Dented Wallets and Square Wheels: The 10 Worst Cars of 2010

In the age of high gas prices, hybrids and everyone supposedly going green like the government would make you think, the 2010 class of cars, SUV's and trucks took another hit this year with depreciation and upkeep costs. Just about all the top companies took a good hit in both categories of big and roomy and the supposedly fuel-efficient compact variety which is not as a big hit to people as many would tell you. Here's a listing of the worst performers of 2010 and vehicles you should avoid. These are not in any specific order. (contributed by Design 911)

Cadillac Escalade - Type: Luxury SUV

It's hard to say really what tipped the "experts" off on this vehicle. It did rank poorly amongst safety and value but the one statistic that really stuck out was this vehicle got top honours for the most stolen vehicle out of everything that's out there. "Pimp My Ride" apparently does not apply here.

Chevrolet Aveo - Type: Compact

The Chevrolet Aveo5 1LT overall value is at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to even more expensive models such as the Volkswagen Golf and Honda Civic. Consumer Reports concludes that "the ride is jittery and noise is constant." . What would you expect from driving something as small as a golf cart?

Chevrolet Colorado - Type: Pickup Truck

This vehicle has been rated poorly in just about in every aspect so I'm not going to waste my time telling you about it because what does matter is the fact that GM is soon doing away with this model as well as the Canyon. So, of course the best medicine would be to stay away from these models.

Dodge Nitro - Type: SUV

The SLT model is just another version of the Jeep Liberty but with lower marks. Consumers complained
how noisy this SUV is and how it lacks agility. There tended to be some sort of body lean which added difficulty for people steering. This would be the equivalent of pushing a baby stroller in gravel.

Ford F-250 - Type: Truck

The 2010 Ford F-250 Lariat was ranked the worst on gas mileage getting on average just 10 mpg. This was a diesel engine model as well. Hate to see how an unleaded version would do. At this bad a rate of miles per gallon, one would think you'd have to get a bank loan just to get back and forth to work every three months.

Jeep Wrangler - Type: SUV

The Unlimited Sahara was the main gripe but Jeep Wrangler overall has plummeted 23% in sales since the beginning of the year. Apparently it does well off-road but fell short when driven on-road. Handling is a challenge with vague steering and low cornering limits. It's reliability was another negative for consumers.

Chrysler Sebring - Type: Midsize

Car experts ridicule this unpopular gem for its cheap interior and poor performance. It is considered the worst midsize car for the money due to the high ownership costs. Its rate of depreciation is almost faster than watching paint dry.

Mercury Mountaineer - Type: SUV

Top honours for worst midsize SUV for the money, the Mountaineer (and its twin, Ford Explorer, which ranked right behind it) is truck-based. So therefore it makes it use more fuel than the competition and not something suited for city and suburban driving. If you live in this type area, the handling may cause a vein to pop out of your forehead as well.See another worst car 2010 here.

Ford to launch new Mercury small car in 2011

Ford Motor Co (F.N) will launch a new small car for its Mercury brand in early 2011, based on the automaker's new global compact car platform, Ford President of the Americas Mark Fields said on Sunday.
The new Mercury is one of the 10 vehicles Ford is planning for its global small car architecture, that also underpins the upcoming 2012 Ford Focus, and would expand the lineup of the mid-level premium brand long devoid of new products.
The launch also underscores the No. 2 U.S. automaker's support for the brand despite uncertainty in some analysts' views over whether Ford will keep the brand in the long term.


Fields unveiled the plan during a meeting with U.S. dealers at the annual National Automobile Dealers Association convention in Orlando, Florida.
"The trend towards more fuel-efficient vehicles is very important, the trend toward (small) cars in general is coming back. We are responding to that," Fields told reporters after the meeting with dealers.


U.S. sales for the Mercury brand fell 23 percent to 92,299 vehicles in 2009, while the overall market was down 21 percent. The company's flagship Ford brand sold 1.44 million units in the U.S. market in 2009, down 14 percent from a year earlier.
A Ford dealer who attended the meeting said the new Milan was likely to be showcased at the New York Auto Show in March.


