordable to everyone, it ceases to be a luxury at all. And while this sort of marketing doublespeak was the undoing of the ill-conceived Jaguar X-Type – and perhaps the undoing of Ford’s ownership of Coventry’s favorite feline altogether – there’s no denying the steady trickledown of luxury goods into workaday iron, and the Fiesta is rolling proof.

Of course, any automaker can lash a bunch of features onto a car and call it a day, but it’s not a real value unless all of those baubles and braze-ons are bungeed to a platform and drivetrain whose creators have that whole engineering ‘special sauce’ thing figured out. In other words, the democratization of luxury is one thing – but does the Fiesta deliver the democratization of fun? Click through to the jump to find out.

Gallery: Review: 2011 Ford Fiesta SES

Continue reading Review: 2011 Ford Fiesta SES promises the democratization of fun

Review: 2011 Ford Fiesta SES promises the democratization of fun originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Review: 2011 Ford Fiesta SES promises the democratization of fun”

Video: Ford Fiesta takes care of the ‘Honey Do’ list, Ken Block style

Filed under: Motorsports, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Hatchback, Ford, Humor

Ken Block takes out the trash – Click above to watch video after the jump

At some point during the development of the American vernacular, the term “grocery getter” became a term of condescension. Thing is, lugging around a few bags of consumables and clipping apexes don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Ford is hoping the average U.S. car buyer has outgrown the prejudices of his forebearers and is willing to jump into something with a hatchback. To help dispel any lingering thoughts of boredom, the Blue Oval has called on none other than Ken Block to use his guano-crazy Fiesta WRC rally racer to take care of a few household chores. Sideways.

The quick clip after the jump is filled with the kind of car control we’ve come to expect from Block, even with his recent run of bad luck in the WRC. If you like what you see in the video, you can register for a chance to win a 2011 Fiesta worked up to look just like Block’s racer. Something tells us the grand-prize car won’t be all-wheel drive, though. Hit the jump to watch the video, as well as check out the full press release with details on the drawing.

Gallery: Ken Block Gymkhana 3 Ford Fiesta

[Source: Ford]

Continue reading Video: Ford Fiesta takes care of the ‘Honey Do’ list, Ken Block style

Video: Ford Fiesta takes care of the ‘Honey Do’ list, Ken Block style originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 Aug 2010 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Video: Ford Fiesta takes care of the ‘Honey Do’ list, Ken Block style”

Unsurprising News of the Day: Ford Explorer Sport Trac is toast

Filed under: SUV, Truck, Crossover, Ford

Ford Explorer Sport Trac Adrenalin – Click above for high-res image gallery

When it comes to a new Explorer Sport Trac for 2011, the only real surprise would have been if Ford had actually opted to build one. With the standard Explorer moving to a unit-body architecture, there are no plans for a new pickup truck version, a vehicle that probably would have been something akin to the Honda Ridgeline.

Since the Ridgeline hasn’t exactly been flying off dealer’s lots, Ford has wisely decided to focus on its full-bodied version, the Explorer. The Blue Oval hasn’t made a habit of breaking out Sport Trac sales from its SUV kin, but the Explorer only totaled 52,190 in 2009, so the pickup’s volume probably wasn’t a huge seller. According to Automotive News’ sources, Sport Trac sales usually totaled about 20 to 25 percent of Explorer sales over the last decade, but that number strikes us as curiously high. Over its entire life, we never saw a ton of them – even on the roads around Michigan where domestic pickups are commonplace.

Gallery: 2008 Ford Sport Trac Adrenalin

[Source: Automotive News – sub. req.]

