Maybe it’s time we put safety first. 

Ask the people around you what the drive to work was like?  I’m sure you’ll hear complaints of other drivers.  I hear the same thing here.  If we’re all doing the complaining though who is causing the problems on the road?

Safety is important, we’re carrying our loved ones or our loved ones are behind the wheel.  When people look for a pre-owned vehicle for their son or daughter we usually get requests for reliable and safe transportation.  For most people though “safe” means good brakes and a vehicle that will get our loved ones where they’re going and home without mishap.  Take it an extra step.  Air bags, anti lock brakes (ABS), side impact beams, crumple zones, the list is a long one.  You can check out the crash worthiness of new or older models at a couple of different websites. 

IIHS, Insurance Institute for Hioghway Safety:  http://www.iihs.org/ratings/default.aspx  You’ll find Ford & Lincoln have 12 top safety picks.

NHTSA, National Highway Transportation Safety Administration:  http://www.safercar.gov/Safety+Ratings

The 5 Star Crash Testing System was implemented in 1978.  Side Impact was introduced in 1997. Rollover ratings came into effect in 2001 and the whole system was revamped to be much tougher last year.  Testing is done at 35 mph into a wall.

5 Stars = Side crash injury risk for this vehicle is much less than average

4 Stars = Side crash injury risk for this vehicle is less than average to average

3 Stars = Side crash injury risk for this vehicle is average to greater than average

2 Stars = Side crash injury risk for this vehicle is greater than average

1 Star = Side crash injury risk for this vehicle is much greater than average

Spend a little more if you can to get more safety.  The car and money can be replaced, I know my kids can’t.    

I believe the expression is that: ”our car is an extension of ourselves.”  It seems though a car is really an extension of our home.  If you want to experience an extension of yourself ride a motorcycle or bicycle to feel how vulnerable you truly are on the roads.

The average car weighs what, 3000 – 5000 pounds (divide by 2.2 for metric please).  At 50 kph you cover roughly 14 metres in one second (if my math is any good at all).  How long does it take to glance away to change the radio station?  What about the distraction of a cell phone (put it down, not because of the $167 fine but because it’s wrong).  What if you drop something?  What about eating or even a sneeze.  Say you look away for just a second, you’ve covered 14 metres and still need to react to brake.  How much more distance to stop?  How fast can traffic conditions change?

Please give safety some thought, because speaking from recent experience, it’s better to spend a Sunday afternoon with your family than it is to spend Sunday lying on the road and in a hospital because someone wasn’t paying attention.

Life can be funny.  I had never planned on staying in Automotive Sales, it was just a means to an end at the time.  As luck would have it though I landed in the right company.  So I stayed and here it is going on 19 years later!  Most of that time has been spent at Brown Bros Ford Lincoln.  I stayed, had to leave and wanted to come back because of the people.  I don’t think you can find a better owner in the Brown’s.  They care about their employees and they care about the community.  (No they aren’t paying me to say that, I’m not even sure they read the blog.)    Although there are approximately 110 employees, BBFL is about family (not inlaws), a pretty close knit family. 

The years of experience we offer here is quite amazing whether it is our Parts Department, Service department or the Sales or Fleet departments.   

Yes it’s great that we have 36 available service bays and the techs to work in them. 

Yes it’s great that we offer our service customers loaner vehicles at no charge when needed.

Yes it’s great that we have a dedicated diesel shop and high performance shop.

Yes it’s great all customers get a Loyalty Rewards card giving real dollars back towards purchases here.  (okay I got the plug in)

It’s also great that we have the largest parts department in the province.  You need it?  the odds are very good we already have it!

The best thing of all though is family.  Remember I’ve been here going on 19 years.  It is a very good feeling to see technicians in the shop that were here when I started and others that I remember, started out as a “lot guy” or “car washer”.  They were given an opportunity to move up and did.  It’s seeing fathers and now sons (my own included) and mothers and daughters.  It’s just as promising to see the new fresh faces beginning careers here. I’m talking about people like Ben (please don’t ask me his last name, cuz we’re all on a first name basis here).  Ben has been with us more than two years now.  He spent the first six months washing customers vehicles and is now on his way to becoming a full technician. 

