2014 Fiesta SE

2014 Fiesta SE

Have you ever noticed when you are out cruising for parking stalls how small they are? I know I want to park a bit closer than I do but for fear of the imminent door ding I end up walking a block or so. Often I think I need a smaller car just so I could potentially fit in one of the stalls, either that or a vehicle I just don’t care about - but as a car lover I know that won’t happen in this lifetime.

Ford gave me the opportunity to drive a vehicle that could possibly answer that issue. The Fiesta!

When given it to drive for a week, I was wondering how I would even fit in it, after all it is about as large as a toaster oven. All I remembered of the Fiesta was a little 1978 Fiesta my friend had that he wedged a 5.0L mustang engine in. Went like a scared rabbit, but there was no room to move once you wedged yourself in it.

I figured an open mind was the best way to go. As I approached the Fiesta, it was indeed a very small looking car as I suspected, but the surprise came when I opened the door. There was more than ample room as I dropped myself into the driver’s seat;  it was actually not bad for comfort. I was very impressed with the amenities this car is equipped with such as the heated seats, the large sunroof and even a cute little navigation screen. When I say cute little, I meant it, you would not think that knocking 1.5 inch off the size a touch screen makes a big difference, but it really does, I found it difficult to operate with my fat fingers.

So now here I was in the driver’s seat and I have set the power mirrors, dialed up some rock and roll music on the great My Ford Touch System. Now what? I turn to my phone and ask SIRI, my brain as I call her. “I am in a Fiesta, what would Ken Block do?” she responds with a few links to Gymkahna...oh that is tempting.

I decided instead to head for a mall and find a parking stall; I figure having a small car must have some benefits. It did indeed. There was no issue finding parking stalls and this was good being so close to Christmas as it was. I wandered inside to gather up some presents and as I came out I remembered I was in the Fiesta, where would I fit all of these goodies? Turns out it was not a problem, I opened the hatch and it devoured some pretty big gifts - color me impressed. I thought I could go grab more but my wallet said otherwise.

So as I head home on one of the nastiest days of winter we had seen in a while, I am noticing my other fear of small cars.

Small cars are generally very unstable in the snow and are often tossed about with every bump. This one is very stable on snow covered roads. It actually impressed me - I guess some modern day suspension tweaks and you can have a controllable little car. With the traction control on it wasn't bad at all, I can only imagine how impressive it would be with a good set of winter tires on it rather than these 16 inch 50 series donuts.

Another misconception I had was that it would have no room for people in the back seat; once again it proved me wrong. Although the car does say it seats five, if you want anyone in the back to be comfortable stick to two rear passengers. They will have a semi comfortable ride as long as they are not 6-footers.

I guess what it did for me was restore my faith in what small cars can be, they are no longer just puddle jumpers. The 1.6L engine actually felt peppy and somewhat responsive but I am sure the 5-speed manual gearbox had something to do with that. Rated at 6.9 L/100km, I was pleasantly surprised by the smallish petrol bill I had when it came time to return it, almost as if it was creating its own fuel somehow.

The pros very much outweigh the cons but in the society we live in where bigger equals better my ego would take over and suggest getting something more substantial, maybe a Focus or even a Fusion (My Ego is generally wrong). What I found in the end was something I would consider owning, a car that I could make use of, a car that suits some needs I have, and after all, why would Ken Block have one if they were not fun! 

Disclosure: this vehicle was provided by Ford of Canada

Raptor Christmas Carol

Deck the hall with Raptor tread marks,

Fa la la la la la la la la.

Turn the key and hear the exhaust bark,

Fa la la la la la la la la.

Don we now our race apparel

Then we jump a line of barrels,

Fa la la la la la la la la.

See the blazing tires before us,

Fa la la la la la la la la.

Now we know how they adore us.

Fa la la la la la la la la.

Follow me in merry measure,

While I tell of Christmas treasure,

Fa la la la la la la la la.

Fastly now this truck sure passes,

Fa la la la la la la la la.

Hail the Raptor, ye lads and lasses!

Fa la la la la la la la la.

