Reasons to Buy Ford In Grand Rapids, Michigan

Join us Saturday for Treats, Beats and Red Tag Rollback pricing during the annual Metro Cruise. We’re delighted to host the West Michigan Mustang Club, with their bevvy of vintage beauts. DJ and tunes will be on tap by Marvin Mercury & The Galaxy.

We’ll have tables and seating available, but they fill up quickly, so you may wish to bring your own lawn chair for the best viewing of the day-long parade of automotive eye-candy!

Complementary hot dogs, brats, and refreshments will be available. The lot opens to the public at 10 a.m.

We hope you join us for this perennial favorite!

Pairing industry icons for collaboration on a particular model is nothing new in the world of cars and trucks. Usually it works well and an awesome, innovative vehicle results, although sometimes it’s downright cheesy (we’re talking to you, denim-inspired interiors of the 1970s). The Ford Harley-Davidson™ F-150 is in a league of its own, and it’s a match even more successful than any coming out of eHarmony – the 2012 model is the tenth F-150, and if we’re talking success in sheer numbers, then the two have also taken on six Super Duty F-250 and F-350 models, and in 2009 the first Harley-Davidson F-450 edition truck. In fact, Ford has sold more than 70,000 Harley-Davidson F-Series trucks since the brands teamed up in 1999.

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Who says 13 is unlucky? For Ford, 13 is all good – it represents the number of model/power combos currently delivering an EPA-estimated fuel economy rating of 30 mpg or more!

The Edge is the newest in the Ford lineup to receive the EcoBoost® engine, and with that estimated 30 mpg highway, it says “checkmate” to its class competitors as well as to cars such as the Honda Civic Si and Saab 9-3 automatic. The only competitive SUVs offering higher highway fuel economy than the Edge with EcoBoost are a few smaller-size vehicles such as the Ford Escape Hybrid… but then there’s no family rivalry there.

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There once was a day where if you told someone you drove a “fuel-efficient SUV with seating for seven” they’d point and laugh at your craziness. But Ford is now having the last laugh: The new Ford Explorer is delivering an EPA-estimated 28 mpg on the highway, besting the Honda Pilot and Jeep Grand Cherokee by 5 mpg, the Chevrolet Traverse by 4 mpg and the Toyota Highlander by 3 mpg.

The all-new EcoBoost® powers the class-leader, and this is the first use of the engine in North America. Seems the first time’s the charm! And, the Explorer with EcoBoost is even beating the compact Subaru Impreza by 1 mpg and matching the most efficient BMW 3-Series.

The advanced 2.0-liter EcoBoost delivers 240 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 270 lb.-ft. of torque at 3,000 rpm, power comparable to a standard V6, but with the fuel-efficiency of a four-cylinder engine.

This is accomplished by twin independent variable camshaft timing (Ti-VCT) and the combo of gasoline direct injection and turbocharging with less overall displacement. Efficiency is further enhanced through employment of low-friction 5W-GF5 motor oil, a variable-displacement air conditioning compressor, electric power-assisted steering (EPAS) and a unique 6F35 six-speed automatic transmission developed to reduce friction and increase efficiency.

The Explorer also benefits from a smooth vehicle shape and careful aerodynamic detailing like optimization of the front air dam and rear liftgate spoiler lip, as well as lightweight components such as an aluminum hood.

With the purpose-driven design and engineering, it’s not only the EcoBoost-equipped Explorer nabbing headlines for great fuel economy – it’s the Explorer period. With the standard V6, it’s delivering up to EPA-estimated 17 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway to lead the full-size V6 SUV segment in fuel efficiency.

In the first six months of 2011, Explorer sales totaled 65,823 vehicles. This figure exceeds the full-year 2010 total of 60,687 Explorers. More than half of early buyers of the redesigned 2011 Explorer cited fuel efficiency as a primary motivation in their purchase decision. Moreover, the majority of customers are choosing better-equipped XLT and Limited series models.

EcoBoost is a global Ford strategy to provide affordable fuel efficiency for millions of drivers while also delivering the power they desire. EcoBoost will be offered on 90 percent of Ford nameplates by 2013.

When two industry leaders shake hands, you know the outcome of the agreement is going to be pretty spectacular. So, when Azure Dynamics – which develops and produces hybrid electric and electric components and powertrain systems for commercial vehicles – and Ford shook on it, the result was that Azure would integrate its proprietary plug-in hybrid (PHEV) technology in the market-leading F-Series Super Duty® lineup.

This will start with the F-550 Super Duty cab and chassis, and is expected to be available in early 2013, although Azure will also perform hybrid powertrain conversions on other Super Duty platforms, including the F-350 and F-450, spanning all engine, frame length and regular production options and configurations.

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You know how sometimes your garage or backyard can be void of inspiration when it comes to tinkering or inventing? In fact, you may not even have the tools to get the job done. Or maybe you prefer the collaborative process and have some pretty cool ideas you’d like to bring to fruition.

Then check this out: TechShop Detroit, a joint project between Ford and TechShop, is a communal fabrication studio where everyday inventors – think backyard wrenchers to tech-savvy engineers – can come and create their very own homegrown innovations.

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You might think this technology we’re about to tell you about sounds a bit futuristic, but it’s in existence right now and is a pretty awesome example of advancements being made in the wars on fuel economy and making roads safer. A system called Ford Crew Chief™ is the only fleet management tool capable of accessing Ford proprietary data contained within a vehicle’s computers. We’re talking about where a vehicle is, diagnostics and driver behavior.

Now, why is that important to a fleet company? Ford developed this because of commercial customer demand for a way to allow fleet managers to monitor the location of the trucks in its fleets.

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