Robert Hall

Maybe call the replacement Compatriot..

It is odd they 'unveiled' something based on the old 5th gen...a bit out of date since the 6th gen has been out a while.

Some people take the downvoting too seriously..have melodramatic reactions to getting downvoted....upvoting and downvoting is a standard feature on many sites, needs no explanation why a post is upvoted or downvoted. We should be able to downvote more than one post a day, though. There are certain posters that should be consistently downvoted out of principle, for instance. I'm just remembering how things worked back in the old days before the influx of newbies..

Today is deposit day...a buddy of mine went to a California dealer to put in his deposit, can't do it in AZ for some reason. He wants a Model 3 to replace his Volt.

It's a clean design and wears the new Lincoln face well, IMO. I assume the production model will look similar but with real doors.

The SS's relative--the Caprice--has had pretty low volume, I believe? I wonder if GM is planning a police package for the Impala, as Ford did w/ the Taurus.

At easter brunch today saw a very clean early 80s Buick Electra Park Avenue 4dr in the lot, dark red w/ a white vinyl top.

Definitely going for a bolder, more expressive design for the new Prius..the previous ones look bland and mainstream by comparison. Like the little rectangular headlight elements.

Odd that Mazda didn't sell it here...might have done better than the 2 hatchback did.

Some weird details...that little turned up area on front edge of the rear doors, over the B-pillar and on the back edge of the front doors just screams of desperation to do something different...pointless. Likewise for the vertical gashes below the taillights.

Probably aluminum....who knows, the concept may be made of styrofoam or toilet paper. But the production vehicle will probably be aluminium (isn't the Ford plan for all full size trucks and truck-based SUVs (Expedition, Navigator) to be mostly aluminum)?

LOL, you could not tell that in Seattle, the amount of STI and EVOs on the road here is crazy. Maybe a High Tech Young Engineer thing BMW and MB cannot touch these cars with the young engineering crowd. I remember when I was a 'young high tech engineer' in Denver 10-15 years ago, they were pretty popular. I was into BMW M3s and Jeeps then, couldn't get into the STI and Evo. Now that I'm a middle aged high tech engineer in Phoenix, I'm too burnt out to give a $h!...

Tesla has the EV luxury brand image pretty sewn up for now....will buyers care if Audi, BMW, Cadillac or M-B come out with a luxury EV in the next 5 years? Or will they be perceived as followers rather than leaders?

I didn't calculate the mileage at fillups, but do recall seeing the average reading of something like 28 when I was playing w/ the display.. The 2.5 seemed adequate all around, though a bit loud under full throttle. It is interesting that Ford offers a 1.5 Ecoboost, 2.0, and 2.0 Hybrid and Energi versions also....anyone have experience w/ these other engines?

As a friend of mine in Colorado is now learning...he replaced his '02 Maxima with a CPO '13 Audi A6 Quattro, been in the shop constantly over the last 6 months...he's now looking to unload it and get a new Maxima.

Saw a dark blue late 80s Ford F350 Centurion (aftermarket crew cab/Bronco mashup).

I've been a fan of the current Fusion's slick styling since it came out, but I hadn't had an opportunity to drive one until this past week, Wed through Sunday, from Hertz at the Pittsburgh Airport. Dark red, gray 'cloth' interior (not a fuzzy/fabric-y cloth, but more artificial feeling). Got to drive it in city traffic in downtown Pittsburgh and Cleveland, suburbia, plenty of freeway driving on the I-70,77,79,90,271,376, 470, 480, etc.., winding twisty Ohio two lane roads, small towns, etc in a variety of weather (dry and sunny to wet w/ rain and light snow). Pros: Comfortable overall, soaks up the miles For a 2.5 4cyl, seems to have adequate power for freeway driving and passing...found myself doing 80 frequently on 70 mph roads Handles twisty winding roads well---though most of my time on one of them--US22 in Ohio---was stuck behind slow moving tanker trucks Clear, well lit gauges that are easy to read Love the '50s style windshield wipers Backup camera nice to have, since you can't really see the rear edges from the driver's seat Ample outside mirror size, nice to have the small inside spot mirrors The electric parking brake works ok once I figured it out Good gas mileage Huge, two level glove box Cons: -short but tall trunk opening, swallowed luggage, but allowed water to drip in with a wet decklid open No --no steering wheel adjustment at all, limited or no seat height adjustment (the steering wheel angle was odd for me, my forearms ached after a couple hours of driving). Not used to manual seat adjustment, I'll admit -A bit loud under mid-to-full throttle -too many tiny look alike buttons on the base radio (on each side of the backup camera screen) -Base steering wheel rim is hard plastic -The '15 Malibu had a nice center console cell phone cubby--the Fusion instead has a deep center stack slot that is open on the sides, stuff can fall out in the floor.. though I prefer how the cup holders are side by side in the Fusion instead of in two places on the Malibu -All the windows seem to have express down/up, and can be tricky if you want a window half way open - Front end is pretty low and I scraped it on curbs several times (the front slopes down and I'm admittedly used to SUV ground clearance). I think I'd find an SE or Titanium more to my tastes. The other midsize competitors I've driven recently was briefly a '15 Camry last year, a '15 Sonata from last October (driven in N California), and a '15 Malibu I drove almost 1 year ago on some of the same roads. I think I could happily live w/ a Fusion or Malibu as a daily driver for a few years--could do a lot worse. Of those, the Sonata had the nicest interior overall, IMO. One last factoid--I was driving in Ohio and Pennsylvania w/ an Arizona driver's license in a rental car w/ a Florida plate. Found that funny for some reason... Sorry if this was probably rambling and semi-incoherent...I'm still exhausted from flights and 3 time zones last night (1 1/2 hrs for PIT to Chicago Midway w/ hour & half layover then 3+ hrs to PHX) last night and emotionally numb...

Tesla Model X, of course... I know, but why is it so daggone UGLY? Other than the gimmicky 'falcon doors' and undersized grille, it looks fine...basically the same styling themes as the Model S translated into a CUV...

Tesla Model X, of course...

That Ford 4x4 adventure van looks like a lot of fun...

The hardest part will be having to deal w/ my older brother..he doesn't 'have both oars in the water' as the funeral home director put it kindly yesterday..my sister and I are flying back Tuesday, my Mom's surviving sister and brother coming in from Kentucky and Tennessee, some cousins also.

My Mother passed, age 85..16 years after my Dad. We were somewhat estranged, hadn't spoken much in recent months. Just kind of numb right now, not sure what to think...flying back there in a couple days.

Sometimes a song lyric fits the moment so well.. "I got the call today, I didn't want to hear but I knew that it would come" Though technically it was yesterday... got to head back to Ohio this week and plan a funeral...and I just feel numb...

A Jeep pickup could get me into a truck...oddly, I am thinking about a truck as my next vehicle, esp. if I get into more DIY stuff w/ my next house.