Sing we now all joyous together,

How we love the winter weather,

Fa la la la la la la la la.

Rudolf The Red-Nosed Raptor

You know Taurus and T-Bird and Mustang and Falcon,
Comet and Cougar and Focus and Fusion.
But do you recall? The most famous Ford of all!

Rudolf the Red-Nosed Raptor,
Had a very shiny hood,
And if you ever saw it,
You would even say lets roll,

All of the other Ford products,
Used to laugh and call him names,
They never let poor Rudolph,
Join in any of the X-Games,

Then one foggy Christmas Eve,
Santa came to say,
Rudolph with your hood so bright,
Won't you launch my sleigh tonight?

All of the other Fords loved him,
As they shouted out yipee,
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Raptor,
That jump will go down in history.

2013 Ford F-150 Lariat

We all know how versatile trucks have become and there is really not a lot of difference from one truck to another… or is there? 

The F-150 has so many of the usual conveniences, four doors, tons of inside cargo storage, the ability to haul a crap load of goodies and enough power to tow a small office building.

Ford has tried something a bit different here though, they are pulling it off with a couple less cylinders than the competition. The EcoBoost serves as one of most efficient ways to get all of the power you need while still having the ability to get some excellent fuel consumption ratings. I think they almost pulled this one off, as I never seemed to lack for power. When I did find myself needing that power it became very thirsty though, if you want to get near the rating you had best be wearing feather slippers and catch a tailwind.

But it's not just about how efficiently this truck gets the job done, it's how well this truck makes it easy for you to do your jobs.

Towing trailers is not the only reason to have a truck, after all when you own a truck you are taking on a new position as " Furniture Mover To Your Friends ."  With great pickups come great responsibility. Ford knows this as well so they have added many tools to make it as easy as possible for you to perform your duties!

Equipped with a box extender, you will be able to move almost twice as much of your friends belongings. Sure, pickup boxes have gotten a bit out of hand with the ride height, but as always Ford is looking out for your safety and they have equipped the F150 with a super convenient tailgate step so you won't break a sweat climbing in and out of the box.

You know how when you load a truck, you always end up going back to the front and trying to tuck some more in? Well, Ford was thinking of you and they went ahead and offer these convenient little steps to give you ease of access to the front of the box or just to give you the needed height to install the tie downs before you venture out. So gone are the days of back breaking work to get the job done, all you need now is a Ford F150 and an extra set of hands to move the couches.

So what I came away with from this drive was that Ford again has shown it is the go-to truck of the masses for a reason. And that reason is convenience. They think of everything so you don't have to.

Bundle it all up in a great looking and super comfortable ride  and you get a vehicle that does almost everything well.

Disclosure : This Vehicle was provided by Ford Of Canada 

2013 C-MAX Energi

 2013 C-MAX Energi

So how bad could driving an electric car be? They have won races, they are changing the way we look at the environment, and well, they even have become status symbols in places. We could look at what companies like Fisker and Tesla have done to make electric cars sexy, but why? We can’t all be the super-wealthy crowd. Most of us commoners can only think of practical things. There are companies making electric cars practical for the masses, and Ford is one of the leaders in this charge!

Let’s take the C-MAX Energi for example. Start out with a compact car that can fit five comfortably, then make sure it has some room to haul some extras when needed. Then out of anyone’s sight hide some high-tech goodies like a battery pack, a charger and an electric motor to make it all go. Top it off with incredible visibility, a great chassis and excellent reliability and you have got yourself a C-Max Energi!

Now I can tell you this would not be a car that girls would be throwing themselves at you in, but it is  a car that a small family could own or just a nice runabout. If you are looking to save some money on your gas bills, this would be the way to go.

With a 38km range on straight battery power it won’t get you far, but when you couple it with the gas engine it comes with, the fuel mileage takes a good jump.  I was not able to do better than 5.0L/100km but it is rated at 4.5L/100km and I could see it doing that especially if you chose to go straight electric and charge after each trip.

