Going American

[Sprintey]

If Ford Australia sold F150 (coming soon), Bronco, and Bronco Sport in addition to Ranger, Mustang, Everest in Australia, how appealing would this be to you?

It's very American - but that would be a really compelling line up I reckon. What do you think? What else would you add? Explorer, Lincoln Navigator? Would you be happy if FOA went with a big US theme to their range?


(Interested if anyone has driven the new North American models, too. Smooth petrol/auto and full time 4x4 appeals to me, we do get a bit of this here with the new Jeep Grand Cherokee.)

[Brodes]

I'll be keeping and driving my Australian made Falcons until the day I die.

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[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Brodes

I'll be keeping and driving my Australian made Falcons until the day I die.

Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using Tapatalk

Well, at least until you do the old get confused which is the brake and accelerator trick and drive through the shops, because then they'll take your licence off you and that will be a while before you shuffle off

Originally Posted by roKWiz

A new Louisville would be good.

#metoo - but a rigid one,

I wouldn't mind F150 but in povvo pack, bench seats, steel wheels, LWB, 5L V8 variation with the short diff ratio in 2WD.

With a steel tray would be the tits for me for work.

[Rallye Sport]

Where are we going to park them?
With the average house size shrinking and garage space relative to that I'm seeing alot of people in the newer suburbs taking to on street parking already.
Then theres shopping centre carparks with low overhead heights and minimum standard bays to pack them all in.
Not against larger vehicles perse but it seems like a contradiction to whats happening in infrastructure planning.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Rallye Sport

Where are we going to park them?
With the average house size shrinking and garage space relative to that I'm seeing alot of people in the newer suburbs taking to on street parking already.
Then theres shopping centre carparks with low overhead heights and minimum standard bays to pack them all in.
Not against larger vehicles perse but it seems like a contradiction to whats happening in infrastructure planning.

How good are the new housing estates? In Sunbury, 1 car garage, 179m2 property, 2 bedroom town house, driveway thats useless,

Super narrow street,

You can't park on nature strip or you'll get fined - but you can legally park on the street.

What an absolute cluster ****, can see it every time I drive by Sunbury and look at the new estates going up.

[Rallye Sport]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

How good are the new housing estates? In Sunbury, 1 car garage, 179m2 property, 2 bedroom town house, driveway thats useless,

Super narrow street,

You can't park on nature strip or you'll get fined - but you can legally park on the street.

What an absolute cluster ****, can see it every time I drive by Sunbury and look at the new estates going up.

Seems to be the new norm around here in the new areas too, lots of cars parked over the footpaths because they won't fit in either the garage or driveway and old mate next doors already snagged the spot on the street.

We had the carpark at work resurfaced and marked recently. It went from fatboy parking spots from the 80's to minimum standard spots of today. It was worth the price of admission watching the old boys swing the Landcruiser in like they had for the last 40 years only to realize **** this ain't going to fit!
On the upside they can (sort of) fit an extra 50 vehicles in there now

[MITCHAY]

Navigator vs Escalade would be interesting. I hate GM for how they ****ed over Holden but the Yukon is coming.

It probably makes more sense to do the Tahoe or Suburban than the Yukon. But they have constantly ****ed up so why differ from that?

F150 is going to kill it around here So many Rams and Silverdados so the market is there.

[Sprintey]

Yes it will be good to see more and more F150s.

We'll be keeping our Aussies too, but I came to realise one of the real qualities I love about them is the torquey 6 and buttery smooth transmission - it seems the Americans still make this.

[MITCHAY]

I had a F150 in front of me the other day. Nice V8 sound

And we forgot about the Tacoma or Tundra.

[Top_Ghia]

Wait until people get to drive the F150. They hammer and actually drive really well.
I certainly see room for the Explorer and would love to see the Expedition and Maverick.

I traveled to the USA this year and their car market is quite different to ours. They don’t have a huge amount of mid size SUV’s like we do. Sure they are there but the sedan and coupe market is still alive. And of course the full size pick ups and huge SUV’s are everywhere.
Honda seems to be doing pretty well over there too.

[DFB FGXR6]

Bronco, Bronco Sport and Maverick should have been global models from the get-go. All would have market recognition no matter the country, and all would have been desirable propositions to those outside of the USA. But no, Ford really can't think outside of the box, that box being the US market. Shortsighted as usual.

[Vekgib]

None of those models appeal to me, but another Falcon ?
Shut up and take my money

[DJM83]

Id keep my ute (or another T6 falcon) and buy a bronco.

[roKWiz]

A new Louisville would be good.

