ford laser hatchback
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ford laser hatchback Post Review
Ford Laser, 1981, Hatchback, € 1,000 https://t.co/d6Q7o2wvlG https://t.co/SGDjBJVid7
By the time of this 1987 brochure, the Mazda 323-derived Ford Laser was a big seller in Australia, and midway though its second generation (being offered rather than Ford's own Escort). The hatchback was the most distinctive of the bodystyles offered. #carbrochure #Ford #Mazda https://t.co/YHCEkpUC3r
🇦🇺 *ENDING SOON at NO RESERVE* One of just 108 produced, this 1985 Ford Laser ‘Carla Zampatti’ is a highly original example of the limited-edition hatchback. Details: https://t.co/7bWeGo1NRz #CollectingCars https://t.co/2XhlPgoMLr
This day in 1993, four gun shots, 9mm Z88, Ford Laser hatchback with registration PBX 231 T and a polish immigrant, backed by his fellow South African right wingers were in action, which robbed this country an alternative. #RememberChrisHani https://t.co/wgfh83vAxU
When I first returned to Australia, I would sleep in the back of my 1987 Ford Laser in winter... If you're doing something in life that you're not willing to "sleep in the back of a cramped hatchback in the dead of winter for", you're not pursuing your dream. Find your passion! https://t.co/apmpzn995n
For sale Ford laser hatchback 1983 Complete papers Cool ac Running condition Price : 37k neg. 09325405971 http://t.co/FkbbY0Fo8e
1984 Ford Laser GL hatchback https://t.co/ewIA11vVtM
Have you seen Sue? The 70-year-old from #HighlandPark was last seen at #Worongary Shopping Centre on Friday, and drives a silver Ford Laser hatchback. Anyone with information is urged to contact police. #9News https://t.co/Sho5hLEhSk
#myfirstcar 1983 Ford Laser 5 door hatchback. Colour: Beige!
\t 1993 FORD LASER WHITE HATCHBACK $2800 ONO: Price $2,800.00Address Wellard WA, AustraliaFor Sale By Ow... http://bit.ly/bZTULM
ford laser hatchback Q&A Review
Which is the best hatchback among Tata Altroz, Hyundai i20, Maruti Swift, Volkswagen Polo, Maruti Baleno, Toyota Glanza and Ford Figo?
The, hatchback, segment in the Indian auto market witnesses the highest sales growth every year. Due to the practically, flexibility, fuel economy and relaxation in taxes, hatchbacks have always received much preference for the Indian buyers. So before selecting the best car I want to let you know that all this cars mentioned over here are very close competitors of each other, so first lets take a overview of all cars: Tata Altroz: ,Altroz has been designed to offer world-class protection to its occupants, Equipped with ALFA Architecture and a comprehensive safety system ALTROZ has achieved 5-star Global NCAP rating. Inspired by the world of laser carving, the exteriors of Altroz exemplify athletic sharpness. Design so sharp, it cuts through the air like a hot knife through butter. Infotainment system by ,Harman, leaves no stone unturned. Equipped with an advanced 17.78cm touchscreen interface, top-notch connectivity and unmatched acoustics system, it is truly a complete infotainment system. Drive the gold standard. Experience the exhilarating performance of Altroz with powerful BS6 petrol and diesel engines, fine-tuned suspension and comprehensive control and to conquer every city road. Convenience has a new meaning, thanks to ,rear AC vents, flat floor design, and ,90-degree opening doors,. Experience luxurious comfort every mile of the drive. Hyundai i20: ,The New ELITE i20 is aesthetically designed with ,premium interiors, and spunky looks that make it appealing from fluid aesthetics to the modern appeal and premium interiors, nothing was compromised. Hyundai proudly presents another ambitious design of ELITE i20. The New ELITE i20 makes sure you are always in the limelight, with its premium and well crafted ,projector headlamps, with LED DRL accompanied with positioning and cornering lamps. The uniquely designed stylish Tail Lamps of the ELITE i20 gives the robust rear a sleek look and provides optimal visibility and safety for those driving. Command attention on the Road with the New ELITE i20 which adorns a Premium ,'Cascade Design' ,Front Grille, that adds to its sporty styling and bold looks. Ergonomic and ,dynamic design, meets convenience, comfort, and space. Enjoy spacious, comfortable and fatigue-free journeys with well cushioned seats offering good thigh & back support, ample storage space such as glove box, cup holders and map pockets and much more for you to discover. Maruti Swift: ,The Swift is Maruti Suzuki's ,premium hatchback ,especially to its features and technical specifications. The front fascia of the car includes a new and sporty front bumper with bigger