GCBC'S POPULAR STUFF

GoodCarBadCar's been live since March of this year. During that time, one post instantly - and constantly - maintained a reign as the most popular piece by The Good Car Guy. The title?

"Same Old Same Old But Better Than Ever"

The subject? Honda's venerable Civic. It's a test drive article; something called Driven here at GCBC. But, I noticed something interesting recently. So entwined is North America, and the United States of America more specifically, with pickup trucks, that when a truck is in trouble, people take notice.

That's exactly what people did here on GCBC when the Ford F-series came under recall. So many people took notice, in fact, that in less than two weeks of existence, the F-series post knocked the Civic off its perch.

Curious what else made the podium, ye are. The Top 5 Cars Police Should Be Driving narrowly edged out Dodge's Journey Must Make Inroads, which has been a surprisingly steady member of the top five since its September publishing.

CANADA'S ecoAUTO REBATE

The Government of Canada's initiative to put more people into fuel efficient vehicles by giving them money sees a rearranging of models for year 2008. The list, with the cashback value, is below.

$2000
Toyota Prius
Honda Civic Hybrid
smart fortwo (coupe and convertible)
Ford Escape Hybrid (front and all-wheel drive)
Saturn Vue Hybrid

$1500
Toyota Camry Hybrid
Nissan Altima Hybrid
Toyota Highlander Hybrid

$1000
Toyota Corolla
Toyota Yaris (hatch and sedan)
Mini Cooper (and Clubman)
Honda Civic (coupe and sedan)
Honda Fit
Lexus RX400h
Jeep Compass (2.0L w/CVT and 2.4L manual tranny)
Jeep Patriot (2.0L w/CVT and 2.4L manual-tranny)
Chevrolet HHR
Nissan Rogue

FLEX FUEL VEHICLES $1000
Chevrolet Impala
Dodge Avenger
Chrysler Sebring

THE TATA XJR?

Consider it a safe assumption that you'll never see an XJR, XK, or XF rebadged as a Tata. Reports are also pushing speculation into safe assumptions that Tata is about to land Jaguar and Land Rover for $2,000,000,000, however.

Time the purchase of Ford Motor Company's remaining British outposts with the debut of a $2,500 People's Car, too. Then again, the Tata Group also owns hotels with rates as high as $2,795 per night in Mumbai, charter planes for Bollywood stars, and high-end jewellery stores, in addition to Tetley Tea, Tata AIG Life, Tata Cummins, and Tata McGraw Hill. Head honcho Ratan Tata says that when a company is bought by the Tata Group, things remain the same, "except now it's owned by someone in India".

If Tata truly is successful in this purchase, we should hear by the end of 2007. Another Indian company, Mahindra & Mahindra, was a bidder for Jaguar, along with One Equity Partners.

For Jaguar bosses, the worst part of the news is the extra 1,000 miles in their commute to company headquarters. India is a lot farther away than Michigan.

WARD'S 10 BEST ENGINES

Ward's has once again named its Ten Best Engines. It seems as though Ward's Auto has staked out a claim on this category of engine ranking and is rather respected and trusted now. 2007's best engines come from four different Japanese manufacturers, the German big three, as well as Ford and GM.

Audi's 2.0L turbocharged inline-four makes 200bhp and 207 lb-ft of torque. BMW's twin-turbocharged 3.0L inline-six produces 300bhp and 300 lb-ft of torque. The 3.0L V6 turbodiesel in Mercedes-Benz's E-class produces 208bhp and 400 lb-ft of torque. Ironically, the three German companies infiltrated Ward's 10 Best list with four turbochargers divided amongst the three engines.

Ford's 4.6L V8 is capable of more than 300bhp in the Bullitt and Shelby GT. The 6.0L V8 in hybridized form that we've seen in the Yukon/Tahoe hybrids and GM's 3.6L V6 from the Cadillac CTS form the American contigent.

