@egoods: Exactly... Sure the Evo's a real cracker of a car for some but with a transverse engine in the front sending torque through right angles more than once, it smells of econo box mediocrity.
I just don't feel it's right. It's a high-tech pig, a tough yet ugly wild boar!
@LandofMinos, Prediction, probability of procuring a poncy Prius for purchase. Piss off!: I will jump across this internet and smack you upside ya head! But seriously, have you driven the new SHO? I have, and I have to say, it's quite sporty. S'all I'm saying is don't knock it until you've tried it. Or at the very least if you're going to knock it go for the weight issue, not the drive train or engine. #mobsteel
@egoods: Unfortunately mate, I'm on the other side of the planet so driving a Taurus would be a little hard. I have driven the Australian spec Toyota TRD Aurion which was quite fast and enjoyable, but it's more expensive and more of a handful (torque steer) and slower than a RWD Ford Falcon XR6 Turbo. I once drove a Mitsubishi Magna (Diamante) AWD but was left wanting (also with torque steer issues).
My distaste of FWD and transverse front engines comes from being an Australian where true Aussie cars are RWD and big six or eight spinning it's crank longitudinally. Actually back in the 90's, Ford US had the crazy idea to sell the Ford Taurus in Oz with the prediction that it'll eventually replace the Falcon. "It's a large car too, Australians won't know the difference" they cited.
Well typical large American company execs who think the consumer needs to be told what they want, were a little confused as to why the Taurus flopped. They just didn't or wouldn't accept that the average Aussie consumer did not want a FWD econo-box, "how can you do burnouts and circle-work with that piece of shit?" we'd say while the American exec would just blink mindlessly somehow not taking in reality. #mobsteel
@LandofMinos, cast thou evil bum dragger to thy scrapyard: Alright, I'm coming there to smack you, just for the fact that you live in the land down under... and get to drive all the awesome muscle cars that WE CAN'T FREAKIN GET HERE WHY!?!?!?!??!? Anywho, expect to feel the sting of my pimp hand in the next 24 hours. #mobsteel
I'm being really sincere when I say I feel for my American brothers and sisters who have to put up with the kind of crap the the big three + 1 (Toyota) are force feeding you. Once upon a time Australian car makers were inspired by America's metal muscle.
We fought every war along side her, she saved our arses when the Japs tried to invade in WW2 (while the British left us for dead) and we're damn sure we will follow in her footsteps, especially when it comes to building cars and car-culture. We are the southern Canada that Mexico never was, we are the surrogate 51st state.
"America! We Want You" to have and drive proper cars!
I'll meet you at Sydney airport and expect your pimp hand to slap around a set of FPV Pursuit Ute keys... #mobsteel
@LandofMinos, cast thou evil bum dragger to thy scrapyard: I grew up rebuilding classic muscle cars, so you can see where I'm coming from (my highschool "project" is attached). It's just so frustrating to see American cars (Australian built but American car companies...) that harkin back to the good ole muscle car days, but never hit our shores (or rarely).
Also, I'm about to be the proud new owner of a 2006 GTO, which I believe you know as the 3rd Generation Holden Monaro.
@64deville: and you obviously have no children, or do not take "ridiculously" long road trips....
i, personally, love the sound of the road, open windows, no A/C, stops only for fuel, etc...... but come on... child entertainment makes things much easier now-a-days... we no longer have rear facing 'back-back' seats (the perfect platform for puppet shows)... you've got to give them something.... come on... #mobsteel
@günter macbeetle, codename: chrystlubitshi: I agree, although if those headrests don't 'tilt', I'm not sure any kids will be able to see their Little Einsteins episode - unless they're 7' tall toddlers. #mobsteel
@Racin_G73 - dirt track legend (some day ... maybe): whoah whoah whoah whoah whoah.... you mis-understood me....... if the kids can watch dvds or play video games... then good for them. i think they can deal with a bit of screen glare or motion blur.... i'd rather them watch the landscape go by, learn to identify cars (the way i did), or entertain the other family trucksters as my brothers and i did.. out the windows w/puppets.... #mobsteel
@64deville: i'm in your passenger seat ... i have no kids... am not married... but i do depend on conversation and music (or NPR) to make the road trips 'fun'when i do have guest w/me on the trip... we entertain ourselves.... wheter it be music, audiobook, road-games, whatever the case may be...all of my road trip memories include my parents trying to discuss 'stuff'.. whether it was personal/family issues or NPR/political stuff....being able to entertain the kids seems to be a good thing... #mobsteelwow... i did horrible at my normal grammar standards..... not going to bother fixing it...
@günter macbeetle, codename: chrystlubitshi: I think I understood... I was just pointing out that the headrest screens were angled in such a way as to render them unviewable by anyone who is shorter than 6' tall. :) #mobsteel
Oh dear god. I just took a look at these custom Fords, and I think I'm going to regret covering the show. Can they get ever more tasteless than these creations?
Oh well, just got to stand up tall, and report what I see. Maybe they will look better in person. #ford
That Flex hardly "breaks the mold of cookie-cutter project vehicles on oversized chrome rim" in fact, it seems more to me that they actually used the definition of "the mold" as an instruction manual.