air dam, and fog lamps, which are accompanied by silver strips. The dynamic radiator grille has also been updated with black honeycomb mesh and is embedded with a chrome plated company's symbol. Surrounding this, is the vertical headlight cluster which is equipped with powerful headlamps and turn indicators. The interiors of this Maruti Swift now come with a refined black color scheme, which is complimented by a lot of silver accents. It also has sporty wraparound door trims, which further gives a plush appeal to the cabin. The instrument panel has several utility functions like driver seat belt reminder, instantaneous and average fuel consumption info, door closure warning lamp, and tachometer and driver seat belt reminder notification. Volkswagen Polo: ,The Polo has always been regarded as a smartly styled vehicle, owing to its European looks and solid build quality. As known, the company offers this hatchback in both petrol as well as diesel guises. Both the fuel trims have three similar variants - Trendline, Comfortline and Highline followed by the performance-oriented GT variants in petrol and diesel trims, respectively. Prices too have been revised, keeping existing market sentiments in mind. The exteriors have not undergone any major changes, Volkswagen has simply updated the looks of the grille and the headlamps for the facelift. At the front, the new honeycomb grille houses the Dual-beam headlamps with cornering lights for illuminating the roads during the night. The company has toned down the usage of chrome in and around the front grille, which makes it look more sporty than before. Maruti Baleno:, Baleno has always been known for its bold persona, iconic design, and innovative features. Its enhanced exterior design, new premium interiors, a host of innovative features and advanced technology make it an exceptional drive. The Baleno’s bold 3D Grille and aggressive Front Bumper take its persona to a whole new level. Its stylish LED Projector Headlamps with LED Daytime Running Lamps brighten up even the darkest of streets. The car also comes with stunning Two-tone Precision Cut Alloy Wheels and distinct Fog Lamp garnish, which enable it to make its presence felt even from a distance. The Baleno also comes with premium interiors, which is an extension of its exterior design language. A cabin crafted from exceptional materials and ornamentation, along with premium dual tone Black and Navy seat fabric, adds to its bold appeal. From the moment you settle inside the car, you will experience comfort and a touch of perfection. Toyota Glanza: ,Japanese carmakers Toyota and Suzuki entered a global agreement in 2018 to share certain models. And the first shared model for India is here in the form of the Glanza. The Glanza is Toyota’s version of the Maruti Suzuki Baleno and the two cars are near-identical in every way. The Toyota does get a longer warranty and is not offered with a diesel engine. The Glanza is available with petrol and petrol-electric hybrid engines, and there’s the option of a CVT auto as well. Toyota has launched the Glanza in two variants. Both variants are well equipped and come with ABS, dual airbags, rear parking sensors and auto-dimming internal mirrors as standard. Alloy wheels, LED headlights, keyless go, auto climate control and a 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are other features common to both versions. The top-spec V does get added features such as a rear-view camera, LED DRLs and auto headlamps. Ford Figo: ,The Figo is Ford’s competent mid-sized hatchback. For 2019, the Ford Figo received a comprehensive update with revised styling, an enhanced cabin and even some mechanical upgrades. The updated Ford Figo gets revised styling and remains a neat looker though top-spec Titanium Blu trim cars stand out with their blacked-out bits and larger wheels. A redesigned dashboard that gives pride of place to the touchscreen is new to the Figo. Quality on the inside has improved too with a built-to-last feel to everything. Front seat comfort is good and legroom at the back is decent too. BEST HATCHBACK AMONG ALL SEVEN CARS IN: SPACE: Maruti Baleno, Toyota Glanza, Tata Altroz BUILD QUALITY: Volkswagen Polo, Ford Figo, Hyundai i20 SPORTY LOOKS: Maruti Swift MILEAGE: Maruti Baleno, Maruti Swift, Toyota Glanza POWER: Ford Figo, Volkswagen Polo At last my personal suggestion is best to buy is Hyundai i20, as its overall fulfil our basic requirements like its super build quality, controlling, features, premiumness, power, best suspension quality and hyundai’s after sales service is too good.
Would you recommend a Ford Focus or a Toyota Corolla for a first time car buyer?