Unsurprising News of the Day: Ford Explorer Sport Trac is toast originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Unsurprising News of the Day: Ford Explorer Sport Trac is toast”

Unlikely Pacer: Ford Fiesta to lead the field at CarFax 400

Filed under: Motorsports, Budget, Sedan, Ford

Sure enough, the upcoming Sprint Cup Carfax 400 will be paced by none other than the Blue Oval’s tiny 2011 Fiesta Sedan. With less than a third of the displacement of the tube-frame beasts lapping Michigan International Speedway, we wouldn’t quite expect lightning-quick pace laps, but hey – safety first. While pace cars are typically some sort of performance product, manufacturers aren’t past parading less than muscular new hardware in front of the captive audiences of the raceway.

If Ford was looking for a way to bring its marketing for the Fiesta out of the social media realm and into a more mainstream American venue, they could have hardly done better than the Sprint Cup. On average, the series races net 7.9 million viewers. On Sunday, August 15, each and every one of those souls will get to watch a maroon four door fiesta lead the pack, complete with a massive Blue Oval decal down the side. Talk about cheap advertising. Check out the gallery for a few shots from the car’s unveiling.

Gallery: Ford Fiesta Pace Car

[Source: Ford Racing via Facebook]

Unlikely Pacer: Ford Fiesta to lead the field at CarFax 400 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 17:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Unlikely Pacer: Ford Fiesta to lead the field at CarFax 400”

Ken Block reveals possible Fiesta special edition collaboration with Ford in the works

Filed under: Motorsports, Sedan, Hatchback, Ford

Ken Block Gymkhana 3 Fiesta – Click above for high-res image gallery

Ken Block isn’t a World Rally Championship legend by any stretch, but thanks to his immensely entertaining Gymkhana videos, the glorified shoemaker can definitely lay claim to the title of YouTube Legend. And with Ford working the Internets hard during the launches of its new products like the Fiesta and Explorer, it made total sense that Ford would want to partner with the new media star.

The duo of Fiesta and Ken Block is less than a year old, but already there are some rumblings that Block edition Fiesta could be in the works. How about a DC Shoes edition Fiesta? In a recent radio interview with KROQ, Block was asked if there was a KB Fiesta on the way, and he responded with “we’re discussing those types of things but there’s nothing set in stone at this point.” Block went on to add that for now, he wants to concentrate on racing and developing new competition cars.

So, no definitive news on the Ken Block edition Fiesta front, but the two parties are at least thinking about a special model. We can’t see how this is a bad idea, considering that 30 million potential car buyers waiting patiently for Gymkhana 3 – we couldn’t think of a better way to announce a special edition Fiesta than by starring in another Block-buster internet flick (sorry, we couldn’t resist). Head over to the KROQ website to listen to the interview. Hat tip to Joe B!

Gallery: Ken Block Gymkhana 3 Ford Fiesta

[Source: KROQ]

Ken Block reveals possible Fiesta special edition collaboration with Ford in the works originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Ken Block reveals possible Fiesta special edition collaboration with Ford in the works”

Videos: 2011 Ford Explorer shows off its tech

Filed under: SUV, Technology, Videos, Crossover, Ford

2011 Ford Explorer Terrain Management System – Click above to watch this video after the jump

Unless you’ve been in seclusion for the past 24 hours, you know Ford officially unveiled the 2011 Explorer yesterday. (Be sure to read Part One and Part Two of our deep dive for the full details.) The new Explorer is a pretty drastic departure from the generations preceding it – Ford has opted to use a unibody construction and a car-based platform rather than a traditional body-on-frame SUV, and naturally aspirated V8 power has been ditched in favor of more fuel-efficient four- and six-cylinder powerplants.

So while the Explorer seems to fit better in the crossover classification, Ford is confident that traditional SUV shoppers will still be pleased with what the new Expy has to offer. There are a host of new technology features on the 2011 model, including things like blind spot monitoring, trailer sway control and a terrain management system (similar to what you might find on a Land Rover). These features will be attractive selling points to SUV-oriented customers, and they get detailed in the videos after the jump.