Honda's smooth and powerful 3.5L V6 from the new Accord is one of two three-and-a-half litre engines on the list. The V6 from Lexus' IS350 is another formidable powerplant. 3.7 litres equals V8-style power in the Infiniti G37, too. Finally, Mazda's 2.3L turbocharged inline-four ends the list as the fourth turbocharged model, as well as the second with just four-cylinders.

CHALLENGER ORDERS CEASING?

Dodge isn't sick of your orders, but it may decide to cut off the order process for 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8's in just 19 days. Here's what you need to know:

Since Chrysler began taking orders on December 3rd, 85% of their dealerships have taken order(s) for the Challenger.

There have already been more than 7,000 orders placed.

Dodge will be offering the initial SRT8's in Hemi Orange, Brilliant Black, and Bright Silver. So far, more than half the orders have been for Hemi Orange.

eBay has played host to multiple auctions for "payment over and above" the MSRP.

So what's next? First, Dodge builds these cars. Then it builds Challenger's with a lower price tag and less powerful engines. Then Chevrolet starts selling the new Camaro. Meanwhile, Ford Mustang sales are down 19% this year. During November, Ford watched Mustang sales fall 30% lower than November of 2006.

CARS OF CANDIDATES

The Associated Press has collected some info on the past and present vehicles of presidential candidates. It's easy to find the car lovers amongst them - those who don't know an inline-4 from a V8 - and those who must have at least modicum of taste.

Hillary first drove a '62 Olds Cutlass. Sneak a peek or more thru Bill or Hillary's autobiographies, and you soon discover that they either love cars or remember them well. Mrs. Clinton is now, of course, driven in many'a Secret Service vehicle, although she makes note of a "Ford hybrid."

As does John Edwards, in addition to an '04 Chrysler Pacifica (indiciating the value of John's vehicle is equivalent to the price of one haircut) and a 13-year old GMC pickup. John's first car was a Plymouth Duster. Bill Richardson drove a used Mustang in a former day, but enjoys his Jeep Wrangler now. Barack Obama makes use of a Chrysler 300C, but once "extensively" used his grandfather's Ford Granada.

Giuliani? "I don't drive. I navigate." Sure, Rudolph. He drove a used Dodge whilst newly licensed. A little more specificity, please.

John McCain knows where it's at. The Arizona Senator drove a 1958 Corvette but has a Cadillac CTS now. Good job, John. Mitt Romney drove a 2-year old American Motors Rambler Classic in 1965 when he went to college. Mitt, who was involved in a head-on crash in France while driving a Citroen DS in 1968, has possession of an '05 Ford Mustang Convertible and a '62 Rambler American.

Fred Thompson speaks about an old red pickup. Fred hasn't elaborated yet. Mike Huckabee used to be the driver of a Mercury Montego but makes use of two Chevrolet's now: an '07 Tahoe and a '95 Silverado.

What have we learned? Unless some of these cars are using base V6's instead of the implied V8's, the candidate's vehicles likely contribute to an average of 16/21mpg, city/highway.

Keep talking, guys. Gimme all that ethanol and biofuel and dependency on foreign oil stuff.

FORD DIESEL RECALL

Excursions, E-series vans, and heavy duty F-series trucks built by Ford from 1997-2003 are facing a recall. The diesel models (7.3L) may have a faulty sensor that causes the engine to stall. You don't want to stall going downhill towards the ocean with eight fishermen and a trailer/loader hooked to the end.

Ford believes power steering and brakes are okay beneath 30mph, and the fact that no injuries or deaths have occurred as a result of this sensor problem seems to bear that out. If you're driving one of these vehicles, either contact your Ford dealer or await their upcoming communique.

FORD KUGA GETS POWER BUMP

Another one of those Ford Motor Company vehicles you can't have, in addition to the excellent Euro Focus; Mondeo; and S-Max, the Ford Kuga represents all that Ford's North American-market vehicles aren't. Cool, hip, trendy, efficient, fun. If it's a positive characteristic for a possible American-branded Honda CR-V competitor, the Kuga offers it.