Better though is that people here don’t leave, they stay, they collect more experience and training, becoming full experts on one brand which I believe benefits our customers.   

We offer stability, we’re just about to turn 66 years old.

We hold an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.

We have won Ford’s “Presidents Award” for customer satisfaction since it’s inception in 2000. 

It’s trust, it’s experience, it’s family.  I think it’s what we are always looking for whether it’s a Doctor, Dentist, Realtor or Sales or Service Department (after all a car is your second largest purchase).

Prices seem pretty inexpensive in those days.  According to Wikipedia, the average U.S. income in 1928 was $6,078 per year or $506.50 per month. 

It’s also amusing that the mailer says cars could last one, two, maybe even five years!  The average length of ownership as of 2008, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, was nudging 5 years and we now average more than 20,000 kilometres per year in driving.  Something totally unheard of 84 years ago! 

Keep your vehicle longer by keeping it properly maintained and who knows how long you can drive….

While on the topic of “yesteryear” ……

May 31, 1927, the last Ford Model T rolled off the assembly line.  It was the first affordable automobile, due in part to the assembly line process developed by Henry Ford. It had a 2.9 liter, 20 horsepower engine and could travel at speeds up to 45 miles per hour. It had a 10 gallon fuel tank and could run on kerosene, petrol, or ethanol, but it couldn’t drive uphill if the tank was low, because there was no fuel pump; people got around this design flaw by driving up hills in reverse.The Model T cost $850 in 1909, and as efficiency in production increased, the price dropped. By 1927, you could get a Model T for $290. 

Henry Ford believed that, “the man who will use his skill and constructive imagination to see how much he can give for a dollar, instead of how little he can give for a dollar, is bound to succeed.” “I will build a car for the great multitude,” said Ford. “It will be large enough for the family, but small enough for the individual to run and care for.  It will be constructed of the best materials, by the best men to be hired, after the simplest designs that modern engineering can devise. But it will be low in price that no man making a good salary will be unable to own one — and enjoy with his family the blessing of hours of pleasure in God’s great open spaces.”

—— 

My how technology moves forward!!  A 2.9 litre churning out 20 horsepower and now Ford is introducing the 1 litre 3 cylinder producing approximately 125 horsepower and achieving a combined (city/highway) fuel economy rating of more than  56.5 miles per gallon.  Watch for it next year in the Fiesta.

Gone are the days of oil changes required every 3 months or 5 thousand kilometres, whichever came first.  Instead, these days oil change intervals are moving to one year or every 16 thousand kilometres. 

Oil is your vehicle lifeblood.  Keeping it clean, changing it when due can add years of life to your car.

Many of the items you needed to have checked on a very regular basis are now down to maybe once or twice a year.  While that can be a very good thing for your wallet, it does make maintenance when it’s needed, doubly important.  It also means we need to pay a little more attention to the vehicle.  When was the last time you checked under the hood?  On a regular basis (once a month is Fords recommendation) we should be checking:  the engine coolant reservior to make sure it’s topped up properly: check your oil and the condition of the oil.  Thick, sludgy and black and gritty is not good.  Milky can be serious problems.  If you’ve been running the engine and under the oil cap is still  dry, grab the dipstick and make sure you are within the guidelines.  Check your brake reservior and the transmission dipstick.  Checking your battery terminals, if you see corrosion clean them properly using baking soda and water with a wire brush.  Finally under the hood you can also check your windshield washer reservoir.  It only takes a minute to have a good look at  all the items and you will find them clearly marked and most are in see through cannisters.

Manufacturers are clamping down on maintenance to make sure you keep your vehicle running the way it should.  There can be large ramifications for not doing required service within the guidelines laid out.  Your warranty can become void. 

Regular maintenance can also prevent this type of thing;

Parking brake seized onto the brakes.  Regular service can prevent this by performing a brake flush.   