Ford Focus is actually a British-German car, designed and made by the Ford Europe. Originally it was named Ford Escort in Europe or Ford Laser in Asia. It was imported back to USA back in early 2000s, coincidental with its name change to what it is known today. The closest assembly line of Ford Focus to your home (Florida) is Wayne, Michigan. But thanks to the whole trade war thing, which made importing parts difficult, Ford Focus will be no longer manufactured in USA. Your 2019 Focus will be made in Chongqing, China or Saarlouis, Germany. But then again, you can't buy them anymore, since Ford will only concentrate more in making SUVs and trucks domestically. Toyota Corolla's current generation for the US market is finally unified once again with the international version. Therefore, its parts should be widely available across the globe. The closest manufacturing plant to your home will be Blue Springs, Mississippi. In 2021, another Toyota plant will open in Huntsville, Alabama. Local content wise, Toyota Corolla is much more American than the British-engined, German-tranny, Chinese knick-knack Ford Focus. It is therefore greener and help to MAGA. Now, let's get back to practical ones: Ford Focus has quirky transmission Your Focus model will be likely a used 2018 one. Otherwise, you need to be careful with this issue: What You Need to Know about Ford's PowerShift Transmission Problems My friend bought his 2013 Focus with this tranny. It is a crappy overengineered overcomplicated impractical German dual clutch BS. If you live in urban area with frequent crawling, stop and go traffic, forget about this transmission. You can't brake-crawl the car, otherwise risking overheating the transmission. Dual clutch transmission also has a very jerky shifting mechanism under low rpm slow acceleration. Unless you live near a circuit track, autobahn, or Nürburgring, forget about owning a dual clutch practically. Toyota Corolla 2019 only offers CVT CVT is fine, if you hate driving. But I guess, most people wouldn't care what kind of transmission their car posses, they just want the car to lunge forward when they shift to 'D'. But here is another minor quirk with Toyota's latest CVT: Toyota recalls 2019 Corolla Hatchbacks for CVT problems Yes, in addition to being quite sluggish and embarasement at American highway merging, CVT as a system is pretty brittle. Don't expect CVT Toyota to hold up its Toyota reputation as a “unkillable” piece of engineering. The recall may solve the critical problem with the torque converter part. But it doesn't solve the inherent problem with CVTs. Toyota has been stepping up their game in styling department I know, that in essence, cars for those who care, are more about the brand than the actual merchandise itself. You can have a Hyundai that is far more sophisticated than a Mercedes-Benz S-Class, but it still won't do, because it is still a Hyundai afterall. But, if you are willing to give some aspirant designers a try, have a look. Still, no Android auto though. At the end of it all, as a first timer you may want a reliable ride, with a reasonable amount of care. As an experimenter, being a global product, the Corolla will surely feature a lot of custom parts too. Toyota Corolla it is.
What is the most underrated car in Indonesia?
for brand new cars, i think its a Renault Kwid and Isuzu MU-X + Chevrolet Trailblazer. Kwid basically is Nissan March/Datsun Go with European (err… Indian) styling. Same engine, same chassis, sold in less rupiahs than its Japanese brothers and other LCGC yet nobody wants to buy Kwid. MU-X is a D-Max with canopy. Quite tough (battle proven in Kalimantan and Sumatra palm plantation). Almost feel same and same feature offered in Toyota Fortuner. Trailblazer is MU-X twins with Chevy styling and better feature. for older cars, I think its Ford Laser TX3, Laser Champ, Daihatsu Charade G11R, and Charmant. TX3 is a 3door hatchback which is quite rare body style in Indonesia has SOHC 1600cc engine, even some was equipped with AWD. Overall just better than Civic Wonder SB3. Perfect for rallying which is popular in Indonesia back in 80s. Even some senior Indonesian rally racing driver uses TX3 in Indonesian WRC 1996. Ford Laser Champ is a Mazda Astina twins without iconic pop up headlights. Has Mazda BP engine (1800cc DOHC) which is comparable with early 90s fast cars like Corolla GTi, Lancer GTi, etc. Daihatsu Charade G11R is the first Indonesian CKD car with turbocharger. A 3 cylinder Daihatsu CB engine under 1000cc displacement with turbo yet still uses carburettor is quite sophisticated. Too bad, some people just ignoring some basic maintenance made people thinks that turbocharger car are bad in term of reliability even now. Daihatsu Charmant is Toyota KE70 (Corolla DX) twins. What make this car special is some luxury feature you never found in Corolla. Another thing that make this car quite great is AE86 because this is the closest car you get if you want AE86 in Indonesia. This car has single cam toyota 4A-C engine and T50 gearbox in KE70 chassis which is almost same with AE86 especially early American version.
Why have all the car manufacturers stopped production in Australia?
I’m 68 and live in Australia. Since I arrived in Australia in 1977 - forty years ago- I have owned the following Australian built cars. 1968 Holden HK Kingswood 1974 Ford XB Falcon station wagon 1983 Ford KB Laser Hatchback (wife’s car) 1984 Ford XF Falcon station wagon 1986 Ford XF Falcon station wagon 1988 Ford EA Falcon station wagon 1994 Ford ED Falcon sedan Note the regularity of trade in and purchase. With one exception, they were all a heap of shit, with constant niggling problems such as fuel pumps, water pumps, radiators, wheel alignments etc. all failing regularly. The air con unit on the ED Falcon fell out and is probably still on the roadside at Charters Towers. Rust rust and more rust. The EA Wagon actually burst into flames and incinerated itself into the ground. On Morayfield Road in QLD. In 2005 we bought a Mazda 2 second series Japanese car built at headquarters in Hiroshima. It’s now 12 years old. Nothing has ever gone wrong with it. It’s as good as new and about to score 200,000 Km. Every. little. thing. on. it. works. perfectly. Still on the original exhaust system, radiator and brake shoes and pads. Australia never managed to produce a car to world standards. In fairness the KB Laser was a gem. It was a locally assembled Mazda.