Well, take a notch off the efficiency meter for this post, but only slightly. See, Ford is suggesting that the new 2.5L five-cylinder in the Kuga makes for a "performance flagship". While certainly more economical than a V8 Explorer, this Kuga will most assuredly be the least economical of all Kugas currently on offer. On the other hand, with 197 horsepower and 236 lb-ft of torque, the Kuga should be plenty fun to drive. 

Surely UK auto scribblers will deride anybody who buys a taller vehicle and doesn't opt for diesel. We, if given the opportunity to buy a Kuga at all, wouldn't likely be offered a diesel derivative and the thought of a handsome little urban crawler with 236 lb-ft of torque would be lovely regardless of the 2.0L turbodiesel and its 36.6 mpg available Across The Pond.

As you'd expect, a basic Kuga is less expensive than a well-equipped Focus saloon sedan in the UK but can rise steadily. The Kuga 2.5L with a 5-speed automatic? Think 4-cylinder BMW 3-Series diesel, and you'll get the pricing picture.

OTHER NUMBERS FROM CAR & DRIVER'S JANUARY ISSUE

The Good Car Guy already filled you in on Car & Driver's 0-60 testing of eleven cars in its January issue. Other important Numbers are viewable below.

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24 - miles per gallon observed by C/D editors in the Mini John Cooper Works Clubman, the best figure in a comparo where the Mini finished sixth. Its EPA city and highway figures were also the best-in-test.

18- miles per gallon observed by C/D editors in the Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart, the worst figure in a comparo where the Lancer Ralliart finished dead last. Its EPA city figure was worst-in-test and its EPA highway figure was tied for worst-in-test.

156- top speed, in mph, of the 260-bhp Chevrolet Cobalt SS, limited by aerodynamic drag, placing the Chevy tops in a seven-way comparo where it finished third overall

19- miles per gallon observed by C/D editors in the all-wheel drive Acura TL, better than what was managed by the aforementioned Mitsubishi with its 1.7L-smaller engine, 68 fewer horsepower, and 445 fewer pounds.

33- miles per gallon observed by C/D editors in a Volkswagen Jetta, which with a 140-bhp 2.0L turbodiesel, still had to propel 3353 pounds.

24- miles per gallon observed by C/D editors in a Hyundai Elantra wagon which posted identical acceleration figures to the Jetta TDI with one extra horsepower, 99 fewer lb-ft of torque, and 321 fewer pounds

0.61- roadholding, measured in g's, of the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon, as tested by C/D on a 200-ft skidpad.

1.08- roadholding, measured in g's, of the Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR, as tested by C/D on a 200-ft skidpad

18- difference in sound levels, measured in decibels by C/D, between the loudest car of the year, the Bugatti Veyron 16.4, and the quietest cars of the year, the Ford Flex Limited and Dodge Journey R/T, both of which let out 65 dBA at 70mph 

CAR DESIGN PART I

So all the AutoCAD has got you down. Car styling ain't what it used to be. I remember when every new model year meant significant changes, say you. They didn't used to explain why it looked good, you just knew when you laid eyes on the car, say others.

Well, I wondered. And I wondered. And I wondered some more. And then I edited some pictures to (mainly) show the profile of a dozen or more vehicles. Plenty of people suggest that a typical midsize sedan, especially those built in Japan or America, or just carbon copies. The designer of the Nissan 350Z said, on that car's debut, that a car's design impact derives from a singular profile line.

I'm going to show you the profiles of multiple "family" cars, all priced under $30,000. Then you can look at the profiles of multiple mid-engined, high-dollar sports cars. Where has design evolved the most? Where has modernity struck heaviest? Who designs with cookie cutters? Which design group resides 'in the box'? Does anybody?

INEXPENSIVE FAMILY VEHICLES

MID-ENGINED SPORTS CARS

From the top: Citroen C5, Nissan Altima, Ford Mondeo, Honda Accord, Saturn Astra, Koenigsegg CCX and Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera.

