Author: Rex Roy

Filed under: Truck, Ford, First Drive, Off-Road

Unless you’re a died-in-the-burlap save-the-planet kind of person, you probably think the 2010 Ford SVT Raptor is freakin’ cool. There’s not a factory truck on the planet that can wing across the desert floor with equal ease, grace and unmitigated speed.

The 2010 Raptor genuinely has no competition In the world of production trucks, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be improved. If you bent the ear of the right Ford engineer, he would admit that the 2010 SVT Raptor was supposed to launch with the 6.2-liter SOHC V8 we’re testing today. The aging 310-horsepower 5.4-liter Triton mill included at launch was never the perfect fit for the radical Raptor. Too tame.

From the truck’s introduction last Fall, everyone knew the all-new iron-block/aluminum-head 6.2-liter engine would be better. But no one knew how much better until now. Read about our wild test drive (and brief flight) after the ummm… jump.

Photos by Rex Roy / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc. and Ford Motor Company

Continue reading First Drive: 2010 Ford SVT Raptor 6.2 is born to fly

First Drive: 2010 Ford SVT Raptor 6.2 is born to fly originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 25 May 2010 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Performance, Crossover, Ford, Quick Spin

Manufacturers used to roll out all-new cars every five-to-eight years. Somewhere around the halfway point – usually year three – much hoopla would be made about new front and rear fascias, the addition of some standard features and some new option packages. (*Yawn*). These changes were designed to give shoppers a reason to look at a car that was getting long-in-the-tooth.

Ford Motor Company sung by this songbook for decades, but it’s not any longer. As we’ve seen with the Escape, Fusion and Mustang, the Ford brand is rolling out significant product changes any time they darn well please. For example, the 2010 Fusion could have been a standard refresh, but instead included three all-new powertrains, a significantly upgraded interior, and the expected front and rear fascias.

Introduced as a 2007 model at the close of 2006, the Edge was Ford’s second attempt at a more car-like crossover. (Anybody remember the Freestyle/Taurus X … uhh, not so much.) Heading into its fifth year of production, the Edge needed some serious attention. It just got it: We reported so on the eve of February’s Chicago Auto Show.

Following the new model’s public debut, Ford offered Autoblog an exclusive opportunity to ride in a 2011 Edge Sport with some development engineers so we could have an early, behind-the-scenes look at their handiwork. The new Edge doesn’t go on sale until later this Summer, but you can read all about our experience at the Dearborn Development Center right now after the jump.

Photos by Rex Roy / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading Exclusive First Ride: 2011 Ford Edge Sport

Exclusive First Ride: 2011 Ford Edge Sport originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Truck, Work, Ford, First Drive, Off-Road

It’s a guy thing. Tim Allen understands. If you’ve got a job to do, you need the right tool. As guy logic goes, the bigger and more powerful the tool, the better.

If what you do requires a tool shaped like a truck, then you’re currently experiencing a nirvana-like period in history. In just the last few months, Chrysler and General Motors introduced their new heavy-duty trucks. We drove the 2010 Dodge Ram Heavy Duty in October and liked it. We also saw the Chevrolet and GMC HDs at the Chicago Auto Show last month. Although we’ve yet to get behind the wheel, the powertrain and chassis improvements appear promising.

Not to be left out, Ford’s rolling introduction of its latest F-Series Super Duty just culminated with an Arizona-based press-only driving event (we first reported on the new truck in September). Want to know everything about Ford’s big, new tool? For starters, the blue oval on the grille measures 13 inches. Believe it or not, there’s more. Find out after the jump.

Photos by Rex Roy / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading First Drive: 2011 Ford F-Series Super Duty brings the biggest tools

First Drive: 2011 Ford F-Series Super Duty brings the biggest tools originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 11:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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