What's the coolest feature you've seen in a car? Preferably something that isn't very common, such as the rain channels in the Mercedes S-class that channel rain from the windshield away from the side windows, & nothing related to self-driving cars.
Here are some of the one's I like : 1. Built-in 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspots for always staying connected on the road. A growing number of manufacturers like ,Buick,, ,GMC,, and ,Chevrolet,are including built-in 4G LTE hotspots in their cars, allowing drivers to use their phones, tablets, and laptops without having to use their expensive data or pull over to the nearest Starbucks. Just don’t try to use your tech while driving, please. 2. Cameras that see everything around your car, not just behind it. While more cars nowadays are coming with rear-view cameras, companies like Ford and INFINITI are including cameras that allow drivers to see everything else around their car when driving. In fact, these futuristic cameras also come with sensors to actually inform you when you’re about to hit something, saving you the confrontation and guilt. 3. Trunks that automatically open even if your hands are full. It’s always a nightmare trying to open your trunk when your hands are full with groceries or beach stuff; you usually end up trying to kick your trunk open or do some awkward hand dance move to make it work. The 2015 Kia Sedona helps you out by automatically opening your trunk when it detects your smart key in your pocket, and is even programmable for safety and easy access. 4. Windows that clean themselves and deflect liquid automatically. KIA and other car makers are actively featuring “hydrophobic” windows for its 2015 and 2016 car models, which is coated glass that stops stuff like rain, dirt, and other debris from even touching your precious windows. It’s like built-in Rain-X for your ride, without the need to apply it yourself. 5. A built-in vacuum for spontaneous spills and cleaning spells. Car lovers are definitely familiar with Shop-Vac, which makes efficient vacuums for any vehicle out there. The 2014 and 2015 Honda Odyssey capitalizes on that love and actually includes a built-in vacuum with a long range hose for people who are interested in keeping everything clean ,all the time,. 6. NASA-approved car seats that prevent fatigue on long drives. Road trip-inflicted sore butts can make the best of us cranky. To counter this tragedy, the ,surprising duo of Nissan and NASA, teamed up to develop “zero gravity” seats that keep you in a natural posture, while comforting your muscles and spines with cushioning. That’s true space-age technology 7. Car seats that can actually give you a massage while being heated or cooled. Being able to warm or cool car seats in cars like the ,2015 Kia Sedona, and ,2015 Ford Edge, is awesome. Mercedes-Benz’s line of ,S-Class cars, takes it to the next level and has six massage modes built into the car seat, including “hot stone” and “workout” massage modes for feeling relaxed and invigorated after those long days. 8. Lighter cars, thanks to the use of military-grade aluminum. These days, the concept of a “light car” doesn’t just apply to those cute little smart vehicles you see roaming around the mall. Take a truck like the ,2015 Ford F-150,, which is 700 pounds lighter, ,or even Honda’s already light Fit hatchback, which is 57 pounds lighter. This is thanks to the use of next-generation aluminum, which make cars more durable, more gas efficient, and easier to control. 9. Brakes and cameras that automatically keep you in the center of the lane. Everyone sometimes finds themself getting a bit too close to that yellow line. Thankfully, new versions of the ,Ford Fusion,, ,Toyota Prius,, and ,Lincoln MKZ, have a feature called “lane centering,” which uses onboard cameras and the brakes to gently nudge your car into the center of a lane. 10. Cars that recognize traffic light changes and count down until the next green light. We spend at least 38 hours a year stuck in traffic, and that usually involves a lot of time looking at stoplights. Throughout the next few years, Audi is going to roll out a traffic light information system which will tell drivers how long until the next green light and also tell you fast or slow they should go to get to the next green light, all in one system. 11. Heated wiper blades that melt ice and snow to keep everything clear. Winter drivers know the pain and agony of having to deal with the snow messing their vision up. It’s not a fun thing, but companies like ,Everblade, and ,Thermalblade,make affordable wiper blades that make quick work of ice and snow to make sure you never have to break out the squeegee yourself. 12. Way more gas-efficient engines and motors. While the price of gas might be ,going down recently,, most of us agree that the less we have to fill up, the better life is. Cars like the 2015 ,Chrysler 200 sedan, and the,2015 Honda Fit, are starting to go beyond 30 miles per gallon, while even more beast-y vehicles like the ,2015 Ford F-150, have more efficient cylinders to save drivers from heading to the pump too often. 13. Push button shifting for easy adjustments while on the road. We’ve all been wowed by the push button ignition that has made its way to a number of cars in the past few years, but the ,2015 Acura TLX, and ,2016 Honda Pilot, add to the automatic ingenuity by having different buttons for different gears. This frees up more space in the center console, and even allows for different shifting modes for more efficient driving. 