For the last couple decades, the Ford Motor Company has been on a rollercoaster ride. At one time, it was one of the leaders in the entire auto industry. Then, for a few years after that, the automaker got a bad “rep” for having low quality vehicles. In fact, there used to be an adage that said that the letters in Ford stood for “Found on Road Dead.”

But all that has changed. Now, Ford is back on top of its game and the quality is back!

Study after study shows that Ford cars are once again the quality they once were. They’ve even improved in other areas, too. In order to stay competitive in today’s world, Ford also leads the industry in environmentalism, safety and even smart systems. Have you heard of the Ford SYNC system? That’s just one of the smart systems currently exclusive to Ford. With hands-free communication and the ability to control many features with just the sound of your voice, some analysts say this is one of the main reasons people are flocking back to Ford.

I haven’t owned a Ford, but I have rented one. Two years ago, we rented a Ford Focus to travel out of town to a friend’s wedding. Our car was junky, to say the least. But when we stepped in the rented Ford Focus, it was almost like a luxury vehicle to us. It drove nice and it was even great on gas! Of course, that was when gas prices were still around $2.00 a gallon (I think). And the vehicles have only gotten better since then.

If you haven’t considered a Ford, don’t let the reputation it had several years ago scare you away. Check one out today and prepare to be impressed!

I can’t count the number of times I’ve tried to merge into another lane and been honked at because I didn’t check my blind spot. I’m lucky I haven’t caused any accidents!

But the Ford Motor Company is looking out for people like me. That’s why the safety engineers at the company have developed the Blind Spot Monitoring System. Sounds fairly self-explanatory, eh?

The new safety features are going to start appearing on Ford cars in 2009. With this new device, the cars have radars that detect when something is around it. When driving on the road, the system alerts the driver with a visual indicator on the side rearview mirrors. The system also emits an audible alert in case the driver doesn’t notice the visual warning. And since the system is only activated when the driver uses the turn signal, you won’t have to put up with the alerts at other times when you’re driving.

In addition to the Blind Spot Monitoring System, Ford is also introducing a Cross Traffic Alert System. This comes in handy when a driver is backing out of their driveway or a parking space. If something is behind your car or if there is traffic coming toward the vehicle, the system alerts the driver so they can make the necessary corrections.

Look for these and other safety features that Ford is working on for you!

Crossover vehicles are designed to please car buyers who aren’t interested in a normal sedan but still aren’t ready to drive a normal SUV. Crossovers are a popular product in the auto industry, but some of the Ford Motor Company’s older and bigger vehicles hold up well when compared to the new products.

This story in the Dallas News doesn’t look too kindly on the new crossovers. Instead, the writer describes them as a new “fad” that is pushing out the better, more established Ford cars on the market. He uses the Ford Explorer, an SUV that has experienced dwindling sales in recent years, as the catalyst for comparing the crossover models to the fuller-sized SUV models.

According to the test driver, the Explorer is, at the very least, competitive with the newer and sleeker Ford Edge (or trucklet, as he calls it). So why do people appreciate the Ford Edge and other crossovers more than the Explorer?

Maybe it’s the gas mileage.

Nope. When comparing the gas mileages of the two vehicles, there is only a difference of about two miles in the city. That seems minimal for making a car-buying decision.

It must be the price.

Wrong again. The Eddie Bauer four-wheel drive that the test driver tested was roughly $4,000 less than that of the Ford Edge. When all was said and done, the writer appreciated and enjoyed the Ford Explorer, a model that has been around for several years. The only explanation for its decreasing popularity and the increasing popularity of the Edge is the uniqueness of something new.

For me, I prefer an old friend to a new one any day. But that’s just me. If you’ve driven a crossover lately, do you have reasons for preferring it over a full-sized SUV? Feel free to comment and let us know.

In the last few months, you’ve probably read story after story about how Ford is laying off workers and trying to get them to retire early. This is done to match the demand for Ford vehicles with the number of workers making them. Luckily for Ford, though, several foreign markets are selling cars like hotcakes and creating a profit for the automaker.