FORD FOCUS RS WILL TOP 164 MPH, 264 KMH

As if the Ford Focus ST wasn't impressing Europeans enough, Ford's upping of the ante with the Focus RS is manifesting more evidence than ever that the RS will be a high-flyer. 0-60mph will come up in just under six seconds, Ford says. It'll likely be less than 5.5 if traction isn't an issue, The Good Car Guy believes. Also possibleis that on your next trip down the autobahn, a green Focus RS will cruise past at 164 mph, about 264 kmh. This is a Ford Focus, folks. Wow.

Read more about the Focus RS here and check out a full picture gallery

296 horsepower through the front wheels could be considered a problem. Ford hopes that it won't be because of its RevoKnuckle technology that Ford thinks will rule out torque steer. Remember the last Focus RS with substantially less power (in the 212 range) struggled mightily putting the power down. Of course, that must be put in context with the current Focus ST which has over 220 horsepower and negates the effects of large throttle openings and steering wheel motions.

Whether or not the Focus RS handles take-off well, cruising altitude will shove all the restricted 155mph German coupes and sedans down a rung.

FORD STOPS BUILDING TRUCKS IN WAYNE - PREPS TO BUILD SMALL CARS

Though still smarting from what wasn't the most successful arguing on their behalf at Congress last week, Ford Motor Company had already decided to "do things differently" before senators and congressmen kept asking them to do so. Yesterday the Wayne, Michigan plant that had been partly responsible for the hundreds of thousands of F-150s, Expeditions, and their offspring stopped building vehicles to ready it for small car production.

51 years ago the Wayne plant began building large vehicles for Ford and has gone through the F-Series, Broncos, Expeditions, and Navigators. Another plant that switched from trucks to small cars is the Cuautitlan, Mexico facility that will be building the Ford Fiesta (Scottish car of the year, yippee) by 2010. Ford will invest $75,000,000 in the Wayne plant just for a spectacular body shop. That cost is over and above the cost of basic re-tooling and reorganizing.

NEED MORE THAN PICTURES? VIDEO OF THE NEW FORD MUSTANG

Perhaps your excitement regarding a new Ford Mustang is so overwhelming that pictures just aren't enough. You want to see it drive by your office; sitting in the dealer window.... sending forth the smell of burnt rubber. 

Too bad. You can't do that yet. But you can watch the 2010 Ford Mustang in motion below. For pictures and a bit of commentary, check this post out.

RUINED!

"Take a sad song and make it better", sang the Beatles. Ford decided to switch the lyrics to: "Take a pretty car and make it much worse".


I shan't be harsh. Ford's Verve sedan - the 4-door is a necessary body configuration to compete in China - has just debuted and it proves how adding a trunk can ruin a terrific body. Nevertheless, the Verve sedan is still a terrific looking automobile, just very awkwardly proportioned from some angles.

Chevy's latest Malibu is a much better car in every way when compared with its predecessor. Yet that car, the Malibu sedan, was taken to a new level of ugliness when stretched and fitted with a hatch. As if the front end hadn't been bad enough already, Chevrolet designers outdid themselves at the rear.


The story is much the same, but switched around, at Nissan. The Versa hatchback appears athletically honed and toned in the way a 6-foot tall, 120 pound 14 year-old boy deals with a basketball bouncing off his size 14 shoes. Then again, Nissan's late-coming Versa sedan appears athletic.... only in how it compares with a first time quarterback attempting to escape Michael Strahan.


Volkswagen's Golf/Rabbit/GTI doesn't stun you with its beauty or uniqueness. It does the job, however, and manages to offend few while cutting a clean line. Then again, the same car can be morphed into the Golf Plus Dune. Gross.


The Peugeot 206 was a very successful and cheeky French hatchback. The same French automaker managed to convert it into a dreadfully awful and dowdy 'saloon'.



Toyota imported the Echo sedan to North America and left every passerby with a bad taste in their mouth. How did such offensive bodywork escape the same design HQ as its companion, the Echo hatch?