14. GPS that automatically analyzes traffic and finds the best way around it. We can all agree that traffic sucks. Acura’s futuristic ,Real-Time Traffic feature, on the 2016 MDX works with the built-in GPS system to find the best way to get around traffic, while spotting accidents, weather events, and construction on the road. It’s a lot less of a hassle (and safer) than pulling out your phone. 15. A sunfroof that automatically blocks light and lets you see what you want to. We’ve evolved past the point where sunroofs are only for looking cool and sticking your head out.,Mercedes-Benz’s newer SLK models, include a new “Magic Sky” sunroof that can be darkened to block out sunroof and UV rays, or lightened to see more of that big, beautiful clear sky. 16. Sensors that learn your driving style and can detect when you’re too tired to drive. After a long, tiring night, one of the worst decisions you can make is to drive and risk getting into a serious accident. To solve this, car companies like BMW and Mercedes-Benz have ,developed sensors and systems, that learn how you drive and alert you to pull over and take a rest when you start swaying or being reckless. 17. An alternator that recycles energy for your car and saves gas. Renewable energy is awesome, especially when it comes to cars. The 2014 ,Mazada6, has a technology called ,i-ELOOP,, which stores kinetic energy every time it breaks, converts that energy to electricity, and uses that energy to power headlights, AC systems, and even car audio. That’s less fuel used for a happier you. 18. Access to your Android or iPhone without having to grab them while driving. Everyone (your dad, your local police officer,,Demi Lovato,) has told you to never, ever use your phone while driving. However, Google and Apple have recognized that people need to see information on their phones while driving, and created ,Android Auto, and ,CarPlay, for easy, safe access. Both are being built-in by a ton of car makers into a number of dashboards, but you can also buy a ,hybrid navigation system, with both if you so desire. 19. Built-in night vision and radar detection for avoiding objects and wilderness. BMW We’ve all experienced night drives when even your high beams aren’t enough to make you feel secure. But since we live in the future, car manufacturers like BMW and Audi have taken it upon themselves to ,develop actual night vision dashboard systems, that work with sensors and allow you to see wildlife like deer or objects like trash cans in the complete dark. 20. Interfaces that recognize and automatically respond to your voice. While we’re not quite there in terms of a fully talkative car like KITT from ,Knight Rider,, the likes of Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, and more have implemented ,UConnect,voice recognition systems in their 2015 models that respond to your voice for a number of tasks. Asking your car things like “Where is the nearest gas station?” or “How do I get home?” are finally possible and very convenient. 21. Car systems that alert you and automatically brake before a potential accident. Safety has always been the main focus for all car makers with each new technology that comes out. In the present day, some cars like the ,2015 Honda Accord,automatically vibrate your seat or steering wheel when you’re about to hit something from the front, while others like the ,2015 Subaru Outback, even take it further and automatically brake to stop a collision. 22. Speakers that provide actual surround sound. The one thing that drivers can always count on to keep them sane is their music and speakers, but it seems that there’s a never ending chase to have the best sounds and the deepest bass for the sickest drops. More cars are coming with standard speakers that bring the concert to your ride, with an example being the ,Land Rover’s Meridian sound system, with a whopping 13 speakers, 12 channels, and multiple modes to get all your tunes right. 23. Automatic stop and start engines to save gas during those traffic jams. Your car goes through a lot of fuel when it’s not moving in traffic, and some people even go through the measure of stopping their car when things come to a halt. The ,2015 Chevy Malibu, gets rid of all the guesswork and automatically stops a car if your foot is on the brake pedal during a jam, and restarts the car when your foot is off, saving your gas and saving the environment. 24. High beams that automatically adjust to not blind everyone else on the road. Your high beams are necessary when driving in the dark, but you’ve probably made a few people angry by having them on while they drive by in the other lane.,BMW and Audi’s laser-powered high beam systems, crank the brightness up high when there’s no one in front of you and dim themselves when there’s cars. Now there’s no possible way you can piss someone off with your headlights. 25. Automatic parallel and perpendicular parking systems. If you live in a big city or an urban area in general, finding parking can get tough and usually leads you to the hassle of having to parallel park. Now, however, every company from ,Toyota, to ,Lexus, and ,Ford, to ,Volvo, includes parking assists which find a space and perform a near perfect parallel park maneuver without screwing up anyone’s bumper. This year, car maker ,Bosch is even gearing up, to allow drivers to get out of a car and have vehicles park themselves with the help of an app. MY FAVOURITE ONE,: 26. Cars that drive themselves. The holy grail of futuristic car technology is having cars that drive themselves, and the newest version of ,Tesla’s Model S, is right about there with its Autopilot feature. The system uses a camera, radar, and 360 degree sonar sensors to control speed, change lanes, turns, and park automatically. Self-driving cars are going to be among the hottest things in the automotive industry over the next few years, with ,GM, and even ,Apple, rumored to get in on the action.