The Russian market is one example of this. While many North American factories have downsized, the Ford Motor Company is adding workers to a factory in Russia to keep up with the demand for the product in the region. By doing this, Ford increases that country’s production of vehicles by 75 percent!

That’s an amazing feat for the automaker, too. That means the workers will be making 125,000 vehicles by next year.
The Vsevolozhsk plant in St. Petersburg is the facility getting these new workers. Employees there create the Ford Focus hatchback, which has become the most popular imported brand in the country since 2007. The factory will also begin production of the Mondeo, another popular export of the Ford Motor Company.

Russia’s great sales figures are one reason why Ford is looking to the eastern European region to increase sales globally. That particular market sold nearly two million units in 2007, which is about 72,000 more than it sold the year before.

Unfortunately, the North American market isn’t doing that well. But the figures do look promising. With any luck, maybe Ford’s domestic market will perform as well (or even better) than the ones overseas.

If you just answered “not me” to that question, then join the crowd. According to the Ford Motor Company, minivan sales are at their lowest point since 1985. Could that have something to do with the rising gas prices? I would guess that’s part of the problem, because truck sales are also down.

But this story hits close to home for me. According to George Pipas, a sales analyst for Ford vehicles, minivans were “America’s family car” during the 1980s. I can attest to that fact. The first vehicle that my dad handed down to me was a minivan. I loved that thing, too.

It was a dark blue color with a couple of silver stripes that went around it. My folks bought it in 1988 when it was two years old. I didn’t get it until 1993, just before my senior year in high school. I learned how to do everything in that van. I learned how to drive in that minivan. I went on several road trips in that van. I even went away to college in South Carolina with that minivan.

When I received it, I named her Abby. She became my best friend. I kept her for four years until it was time to let her go. That was a sad day, too. My friends and I took pictures inside the van and had a ceremony before selling it. I still miss it.

Luckily, sales analysts feel the sales will rebound in 2009 when consumer confidence hopefully increases. If you have a chance, I suggest getting a minivan for your family. The memories you’ll make will be priceless!

Do you ever feel “the need for speed”? Do you enjoy reading about some of the best performance Ford vehicles that your local dealer has to offer? If so, Ford has a new website for you.

At FordPerformance.com, vehicle lovers of all kinds can find something they enjoy. The main purpose of the website, though, is to connect Ford owners and enthusiasts with the clubs that meet their interests.
Right now, one of the most popular enthusiast clubs on the site is the International Mustang Bullitt Owner’s Club (IMBOC). This is where fans of the movie Bullitt can go to learn all about the classic car used in the movie and the re-release of a new and improved Bullitt Mustang. This particular club for Bullitt car devotees has more members than any other Mustang enthusiast club in the world. Members pay only $37 each year, but that gives them the following benefits:

• IMBOC window sticker, custom-cut and color-coordinated to match your vehicle
• IMBOC T-Shirt with double-sided screen printing, available in sizes up to XXXL
• IMBOC memberships cards with full-color design. Members get a card for the wallet or purse and another one to display on their cars at car shows or anywhere else they choose.
• Special access to IMBOC.com, which includes a “members only” forum, uploading privileges and other features
• Unexpected IMBOC freebies
• Priority Mail Shipping
• . . . and much, much more!

Don’t wait. Join the club today and see what the other Bullitt Mustang lovers are talking about.

If you’re a reader of our blog, you’ve noticed that we’ve mentioned several Ford vehicles and models in the last few months. There’s the Falcon, the Focus and the Escape, just to name a few. But have you ever heard of the Ford Foose F150?

This oddly attractive pickup truck is my new favorite Ford product. And that’s just judging from the pictures I’ve seen. But it’s more than just another Ford model.

The Ford Foose is the creation of Chip Foose, the youngest inductee into the Hot Rod Hall of Fame (I didn’t even know there was such a thing). He’s also the “custom vehicle maker to the stars,” as many Hollywood celebrities seek him out when they want entirely genuine vehicles designed so they can show off.

