Honestly, priority one (and two, three, four, five ...) has to be better quality control all around. We don't know what the S650 will be like yet, but the recent track record for Ford has been pretty dismal 🙁
Yeah, Ford has always had this tendency to "cheap out". That's what separates them from premium brands like BMW or Mercedes or Lexus. That's fine if they are selling for 1/2 to 2/3rd the price, but with Mustangs pushing $60k in top line trim (and GT500s at twice that), that is no longer the...
Honestly, I think truly autonomous self driving is much further out than many may think (despite what Elon Musk keeps saying). The issue will come down to liability. As good as the AI tech is becoming, it still has limitations and there will inevitably be accidents, injuries and deaths from self...
As always, the market will decide this. They first showed up in higher end cars because it was a novelty and new technology that required an R&D investment. But now that the R&D has been paid for, my prediction is that higher end cars will revert back to physical buttons (because the customers...
Possibly. My Volvo has touch screen climate controls and I have to say that I really dislike them. I know that they are a lot cheaper than physical buttons, so I suspect that higher end cars will move back to physical buttons once the novelty of touch screens wears off.
Like I said before, I need to see what the content of the screens looks like before I can make any final judgement, but I tend to agree that the two separate screens looks like something "kludged" together rather than an integrated design. What really bugs me are the the center vents and the way...
Wow! That's a pretty strong reaction :)
I never stare at the map, in fact I hardly look at it at all under most circumstances, but if I am looking to make a turn in an unfamiliar neighborhood, a glance down at the map helps keep me oriented and it is far safer than looking "off-axis". Glance...
I guess it is a matter of preference. I find the digital gauges in my Volvo V90 to be extremely easy on the eyes and far easier to read than the analog gauges in other cars I have owned. I also love the moving map that displays between the speedometer and the tach. It is hands down the best...
Its interesting to see how just many cars now have these wide tablet style dash screens. It is clearly a design choice that has gained popularity and is increasingly common in many mid-range and some higher end makes. But it also seems to generate a lot of controversy with many people who seem...
I have never paid MSRP and never will (well, at least until manufactures move to no-haggle pricing).
In 4 decades of car buying, I have learned that car prices go up, and car prices come down. You just have to be patient. I get that there are some more "exotic" scenarios where you will never...
Honestly, I would love to see a smaller, lighter Mustang. I love my S550, but it still feels big and heavy to me (especially compared to my old E85 Z4).
Interesting idea and maybe someday, but (to the best of my knowledge) the problem with 3D holograms is still the projection part. You need some sort of glass box, or a spinning set of led projectors, or a cloud mist, or some other physical way to reflect the light back to you eyes.
Well having owned a couple of Fox Body Mustangs, in my opinion this not the best example to make your point. I know some love the classic Mustang interiors, and they were great for their time, but interiors from the era in general were pretty bad and I'd take any of the interiors from any of the...
I suspect that Ford will get a pretty good read on the popular reaction to the dash and do not worry, if the dash or any other key design element fails, the decision makers will feel the consequences (even if it not an outright firing).
p.s.; You don't need even ask my wife if I am crazy, she...
I have V90 (BTW, I really love that car as a daily driver) which has a dash layout very similar to you wife's XC60. The instrument cluster is fantastic, easy to read and laid out very well. I really like having the GPS map displayed in between the gauges. I am not opposed to the integrated...
Be careful what you wish for. If the S650 turns into a flop because everyone hates the interior it may just hasten the demise of ICE Mustangs altogether.
Having been in the consumer goods industry for over 16 years, I do know that marketing focus groups can get it wrong. BUT, I will bet that on something as critical as this, Ford did a pretty broad study with multiple focus groups and they have strong reason to believe that the concept will be a...