One other aspect to consider is modifications to your vehicle while it is still under warranty.  PLEASE make sure you check to make sure a modification does not risk voiding the warranty. 

Vehicles today can last a very long time but maintenance is the key.  There are many places available for all types of services.  I’ve always been a believer in the manufacturer.  The technicians undergo training throughout the year to stay current and they focus on the particular product.  They are not a “jack of all trades”. 

There is also the myth that dealerships cost more.  Right now our service department will give you, “Spring Peace of Mind”.  For $69.95 you get an oil change, all fluids topped up, a brake inspection, rotate your tires, safety inspection and a multi point inspection.  Seems like pretty good value.

When it comes to luxury brands how about Lincoln.  As the heading here says, Lincoln offers you value, high quality, reputation, safety, technology and fuel economy.  Look at the midsize MKZ. 

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) ranks the MKZ as a Top Safety Pick.  Fuel economy is rated at 11.7L per 100kms city and 7.4L per 100 on the highway.   What I like though is it manages to get that fuel economy using a 3.5 litre V6 with 263 horsepower so it’s no slug!  Also included is a 6 speed automatic that I can manually shift if I desire. 

Standard equipment is a very long list but safety items include: 4 wheel ABS with electronic brakeforce distribution and 4 wheel disc brakes.  Front airbags, side airbags, side curtain airbags, side impact door beams, SOS post crash alert (tells the car to call 911), electronic stability control, reverse sensing and much more.

Want comfort?:  10 way power drivers & passengers seat with power lumbar and memory welcomes you.   Heated and cooled front seats. Bridge of weir leather seating.  Cabin air filtration system.  Genuine wood accents.  Tilt telescoping wheel.  9 speaker sound with a 6 disc cd/mp3 player.  Sync, voice activated in vehicle connectivity system. 

If you want to take it up a level there’s available Navigation with an 8″ screen, 14 speaker THX certified surround audio, 10 gigs of digital storage, power moonroof, rear view camera, rain sensing wipers, HID headlights, remote start and blind spot information system with cross traffic alert. 

Lincoln has been at the top of the JD Power and Associate quality surveys giving overall dependability a 5 out of 5.  Powertrain dependability also receives a 5 out of 5. 

If you need more value take a look at the pricing.  A Lincoln MKZ very well equipped starts at $40,200 but Lincoln will also give you $3,000 off in delivery allowance dropping the price to $37,200 and if you are a Costco member there is a further $1,000.  To even make it better, current interest rates are 0% over 3, 4, or 5 years and just 2.99% over 72 months.

You should check to make sure you are getting the biggest bang for your hard earned dollar.  Please compare what is out there, we think you will be very pleasantly surprised.

For more information on the 2012 Lincoln MKZ: http://www.lincolncanada.com/app/li/en/index.do?WT.srch=1&WT.mc_id=cids11CR1E_GOO;

Time to do a little bragging both for the dealership and for Ford/Lincoln.  The renovations are finally complete right down to the artwork on the walls and it makes for a very nice environment to work in.  It’s a place Mr. Brown and all 110 of us can be very proud of.

Below, you’ll see our new look!

Artwork is now on the walls and the images are really clever.  The inserts are magnetic which allows us to change the images when ever we want.

Please drop by, we look forward to seeing and serving you.

          ——————————————————————–

I’ve talked about Ford’s technologies in the past but it’s time again.   Let’s look at the 2013 Mustang.  First glance you might think, not a lot of changes but Giddy-Up, it’s packed with coolness.

4.2” colour LCD productivity screen

Located between the speedometer and tachometer there is a 4.2″ colour LCD productivity screen.  It allows drivers to access information related to vehicle performance.

Unique to Mustang’s 4.2-inch LCD productivity screen is Track Apps, which delivers performance metrics for drivers straight from the factory in an engaging, easy-to-use manner. The screen displays braking performance, and measures g forces and acceleration times complete with automatic and countdown starts.

Accelerometer Measures the g forces the car is pulling from left to right. 

 Brake performance Indicator shows stopping time and distance for speeds of 60-0 or 100-0.  

