Ecoboost Tour - do it and you'll be surprised

It takes real chutzpah to invite people to test their product against the segment leaders, or in the case of the Ford F150 its closest competitors.  But Ford is doing just that and opening eyes in the process.  Their Ecoboost products are more than competitive in my not so humble, ditto their hybrids and no one else domestically has car like the Fiesta ST or the Focus ST (before the trolls attack...the VW GTI isn't a domestic so there).

Friday I was invited to the Ecoboost Tour on a VIP Pass along with a lot of other Media Types to spend the morning taking turns driving various Ford products and their competitors, often a market leader.  We were given a closed loop circuit on a track at Santa Anita Race Park to run the cars back to back and then render our opinion.

First stop for me was the Hybrids.  Pitting the Prius V against a Ford C-Max.  First one up was to step into the Prius V.  No power seats in the top line model, whats up with that.  Can't exactly dial in a comfortable seating position without it.  *Grumble*.  Silly drive selector aside its not that bad of a car ergonomically once you get it and get your self half way situated.  Its definitely lacking in power, in the slalom portion of the circuit it was flaccid, kinda like a 40 year old Buick Estate Wagon.  No fun with this car.  Definitely for the point A-B commuter. Mileage...disappointing 38mpg.

The C-Max as a joy and complete polar opposite.  Power seats to dial in the perfect seating position, better materials that you touch.  More of a luxury feel.  On the track this car was more more at home in the curves and the slalom.  Even the acceleration portion this car went faster with less of a foot plant than the Prius V.  Granted I spent most of my time in EV mode, an option not available on the Prius V...but I got a whopping 64.7 out of it.  Impressive.  It drove and handled like a much smaller car.

For kicks and giggles I took out a gorgeous new Fusion Energi (Ford talk for plug in hybrid) on the track.  It was done up in the new for 2014 drop dead gorgeous Sunset.  It didn't disappoint me in how it rode and handled.  I managed a very respectable 81.3 MPE in all electric mode.  My only niggle is that I would have liked to have a Camry hybrid or Accord plug-in to go up against it.

After the Hybrids is the main event.  Ecoboost Mid-size car, SUV and Pick-up against its competition.

First drive was the Honda's CRV and the Ford Escape have been duking it out this year for sales dominance.  The Escape with its 2.0L Ecoboost just knocked the snot out of the CRV in the acceleration run.  It just flew down the straight away and braked straight going into the curves.  No drama just an urgent slam back into the seat when you stepped on it. That 2.4l naturally aspirated engine just isn't a match for the Ecoboost.

In the Slalom its close for the two, the CRV does nose dive on braking a bit more than the Escape and demonstrates a little tilting sensation in the curves, but not scary.  Close but I'd still give the edge up to the Escape.  The CRV was put together well inside, but its much more simple and lacks the elegance of the Escape, material choices the Escape winds hands down.

Next I stepped into the Fusion with its 2.0L Ecoboost to go up against the Toyota Camry with a 3.5L V6.  In the straight line acceleration the Fusion was easily 10mph faster at the end of the run than the Camry.  the Camry power came on in a swell with the big gain after 30mph where it seemed to come up on cam and get is power.

In the slalom the Camry was outright scary.  It sloshed through the slalom so bad I feared I was scrubbing the door handles on the tarmac.  The Fusion was confidence inspiring and just swooshed through the curves with little tilting sensation.  Fusion was the clear winner in this portion of the test.

I'll toss down the gauntlet and tell you the Camry needs a lot of work inside and mechanically to be the car the Fusion is.  The only reason I think the Camry sells is on its bullet proof reputation of durability in getting you from point A to B daily.  Live is more than just a straight line without detours.

The Final test in this cycle was the spanking new redesigned Chevy Silverado against an F150 FX4 Ecoboost.  The Ecoboost won on acceleration against the 5.3L V8 by a nose.  Handling was similar with it really too close to call.  Interior fit and finish...really Chevy, your interior materials are no where near as nice as my Focus, and you are wanting how much for this truck and can't spring for decent fabric?  I will be most curious to see what happens when the new F150 comes out this fall, all aluminum for a 700 lb weight loss which will translate to better economy, performance and handling.

The final stop, and absolute kick in the pants is the ST Performance Academy where you get to run a Fiesta ST on a race course and are timed against other participants.  Its a ton of fun and the Fiesta ST is an amazing machine.  The time to beat was 30.1 seconds through a half mile course.  After 3 tries I got a nice upper third result of 33.611.

Also on hand to enjoy were some 2015 models coming on sale soonish.

Coming this fall is the aluminum bodied F150.  Loosing nealry 700 lbs will increase its performance on all measures including the all important fuel economy.  Top MPG powerplant is expected to be a 2.7L V6 with stop/start technology and bring in near diesel numbers without having to pay the premium for diesel fuel (which is 25-75cents/gallon over premium here in L.A).