[lamborghinifan]

I’ve hankered over a full size wagon for years. Something big, comfy, powerful, seat 4 kids with ease. Seriously restricted market. Enter the king pin, Escalade. So I bought one. Cost as much as about 5 decent turbo territories. Bought it. Liked it. But it just wasn’t as comfortable as the R class it was replacing. And even with 300kw on a 6 speed, it wasn’t quick by any measure. I should write up a full review perhaps, the size was absolutely fantastic. Not too big to live with at all. Fuel economy want even bad. So I decided to compromise a bit of boot space for absolute comfort and power. And bought a gl63. Surprisingly perhaps, Same amount of space in 2nd and 3rd rows, just a bit smaller boot. But the yanks flagship is still some years behind German, or even Australian motoring. A 2011 top spec platinum Cadillac, was still nowhere near as well designed or refined as a 2011 Holden caprice. By a long shot. Which is a great shame, because the 2022 Cadillac v is prob caught up to comfort etc, but waaay out of affordable price range. Go on Franco, flame me, but I’ve lived with all the above mentioned cars first hand. I really really wanted the full size Cadillac to be better. The kids cried when I sold it because it was ‘so cool’!

[Dr Smith]

A Lincoln Aviator would have had me sell the Terry...but I could "settle" on an Expedition...
and if an F-150 could carry 1000kg in the back I'd consider...

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Dr Smith

A Lincoln Aviator would have had me sell the Terry...but I could "settle" on an Expedition...
and if an F-150 could carry 1000kg in the back I'd consider...

This current Expedition is based heavily on F150, so could share many of its conversion parts

I dunno whether Explorer/Aviator twins would get enough takers to make conversions viable.

Super Duty F250 & F350 would be another possible choice but wonder if prices would be too expensive

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by jpd80

This current Expedition is based heavily on F150, so could share many of its conversion parts

I dunno whether Explorer/Aviator twins would get enough takers to make conversions viable.

Super Duty F250 & F350 would be another possible choice but wonder if prices would be too expensive

F250/F350 are Isuzu N series competitors - thats the way to market those.

Problem is with the conversion they're not cost competitive, but they offer a different point to the market.

https://www.content.isuzu.com.au/new...-sales-record/

IAL dominates that segment and has for years, maybe Ford Australia should introduce a 'Ford Truck' range which has the Superduty that plays in the light/medium rigid segment - F600 has a GVM of just shy of 10 tonnes and could compete with the N series stuff, the point of difference being way more powerful engines.

[kevino]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

F250/F350 are Isuzu N series competitors - thats the way to market those.

Problem is with the conversion they're not cost competitive, but they offer a different point to the market.

https://www.content.isuzu.com.au/new...-sales-record/

IAL dominates that segment and has for years, maybe Ford Australia should introduce a 'Ford Truck' range which has the Superduty that plays in the light/medium rigid segment - F600 has a GVM of just shy of 10 tonnes and could compete with the N series stuff, the point of difference being way more powerful engines.

First the Jap trucks took out the Pom trucks
Then the Jap trucks took out any Aus and USA trucks except Acco
Acco finally died

Look how poorly the Euro s do in the low weight segments

It’s all about reliability and cost of ownership

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by kevino

First the Jap trucks took out the Pom trucks
Then the Jap trucks took out any Aus and USA trucks except Acco
Acco finally died

Look how poorly the Euro s do in the low weight segments

It’s all about reliability and cost of ownership

ACCO is still around, its just a rigid version of the IVECO S-Way I think, its a shared platform with one of their other trucks they've just slapped the ACCO badge on it (ACCO E6) for our market in an attempt to pull the wool over our eyes

Exactly like Holden and the ZB 'Commodore'.

F600 would be good for all the lighter tilt tray/tilt slides/tipper and that sort of thing



https://www.ford.com/commercial-truc...odels/f600-xl/

Starts at $57K USD, diesel one has 1300NM on par with E6 ACCO.

[Sprintey]

Originally Posted by jpd80

This current Expedition is based heavily on F150, so could share many of its conversion parts

I dunno whether Explorer/Aviator twins would get enough takers to make conversions viable.

Super Duty F250 & F350 would be another possible choice but wonder if prices would be too expensive

If you've got the line running already, maybe it isn't that expensive to add more models?

[Sprintey]

We did a month in 2011 in Vancouver as a family snow/Christmas holiday with the mums and the kids, got a (then new model) Grand Cherokee as the LHD hire car, and it was really quite nice. Light steering, solid feel, easy to park. I kept reaching for the seatbelt in the middle of the car.

The whole car culture there was exciting, all the big F150 trucks, the massive Escalades and Expeditions. Canada is a snowy place so AWD was important.

So I look at the new Grand Cherokee range, which is on sale in Oz and (hold reliability/depreciation/not a Cruiser/price is up/interior not solid! aside) and it seems they've created and marketed a really competitive product.

If you just want a big wagon you get the Night Hawk L, you get AWD with this and decent length in the car. As you go up the range you get offroad goodies like dual range transfers, air suspension, locking diffs, electronic diffs... as much or little as you want, and it all looks pretty plush and comfortable. Petrol 6 (the Pentastar gets everything from 'shocking plastic parts pos' to 'best and most economical, reliable 6 I ever owned' - and it's still port injected in 2023 - yay). I enjoyed driving the early version hire car Pentastar back in 2011 - torquey, the gearbox would drop early and it would glide around town at just over 1000 revs. There's also a PHEV version so you can have some LWB F Off Americana in Oz at 3.2L/100km, but it seems at a price currently. Here's the entry model:

https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/det...22415988/?Cr=0

No affiliation with Jeep, haha, just want a petrol 6 AWD and surprised I found these. Haven't had a Mopar since my $800 VG Valiant unlicenced coupe back in the 90s.

