Ford Offering Deals for Two Weeks

According to Ford’s consumer website, its latest incentives are good only through Nov. 17 or 18, depending on the region. This is an unusual amount of time for rebates to run, so we’d expect bigger discounts or a specific themed sale later in the month that will last through the holidays. For the next two weeks, though, there are some decent savings on 2009 and 2008 models. The new 2009 Ford Flex is still carrying $2,500 cash back. A new 2009 Ford Fusion — you can read about the upcoming 2010 Fusion here — has up to $3,500 cash back depending on your region. We list the top cash-back deals below. Check out Ford’s site to see the latest deals in your area. 

Ford Improves Gas Mileage

Fueleconomy.gov continues to release 2009 EPA estimates as we inch toward the new year. On average, we’ve seen slight gains from many existing models and larger ones for new models. Automakers are making modest changes to carryover models because buyers are demanding more fuel-efficient vehicles, and all-new models aren’t in the immediate pipeline for every car out there.

We’ve already mentioned fuel economy increases for GM, Chrysler and Hyundai products; now it’s Ford’s turn.

What Ford Will Look Like in 2010

This morning Ford announced a rather large loss in the second quarter of 2008 — $8.7 billion. Because the company needs to reassure stockholders and Wall Street of its future, Ford has detailed its product plans for the next two years in rather explicit detail. It seems dire economic times have broken through the secretive process Detroit automakers have had in place for decades. Check out our in-depth look at what products Ford will field in the next two years from Europe and North America, and if they’ll be worth the wait. We detail future Lincoln and Mercury products in a separate post.

Ford Incentives Up, Include Specialty Models

April has begun, and Ford has updated its incentives for the rest of the month. There are some very interesting deals to be had. We’ll break down all the models soon enough, but the most interesting tidbit of information for car enthusiasts is that both the Ford Mustang Bullitt and the upcoming Ford F-150 Chip Foose Edition are getting cash back just like their plain-jane brethren. 

The 2008 Ford Mustang Bullitt is already on sale, and the Bullitt package costs an additional $3,310 on top of the cost of a regular Ford Mustang GT. Rebates range from $1,000 to $1,500, with an additional $1,000 offered in some regions if you go with Ford Credit to purchase the vehicle.*

Depending on where you live, that means you could pay just a $810 premium to have the special edition, which adds horsepower and suspension tweaks.

The 2008 Ford F-150 Chip Foose Edition isn’t on sale yet, but the roughly $55,000 sport truck will come to market over the next few months with between $3,000 and $3,500 cash back (plus that potential $1,000 in financing cash) on the intricately detailed hood.

Other rebates are more pedestrian, but still noteworthy:

Recall Alert: 2006-08 Ford Expedition, Lincoln Navigator

Ford announced today it is recalling nearly 124,000 2007-08 Ford Explorers and Lincoln Navigators for faulty door handles, and 57,000 2006-07 Navigator and Ford Expedition SUVs, plus Ford E-150, E-250 and E-350 vans, for faulty fuel pumps.

The first recall impacts the most consumers and involves a spring system inside the door handles of the SUVs. The springs could break and prevent the handles from springing back to a closed position. Because of the defect, the latches could open during a side-impact crash.

The other recall deals with a faulty fuel hose in the 5.4-liter V-8 engine that can crack and leak fuel and possibly lead to a fire.

No injuries or accidents have been reported due to either problem, but dealers will replace all parts for both recalls at no cost. Letters will go out to owners over the next two months. Contact Ford at 800-392-3673 for more information.

Ford Recalling 180,000 SUVs and Vans (CNNMoney)

Cars.com Review Wrap-Up

It’s been awhile since we posted a wrap-up of our recent expert car reviews from the Cars.com Research section. It must have been something to do with all those darn auto shows. Anyway, our staff wasn’t sitting on its laurels. Check out reviews of some of the newest vehicles on the market:

• 2007 Mercedes-Benz CL550
• 2007 Saab 9-7X
• 2007 Ford Expedition
• 2007 Lincoln Navigator
• 2007 Ford Edge

Suburban Dad: Ford Expedition

I’ll say this for the Expedition: It was incredibly comfortable to ride in, but the mechanics of stopping and going overwhelmed the plushness of the interior.

I know great big SUVs like the Expedition are going to need huge amounts of power to get them moving — and that when they’re this big, it’s going to take more effort to slow them down. But both acceleration and braking were lagging at best — a slow, painful chore at worst. That aside, my wife and kids really enjoyed the interior of the Expedition. There was far more space for passengers than there was in the Chrysler Aspen, although getting back to the third road was harder than in the Aspen.

The Expedition’s automatic driver’s seat, which moves back after you’ve stopped, made it easier for me to get in and out of the car. When you climb back in and start it up, the seat moves back into position. My knees were very grateful for this feature.