It takes 8 hours to recharge fully with the plug in for home, but you can get a 240 volt Leviton charging station installed and it will cut the charge time to three hours. The electricity required is said to run around $25 a month so factor that into your fuel bill.

This car has some other great features that will help you drive it as efficiently as possible.  The SmartGuage with EcoGuide will help you to tailor your driving to get peak fuel economy. With your EV status on one side and your efficiency leaves on the other you will know exactly what is working for you and where you need to work on your heavy foot. 

One more feature in the C-Max Energi is the EV Mode Button. It gives options like electric only(EV MODE), gasoline only (EV LATER), or a radical combination of both (AUTO EV).

I enjoyed driving this car as it  did everything very well and I would recommend it to people who want the EV experience without the massive EV bill. This is a very affordable way to get your feet wet in the market. Who knows? You might fall in love with the ease of operation and change the way you look at cars all together!

Disclosure: This vehicle was provided by Ford Of Canada

2013 Ford Focus ST

So I walk into a dealership and say to the salesperson,

"Today I have $30,000 to spend on something that will carry my family of 4, allows me to carry some larger items I move from time to time, and is able to make me feel like I am a race driver when I want it too. Do you have anything that might work for me?

His reply? "Have you driven the Focus ST?" 

"Well, I have driven the Focus and although I know it will handle the family and carry my goods, it really doesn't make me feel like I'm driving  anything racy."

Again he replies "Have you driven the Focus ST?"

"Well then, show me this car you speak of!"

He takes me over to a Focus on the lot and as we approach from the front all I can see different is an ST badge on the left hand grill opening, I am underwhelmed. As he pulls the car forward and reveals a bit more to me, well I am mildly pleased, as it has a bit of a sportier edge to it from the side. Around back of it I am thoroughly impressed, this car is all business out back from the nicely sculpted rear spoiler down to the intriguing look of the exhaust placement.

So I tell him, "It does have a different look to it, and it is an alright look, but what I am after is the performance driving experience. I want something I can toss around corners and that has enough power to set me back in the seat."

"Let me tell you something about the ST package," he says. "It includes the 2.0L EcoBoost 4 cylinder that pumps out 252 HP and 270 lb/ft of torque. Also there is a close ratio 6 speed manual transmission to pump that power through to the front wheels. It also includes three mode Advanced Trac, - at the push of a button you can go from Standard - designed for all road surfaces, wet dry or snow. Sport - where the Advance Trac only activates when needed. Or Off -  where you are entirely in control of the car with the system shut down."

I am now impressed and I need to drive this car. I climb behind the wheel and can't help notice the near perfect layout of the gauges as I am embraced by the grip of the Recarro seats. With information laid out for quick viewing while driving at a fast speed, it had very much a track car feel to it.

But wait, this one still has the My Ford Touch and navigation in it, this would appear to be a hybrid - part racer, part practical every day driver - this might very well be the ticket I was looking for!
When I fired it up it had a nice subtle rumble to it, I am pleased as the loud soup can exhausts drive me crazy. Now I want to drive this thing.

We take it off the lot and my first thing was to see what it felt like, after all if it did not go the answer would be no and I would return to the lot. Instead what I found was a very punchy little car. The turbo lag you feel in most cars was almost nonexistent. Well, time to open this thing up, I already know it will be practical, my worry is will it be able to keep me entertained.

We get it out to an open highway and start rowing through some gears, they are close ratio but I find the shifter throw to be a bit much for me, nothing that can't be cured by the aftermarket. It accelerates with ease to 100kph in about 6.5 seconds, I was told by the salesman it would top out at over 240kph if we were on an open track.

I have to admit, this car had the ability to make me soil myself and that was exactly what I was after. Even with front wheel drive it was a very mild bit of torque steer and once you knew it was going to be there it became second nature.

I still needed to know how it would handle in the corners as all of the cool kids are running rear drive cars and I still want to play with them. A few off ramps and an open parking lot filled me in. This car stuck, and it was hard to tell it was a front driver. It responded well to everything I asked of it. This could be the one!

