Ford

Ford Introduces Transit Connect Wagon

DEARBORN, Mich., Ford, introduces the first seven-passenger people mover expected to break the 30 mpg-plus highway barrier with the all-new Transit Connect Wagon, which drives like a car, has the flexibility of a utility and can haul the payload of a full-size pickup.

“Transit Connect Wagon gives young families and people on the go the fun-to-drive and efficient vehicle they’ve been looking for,” said Mark Fields, Ford’s President of The Americas. “It’s an all-new, smaller seven-seater that has better mileage than larger vans and creates a segment of its own. Customers also will love the unique combination of style, adaptability and affordability this wagon brings.”

Transit Connect Wagon is offered in two wheelbase lengths, in five- and seven-passenger configurations, and in XL, XLT and Titanium series levels. No other wagon in the market today offers the convenience of fold-flat seating, at least a 1,200-pound payload and more than 100 cubic feet of cargo space.

When properly equipped, this versatile wagon is approved to tow up to 2,000 pounds, 500 pounds more than a four-cylinder Toyota Highlander SUV.

Have it your way

Transit Connect Wagon offers customers a choice between two fuel-efficient four-cylinder engines – a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and an optional 1.6-liter EcoBoost® that is estimated to deliver 30 mpg-plus on the highway. This powertrain makes Transit Connect Wagon the gas mileage leader among seven-passenger vehicles.

Both engines come mated to a convenient six-speed automatic transmission, geared for around-town responsiveness and low-rpm highway cruising.

Transit Connect Wagon is available in a wide variety of configurations and series levels, offering unexpected features in a high-value package with low operating costs.

 

Ford F-Series Trucks and Utilities Recognized by Texas Auto Writers

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, Oct. 22, 2012 – The Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) has awarded Ford F-Series Trucks and Utilities with top honors in key categories after comparing the vehicles against competitors during the group’s annual Texas Truck Rodeo near San Antonio.
  • 2013 Ford F-250 Super Duty won Heavy-Duty Pickup Truck category
  • 2013 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor won Off-Road Truck category
  • 2013 Ford Escape won Compact SUV category
  • 2013 Ford Explorer Sport won Mid-Size Luxury Sport Utility category
“Texas is the number one truck market in the United States, and Ford is the best-selling truck in Texas,” said David Mondragon, Ford Motor Company General Marketing Manager. “Texas truck buyers have helped F-Series continue as the nation’s top-selling truck for 35 consecutive years and the best-selling vehicle for the past 30 years. We’re also proud that Escape sales are on pace to surpass last year’s record sales and Explorer sales are up 17.2 percent this year.”
Ford F-Series Trucks have been awarded TAWA’s coveted “Truck of Texas” honor in eight of the past ten years and have been named “Truck Line of Texas” in 13 out of the past 14 years.
Ford has the largest share of the light- and heavy-duty pickup truck market in North America — 38 percent. And it’s growing. Ford’s share is up 1.3 percentage points over last year. Through September, Ford sold 463,733 trucks. That’s 165,533 more than the nearest competitor and its 14th straight month of sales increases. Sales of Ford F-150’s award-winning, segment-exclusive 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine have exceeded more than 200,000 since 2011.

All New Ford Escape

All-New Ford Escape with EcoBoost Engine EPA-Certified at 33 MPG, the Most Fuel-Efficient Small SUV on Market

 All-new Ford Escape certified by U.S. EPA at class-leading 33 mpg with an automatic transmission, which is preferred by the majority of American drivers; all Escape engine offerings achieve 30 mpg or better on the highway.

Escape’s 1.6-liter EcoBoost® engine is 2 mpg better than the Honda CR-V and 5 mpg better than Toyota RAV4 on the highway.

 New Escape delivers 5 mpg better than the previous model and better highway fuel economy than the outgoing Escape Hybrid

Eat your heart out!

I spent 4 hours in a United 737 flight today to attend what Ford is unoffically calling a “MegaDrive.” Our starting point will be The Nines hotel in Portland, Oregon. Our trip to the Pacific coast starts tomorrow morning 8:30 left coast time in a 2013 Flex. After a nice lunch at the Wayfarer Inn on Cannon Beach, our return trip will be in the 2013 Ford Taurus. We’ll give you our impressions when we get back to the hotel.
Wednesday is reserved for the Mustang ,and I can tell you, it’ll be a fight among us journalists to see who gets in the GT’s. And let’s not kid ouselves here, it’s a semi-polite game we play when the folks at Ford let us loose on all the ‘Stangs lined up outside. Each of us deep down inside really want the coolest color, the brightest wheels and the highest horespower to call our own, if only for a few hours. Heck, who doesn’t have visions of pulling up next to a hot Christy Brinkley driving her nice little Corolla, giving her a little nod of approval and then roaring off in the iconic Mustang. I’m in.
More tomorrow. Eat you heart out.
Don