Ford's Top 10 Feature Technology, Style and Are Competitive

This is perhaps one of the easiest articles that AssociatedContent has asked us to write. They wanted a list of the 10 best models that Ford has to offer and we can think of them very easily (early disclosure: author is former Ford salesman and Ford owner of six between 1986 and 2008).

And while some make look at the last disclosure as "this writer's a shill for ford and its products, look at the disclosure again and it says FORMER salesman." We have no interest in Ford whatever, we just think they're cars are neat.

The only problem is where do we start. They offer so many great models that it's tough to know which one to write about first and since they all begin with an E or an F, unless it Mercury and then it begins with an MK, you can see the dilemma. So, why not do this alphabetically just because it's easier to handle things that way.

• Ford Edge: Based on the Mazda CX-9 chassis, this all-wheel-drive crossover has a lot going for it. Since the chassis is actually an auto chassis, it doesn't ride or handle like the traditional sports utility vehicle. Instead, it handles like a car and rides like one also. We had the occasion a bit ago to bring one back from a dealership about three states from here and found the ride to be comfortable, the seats to be supportive and the handling to be very positive. Since it was equipped with power leather seats and climate control the SEL version we used, was a pleasure to drive back and the mileage on the Interstate was very good, averaging just a little over 26 -- we were hauling it a bit. This vehicle is available as front-drive or all-wheel-drive and is powered by the Ford 3.5-liter V-6. It is mated to six-speed automatic that extracts excellent mileage from the powerteam while, at the same time bring exciting performance and handling. The ride is very stable through turns and corners. We'd recommend the Edge with three caveats: 1. stay away from the panoramic roof; it's great-looking, but can be a tad warm on a summer day as the sun pours through the polarized glass roof; 2. there's only seating for five, not seven or eight, and the rear cargo area is cut by the sharply sloping rear hatch. Pricing averages between $20,000 and $38,000 depending on features.

• Ford Escape: Although it really began its life as a small-sized SUV offering, most likely based on the Focus chassis, the Escape has become one of Ford's more popular "crossover" vehicles. Yes, that's what has happened to small SUVs, they have become "crossovers" as they offer a crossover point from a car to the SUV and the standard Escape is that point. It's actually a nice crossover point and like its prime competition the Honda CR-V or Toyota RAV4 holds five nicely and its standard four gets excellent mileage. Like its other Ford counterparts, it is offered as a base, midlevel, and top levels (S, SE, SEL and LTD). The S and SE offer primarily entry level features, although do get power windows, doorlocks, steering and brakes on the SE. They two are also basically front-drive, fours that are surprisingly comfortable and pliant and offer nice ride and handling ability. Moving the SEL, you can equip it with a six that increases performance, but cuts mileage, but, the funny thing is it's not by that much as the 2.3-liter four that's used on the SE is straining to move at highway speeds, while the six loafs. The LTD brings you the Hybrid model and this package has all the right toys. Price averages between $17,000 and about $37,000, depending on equipment.
• Ford Fiesta: This microcar is a new entry in Ford's lineup for 2010 and it has been anticipated by the automotive press since word first leaked out about it a couple of years ago. Actually, if you know the Fiat 500, then you'll have a pretty good idea about the Fiesta because they are in the same size class -- this Smart car with about a foot grafted on. The keys to the Fiesta are its size -- it's small enough to fit in a fitting room, if you go to Macy's and need a place to park (just kidding, but it is on the smallish size) and it offers a host of safety features, including crushability zones that rival larger vehicles. The beauty of this tiny tot of a vehicle is its mileage. If you can't get 50-mpg-plus on the Interstate then you have a seriously heavy foot and should lighten up a bit because a high-speed crash in any of the microcars available now or in the near future will likely likely be a lot worse than in even a compact. The great thing about the stylish Fiesta is that it challenges the imports on their own turf and it wins. There are five models ranging from the base S to the top-of-the-line SES Hatchback that range in price from about $14,000 to $18,000 and that doesn't count any discounting or incentives a dealer might add to sweeten the price. The Fiesta, by the way, does carry four adults in comfort and handles pretty well for a tiny-wheelbase vehicle.

