Zephyr may get uprated 3.5L Duratec and AWD

FLLMustang said:
Ford did consider rear wheel drive platforms for an entry level Lincoln, but the cost of development was simply too expensive.

.....snip.....

Based on the options Ford had, this was the most realistic in terms of engineering, cost savings and long term strategy.
Click to expand...

Absolute bull:q:q:q:q!! Ford has more rear wheel drive platforms to choose from than any other American manufacturer. From a Mustang to the LS, there are a variety of great performing and engineered systems to choose from with little if any modification. The reason they went FWD is it is much cheaper to build and sell...and like it or not...the majority of the public lives north of the Mason Dixon line and likes FWD for winter conditions. The AWD is a nice touch though...I think if you own one, you will like it.

By the way...turning AWD into RWD will probably not be an option. Too many things integrated into the system. The computer will go nuts on you.
 
I used to live in Detroit and FWD is no better than RWD IMHO. I look at it this way, as I said before I think the Zephyr is great for an entry level Acura fighter, under 35K. I couldn't justify paying over 35K for a front driver though, and regardless of what anyone thinks most people willing to spend that much aren't interested in FWD either. Ask BMW and Benz. The LT is at best a stop gap temporary niche filler, and what Lincoln needs is some more models simply put, and some with performance at that. Mercury isn't really a luxury division, it's more like Buick or what Olds used to be. Despite Ford's ownership of Jag they need Lincoln to re-establish American luxury. Ford and GM both need a quality RWD platform to combat Chrysler, a world class RWD platform at that. GM planned to have one with the updating of the Zeta platform, but that's been put on hold for restructuring and Ford seems to be uninterested in updating the LS platform, but by all reports replacing it with something FWD from Mazda or Volvo. I like the new Zephyr and think it's a step in the right direction for Ford who is let's face it better off at this point than GM financially. Niether is in great shape, but GM got caught in the middle of updating gas guzzling SUVs, while Ford was developing car platforms. The one thing I don't understand is why Ford aims the Fusion and 500 at the Camry, two cars for one niche? They need better definition in that respect.
 
Ford had originally intended for the Five Hundred to compete with the Toyota Avalon. But as with everything Ford does, it built the Five Hundred to compete with the current Avalon model available at that time and not its replacement that came out in 2005. The new Avalon kicked the Five Hundred's a$$ by nearly every measurable mark. Now to save face, Ford is stuck having to pit the Five Hundred against the Camry.

Some members lament that Ford should have chosen a rear-wheel-drive derivative of the LS or the Mustang for the Fusion/Milan/Zephyr. It could have, but such a design could not meet the $17,000 entry level target price Ford was trying to achieve for the Fusion.

Notice that the starting price of the 2005 Mustang is a substantially higher $19,800. The Mustang is based loosely on the LS/Jaguar S-Type platform. But Ford had a hard time trying to get the cost of manufacturing down in order to get the base price under $20,000. To reach that requirement, the engineers had to give up on an independent rear suspension and resorted to a strut front suspension.

Since the Fusion was to fit between the Focus and the Five Hundred, Ford set an entry price at just over $17,000. That price requirement knocked the Mustang/LS platform completely off the table.

The decision was made to use the much heralded Mazda 6 platform because it offered excellent handling at a price that didn't go over budget. Simple.
 
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