And I just can't get behind this Transit obsession. Sorry, it just doesn't look like a passenger vehicle to me, and no attempt to Westphallicize it will make me think different. #ford
@weatherman: it could just be that I know who's doing the Flex, but it seems to me that the recent trend is to put really large wheels on a car, and not bother to fix the ride height. Without giving anything away, this car is gonna be slammed, with large wheels. But again, I'm biased. #ford
"breaks the mold of cookie-cutter project vehicles on oversized chrome rims" followed by "Rolling on 22inch falken tires and wire spoke dayton wheels".
I get behind the Transit obsession though, but for commercial reasons rather than passenger reasons #ford
Re. "coolover" - that word must be stricken from the collective vocabulary. I'm almost tempted to carpet bomb the English language so that it is never spoken again.
I want the FSWERKS Focus though, however they forced in 500hp. The MRT-Direct SHO is pretty nice looking too, maybe how it should have looked from the factory. #ford
11/05/09
You can't put lipstick on a mid-size FWD pig and whore it out. That's just wrong.
What are you going to do with 400HP though the front hoops, defy Isaac Newton?
No, you'd drive everywhere constantly feathering the throttle less you mitigate the sidewalk of pedestrians, light poles and trees. #mobsteel
11/05/09
11/05/09
11/06/09
11/08/09
I just don't feel it's right. It's a high-tech pig, a tough yet ugly wild boar!
I make no apology. #mobsteel
11/09/09
11/09/09
My distaste of FWD and transverse front engines comes from being an Australian where true Aussie cars are RWD and big six or eight spinning it's crank longitudinally. Actually back in the 90's, Ford US had the crazy idea to sell the Ford Taurus in Oz with the prediction that it'll eventually replace the Falcon. "It's a large car too, Australians won't know the difference" they cited.
Well typical large American company execs who think the consumer needs to be told what they want, were a little confused as to why the Taurus flopped. They just didn't or wouldn't accept that the average Aussie consumer did not want a FWD econo-box, "how can you do burnouts and circle-work with that piece of shit?" we'd say while the American exec would just blink mindlessly somehow not taking in reality. #mobsteel
11/10/09
11/10/09
I'm being really sincere when I say I feel for my American brothers and sisters who have to put up with the kind of crap the the big three + 1 (Toyota) are force feeding you. Once upon a time Australian car makers were inspired by America's metal muscle.
We fought every war along side her, she saved our arses when the Japs tried to invade in WW2 (while the British left us for dead) and we're damn sure we will follow in her footsteps, especially when it comes to building cars and car-culture. We are the southern Canada that Mexico never was, we are the surrogate 51st state.
"America! We Want You" to have and drive proper cars!
I'll meet you at Sydney airport and expect your pimp hand to slap around a set of FPV Pursuit Ute keys... #mobsteel
11/10/09
@LandofMinos, cast thou evil bum dragger to thy scrapyard: I grew up rebuilding classic muscle cars, so you can see where I'm coming from (my highschool "project" is attached). It's just so frustrating to see American cars (Australian built but American car companies...) that harkin back to the good ole muscle car days, but never hit our shores (or rarely).
Also, I'm about to be the proud new owner of a 2006 GTO, which I believe you know as the 3rd Generation Holden Monaro.
11/05/09
tv screens in headrests are ridiculous. tv screens in cars are kind of stupid in general unless you're hauling one to a tailgate party. #mobsteel
11/05/09
i, personally, love the sound of the road, open windows, no A/C, stops only for fuel, etc...... but come on... child entertainment makes things much easier now-a-days... we no longer have rear facing 'back-back' seats (the perfect platform for puppet shows)... you've got to give them something.... come on... #mobsteel
11/05/09
11/05/09
I do take long road trips but the radio and conversation has been enough in the past.
Maybe I'll understand when and if I ever have kids. #mobsteel
11/05/09
11/05/09
11/05/09
11/05/09
Been driving foreign iron too long I guess.
11/05/09
11/05/09
11/05/09
11/05/09
11/05/09
The front end looks better, though. #mobsteel
11/05/09
11/05/09
11/05/09
Any pics of the front end from a little further away? #mobsteel
11/05/09
@flim: Yep - the thing looks MUCH better from this angle... #mobsteel
11/05/09
11/05/09
11/05/09
10/27/09
Oh well, just got to stand up tall, and report what I see. Maybe they will look better in person. #ford
10/26/09
[www.youtube.com] #ford
10/26/09
10/26/09
10/26/09
10/26/09
And I just can't get behind this Transit obsession. Sorry, it just doesn't look like a passenger vehicle to me, and no attempt to Westphallicize it will make me think different. #ford
10/26/09
10/26/09
"breaks the mold of cookie-cutter project vehicles on oversized chrome rims" followed by "Rolling on 22inch falken tires and wire spoke dayton wheels".
I get behind the Transit obsession though, but for commercial reasons rather than passenger reasons #ford
10/26/09
I want the FSWERKS Focus though, however they forced in 500hp. The MRT-Direct SHO is pretty nice looking too, maybe how it should have looked from the factory. #ford