• Ford Focus: After not receiving much attention for the first seven years of its life, the surprisingly good Ford Focus received a major facelift that included a squarer stance, more modern headlight and taillight cluster and slight changes to its body panels. For all the nice, rich-looking changes on the outside, the interior, unless you opted for the SES, still remained and remains basic American car plastic. This is funny, though, because if you drive down the street and pull into the Mazda dealer, you can have the same chassis in the Mazda3. (Disclosure: We owned a Ford Focus for 8 years). The new Focus is a nicely designed vehicle and like its predecessor is surprisingly sprightly for what is essentially a family compact. The surprising thing about the Focus is the amount of interior space. The two front buckets are very supportive and do hold you in place during spirited handling. Yes, you can actually do some interested flipping around of the Focus as the seats keep you in place through turns and corners. The rear seat is fairly comfy for three adults, although two adults would be more comfortable. The tall roofline means even fairly tall passengers can get comfortable back there. The Focus, with its 30-plus mpg average, on the highway is a very nice vehcile.

• Ford Flex: When it was first introduced in 2008 folks looked at the low-slung, narrow Ford Flex and wondered what it was. It wasn't tall enough to be a minivan and it wasn't wide enough to be an SUV. Instead, it was a low, long, narrow vehicle that looked somewhat funny when it was introduced. It did take some time for this front-drive crossover to make any headway, but once people realized you could actually seat seven people in comfort with features that ranged from a very basic SE model, to the SEL and on through the LTD, which offers all-wheel-drive, as well as a panoramic front roof and two small skylights for the rear. The basic seating is two, three, two and the ride and handling are quite good. Indeed, you really have to remember you are driving such a long vehicle when you are behind the wheel, but that becomes second-nature quite quickly. Altogether, the Flex has become a niche vehicle that is selling strongly for Ford and offers a great alternative to the minivan with better mileage and handling thanks to the 3.5-liter engine and six-speed automatic.

• Fusion/Fusion Hybrid: Ford did something radical this year with the Fusion and it came away with a winner when it resylted the Fusion. We're not talking about a small redesign, we're talking about a major redesign that took a nice-looking, albeit conservatively styled car and turned it into a vehicle that will challenge anything on any side of any water. And, adding the Hybrid capablity to the Fusion made it an even more desirable mid-sized. The sweeping lines now look far more European than American the way they have integrated the headlight and taillight modules into the new design is quite dramatic. The standard powerplants are a 2.4-liter four and the 3.5-liter V-6. The top-of-the-line Hybrid adds an electric motor and batteries so that around town you are essentially on battery all the time. It makes use of regenerative braking to help keep the charge up (the energy that's usually dissipated when you brake is turned into charging energy for the battery pack) and the engine actually assists the batteries in staying up to charge, except on the highway where the engine helps the battery motor achieve highway speeds while also charging the battery. The Fusion is a dramatic vehicle and it easly deserves its North American International Car of the Year Award.

• Mustang: When it debut about five years ago, the automotive world ooohed and ahhed at the restyled Mustang that, frankly, was a case of back to the future. Borrowing heavily from the styling of the 1969 Mustang Fastback, the new Mustang was a direct descendant of that pony car with one exception, the standard engine was not the small block eight which came standard in the 69 'stang, but a more anemic 3.8-liter V-6. You could update that with a 4.6-liter V-8 that produced somewhat more horsepower, but it was still more flash than anything. Not so in 2011, when Ford will be reintroducing a real performance Mustang that not only will blow the socks off the older versions, but will do so while getting better gas mileage. The standard powerplant is the 3.5-inch V-6 that has been tweaked to achieve somewhere around 300 horsepower and about 290 pounds-feet of torque so that in standard trim you have quite a vehicle. The GT, though, regains a 5-liter engine that is said to crank out about 395-horsepower and about the same torque as the V-6 -- go figure - the key, though, is the broader power curve that carries the GT right through its range, a broader powerband so that the engine won't run out of breath at the higher end and better mid-range performance. The performance has been increased so much that the new GT sports real Brembo sports calipers and rotors, a beefier suspension and better overall placement so that it rolls through turns and corners as if it was on rails. The lines have been refined by are still definitely 'stang.

• Taurus: Rather than just taking an existing somewhat older, conservative model -- the 500 -- and slapping the Taurus nameplate on it, Ford is bringing back a real Taurus for 2011. It looks like it will help renew Ford's reputation as an innovator as it steals some of its design from the Fusion and is a challenge to anything from Europe. It finally looks like the design teams in Detroit have taken a close look at the competition, realized that they aren't the only game on the block anymore and are producing vehicles with style and performance.

• Mercury MKS, MKZ, MKT: Clearly the most innovating of these three Ford products (Mercury is Ford's upscale division), the MKS, introduced last year had a host of advanced technology features including drive-by-wire, electroluminescent lighting, the 3.5-liter V-6 and lots of standard features that set its price in the upper $40s. The MKZ is Mercury's version of the Fusion and has the same attributes and the MKT is Mercury's version of the Edge, although with more equipment.