CARS WE DON'T CARE ABOUT #1 - 2010 FORD FUSION

Less than 24 hours after Alan Mulally sat before a Senate committee led by Chris Dodd, a full slate of pictures is revealed of the 2010 Ford Fusion. Seemingly stripping away all possible excitement Mulally attempted to engender regarding the future prospect of Ford products were the automakers actually able to break through with "$7-8 billion", the 2010 Ford Fusion is likely a whole lot better than the Fusion seen at dealers now. Well, it's not likely; the '10 Fusion will be better. Yet I still can't smell any excitement anywhere.

The four-cylinder will be a 2.5L with better economy and more forward thrust. The option of a 3.5L V6 with class-competitive horsepower (assuming Camry, Accord, Altima, 6 don't swing upward) will be vital. Nevertheless, speak truthfully on the matter - you know as well as anyone that the upgraded Fusion still won't sell in Accord or Camry-like numbers and even if it did, won't be selling for as high a price.

Apparently The Good Car Guy woke up in a negative mood. Two more Cars We Don't Care About are about to come through the pipeline. All 24 pictures of the '10 Fusion are below.

THE DETROIT THREE OFFERS TOO MANY TRUCKS? BY THE NUMBERS

Wall Street insiders attempting to predict the demise of the Detroit Three (GM/Ford/Chrysler) blame most of the domestic auto manufacturing difficulties on the rise and fall of the SUV. They believe that General Motors, Ford Motor Company, and Chrysler LLC (mostly under the management of Daimler-Benz) didn't have the foresight to build high quality cars when money was pouring in from easy-profit vehicles like the Ford F-Series, Chevrolet Tahoe, and Dodge Ram. On the surface, these insiders appear to be correct. 

Take American luxury cars, for instance. In the early part of this millenium, the only prominent vehicles at Cadillac and Lincoln were their jumbo SUVs, the Escalade and Navigator. Mainstream brands like Chevrolet and Ford were offering an abomination called the Malibu and an ancient design called the Taurus. The few takers snapped them up at rock bottom prices.

For a deeper look at the gravity of the situation in numerical terms, check this Numbers post from a few days ago with figures supplied by TIME. For perspective on the issue, read The Good Car Guy's question from yesterday. For facts about automaker offerings in the U.S. domestic market in 2009, keep reading. Oh, and by the way, to attempt to sway the argument in favour of cars instead of trucks, models like the F-150, F-250, and F-350 were lumped together. It didn't help. Also, TSV means anything that isn't a car: trucks, SUVs, and vans.

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TOTAL CARS @ GENERAL MOTORS: 21

TOTAL TSVs @ GENERAL MOTORS: 26

TOTAL CARS @ FORD MOTOR CO.: 10

TOTAL TSVs @ FORD MOTOR CO.: 14

TOTAL CARS @ CHRYSLER LLC: 8

TOTAL TSVs @ CHRYSLER LLC: 16

Buick cars/TSVs: 2 to 1

Cadillac cars/TSVs: 4 to 3

Chevrolet cars/TSVs: 6 to 9

GMC cars/TSVs: 0 to 8

Hummer cars/TSVs: 0 to 2

Pontiac cars/TSVs: 6 to 1

Saturn cars/TSVs: 3 to 2

Ford cars/TSVs: 4 to 10

Lincoln cars/TSVs: 3 to 2

Mercury cars/TSVs: 3 to 2

Chrysler cars/TSVs: 3 to 2

Dodge cars/TSVs: 5 to 7

Jeep cars/TSVs: 0 to 7

READ TRANSCRIPT FROM ALAN MULALLY'S INTERVIEW ON CNN

Ford's boss made an appearance on CNN's American Morning this... uh, morning. You'll find the transcript of the interview below. 

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John Roberts: Why should taxpayers give you any of their hard-earned money?