Gallery: 2011 Ford Explorer

[Source: Ford]

Continue reading Videos: 2011 Ford Explorer shows off its tech

Videos: 2011 Ford Explorer shows off its tech originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Videos: 2011 Ford Explorer shows off its tech”

2011 Ford Explorer unveiled live from coast to coast

Filed under: SUV, Ford

2011 Ford Explorer Live Debut in Southern California – Click above for high-res image gallery

It’s been quite a day for the new 2011 Ford Explorer. After teasing, more teasing, and even more teasing, Ford finally unveiled what it thinks will “reinvent the SUV for the 21st century.” At 12:01 EST this morning, we presented an in-depth look at the new Explorer, providing details on the new exterior and interior as well as some of the safety features, and at noon we went over the new powertrain options, including the 2.0-liter EcoBoost inline-4 that will deliver 30 percent better fuel efficiency than the previous V6 model. Ford has even put up a configurator for the 2011 Explorer, allowing you to build your own.

The 2011 Explorer was also introduced live in various parts of the country, from the middle of New York City to Detroit to Los Angeles. We were in attendance on both ends of the coasts to cover the unveilings, each of which had an entirely different feel. The Discovery Channel’s Mike Rowe was on hand with CEO Alan Mulally to make the introductions in the Big Apple, while Ford’s President of the Americas Mark Fields did the honors amidst huge sand sculptures alongside the famous boardwalk in Venice Beach. You can see photos from both unveilings in the galleries below.

Gallery: 2011 Ford Explorer Southern California Live Debut

Gallery: 2011 Ford Explorer New York City Live Debut

2011 Ford Explorer unveiled live from coast to coast originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “2011 Ford Explorer unveiled live from coast to coast”

2011 Ford Explorer configurator already up and running, pricing starts at $28,190*

Filed under: SUV, Crossover, Ford

It’s been less than 24 hours since Ford took the wraps off of the 2011 Explorer, but in an effort to keep the buzz going about the all-new crossover due to hit dealerships later this year, Ford’s online configurator is already up and running.

At the moment, only models equipped with the 3.5-liter V6 can be optioned, ranging from the base $28,190 front-wheel drive Explorer (*Don’t forget to add $805 for delivery fees) all the way up to the top-trim Limited 4WD ($39,190 plus destination). A fully decked-out all-wheel drive configuration will set you back $48,075* – and that’s before the optional accessory list is looked over.

If you have some time to waste, head over to Ford’s configuration page and spec out the Explorer of your dreams. Additionally, be sure to scroll through our gallery of color choices, showing the nine available paint jobs.

Gallery: 2011 Ford Explorer Colors

Gallery: 2011 Ford Explorer

[Source: Ford]

2011 Ford Explorer configurator already up and running, pricing starts at $28,190* originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “2011 Ford Explorer configurator already up and running, pricing starts at $28,190*”

2011 Ford Explorer puts four-cylinder EcoBoost engine above V6 in pecking order

Filed under: SUV, Technology, Crossover, Ford, Off-Road

2011 Ford Explorer – Click above for high-res image gallery

For part two of our in-depth look at the 2011 Ford Explorer, we’ll take a look at its new powertrains and improvements in fuel efficiency, as well as how well it can still tow a trailer. But first let’s see what kind of techno-goodies Ford has applied to this new SUV.

Technology

This being 2010, technology has to play a big part in any major new vehicle introduction. On the inside, the Explorer joins the new Edge, Focus and Lincoln MKX in adopting the MyFord Touch interface. We first saw this new touch sensitive interface when the MKX and Focus were unveiled at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show in January. Much like modern smartphones, the center stack has a smooth surface with capacitive touch buttons to manage the audio and climate controls. Continue reading after the jump or check out part one of our introduction to the 2011 Ford Explorer first.

Gallery: 2011 Ford Explorer

Continue reading 2011 Ford Explorer puts four-cylinder EcoBoost engine above V6 in pecking order

2011 Ford Explorer puts four-cylinder EcoBoost engine above V6 in pecking order originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “2011 Ford Explorer puts four-cylinder EcoBoost engine above V6 in pecking order”