So, I went to Lamarque Ford and test drove a 2010 Taurus today...

[Tiberius Jim]

It was the first time ever that the Dearborn automaker beat its arch-rival in the survey, which was conducted for Ford by the RDA Group of Bloomfield Hills.http://www.detnews.com/article/20090721/AUTO01/907210377/Ford-tops-in-quality-survey

What a coincidence. A study done for Ford ends up with Ford being #1.

 

[msbae]

It was the first time ever that the Dearborn automaker beat its arch-rival in the survey, which was conducted for Ford by the RDA Group of Bloomfield Hills.

What a coincidence. A study done for Ford ends up with Ford being #1.

I thought that was a little suspicious too. Ford's quality is quite good but, how am I to determine who's really the best? Also, why do none of these surveys I see (regardless of subject) ever include the methodology? Including the methodology might make them easier to believe.

 

[zephramc]

It's nice to see that Ford, as well as GM, are back to being competitive players.

The nice cars in the Ford lineup IMHO:

Taurus - The subject of this thread.

Mustang - I like the styling of the 05-08 'Stangs better. The 2009+ redesign lost something. Still a damn nice car though.

Fusion - Nice little car. Hoping that Ford makes the rumored Fusion GT, an AWD, 340hp monster. This will be a direct competitor to the Audi S4 at half the price.

I'd love to see the Focus RS make it's way to the US. 305hp in a Focus. What more could you ask for?
GM has some good cars in its lineup too:

2010 Chevy Camaro
2005-???? Chevy Corvette
2008-???? Chevy Malibu
2010 Buick Lacrosse

Hopefully GM will keep the Pontiac G8 line around. Maybe an Impala/Impala SS.

 

[msbae]

It's nice to see that Ford, as well as GM, are back to being competitive players.

The nice cars in the Ford lineup IMHO:

Taurus - The subject of this thread.

Mustang - I like the styling of the 05-08 'Stangs better. The 2009+ redesign lost something. Still a damn nice car though.

Fusion - Nice little car. Hoping that Ford makes the rumored Fusion GT, an AWD, 340hp monster. This will be a direct competitor to the Audi S4 at half the price.

I'd love to see the Focus RS make it's way to the US. 305hp in a Focus. What more could you ask for?
GM has some good cars in its lineup too:

2010 Chevy Camaro
2005-???? Chevy Corvette
2008-???? Chevy Malibu
2010 Buick Lacrosse

Hopefully GM will keep the Pontiac G8 line around. Maybe an Impala/Impala SS.

A 340hp AWD Fusion sounds nice.

The G8 will still be around in Australia as the Holden Monaro.

The Impala isn't likely to be redesigned for another few years, dues mostly to the company being strapped for cash.

The current Malibu design premiered in 2007.

Why isn't the Buick Lucerne on that short list? It's an awesome car.

 

[Alpha_Geek]

...and it was great. I drove a SEL model with the naturally aspirated V6 engine...

A CARB??? Wow! I thought those had gone the way of the Sabre Tooth! It really wansn't fuel injected?? Wow!! That's cool!

Maybe the 2011 Challenger will reintroduce the 440 with a 6 pack!!!!

 

[msbae]

...and it was great. I drove a SEL model with the naturally aspirated V6 engine...

A CARB??? Wow! I thought those had gone the way of the Sabre Tooth! It really wansn't fuel injected?? Wow!! That's cool!

Maybe the 2011 Challenger will reintroduce the 440 with a 6 pack!!!!

No, in this case, 'naturally aspirated' means there was no turbo or supercharger.

EDIT: Noah Mass e-mailed me with some info on the EcoBoost technology in the form of a link and a PowerPoint file. I haven't examined the PPT yet. Here's the link:

http://blog.caranddriver.com/ford-confirms-230-hp-four-cylinder-ecoboost-is-on-the-way/

EDIT 2: A YouTube video featuring the Black Taurus SHO I saw at the dealership...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KR6Tp3L1w0Q

 

[zephramc]

...and it was great. I drove a SEL model with the naturally aspirated V6 engine...

A CARB??? Wow! I thought those had gone the way of the Sabre Tooth! It really wansn't fuel injected?? Wow!! That's cool!

Maybe the 2011 Challenger will reintroduce the 440 with a 6 pack!!!!

Carburetors were pretty much replaced by fuel injection in production automobiles by the early 90s. They are still in use today on many motorcycles, older cars of course, and in racing (stock car, drag, etc...).

As msbae explained, natural aspiration (NA) does not refer to fuel/air mixing for combustion but instead to how the car gets the air. An NA engine relies on atmospheric pressure to draw in air, where as a forced induction engine (FI - turbocharger, supercharger) essentially makes it's own air pressure.

 

[backstept]

...and it was great. I drove a SEL model with the naturally aspirated V6 engine...

A CARB??? Wow! I thought those had gone the way of the Sabre Tooth! It really wansn't fuel injected?? Wow!! That's cool!

Maybe the 2011 Challenger will reintroduce the 440 with a 6 pack!!!!

Carburetors were pretty much replaced by fuel injection in production automobiles by the early 90s. They are still in use today on many motorcycles, older cars of course, and in racing (stock car, drag, etc...).

As msbae explained, natural aspiration (NA) does not refer to fuel/air mixing for combustion but instead to how the car gets the air. An NA engine relies on atmospheric pressure to draw in air, where as a forced induction engine (FI - turbocharger, supercharger) essentially makes it's own air pressure.

more air going in = more O2 to burn = MOAR POWAHH!!!!