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2011 Ford Mustang Review

Disclaimer: The car is not stock. The upgrades are magnaflow catback exhaust system, fully adjustable Koni shocks, and Eibach Springs. Driving experience may vary.

Many of you know already what this car is. It is America’s sports car. In my sophomore English class, we had to do a research paper on a biography. Naturally I did my paper on an automotive industry individual, Lee Iacocca. He was the man who was behind the original Ford Mustang. Celebrating its 50 year anniversary, the Ford Mustang debuted in 1964. 18 months after the Mustang debuted in April 1964, a million were made. The Mustang was wildly successful, and it started the muscle car craze in the 1960’s and 1970’s. The Mustang soldiered on, even with the debacle that is the Mustang II (It was bigger and slower and had four cylinder engines). Before the 1994 redesign, the Mustang was close to being discontinued as it had morphed into an uninteresting sports car. But the 1994 redesign changed its outcome, as the design was retro and the driving performance drastically better. Since then, the Mustang has been thriving. Continue reading →

2012 Ford Focus SE Review

Disclaimer: The Focus I drove was a Ford Focus SEL Hatchback, not this exact car. Driving experience may vary.

Introduced in Europe in 1998, and North America in 1999, the original Focus surprised the world with its’ combination of avant garde styling (hatchback version), unbeatable dynamics, practicality, and affordability. Replacing the Escort, the Focus represented a new era for Ford, in terms of design and handling. It was given a rear independent suspension which was very expensive and rare for a car of this cost and class, but it gave the Focus unsurpassed dynamic excellence that left its rivals struggling to catch up. Ten years later, the U.S specific Focus has morphed into an outdated and boring compact sedan. Meanwhile in Europe, the Focus was thriving. See, Ford in Europe has a much better reputation as a car manufacturer because they produced substantially better cars such as the Mondeo instead of the Fusion, Kuga instead of the Escape, and so on. They produced a different Focus while we got the same Focus from 1999, albeit “restyled” in 2008. In America during 2005-2011, Ford’s lineup was hampered by its fuel-thirsty SUVs and uncompetitive cars. During the recession of 2008, Ford realized it needed a solution to save its company. They started a globalization strategy, which meant we would get the same cars as Europe did. They started bringing the subcompact Fiesta over here, which quickly became a hot-seller, and the latest Focus that you see here. The Focus has been selling well, abiding to the same principles that made the original Focus such a worldwide success. Continue reading →

Dec 27 2013

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Automotive Reviews, Ford, Manual Transmission Cars