Why do American cars have such large engines compared to the UK? (For context the largest engine in a car I've owned is a 2.0)
In decades past, the giant yank engines put out pretty feeble quantities of power. Looking at big yank 6 and 8 cylinder engines from the 1970s, a 4.1 litre put out 110hp (100 with emission controls), a 5 litre V8 put out 126hp, another 5 litre put out 145hp, and a 7 litre V8 put out 200hp or perhaps even less. At the same time in Australia, a 3.7 litre 6 put out 145 or 160hp, and a 5.2 litre V8 put out 210hp. A 4.3 litre 6 put out 300hp with a performance package. In cars from Europe and England sold in Australia, some power figures from the 1970s and before were as follows. 90hp from a 1.6 litre sedan (a fairly quick one). 80hp from a 1.8 litre sedan. Even the 2 litre VW kombi from 1976 put out 67hp. I owned all the cars in the last paragraph except the 300hp, but I did drive the standard 205hp version of this 4.3 and it was fun. So why did the American car companies sell large engines with such feeble power output figures? A 7 litre engine with the same specific output as my boring old 1.8 litre sedan would produce 311 hp. If the customers were happy with 200hp, why sell them a 7-litre monster when a 4.3 litre would do the job? Do people get a warm and fuzzy feeling from knowing that their car has a huge engine, just as some people get the same feeling from knowing that their watch can be worn 1000m underwater, even if it will kill the wearer? And concerning that strange idea that big cars are necessary for long-distance travel, my wife and I travelled from Sydney to Alice Springs (2880km) and back a few times in the 1990s in a 1.5 litre Ford Laser hatchback. It was fast, smooth, and had a good tall overdrive gear, enabling it to whoosh along at the sorts of speeds we don't talk about in public. The only problem was camping in the dirt next to it, and that would have been equally a problem had the car been a great big thirsty walrus of a thing.
What is normal in your country but weird in the rest of the world?
I live in South Africa. The armed robbery capital of the world. The rape capital of the world. The hijacking capital of the world. One of the countries with the highest amount of murders in the world. And home of the Springboks and Proteas. In South Africa we lock our doors. And our security gates. We don’t drive around with our car doors unlocked - for obvious reasons. That does not mean, however that we are safe - we have a problem called smash-and-grabbing, in which car windows get smashed and valuables stolen whilst waiting at a traffic light. Traffic lights are referred to here as “robots” - based on the Afrikaans term for it. Many foreigners asking for directions often get confused when being directed to “turn right at the second robot”. Police officers are very corrupt and easy to bribe. We have a term called “,cooldrink money,” - usually R100 (roughly US$10) kept aside for any difficult police officers looking for a bribe. Failure to produce a bribe has almost cost friends of ours to have their license card cut up for no reason. We rely on security companies to keep us safe. Most people have armed response companies on standby. Police officers who respond to robberies in progress often call security companies to assist as the police force is too scared to enter the premises with the criminals inside (true story). Security is clearly a big issue here. All houses have extensive modifications done to intensify security. Houses come equipped with high garden walls fitted with electric fences and palisades. Many houses have trip-sensors and laser beams that detect movement, as well as infrared security cameras. Most houses have motorised electric gates and guard dogs. Burglar bars and security gates are standard. Many houses even have bolt-lock security gates indoors in hallways that lead to bedrooms. South Africans are mad about sports. Rugby is a big thing here and you will struggle to find someone who doesn’t support the ,Bokke, - the Afrikaans nickname for the Springboks. Cricket is also a big deal here and we only support the Proteas. On nearly all levels of sports (except football) our main competitors are New Zealand, England and Australia. Biltong, braai and beer. These are the three things that every South African household should have. If you live in a South African city, you either drive a German car, a hatchback or a heavily modified pickup truck (usually a Toyota Hilux or a Ford Ranger). We refer to pickups as ‘,bakkies,’. Everyone carries some sort of weapon in their car. Some people carry mace (pepper spray) while others carry a tazer. If your window doesn’t get smashed by a smash-and-grabber or by a hijacker, you may just have someone pulling your door open at a traffic light because you accidentally cut them off 2 kilometers back. Welcome to the city - happened to me a few weeks ago. I now carry a wrench under my seat and a ,sjambok ,(heavy leather whip) on the driver’s side of my car. Most young South Africans aspire to leave the country once they are done studying. My entire friends group plan on leaving the country within the next few years. Some have already left. We don’t see any hope for the country with the way things have been going here for the last decade. In South Africa, everyone loves the ,platteland, - the local name for the countryside. Even those who have never been there aspire to one day retire in the ,platteland, on a small farm, sipping a beer over a braai and some biltong. Let’s hope this country can reach some peace agreement so we can all experience that dream one day.
What are the best cars Ford has ever made?