Alan Mulally: Well, I think the compelling argument is that the automobile industry is just absolutely essential to the United States' economy. We are in an economic situation now, with the credit crisis and the financial and the banking issues, that we really, more than ever, the automobile industry needs to be part of the solution. And the only thing that we're asking for is to set up a bridge loan mechanism so that if the economy continues to deteriorate in the near term, that we could access that so we could continue to invest in the products that people really do want and value and help be part of this economic recovery. 

Roberts: But you know what the critics are saying. Critics are saying that you fought efforts as an industry to increase fuel economy standards, you promoted SUVs and pickups as demand for foreign oil increased, and we're beginning to run out of oil. They're saying basically you failed to lead, and now you have your hand out saying, "Help us."

Mulally: And for that we also recognized the cost it would take to do that, so the Congress built into that legislation a mechanism that we could borrow at the Treasury rate so we could fund the acceleration of these vehicles and bring them to the marketplace. That is going very well. We are applying for that today. I think the most important thing is that we continue as a country to work this as a partnership and clearly fuel efficiency, quality, safety are going to continue to be at the top of the customer's decision list when they purchase a car. 

Roberts: At the same time, Mr. Mulally, the people who will be asking you questions this afternoon are looking for some guarantees. Chris Dodd is the chairman of the committee that you'll be sitting before. Here's what he said in terms of wanting some guarantees from the industry: "Clearly, we shouldn't be writing checks without some clear conditionality of what's going to happen with that industry, if they're going to change and get back on their feet again." Can you guarantee to the American people that if you get that money, if the American taxpayers throw you a lifeline, you will change, you'll become more efficient, you'll produce cars that people want to buy, you'll increase fuel efficiency, you will, indeed, move into the future? 

Mulally: Absolutely. I don't think it's a promise. I think it's a promise that we are already delivering on today. When you look at the Ford lineup going forward, we have now cars, small, medium, and large cars, utilities, and trucks that are absolutely world class in their quality, in their fuel mileage, in their safety -- on par and competing and in many cases much better than Toyota and Honda. We have a business plan.

Roberts: One of the cars you'll be introducing in 2009 is the Ford Fusion hybrid, and you are very excited about that, but it's being introduced 12 years after Toyota introduced the Prius. Why did it take so long?

Mulally: Well, that's really one model of the vehicles. The very first hybrid was introduced by Ford with the Escape.

Roberts: It was an SUV.

Mulally: Absolutely, but we have been there on the fuel efficiency from day one, and it's been part of Bill Ford's original vision of sustainability and energy efficiency and being better environmentally concerned.

Roberts: Here's a question I have this morning. I think a lot of people are asking this same question as well. You are betting that because the price of gasoline is now down to an average of about $2.06 a gallon nationwide that that will rekindle interest in your Ford F-150 pickup truck line, and I know that you are trying to improve the fuel efficiency -- I think the latest model is 15 [mpg] city, 21 miles to the gallon on the highway. Some people are thinking, "Oh my God, the price of gas is going down, and now you just want to repeat the mistakes of the past all over again."

Mulally: That's absolutely incorrect because our plan is to have a full portfolio of small, medium, and larger vehicles that our consumers really want, and clearly the 150 that you have described has been the industry leader in the United States for 34 years, and the consumers love and need that vehicle. They absolutely love the 150. We are complementing that now, just like you mentioned, with small- and medium-size cars and utilities, all of which will be best in class on fuel efficiency. So we want to be there with a full portfolio that the consumers really do want.

Roberts: General Motors has got an electric car coming out. It's not going to come out until 2010, 2011. Does Ford have a fully plug-in hybrid vehicle coming? 

Mulally: We are working on that also, but let me just share with you the Ford plan about that. Our No. 1 priority is to improve the internal combustion engine, and that's why the turbocharging, the direct fuel injection, we get a 20 percent improvement in fuel mileage and a 15 percent reduction in CO2, but we get that across all of the engines, across all the vehicles. Then we move to more electrification with the hybrids as you mentioned, and we are very excited that the next step after that will be full electrification. Now we're tied into the grids, and we really have moved to an energy independence solution.

