Showing posts with label Ford. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ford. Show all posts
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Car of the Day: 2011 Ford Evos Concept
Friday, March 02, 2012
Monday, January 16, 2012
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Auto Review: Chevy Aveo5
This week I had to leave my car at the dealer for a little warranty work for a couple days. Ford provided a rental car. Knowing that there was no way Ford was going to spring for anything besides a basic car, I was really hoping for a Ford Fiesta based on this Top Gear review:
Unfortunately the car was not supplied by Ford, but rather provided by Ford through Hertz, so what I ended up with was the 2011 Chevy Aveo5:
It left such an impression that I thought I would write something.
The Pros
-My rental car looked exactly like the picture above. It's not especially good-looking, but it's pretty inoffensive, obviously a Chevy, and a big improvement over the previous model.
-There's lots of headroom, not that I would be the best judge. (That's a short joke.) It's easy to see out of the car at all angles.
-I really didn't like the 1.6 L 108-hp engine at first, but after driving around for two days I decided it was adequate for driving around town. As long as you stay off the open road you're not going to notice the lack of power.
-It did have AC and a CD player, but no cruise control.
The Cons
-Here's what driving an Aveo on the freeway is like: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA(breath)AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH(breath)HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! This car was not designed to go over 55-mph. It has a strained relationship with the road and never feels firmly planted at freeway speeds. Add a crosswind on a bridge over the Mississippi to that and you have a terrifying experience.
-The car vibrated at idle like a two cylinder tractor. I was afraid it was going to explode.
-Those backseats are just for show, there's no way a human could sit in them if anyone was sitting in the front.
-The interior is obviously cheap, though not outstandingly so. The clock is awkwardly positioned on the dash near the windshield rather than on the CD player display.
-The interior door handles are positioned so far forward it can be difficult to open the doors, especially if you don't want to hit the car next to you.
-The car sounds hollow and flimsy when you shut the doors.
I could go on, but I won't. If you have had even a fleeting thought about buying one of these, stop. Please. No one should have to drive this car. You would be better off buying practically anything else. Heck, buy a horse. Even if it kicks you in the face it would be better than driving this car.
Unfortunately the car was not supplied by Ford, but rather provided by Ford through Hertz, so what I ended up with was the 2011 Chevy Aveo5:
It left such an impression that I thought I would write something.
The Pros
-My rental car looked exactly like the picture above. It's not especially good-looking, but it's pretty inoffensive, obviously a Chevy, and a big improvement over the previous model.
-There's lots of headroom, not that I would be the best judge. (That's a short joke.) It's easy to see out of the car at all angles.
-I really didn't like the 1.6 L 108-hp engine at first, but after driving around for two days I decided it was adequate for driving around town. As long as you stay off the open road you're not going to notice the lack of power.
-It did have AC and a CD player, but no cruise control.
The Cons
-Here's what driving an Aveo on the freeway is like: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA(breath)AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH(breath)HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! This car was not designed to go over 55-mph. It has a strained relationship with the road and never feels firmly planted at freeway speeds. Add a crosswind on a bridge over the Mississippi to that and you have a terrifying experience.
-The car vibrated at idle like a two cylinder tractor. I was afraid it was going to explode.
-Those backseats are just for show, there's no way a human could sit in them if anyone was sitting in the front.
-The interior is obviously cheap, though not outstandingly so. The clock is awkwardly positioned on the dash near the windshield rather than on the CD player display.
-The interior door handles are positioned so far forward it can be difficult to open the doors, especially if you don't want to hit the car next to you.
-The car sounds hollow and flimsy when you shut the doors.
I could go on, but I won't. If you have had even a fleeting thought about buying one of these, stop. Please. No one should have to drive this car. You would be better off buying practically anything else. Heck, buy a horse. Even if it kicks you in the face it would be better than driving this car.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Bleeding Edge Brazil
For someone who works in manufacturing, this article about one of Ford's Brazilian plants is fascinating reading. Everyone else will probably find it interesting as well. The plant is state-of-the-art, employing lean manufacturing and just-in-time practices, and it has suppliers integrated directly on the floor (I think I'm work-geeking out a little here). Ford would love to build plants like this in the U.S., except the UAW would never allow it. So, Ford struggles to make a profit, union membership shrinks, and Michigan's economy is in the toilet. Good job, UAW.
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