FIESTA ORDERS
Ford U.S. sales chief Ken Czubay said dealers can start to order the new Fiesta small car on Monday, months ahead of its launch this summer.
The Fiesta, which could get 40 miles per gallon on the highway and 30 mpg in city driving, brings Ford back to a subcompact segment it abandoned and represents the automaker's big bet that it can drive back to profitability with a new lineup of cars.
More than 6,000 consumers have made reservations for the Fiesta through Ford's online order system, Czubay said.
"It seems to be a home run. And it gave us invaluable feedback from consumers," he said.
Ford also plans to launch a redesigned Focus small car later in 2010.
The only large U.S. automaker not to reorganize under a government-funded bankruptcy in 2009, Ford has forecast a profitable 2010 after posting its first full-year profit since 2005 last year.
Source: Reuters More Photos

1968 Mercury Cyclone 428 Cobra Jet

When it comes to muscle cars, I'm not generally a Ford man--the major exception being the Mercury Cyclone 428 Cobra Jet.

The Cyclone Cobra Jet teases my imagination like no other FoMoCo muscle car. For starters, the Cylone Fastback has just the right look for a muscle car--obviously muscular without being too tastelessly overt. It's bluff and tough in front, but with sweeping, elegant flanks terminating in a tasteful rear fascia. The Cyclone was one of the early wave of slightly more aerodynamic muscle cars built to jockey for dominance in NASCAR--a philosophy that led to its ultimate expression in the form of a former Car Lust, the Plymouth Superbird.

Beneath the skin, the Cyclone looks even better. Many Ford engines of the time were simply outgunned by their GM or Mopar counterparts. While the typical 390 big block was a fine engine when considered on its own, it was too small and too tame to compete with the Hemi, 440 Six Pack, or the GM big blocks. Meanwhile, the ruffian of the family, the racing Ford 427, was too raw and uncivilized to allow for acceptable drivability on the road.
[ carlustblog.com ]

Mercury may be coming end of the road

Launched in the 1939 model year as a �step-up� car for buyers between economy Fords and upscale Lincolns, Mercury was known for its powerful V-8 engines, such as the one in this 1939 Mercury Eight, and became popular with hot rodders.
The dealers, in fact, could be the key to Mercury's fate. Although there are no stand-alone Mercury stores left, about 1,900 dealerships sell the brand in combination with Ford or Lincoln or both.Because of franchise agreements and state laws that protect car dealers, killing off a line of vehicles can be a real pain, as General Motors Corp. discovered when it pulled the plug on Oldsmobile eight years ago. GM set aside almost $1 billion to handle the transition and still spent more than five years battling dealer lawsuits.

2008 Mercury Sable Unveiled at Chicago

Mercury Sable returns to Showrooms with more power, style and sophistication

• Unique designs features inside and out set the 2008 Mercury Sable apart in the marketplace.

• Modern, refined interior features include unique trim options and two-tone seating surfaces with contrast stitching.

• Available convenience and entertainment features include DVD navigation, SIRIUS� satellite radio and Ford Sync�.

• New Sable has 30 percent more power than the outgoing Montego thanks to standard Duratec 35 V-6 and six-speed automatic transmission

• Standard electronic stability control and available all-wheel drive provide confident ride and handling in all weather conditions.

• New 2008 Mercury Sable to reach showrooms this summer.

Unveiled today at the 2007 Chicago Auto Show, the new 2008 Mercury Sable offers customers a sophisticated new look inside and out, a significantly quieter cabin, a more plush ride and a more powerful 3.5-liter V-6.

�Mercury products are aimed at winning over new customers who value distinct touches, and this new Sable is sure to impress with a more refined interior design and jewel-like details throughout,� says Cisco Codina, Ford�s group vice president of North America Marketing, Sales and Service.

�Mercury has a great deal of momentum right now, with a fresh lineup including the redesigned Mariner small SUV and popular Milan sedan. The new Sable will help continue this momentum,� Codina adds.

Sophisticated style brings the exterior to life

Sable�s modern, distinctive look builds on the clean, modern design themes first introduced on the Mercury Mountaineer and that were further refined on the Milan and new Mariner.