View/clear results.  Drivers can view their top times, including their alltime best. They can also review their last results and saved results from the acceleration timer and brake performance screen.  

Acceleration timer: Drivers track their fastest time and choose from 0-30 mph, 0-60 mph, 0-100 mph, the eighth-mile and the quarter-mile. Both an automatic start, and a countdown start with a drag-racing start light, are available. Once the vehicle hits the selected speed, the screen instantly displays the elapsed time.

How about 3 powerful, efficient engine choices.  

3.7LTi-VCT V6 with 305 horsepower and 280 lb.-ft. of torque.  

5.0L V8 cam torque-actuated Ti-VCT with 420 horsepower and 390 lb.-ft. of torque.  

5.8L V8 supercharged, aluminum block with 650 horsepower and 600 lb.-ft. of torque.

Select-Shift is now standard with automatic transmissions. 

New trim, grille and hood with heat extractors. 

New standard HID headlamps, GT wheels and rear appearance. 

New signature LED lighting surrounding the brake lights and headlamps.  

Sequential LED brake lights with turn signals that illuminate in sequence.

RECARO ® race-inspired seats are sporty, supportive and very comfortable.

New Shaker Pro Audio System and Selectable Electric Power Assist Steering.

The best power to weight ratio in it’s class!

                                     ————————————————–

I get a kick out of the latest Honda Civic commercial, it’s funny, but the part that makes me laugh the loudest is when they brag that the car understands 600 words.  600????  Sync in ALL Ford & Lincolns understands 10,000!!!

That is the #1 question I get asked by friends, neighbours and aquaintances.  I’ve been doing this a long time (since the invention of the horseless carriage) and my conclusion is, you must take each vehicle you are considering for a test drive.  If you’ve taken the time to drive down to the dealership to check on a vehicle that interests you, please make sure you collect ALL the information you can while you’re here.  that includes a test drive.

We’ll have people come in driving maybe a 2008 Fusion and are looking at moving a couple of years newer into another Fusion.  They’ll tell us they don’t need to drive it as they have already owned one.  Ford spends a lot of money each year making upgrades to their vehicles and if you don’t drive it again you won’t get to know and experience what those changes are and if you like them.  Brakes, steering, suspension it all can change year to year as new improvements are made.

If you are changing vehicles completely from sedan to truck, or minivan to car, be prepared for a different experience.   A different body can make a big change to blind spots, visibility, ride and handling.  The driving dynamics can differ greatly as you change vehicle style and type.  Make sure you are comfortable with them. 

Taking any car you are considering for a test drive will tell you exactly how comfortable you feel behind the wheel.  The drive tells you everything.  Are all the controls comfortably in reach?  How is the visibility?  Road noise acceptable?  Acceleration, handling and braking?  Is the ride good?  We want you to experience city roads, highway and bumpy roads.  If you need to take the vehicle and drive the route you drive on a daily basis we can arrange it.  This is a sizable investment you’ll be making for the next few years, so please invest your time in a drive, there is no obligation.  We want to make sure you have ALL the information that you will need to make the proper decision. 

It sounds crazy, but why spend more time trying on shoes or sunglasses than you do trying out a vehicle?

Coming to our streets very soon (production has started) will be the Ford Focus ELECTRIC.  It’s not a Hybrid, it’s all electric and it’s pretty slick.  Is it the wave of the future?  I think they would have to increase the range substanially.  This vehicle has a range or about 160 km’s and I would have been worried taking one to the event where we drove it.  I know it was within the distance (there & back) but if my plans had changed where would I find a recharging station? 

A couple of “cool” stats. 

–If electricity was gas, this car would cost (at todays’s rates) $3.75 to fill and drive 160 kilometres. 

–How about in excess of 105 mpg! 

–100% of power is available as soon as you touch the accelerator, it’s quick.

What I really liked about the car was that Ford is using the Focus, so fit, finish comfort remains the same.  It looks pretty much the same to most people, except a different front grille, no gas door at back and no exhaust pipe.  Same interior as well which means it’s roomy.  We drove a competitors Electric and it felt cheap and was quirky inside and out. 