2015 Ford Expedition in Platinum trim.  New for 2015 is a host of changes, the biggy being the dumping of the thirsty 5.4L V8 and slipping in the more powerful and efficient 3.5L V6 Ecoboost.

The Transit Connect grows up for the new model year and loses a lot of its Eastern European quirkiness.  Bigger and with Ecoboost engines its being billed as the alternative to the mini-van.  Should be interesting to see how it performs in the market.

The show stopper for me, and I did save the best for last was the 2015 Mustang.  What a beauty this one in Charcoal metallic was.  Its a "base" V6 with a nicely optioned up leather interior.  I so want this car, but we aren't in the market for one now, but I did get the Mrs blessing to add it to a short list when we are ready for a new car in a couple of years.  Make mine this exact color and trim but swap out the 300+ Horsepower 2.3L Ecoboost please.

In the end we were given an exist interview and asked our opinion on a lot of topics.  Overall I can't believe how crappy Toyota's products are against the comparable Ford, folks just need to drop the marketing rhetoric of both and drive them back to back and make up their own mind.  Ford will the  own the pony car market again when the new Mustang launches.  Camaro is a good competitor but won't have the weight and performance edge, Challenger doesn't count as its a bloated pig for old farts.  Just my not so humble ramblings after a fun day on a track.

More pics from the event in my flickr album.

Mustang Madness at the Petersen

Last weekend opened the Mustang Madness show at the Petersen.  Put on with the help of Los Angeles mega dealer Galpin in the valley this show was nothing short of amazing in its celebration of 50 years of Mustang.  You start the show with the 1965 Mustang convertible that Ronald Reagan used for his gubernatorial campaign and worked your way to the coming 2015 Model.

Each generation from start to current had a one off sample along with a descriptor board that told its story. For the 4th generation they had a super rare SVT with the R package deleting anything that would weigh it down and was really a race car for the streets.

Of course this being put on with the help of Galpin Ford they had a few treasures from their collection that made the show even more unique and helped explain the magic and mystique that is the Mustang.

Included in this show was a barn find 1967 Shelby GT that they originally sold new.  They tracked down the succession of owners and bought it back to add to their collection.  Its the classic barn find showing its age, wear and tear, but wonderfully unmolested over all those years.

They Galpin folks even had a couple of examples of their custom race cars from back in the day.  One was a 1969 Dragster funny car with four 351 Clevelands bolted together making some 1000 horsepower. Another was a prostocker with a massive supercharger poking out of the hood.

Of course not all the customs there were outrageous examples like this.  Some were subtle redos like the 40th anniversary Iaococa custom.  Only a few were made and not a single panel is interchangeable with a stock Mustang. Only a few hundred were ever made and most went into the hands lf collectors.  This car was a tribute to Lee Iaococa whom without his championing the car it would have never been produced.

More pictures of the show and the Petersen in General can be found in my flickr Album.

The Petersen for the uninitiated is probably one of the best curated automotive museums in So Cal and is situated in Museum Row in the mid-Wilshire district of Los Angeles.  The museum is several floors and has several shows rotating through during the course of a year.  I highly recommend you visit, even if you aren't a fan of cars as it does some really good dioramas showing the importance of the car and car culture on our countries growth.

The Petersen Automotive Museum
6060 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90036
323-930-CARS

PCH aka CA Highway 1...one of the best roads

I love this stretch of road.  I highly recommend it over the 101 or the 5 to the Bay Area.  Scenic as hell. Full of twisties to keep it exciting.  Detour and do Hearsts Castle in San Simeon.  A few miles further up the road are protected coves full of California Sea Lions that you can watch with their pups.  A few miles further up is the Piedras Blancas Lighthouse.  All gorgeous places to stop and take pictures.

I did it first in 1989 on my honeymoon with my lovely wife.  I've since gone back and done it a few more times.  The pace is more relaxed.  There is infinitely more more to see and do than the trip up the major freeways.  Added boner is you get to skip the gawd awful odors of Harris Ranch in Coalinga.  

29th Fabulous Fords Forever

April 29, 2014 was the day, the biggest single manufacturer Auto Show in SoCal.  The Fabulous Fords Forever show and it didn't disappoint.  Over 1000 Mustangs crowded the main viewing area off La Palma in Buena Park.  Nearly that many other Ford, Mercury, Edsel, Lincoln and Thunderbird on the viewing area off of Stanton.  Thats a lot of cars in various states of found to restored to customized to soak in on one visit.

A few of my favorites, for reasons you may or may not ever guess.