And now, Chip Foose has made his mark on the Ford brand of vehicles. I’m loving it, too. Instead of the typical F150 that sits high off the ground, the Foose model is lower so it hugs the road regardless of where you’re driving. The lowered body combines the American ideals of a pickup truck and a race car for a truly unique appearance.

The funny thing is that the entire creation sprang from a challenge. Last year, Ford’s truck team challenged Foose to create a sporty, hot rod-like version of the F150. Less than five months later, Foose’s creation made its public debut. 

Ford’s manufacturing plant in Kansas City is producing the trucks. They should be on sale soon if they’re not already.

How many times have you been backing up in your vehicle and wondered if there was an abandoned tricycle or, worse yet, an occupied tricycle behind you? If you’re like me, that’s happened more times than you care to remember.
But the Ford Motor Company has recognized this problem and its engineers have worked to address it. Many Ford vehicles will soon have two new pieces of technology designed to help drivers back up safer. The modified “blind spot mirror” will soon be a standard feature on the Mercury and Lincoln brand vehicles. These new mirrors give drivers a better view of what they couldn’t see before.

But that’s not all.

Also available is the new “blind spot-checking radar” that uses a 24GHz spectrum to alert drivers when something enters their blind spots. Amber lights mounted on the wing mirrors blink and beep when there is something in an area the driver can’t typically see. This feature isn’t standard, though. Starting with the 2009 models, it will be an option that many drivers will likely choose.
Studies have found that more than 75 percent of the drivers who used this blind spot-checking technology drove with more confidence. They also felt less pain in their necks because they didn’t need to stretch them as much to check their blind spots. The mirrors and the radar system did it for them.

Ford’s Falcon might soon be going the way of the Dodo bird: it’s in danger of becoming extinct. But that’s just for the Falcon as you know it today.

With decreasing sales and stricter emission standards throughout the world, the V8 engine may no longer be a part of the Falcon model, according to Ford Australia president Bill Osborne. The newest model, scheduled for release in May 2008, has the popular V8 engine and the nickname of Falcon XR8.

But the V6 engines are becoming more popular for a number of reasons. For one, it’s an increasingly more frequent staple of performance engines, including the XR and G6 models. In addition, the six-cylinder Falcon outpaces the V8 model. I don’t want to say the V6 leaves the V8 model in the dust, but tests have revealed that it is much faster.

But that’s not all. The Falcon XR8 is also worse for the environment and your wallet. It gets less than 15 liters per 100km, which is 20 percent less efficient than the V6 model. Who wants a slower and less efficient vehicle in today’s world?

Osborne said the automaker has not “sorted out” its V8 strategy for the near future. But with the Ford Motor Company’s introduction of the EcoBoost engine and other features designed to increase efficiency, it looks like the Falcon is just one more of the popular Ford vehicles to fall victim to the new standards and awareness.

We’ve done a lot of talking about Ford vehicles. We’ve discussed the F-150, the Focus, the Taurus and others.  But we haven’t said too much about the 2008 Ford Sport Trac. So here are some of the things you should know about this often overlooked vehicle. You might just decide to test-drive one for yourself.

• The starting price for a 2008 Ford Sport Trac is roughly $25,000.
• This vehicle has a 4.6-liter V8 engine with nearly 300 horsepower.
• Have you ever wished in wintertime for a heated windshield?  If so, the Sport Trac has your answer. With a heated windshield, those mornings of standing in the freezing cold and scraping off the ice are a thing of the past.
• You won’t get lost anymore, thanks to the state-of-the-art Navigation System. As an added bonus, the system also has a Reverse Sensing system that tells you when something’s behind you.
• Sport Trac Limited models feature the all-new exclusive Sync system.
• Are you tired of fumbling for your keys in the parking lot? There’s no need for that with the Sport Trac because of its driver door keypad. Simply punch in your code and Voila!, you’ve unlocked the door.

These and other unique features make the Sport Trac a truly great buy. Sometimes the vehicles talked about the least have the best options.