Other key features about the Focus Electric:  It can be charged in as little as 3 – 4 hours at 240 volts, 18 – 20 hours at 110V.  Along with fuel costs being cut substanially, maintenance costs also take a BIG drop.  There are way less moving parts and no oil changes, air filters, fuel filters, spark plugs, mufflers, you get the idea.  It also has a very smooth transmission since it only has one forward gear.  Regenerative braking also helps extend the range of the Focus Electric as it re-captured the energy from braking and stores it in the battery pack for future use.  You can set up the dash display to just about anything you want, including butterflies to promote efficient driving.  It can tell you the range of the vehicle, any surplus energy along with the usual entertainment and navigation screens. 

There’s an “app” for that!  The Ford EV (electric vehicle) app allows you to monitor the vehicle.  You can:

Receive an instant vehicle status report.

Remotely perform key functions , like precondition the battery pack.

Monitor the state of charge and current range.

Receive alerts when it has finished charging or requires charging.

Locate a charge station and program the route.

Remotely program charge settings and download vehicle data. 

There are a few videos floating around You Tube, honestly they are a little dated but they do give you a real insight into the car.  Catch them here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfMCUj00ytQ&feature=player_detailpage

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jCgh25adlo&feature=player_detailpage

I think my Kona, Bear Deluxe, mountain bike with it’s knobby tires makes more road noise than the Focus Electric.  Pedestrians beware.  You realize when you’re watching one come up beside you how quiet it is on the road and it could be a real problem for pedestrians.

Pricing begins at $42,699 plus taxes and there is a Provincial tax incentive available.  Also on the horizon will be the Transit Electric, Fusion plug in hybrid, and the C-Max electric.  Ford can really do cool and efficient!

We recently had an opportunity to drive the new 2013 Escape and the 2012 Focus ELECTRIC and that’s where the confusion came in.  The technology Ford has developed for these vehicles is crazy and the software running it all is great and we learned, it’s just the tip of the iceberg of what Ford/Lincoln has planned. 

Let’s start with the new Escape: 

2013 Escape Exterior

In simplest terms, you gotta drive one.  There’s just too much information to share.  It’s a little roomier.  As you can see, a lot more refined inside and out.  Much more economical, much greener and safer.

Ford has a couple of videos out on the New Escape (which don’t really do the vehicle justice)

Part one:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lTseypleotw

Part two: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=IpVW_HNNIUU

I always look for what I call “wow” factors, usually they are a combination of small things.  On the inside there are two standard, umbrella holders, perfect for Vancouver.  There’s a pen holder in the glove box.  There are two storage compartments on the floor in the back passenger side.  Cup holders galore that will hold various sizes.  The rear seats fold completely flat using one button.  How about a tailgate you can open with your hands full, just by kicking your foot under the tailgate. 

New engines deliver up to 30% better fuel economy.  Ecoboost 2.0L, Ecoboost 1.6L and the 2.5L from last year.  More power, less fuel, less maintenance. 

There’s the Intelligent 4WD system that assesses conditions more than 60 times per second.  It can push up to 100% of the power to the front or the rear wheels or just as much as is needed.  Curve Control helps you in and out of corners

When it comes to going “green” Escape wins:  Dash insulation contains 10 lbs of recycled cotton.  Carpet is made from 25 recycled plastic bottles.  Soy foam in the seat cushions.  Recycled plastic in the wheel arches.  Some gaskets are made from recycled tires.  The list goes on…….  

It all means nothing though if it doesn’t feel right behind the wheel and on the road.  When we took the Escape out we also drove all the competition in it’s class.  It was no contest on drivability and fit and finish. 

Escape sold more than 45 thousand units in Canada last year, the #1 seller in it’s class.  The #2 seller sold 23 thousand.  I think the gap is about to get bigger.  The new Escape is that good and Ford says no price hike.  We should have them in a couple of months as they have just gone into production. 

Do what we did.  Compare. 

Next week another rising star from Ford:  FOCUS ELECTRIC