Excuse me for dragging up an old thread, but...
I think the best thing Ford can do to replace the CSVT is exactly what they ARE doing, according to certain rumours... and that is to bring over the Ford Mondeo as a Ford or Mercury product.
Of course, what Ford ISN'T doing is also important. The rumours state that if/when (2004) the car is imported as a replacement for the Sable, that it would have a standard Duratec -- 220HP 3.0L V6.
What Ford should do, IMO, is try to keep up. That is, with Nissan, VW, Honda and the like in squeezing as much HP out of it's displacement as possible. 5V per cylinder (Audi/VW), VTEC (Honda), dual-stage mufflers (Nissan) and the like. Be as efficient as possible.
There's not one reason why a normally aspirated 3.0L V6 can't be pushing 240HP. That may be the peak, but... that's the peak and that's where automakers are supposed to be aiming... because that's what I, the consumer, buy. I want quality and I know quality when I see it.
I want power, performance... responsiveness, quick handling... comfort, luxury... and I want good fuel economy, practicality. Yes, in that order. These opinions do not reflect the majority of American consumers, but they DO reflect a certain, very LARGE niche market called "Sports Sedan Enthusiasts". Those of us who love S4s, M3s, M5s, the easy tunability of the 1.8T and the AMG C-Class.
The only reason I OWN a Ford is because there was once an SVT Contour. Oh, and on the subject of advertisement... I had never
heard of the SVT Contour until I started to research the car market... a lot. I never saw a magazine ad, I never saw a commercial (not even for the standard Contour) and when it was advertised, it was advertised by local dealers as "cheap transportation." That's just ALL WRONG. Oh well, water under the bridge and a big mistake, huh, Ford? :p
Eh. Someone just get me the Mondeo or at least a supercharged Mazda Six and then maybe I'm still in the Ford family. Otherwise, Audi, BMW, VW,
here I come.
.RMk..