It is a car and truck manufacturer, airplanes as well at one time. The car division has had its ups and downs and is currently down. The only sedan in North America is the Mustang, everything else is a van, an SUV or a truck. The Ford F150 is the best selling and most profitable vehicle. In many other markets the Ford Ranger is the best seller. The Ranger T6 was also the Mazda BT50. In Europe the Mondeo was a big seller but in many countries it was selling at smaller volumes than the BMW 5 series. Large sedans are a dead market for Ford. The success in Europe is the Ford Fiesta, Ford Focus. Both are hatchbacks and sharply designed to handle and carry shopping. They sell in quantity and are as reliable as anything else in the market. If you look back to the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s Ford was dominant in cars in Europe. Hugely successful and simple mechanically and keenly priced Fords from Ford Europe including Fiesta, Escory, Cortina, Granada, and the best of all, the Capri. I give you the sublime style of Ford Capri, Mark 3, Mark2 and Mark 1 Yes, it was sold as a Mercury Capri in the States with big bumpers to a lukewarm reception but this was a huge seller in Europe, quintessentially 1970s Ford. It sold 1.9 million over 17 years, numbers that few Ford cars since have matched. The design started in 1965, between German and British divisions. It was a product of the 1960s and took a lot from the first Ford Mustang, adding the distinctive curved side windows. It debuted at the 1968 Brussels Motor Show and was in showrooms for 1969. It was for young people, the first series I had came with a ludicrously long bonnet, short tail and fake air vents in the rear wings. There was a large flat metal plate structure between grille and radiator, this thing was not supposed to be compact but it was style first. The little mirtors at the end of the wings were hopeless. I added a power bulge bonnet and replaced axle, transmission, clutch, reworked the engine, on mostly parts from the scrapyard and a few hand tools. They were easy to work on. Ford invested a total of £20 million in the project and kept costs down, it only cost GBP890 on launch. It was not based on the Mustang platform but on the proven and sharp handling Cortina Mk 2 platform. It therefore had a live axle with leaf-springs and drum brakes at the rear, MacPherson struts with disc brakes at the front and a four-speed all-synchromesh gearbox as standard. Handling could be sudden oversteer but it was fun to drive. That this platform continued with few changes until 1987, when the chassis design was 30 years old, is testament to the compromises owners were willing to make for a cheap stylish car. The engines in the early years were Kent pushrod 1.3 and 1.6, both great engines from the Cortina, a 2.0 V4 that had been seen before and after a few years the mighty Essex V6 3.0. It was only in Series 11/ 2 that the Pinto 1.6 and 2.0 appeared, both strong well proven engines, and the Series 3 gave the Cologne V6 in 2.8 injection form. These were not legendary performance engines like an Alfa twin cam but they were very dependable engines in a fun car. The styling was updated in 1973 for the mark 1 1/2, one of the nicest cars I have ever owned. It had a 2 litre Pinto, a vinyl roof and metallic blue paint as well as being a rare automatic. In 1975 a Mark 2 arrived with smoother lines and a hatchback rear. It made it cavernous with the back seats down, a very practical arrangement. The Mark 3 came in 1978 which was a warmed over Mark 2 and carried on until the last Goodwood specials in 1987. I had a 1982 1.6 Laser which was fine, if not as exciting as a 2.8i. It had its detractors, snobs who felt it was too blue collar, a Crapi. The ones I met did not work on their own cars a d seemed oblivious to what a simple, practical design it was. Its high sales were behind it by 1979 when it was loaned to a TV company to make a show called The Professionals. Bodie wrestling thr Capri into handbrake turns, leaping across the bonnet, the 3.0S he drove was just so cool. And this is why I suggest the Capri as the best Ford car made. Style, reliability, low price, easy to maintain, good performance. A true Ford.
Did Ford's partial ownership of Mazda affect its independence when it comes to their design and quality assurance?