The AC Cobra, what a car this was.  Meant to offset the roadsters the Brits were dumping on us in the 60's.  With its light weight and massive Ford 427 Cobra under the hood, it embarrased them and its other contemporary the Corvette.  Still a popular car at shows and among collectors.  This pristine example according to the owner had nearly70K pumped into the restoration.

This "Mercury" custom is anything but a Mercury as its cobbled from a variety old cars, 48-50 Mercury, 49-51 Ford, with bits from Town Car, Mercury Marauder, Mustang, Thunderbird, and Cougar all built on top of the chassis of a Lincoln Mark VIII.  At least they kept it all in the Ford Family.  Oddly it sorta works on a few different levels.

1974 Mustang II.  Every car has a story and this one is no exception.  This un restored, unmolested original with a 2.8l V6 stole my heart.  The current owner fell in love with it when he was 16 but lacked the funds to buy it in total.  His Dad stepped in and fronted the balance and bought it new off a lot in Hawaii.  He worked off the balance and Title reverted to him a few years later.  It served as a daily driver for him until 1999.  He drove the car up from San Diego for the show.  Not perfect, certainly a terrrific example of the car that kept the Mustang alive during the gas crisis of the disco era.

The Ford Consul Corsair.  This gem was imported from the UK back in the 60's.  It is a very rare 2 door, that if you believe the wiki was pretty much reserved for the export market, which would explain its steering wheel on the right side of the car.  This gem was driven by the owner all the way from Louisiana just for the show.

1970 Thunderbird Landau.  What a massive beast this is.  I love it.  From the jet fighter inspired front end protrusion to the nouveay riche interior it has it all.   Nearly bought one, used of course, when I was shopping around for my first car all thoes years ago.  (I turned down the one I drove as it had a funny knock at idle). What a car that would have been, but totally inappropriate for a struggling college student.

What a Pinto??? Yes, and this 1977 reminded me of my own '77 that actually got me through college. Cheap to keep, frugal on gas and ran forever.  127K on the clock when I traded it in '85 and it was running strong.

All pics by me, tons more images in my flickr album "29th Fabulous Fords Forever:"

Dashcam : Bad drivers in So Cal

I've thought about adding the Dashcam to the rear window.  All my wrecks except one have been rearenders, but then again how much evidence is needed when rearended while at a stop sign/light?

This guy sums up the general lack of courtesy by a few drivers.  His running commentary has been edited down but at times the work is NSFW...listen with earbuds and you won't offend those around you.

What's your favorite pet peeve on the roadways?

Mustangs Across America - Los Angeles is the starting point

April 9th the folks over at Saleen Supercars hosted a pre-drive rally for the participants of the Mustangs Across America.  Mustangs Across America is a drive from Los Angeles to Charlotte NC that will take place over the course of April 10-16.

There are 550 registered participants from around the globe.  Quite an accomplishment for a car never officially sold outside the United States.  Among the countries represented were Canada, Australia, UK, France, Germany, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.  One Mustang in the drive across the US is an original Mustang from the UK!

 A few from the Australian Mustang Club

 The tour route and stops on a participants back

 A car from the U.K.

 One of 6 cars from the Slovakia Mustang Club cars

Tour route on the rear quarter of a new 'stang

Of course its appropriate that the kick off for the Rally took place here in So Cal...I mean if stats are correct there are more Mustangs from 1964 to today registered here than anywhere else in the country. Doing it at the Saleen factory in Corona makes sense as that manufacturer does more with the raw Mustang than any tuner could ever hope to achieve.

And while we are on the topic of the Saleen Mustang, they even had tours of their factory that night.  From start to finish there are 8 critical steps in transforming a Mustang into a Saleen Mustang.  first step it taking the raw car, stripping it of suspension and rearend and then putting on the bits and pieces ordered to transform the car.  The last and final step is where they take the car on a test drive to ensure it will perform as a Saleen should.  When it all checks out, Steve Saleen himself signs the car!

Ceiling flags announcing the steps at each station

 Overview of the factory at work

 Car in station 2 

Saleen Mustang in the final station waiting for its signature

I knew that Saleen is a full manufacturer.  I didn't know that they had to crash test and CARB certify their cars.  Even more intriguing is that that have records on every Saleen Mustang ever made and can certify for an owner if the car in the used market is legit or a clone by simply contacting them.

After this evening was over I really wished we still had my wife's old Mustang LX from when we were first married.  I'd love to join all these great old 'stangs in the Mustangs Across America rally.

All pics by me and they get bigger with a click.  If you want to see truly huge images check on the flickr set where I have well over 100 from the night.  FLICKR Mustangs Across America

Wish the Mustang Happy Birthday and help set a world recod

Ford is out to set a Guiness World Record for the number of signatures on an eCard.  The eCard is for the Mustangs 50th birthday which takes place on 4/16/2014.  To sign and help them set the record, click HERE.