The shape of the instrument cluster inside makes my head spin and want to puke! Ack! It reminds me of some of those really awful cars they made in the 1970s.. Grille in the front has WAY too much plastic and look like it would not survive roads chips, stones, etc over time, and be really costly to fix. The rest of the body looks to much like the 1997 Navs for me though..

I do think the seat look comfy though, and fit and finish looks great.

 

I totally agree wih you. People want DIFFERNT. And its anything but plain. The interior is the best looking thing ive every seen.

 

They had two at the Chicago autoshow, a regular one and a long one. The long one can only be described as gigantic! For whatever reason, both had windows that were so tinted that the interiors couldn't be seen. The center stack looks very nice, but the square gauges are terrible. Speaking of terrible, the steering wheel off of the base Zephyr has no business being in a vehicle that will cost more than 50 grand. I think the new Caddy has this thing beat by a large margin. Lincoln is really fooling themselves if they think the standard 3 valve 5.4L is going to hold up in this class. The only vehicle that Lincoln has in the pipeline that is going to help them is the MKS.

 

Yes, i will agree with you (BFS) on the remark about the steering wheel. That nav. thing is HUGE and the zepher is not so big, its like putting the wheel of a focus into an f150 it just does not look right (maybe something more BUFF or MASC.)


Ford change that GAUGE CLUSTER!! PLEASE.......

However i do like the location of the Hazard and message center button's also that power liftgate button on the right ;-)

 

I think the Nav looks sharp from every view but the rear. If you think the SQ guages look lost on the inside wait til you see the lift gate. Its a pretty sharp suv though.

 

I think it's so bland, it's hard to get really excited about it or find it all that ugly. It's just "too much more of the same" because it's starting from the limited range of design elements allowed into the Lincoln product line from Ford. I still think the Expedition is the better looking car. If you can live without seats that blow smoke up your ****, then there's little reason to buy a Lincoln over the Ford equivalent.

I'm rather surprised to find that both GM and Ford have somehow not discovered what made the out-going Escalade a success. Both makers have delivered the thing they're going to sell for at least three years and both cars are just not that inspiring. And GM didn't even have the sense to put in decent suspension and an independent rear axle. If I went back to my product management days and bungled (small pun) such an obvious competitive disadvantage, I'm sure my boss would have both noticed the mistake (and fixed it) and fired me for being so out of touch with my product.

Anyhoot, the Expedition continues to be the feature-list and practical-function leader. I fail to see how the superficial make-over of the now decades-old Chevy Blazer / Suburbland platform will help Chev slow their massive losses. Sure, the new Tahoe/Yukon/Suburban models will get early sales to "first kid on the block" buyers and then they'll discount heavily to off-load '07 models as they get into '08 sales and then we'll be back in 2003, just with navigation systems to show us just how far we have to go and how much fuel we'll have to burn to get there.
If only I could get an Expedition EL (or whatever they'll call the long wheelbase, longer body Expedition to replace the Excursion) with a strong diesel, a 50 gal tank and a 12K towing capacity. And four-wheel steering would be appreciated.

 

u said it brother! (expedition with a diesel)

ps mabey that v6 diesel that is rumored to be in the 08 f-150!!!

 

I'd like to see an actual SUV available again at some point. Frankly, I don't care what mfg. Spare me the independent suspension on both ends. Make it simple, easy to modify to fit my needs (which also makes it easy to fix in the middle of nowhereville, USA ). I don't even care what brand it is. The new 4 door Wrangler is kinda interesting, but I'd like something a little bigger (3/4 tonish or greater) that could actually tow something (heavy duty pickup diesel engine?). Seat at least 7 folks and have some room to put some gear inside.

 

Whoever decided that those taillights needed to be put on every Lincoln needs to be shot. I'm not designer, and I don't have a better idea, but those taillights look like azz and have ever since they came out on the original Navigator. Jeez.

I do like the front, though.

 

Funnily enough, Ford ("Maverick") and Nissan ("Patrol") is exactly what you're describing. Sold in Australia. Dirt cheap, "hose out" (plastic floor covering, no carpet, if you want it) and something that probably never will break, but if it does, you can repair it with two deep cycle batteries and a welding stick. Seriously. I've seen guys repair broken diffs, transfer cases, suspension brackets, water pumps, you name it, using a stick welder and then got home, forgot to get it fully repaired and then found themselves with another 50K on the odo. The old Nissan Patrol is something of a legend. In it's day perhaps. Anyway, great truck, but nowhere near as versatile as the Excursion in '05 6.0 trim. Of course, if something electronic barfs in the X, I'm toast. So it goes.


And I agree the big Wrangler thing could turn out to be a classic like a Defender 110. I hope Jeep knows they could create a legend with that thing. In other words, I hope they put the effort into making it really good off-road and bullet-proof reliable. Things like the multi-configurable hard-top roof panels don't make me think they focused on the right stuff. I wish they'd said factory equiped with diff locks all round, detachable anti-sway bars, air-bag ride-height etc. But all that just leaves room for the after-market companies to make money.

 

The magazine guys screw us out of the cool stuff. Everything needs to ride/drive how they want it to. Those'd be perfect if it's full-size and can tow about 6000 lbs. safely (basicly, I want a smaller Excursion---kinda like the Jeep RESCUE concept vehicle)


I'm not sure about modern Jeep. We've had 3 Jeeps (Grand Cherokee, Cherokee and now a Wrangler that's a little on the rediculous side) in a row until I bought my F250 and I don't see ANYTHING interesting about their current styling. Despite the styling, the new Wrangler looks to be pretty interesting. The 4 door has a 114" wheelbase and is wider than the TJ. I'd hope it'd come with some kind of engine being that long. I'm sure it'd tow a lightish boat around. I don't know that it'll tow my Wrangler around very well, though. Sounds like a 4 door Rubicon would be a good match for you I don't think it'll have the ride-height adjustment, but I think it'll have the auto-detaching sway bars (Dodge Power Wagon production item) and selectable lockers (I think they're electric rather than air this design). I'm not sure about the 'configurable' top. I see LOTS of issues with that, but I've been wrong before.




Where's the 'new' Bronco (based off the EB concept, not the OJ Bronco )? 4.6L, Super Duty axles (a guy can dream, right?), on-frame construction......... With Ford quality and loyalty, I'd imagine that thing would sell pretty well. I think the Toyota FJ-thing is going to sell well if any how many I see on the roads in Utah have anything to say about that. I've seen a LOT of those around. Why not Ford?

 

Personally I think it looks great. Certaily no worse that the new Escalade from Cadi. And lots better than the new GMC Envoy.

 

Wh? Same car we're talking about? : )
I think the Expedition looks pretty good (no better than the existing car, just different) and I can't imagine what they were thinking if they did any focus group tests on the 'gator.

 

ok..........?

 

not that much of a difference, really?