Yes and No…. The cooperation became a form of competition and Mazda benefited greatly from the Ford expertise. Quality Control was 95% a Japanese culture origyn. But in the early days of the Ford partnership (1973) the B series Pick-Up design neighter really worked in tandem as Mazda with ,Ford, resulted in both companies designing a different pick-up. The International Mazda models are unrelated to the Mazda B-series and Ford Ranger models until 1986 in North America.The B2600/B2200s sold in Venezuela and nearby Latin American countries were assembled in Colombia by ,Compañía Colombiana Automotriz S.A. (CCA),. In January 1985, by this time, 1.8 million Mazda B-series trucks where sold internationally had been built since 1961. A final Joint design pick-up the ,Fifth generation (UN; 1998–2006), selling this vehicle under different names; Ford called its version the ,Ford Courier,, and later the ,Ford Ranger,. The ,Mazda B-series and Ford Ranger, models sold in North America were developed by Ford, whereas models sold elsewhere under the same badge were engineered by Mazda. Badging was changed several times in the first generation of the series. In 1972, the tailgate read "Ford Courier" in large, raised letters; there was a small "Courier" badge on the front of the hood. From 1973 until 1976, the hood badging read "Ford". In 1973, the tailgate read "Courier" in large letters, with a small "Ford" badge on the upper left. In 1974, it read "Ford" in large letters, with a small "Courier" badge on the lower right. For the North American markets, Mazda spent more than US$100 million to design and develop the 1986–1993 B-series trucks to meet consumer demands. Upon its North American debut in 1986, the B2000 was very well received as general car-like feel despite its ability to perform those tasks required of a truck for the North America 1986–1993 model years, For the 1994 model year, to save costs related to the chicken tax, Mazda introduced a ,rebadged, version of the ,Ford Ranger,, which was produced at Ford's ,Twin Cities Assembly Plant, in Minnesota, and ,Edison Assembly, in New Jersey. Because of declining sales and a lack of significant updates to its parent platform, the Ford-built B series was discontinued after the 2009 model year. The North American Ranger was discontinued at the end of 2011 with the closure of the Twin Cities plant.The truck was sold in more than 130 countries under a variety of names. It was called the Fighter and Ranger in Southeast Asia Independance was sharing Ford Engines, axels, and hundreds of components re-packaged in a Mazda body…called Protege, Allegro, 323 ,Familia, Axela, Ford Focus, Ford Lazer, Ford Meteor, Ford Probe, Ford Capellan, Ford Futura, Ford Telstar, Ford Taurus, Volvo S 40. I will give you a accurate answer; Ford Motor Company owns Mazda, just like they own about 15 other brands : Lincoln Mercury Volvo Jaguar Land Rover Aston Martin Ford and Mazda cars, due to this relationship, shared Motors, Transmission, chassis and components since the late 1971. Owning once up to 33% of a company, while not a majority ownership, may be seen as a controlling interest at least. Having seen both, I noticed that many of the controls were identical, and the motors where of the same line (Duratec). The Futura, a replacement for the Taurus is based on the Mazda 6. Partnership with Ford Motor Company From 1974 to 2015, Mazda had a partnership with the ,Ford Motor Company,, which acquired a 24.5% stake in 1979, upped to a 33.4% ownership of Mazda in May 1995. Under the administration of ,Alan Mulally,, Ford gradually divested its stake in Mazda from 2008 to 2015, with Ford holding 2.1% of Mazda stock as of 2014 and severing most production as well as development ties. From 2007 to 2015, Mazda used the ,3.5 L MZI Ford Cyclone Engine, in Mazda CX-9 models. This partnership with ,Ford, began owing to Mazda's financial difficulties during the 1960s. Starting in 1971, following in 1979 by expanding their 7 percent financial stake to 24.5%, Ford expanded an existing partnership with Mazda, resulting in various joint projects. The cooperation had begun in 1971 when the ,Mazda B-Series, spawned a Ford Courier variant for North America, a version which was later offered in other markets as well. Mazda's ,Bongo, and ,Titan, cab-over trucks were sold with Ford badging in mainly Asia and the Pacific region beginning in 1976. North America, the 1200 was replaced by the ,Mazda GLC,, with newer models becoming "323" and "Protegé". In Europe, all models after 1977 were called "323". The Familia was also ,rebranded, as the ,Ford Laser, and ,Ford Meteor, in Asia, Oceania, Southern Africa, some Latin American countries and, from 1991, as the ,Ford Escort, and ,Mercury Tracer, in North America. Mazda Familias were manufactured in ,Hiroshima,, Japan and were also assembled from ",knock-down kits," in various countries including Taiwan, Malaysia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Colombia, and New Zealand. These included large and small efforts in all areas of the automotive landscape most notably in the realm of pickup trucks and smaller cars. Mazda began supplying manual transaxles to Ford in the spring of 1980. Mazda's Familia platform was used for Ford models like the ,Laser, and ,Escort, beginning in 1980, while the Capella architecture found its way into Ford's ,Telstar, sedan and ,Probe, sports models. During the 1980s, Ford-badged Mazda products replaced much of their own lineup, especially in the Asia-Pacific markets, with the Laser and Telstar replacing the European-sourced Escort and Cortina. In some cases, such as ,New Zealand, and ,South Africa,, these were assembled alongside their Mazda-badged equivalents, the Mazda 323 (Familia) and 626 (Capella). Mazda back in the first days of being in a joint venture in late 1970,s with Ford was one of the smallest car companies in Japan. In Colombia South America, This generation remained in production in some South American countries (Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela), badged as the Mazda Allegro. Each Allegro keep in the styling of the last generation 323/Protegé/Astina/Familia. In Colombia, production of the Mazda 323 continued until 2003, built by its local subsidiary, the ,Compañía Colombiana Automotriz,. Production ended on 2 October 2003 and the whole Familia line were replaced by the ,Mazda 3, in early 2004. The Mazda 3 (sold as the "Axela" in Japan) comes in both four-door sedan and five-door hatchback varieties, with a 2.0-liter engine on the 3i sedan and a 2.3-liter engine on the 3s sedan and the hatchback. It shares a platform with the current generation ,Volvo S40,, the second generation ,Ford Focus, and now the third generation is equipped with ,SkyActiv, Technology. Mazda Familia - Wikipedia Mazda - Wikipedia
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