[CyberWasp]

They screwed up big time with Maverick and Bronco, particularly the Maverick.

Ford USA still has this mindset when it comes to the rest of the world.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by CyberWasp

They screwed up big time with Maverick and Bronco, particularly the Maverick.

Ford USA still has this mindset when it comes to the rest of the world.

image

I've said this a number of times, but after interacting with Americans on various forums, there is a general lack of awareness of the world around them. And that's not just cars, but any topic you care to mention. In other words, a very self absorbed and oblivious society.

For cars, I always laugh when someone from Ford or GM talk about their product being of "global" quality or "globally competitive" when said product is not sold outside of the US market. To me that is just so arrogantly ignorant, almost as if they consider America to be "the world" and the only ones that matter.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

I've said this a number of times, but after interacting with Americans on various forums, there is a general lack of awareness of the world around them. And that's not just cars, but any topic you care to mention. In other words, a very self absorbed and oblivious society.

For cars, I always laugh when someone from Ford or GM talk about their product being of "global" quality or "globally competitive" when said product is not sold outside of the US market. To me that is just so arrogantly ignorant, almost as if they consider America to be "the world" and the only ones that matter.

I hated dealing with American suppliers, the 'mom and pop' independents were great but corporates - the world stops at the USA's east and west coasts, they behave like we're priviledged to be able to purchase from them.

Resourced Honeywell away to a Chinese supplier who makes a copy of their product that is better than the original, best decision I ever made, actually receive our goods on time rather than lead time + 150 days, cheaper and the quality is better.

Chinese suppliers actually want to do business, American ones don't care about anything outside of the US.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

I hated dealing with American suppliers, the 'mom and pop' independents were great but corporates - the world stops at the USA's east and west coasts, they behave like we're priviledged to be able to purchase from them.

Resourced Honeywell away to a Chinese supplier who makes a copy of their product that is better than the original, best decision I ever made, actually receive our goods on time rather than lead time + 150 days, cheaper and the quality is better.

Chinese suppliers actually want to do business, American ones don't care about anything outside of the US.

And this is why the Australian market is still waiting for the S650 Mustang to arrive despite being on sale in the US for months now, and we won't see the car until the middle of next year.............in other words, nearly two years after being unveiled.

Compare that to say Hyundai, Mazda or Toyota, they seem able to launch a car on a global basis, spread across a month or two, not a year or two!

And quality on an American built Ford? Ha ha ha, what quality? Ask any Endura owner about their experience, I even had a customer tell me that his new car was replaced twice, so third time lucky? And don't get me started on screwing cars together with body panels that align, everyone except Ford can do that.

[Citroënbender]

Unless it’s blindingly obvious/bad, I don’t believe actual quality factors significantly in a vehicle choice for most people.

It’s just part of the nonsense people spout. We’re constant victims to faddishness, to social pressure and marketing, and will try to couch our capitulation in statements of pseudo-justification.

As Australia becomes increasingly redefined by an ingressing population who would rather be [what they imagine is] American, it makes perfect commercial sense to accommodate their leanings.

[DK30RB]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

And this is why the Australian market is still waiting for the S650 Mustang to arrive despite being on sale in the US for months now, and we won't see the car until the middle of next year.............in other words, nearly two years after being unveiled.

Compare that to say Hyundai, Mazda or Toyota, they seem able to launch a car on a global basis, spread across a month or two, not a year or two!

And quality on an American built Ford? Ha ha ha, what quality? Ask any Endura owner about their experience, I even had a customer tell me that his new car was replaced twice, so third time lucky? And don't get me started on screwing cars together with body panels that align, everyone except Ford can do that.

I've owned a number of USA and Australian built fords. (11 Falcon's from EA to FGX and lots in between)

2 F150's 2020 and 2023(current) and Still have a 2018 FN Mustang GT.

My experience would suggest that the American built fords have been more reliable and trouble free. Sure, nothing is 100% perfect, but better than some of the Falcon's i've owned.

Maybe i'm the exception to the norm.

Owned a few Euro's -Now thats very Hit and Miss. You luck out or you don't..

[Vekgib]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

I've said this a number of times, but after interacting with Americans on various forums, there is a general lack of awareness of the world around them. And that's not just cars, but any topic you care to mention. In other words, a very self absorbed and oblivious society.

For cars, I always laugh when someone from Ford or GM talk about their product being of "global" quality or "globally competitive" when said product is not sold outside of the US market. To me that is just so arrogantly ignorant, almost as if they consider America to be "the world" and the only ones that matter.

Americans are ****s.

[mickeymouse]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

For cars, I always laugh when someone from Ford or GM talk about their product being of "global" quality or "globally competitive" when said product is not sold outside of the US market. To me that is just so arrogantly ignorant, almost as if they consider America to be "the world" and the only ones that matter.