THE NEW FORD MUSTANG CONVERTIBLE IS HERE - 11 PICTURES

A more detailed overview of the 2010 Mustang is here, concentrating on the coupe that will garner more sales in northern climes. What you see here is the 2010 Ford Mustang convertible, vehicle of all wealthy high school quarterbacks in SoCal. 

Ford's inability to hide the Mustang's roof when its down is disappointing. Let me check the calendar.... alright, this is late 2008 and Ford has, in other places, learned to hide a FOLDING HARDTOP. Apparently, the Mustang's soft-top wants to reveal itself annoyingly.

Apart from that, Ford is serving up fairly standard fare here. More power, revised appearance, updated interior. Only because this is a Mustang do we pay so much attention. Revised musclecars don't come along very often and this 2010 Mustang convertible is truly exciting compared with facelifted midsize sedans from Asia. All eleven pictures are in the gallery below.

THE NEW FORD MUSTANG IS HERE - 72 PICTURES

Let's start the day off honestly: the new-for-'10 Ford Mustang looks like it was facelifted. That's not a bad thing; facelifts can work wonders. As for a completely refreshing take, this new Mustang evolved from the previous-generation about as slowly as the Porsche 911 moved from 996 to 997 and about as swiftly as the Jaguar XJ8 of the early 2000s moved on to the completely new-for-'03.

In other words, the new Mustang doesn't look all that different. Face the facts, the Mustang is 50% looks and 50% muscle, creating a situation where, um... looks matter. In profile, the Mustang still rides too high at the rear. As a new Mustang drives away from you, the rear end won't look too terribly new at all even if it is a cooler design. Stand in your upstairs window looking down at the 2010 Mustang in your driveway and you'll start to believe it's a tidier, tightened, tenser, and tauter design. There's something about that angle that reveals an almost European influence; slightly delicate and assuredly tenacious at the same time.

Certainly the front end is where the revitilization was most successful and most noticeable. Appearing lower and meaner, the grille is far and away the most telling feature that proves this is the 2010 Mustang.

Ford had been making lots of noise about improving the interior. At first glance, that was just a bunch of noise. The cockpit still looks like a mish-mash of cheap and expensive. Not to worry, underhood, a V8 is still available. Are you not paying pennies for fuel again?

Ford's 4.6L is now a 315-horsepower mill. Wheels start at 17-inches in diameter and creep up to 19-inches at the max. Front-end lift for the V8 GT was reduced 23%, which, when teamed with a 7% slipperier body, should significantly aid steering and handling.

Does the Mustang have the Challenger's presence or the Camaro's eye-catching allure? Nope. Actually, it's not even close. On the other hand, the Mustang will almost certainly be less expensive across the board and doesn't scream mid-life crisis like the two competitors. The full gallery of 72 pictures is below. Click here for the convertible gallery.

2010 FORD FIESTA SEDAN - CHINA AND USA WILL LOVE IT

If you're a betting auto watcher, place your money in these three places: Europeans snicker at the thought of a new Fiesta sedan, Chinese and American customers suck up Fiesta sedans like reinvented sliced bread, and Canadians are a little bit interested but prefer the hatchback that many customers south of the border fear.

When Ford releases the 2010 Fiesta, you'll hear plenty of positive reviews. Expect the Fiesta to make the Chevrolet Aveo feel like tin pie plate. Meanwhile, the Toyota Yaris will become blander than ever in the light of Ford's Fiesta, and the Dodge..... oh wait, Chrysler/Dodge doesn't have a car in this segment. 

However, one can hope not too much praise is lavished upon the Fiesta sedan. Oh, it'll drive as well as its hatchback brother(s), and the interior fit and finish will likely be top notch. But man, look at that thing. True, the picture you see here is the absolute worst angle possible - that's why The Good Car Guy picked it; to make a point - but still, she ain't pretty.

They say she's got a nice personality, though. Fortunately, the hatchback mixes personality and looks.