�Mercury customers tend to have a more unique sense of style,� says Moray Callum, director, Ford Car Design. �They have come to expect a different level of sophistication and refinement in the surface development, paint finishes and details like satin aluminum.�

Sable�s clean, integrated front-end design centers on Mercury�s signature satin aluminum waterfall grille flanked by exquisitely detailed, jeweled projector beam headlamps that sweep up over the front fenders. Additional visual highlights at the front of vehicle include new chrome surrounds for the fog lamps and bright, satin aluminum caps on the side mirrors.

Sable�s distinctive LED taillamps feature a predominantly white lens with red accent stripes. The new rear fascia has a cutout for the chrome-tips on the dual exhaust system, a visual cue that suggests more power under the hood. A chrome strip on the bottom edge of the deck lid provides a finishing touch.

Cool and expressive accents sharpen the interior

Complementing the clean exterior, a core attribute of Mercury design is a modern, airy interior. With Sable, this design direction comes to life in two-tone interior trim with unique accents. Customers preferring a more technical appearance, for example, can opt for Cyber Carbon, a deep, high-gloss accent that resembles carbon fiber. Alternatively, two modern wood grain accents � Guitar Maple or San Macassar � are available.

Standard cloth seats wear an updated and modern graphic design while the Premier Series offers supple two-tone leather seats detailed with contrast stitching and featuring a new, more modern, perforated pattern. The rectangular shapes of the perforations are placed farther apart for a more progressive, contemporary look. The same pattern is repeated on the door panels.

Customers attracted to clean, contemporary Mercury design are also very sophisticated in their technology needs. The 2008 Sable offers the right connection for driver and passenger alike.

In addition to a standard auxiliary audio input jack, available convenience features include a voice-activated navigation system, a DVD entertainment system and factory-installed SIRIUS� satellite radio and Ford Sync�, a voice-activated hands-free in-car communications and entertainment system which fully-integrates mobile phones and digital media players.

A comfortable, quiet driving experience

A completely revised sound package gives the new Sable interior quietness that rivals many luxury cars. Technologies like expandable foam pellets in the A-Pillars and improved sound-deadening material in the doors, headliner and pillars help reduce interior noise levels

Sable�s quiet and confident ride is delivered in part by a revised MacPherson-strut front suspension with 10 percent more travel, new dampers and spring rates, and a retuned independent coil-over rear suspension. A new power steering system uses an intelligent electric pump to provide extra steering assist for such tasks as parking, and dials down the assist when it�s not needed, for example, when cruising on the freeway.

Sable features an award-winner, 3.5-liter V-6 engine and a sharp, six-speed transmission. The Duratec 35 engine makes an estimated 260 horsepower, a nearly 30 percent increase over the outgoing Duratec 30, and 245 pound-feet of torque.

The available all-wheel-drive system � similar to the system used on the new Mercury Mariner � features an electronically-controlled center coupling that can distribute exact amounts of torque from front to rear, up to 100 percent to either axle.

The 2008 Mercury Sable�s real-world fuel economy, even with the additional power and performance, is expected to be similar to the outgoing Montego model � thanks mainly to advancements in powertrain technology.

A clever, safe choice

The new Sable is expected to be a segment leader in safety, capable of achieving five stars in all four categories for the U.S. government�s crash tests.

AdvanceTrac� electronic stability control system is standard on all Sable models. Additional standard safety features includes dual-stage driver and passenger front air bags, seat-deployed side air bags for driver and front passenger, and Ford�s Safety Canopy� side curtain air bags for both rows of seats. A new steering wheel design recesses the airbag 15 millimeters farther away from the driver, for an added measure of safety.

Source: Ford Motor Corporation

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2009 Mercedes B Class Facelift Spied

The current Mercedes B class came on the market in 2005 and is set for a facelift in 2008. Here we see the clearest photos yet of the new facelifted model which is likely to make its debut at next years Paris Motor Show.

Judging by these photos, the facelifted B Class can only be considered as a minor facelift, the grille and headlamps show a slight redesign but there are no signs of a more aggressive nature we crave. The rear will feature a slightly redesigned bumper.

Our sources report there will be a new BlueTec diesel engine and possibly a hybrid version to follow.