We returned to the dealership both of us with grins from ear to ear and I told him I only had one more hurdle to jump but I knew this was the car for me. I had to convince The Wife.

This is never an easy task as she does tend to like practical and sensible cars. For me to want this so I can race was not going to go over well. So I did what any other man would do, I left that part out.

I showed her the brochure and told her how practical it was and how comfortable the family would be even on the longest trips. I let her know about the navigation so she would never be lost again. She was unsure about the manual as she does not like to shift all of the time, I said that part was for me as I will drive it most. I then had to pull the trump card, it has a vanity mirror* under the visor that lights up. Permission granted!

The lesson here is "Happy Wife, Happy Life" and I can still hit the track on the weekends, everybody wins with this car.

 

 
* Disclosure : This vehicle was provided by Ford Of Cananda

*This is a work of fiction.  Any resemblance to actual events or wives, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. My wife likes impractical race cars.
 

 

 
 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 
 
   

 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2013 C-MAX HYBRID

2013 C-MAX HYBRID

They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but I will tell you I am one of the few open minded old dogs around. The week I spent in the 2013 C-MAX Hybrid was proof enough that I am still fully trainable (sorry ladies, I’m spoken for). 

I look into the mirror and I see a red cape wearing guy who believes that faster than a speeding bullet is almost fast enough. I live for horsepower and deep throaty exhaust notes - fuel consumption will always take a back seat to performance for me. Why on earth would I possibly want to drive a “Hybrid”? I assumed it would be the most boring vehicle I ever reviewed.....I was wrong!

What I found instead was an opportunity to broaden my sense of reality, expand my scope of thinking. I dove into this vehicle full of wonder - I wonder why they make these? I wonder how much savings this would really amount to? I wonder what kind of a person would buy this? - I was about to get schooled!

They have produced a car that actually wants to teach you how to be efficient. They do this with a series of gauges that help inform you of what you are doing right. The car is pure genius and not afraid to show you, built-in LCD tutorials on braking and driving efficiency.  Drive it hard and your vine is going to shed leaves and drive it nicely and they may stay with you forever. I started out driving it hard finding out where it performs and where it doesn`t. The car was fun and seemed to do everything very adequately, peppy without getting aggressive, hauled around family and cargo just fine, was a bit weaker than I expected in the corners though...but practicality has to have some boundaries.

What I found was a very roomy  five passenger Multi-Activity-Vehicle (MAV) that delivers great comfort and capacity and is on Fords’ first ever Hybrid only platform.  It seems odd to build a platform that is only good for one purpose, but when that purpose is to make the earth a greener place for our children to live, I get it. The fact that they have built the vehicles with the family in mind is wonderful too, as families are the largest segment of users in the automotive world.

The power train is the new 2.0L Atkinson-cycle I-4 gas engine and is teamed with an advanced high-voltage lithium-ion battery backed up by a new electronically controlled, continuously variable transmission (eCVT) built and engineered by Ford.  What does that translate to in English? There is a smallish engine with a big battery backup and a transmission that will optimize power during any driving situations. It also has a regenerative braking system to keep that big battery charged for when you need to use it next.

These cars have been the victims of many an accusation about fuel consumption. One thing I learned in auto sales is the people who come shopping for the most fuel efficient vehicles will be the ones who return complaining of poor gas mileage. The fact is, that is where they focus their attention so of course it won`t be good enough. I focus on horse power and have yet to find anything that will satisfy my needs. That being said, the EPA ratings have never been accurate and should only be used to compare apples to apples.  What I found was that I received a very solid 6.0L/100KM and that is not bad at all for a full family-haulin unit. It was more than I had expected after hearing other reviews.

In the end, I learned a lesson. Hybrid vehicles serve a purpose and we need to embrace the green technology  if we want to keep our environment healthy. They are far less polluting and far more economical and all of  that adds up to cleaner air to breathe. I don’t want to be a country where we have to wear masks to keep the pollutants out of our bodies, let’s get on the band wagon and back this trend. It’s one worth thinking about and looking into. 

Disclosure : This vehicle was provided by Ford Of Canada