Ford Car reviews

The Ford Explorer is one of the most recognizable nameplates in the SUV segment, and arguably one of the first models to establish the segment outright. These days, the Explorer is getting close to 30 years old, but it’s still one of the best-selling SUVs out there. Now Ford is offering a fresh sixth-generation for the 2020 model year, introducing a more diverse model lineup, additional muscle under the hood, a more capacious interior, and the very latest technology bits as well.

Poland-based rally racing outfit M-Sport has launched the Ford Fiesta R2 rally car; it’s ride-of-choice for the 2019 WRC Junior Rally Championship. The new racer is the first car to be designed and built from M-Sport’s new facility in Krakow, Poland. It’s also the first racer to be built to the latest R2 specifications. Further adding to its list of “firsts” is the distinction of being the first Ford-backed rally car built out of the new-generation Fiesta. All competitors in the 2019 WRC Junior Rally Championship will compete in this car. The winner of the series will be promoted to the WRC2 series where they will compete in a Ford Fiesta R2 in the 2020 season.

The Ford Ka Urban Warrior is a small compact sedan dressed up as a light off-roader. It is like the Škoda Fabia Scout, only with *ss, or the Volvo S60 Cross Country, only cheaper and smaller. It is like the Dacia Logan Stepway, only for Brazil, not Russia. Obviously, this is quite a special car, but still in its concept guise and was revealed at the San Paulo International Motor Show. I told you before, one can see many gems there. The Ka Urban Warrior Concept is one of them.

Some gems appeared at the Sao Paulo International Motor Show - the Ford Ranger Storm Concept definitely being one of them. The other one? The Toyota Hilux Gazoo Racing truck. Interestingly enough, neither will be coming to the U.S. Well, the Ranger Storm Concept, if approved for production, will be one of the closest things to a Ranger Raptor without actually being the Raptor. Considering that Ford confirmed that the Ranger Raptor wouldn’t be coming in the U.S., something like the Ranger Storm Concept or the other one that appeared at the Sao Paulo International Motor Show - the Ranger Black Edition could be a wonderful addition to the U.S. range.

Without further ado, let’s see what the Ranger Storm Concept and the Ranger Black Edition are all about.

When you think about famous car chases in movies, the classic footage of a dark green Mustang jumping up and down San Francisco’s hills in pursuit of a stoic, black Dodge Charger will most certainly roll in your memory. One of the two Mustangs used by the late Steve McQueen in that movie, ’Bullitt,’ has been found and it looks just as cool now as it did back in 1968.

Movie cars have always had a special aura surrounding them. Think about the DeLorean DMC-12 used in the ’Back To The Future’ trilogy. For all intents and purposes, John Z. DeLorean’s attempt at a supercar was laughable, although it did look the part. But, once it shone on the silver screen as a time-traveling machine, its place in history was forever assured. Same goes for the Dodge Monaco used by the Blues Brothers or Herbie, the cute Volkswagen Beetle that appeared in ’The Love Bug.’ Same goes for the Ford Mustang GT Fastback that was used by Steve McQueen’s character, Lt. Frank Bullitt, in the movie of the same name.

However, the Highland Green 2-door Fastback has become a cult classic also, in part, due to the mystique that shrouded it. There were, actually, two cars used during filming: one for all the action shots and one that was driven by McQueen during the more serene moments o the film. That car, chassis #8R02S125559, was thought to have been lost after McQueen failed to buy it in the late ’70s. Happily, now, both cars have been relocated, so the story does have a happy ending.

Ford is reportedly working on a replacement model for the Courier pickup sold in Brazil, and there’s a good chance this new model could make it to North America. Unlike the Courier, which is positively tiny by American pickup standards because it is based on the Fiesta city car (and also it went out of production in 2013 and never got a direct replacement), this new Ranchero would use the slightly largerFocus platform.

This means it’d grow in length quite considerably and also move from a single cab design to a crew cab. If it makes it to the States, it would probably get a name change as well, so instead of Courier, it will probably be called Ranchero, recalling an older model name. The old Ranchero was built between 1957 and 1979 as a unibody, car-based pickup. It was Ford’s answer to the Chevy El Camino.

So, it would be quite natural for Ford to use the Ranchero name for this newly proposed pickup, although nothing has been officially confirmed yet (or denied, for that matter). What’s clear is that this new Ranchero could be here by 2022, when it will share the showroom floor with the likes of the new Ranger, Bronco, and maybe a boxy-looking Focus platform-based crossover (aka “baby Bronco”).

The Thunderbird lived its last days as a two-seater sports car in 1957 which is when Ford introduced the 312 5.1-liter V-8 engine. That’s how the E-Code Thunderbird was born, the beefiest of them all and the closest alternative to the Corvette that Ford ever offered.

Ford debuted the Thunderbird at the Detroit Auto Show in February of 1954 and quickly dubbed it "personal car" so as to suggest it wasn’t a direct answer to GM’s Corvette. What it was, in all fairness, was a luxury sports car tailor-made for the kind of people that were looking for a more refined 2-seater model than the Corvette.

The 1957 Thunderbird was the last which retained the original two-passenger layout before Ford decided that their clientele would much rather go for a 4-seater sports car with added amenities and weight. So, for 1957, Ford made the most powerful T-Bird ever by introducing the 5.1-liter V-8 engine, in a number of guises. The twin quad-barrel carburetor ones were distinguishable by the letter E in the car’s VIN code - the source of the ’E-Bird’ nickname.

Keep reading to learn more about the 1957 Ford Thunderbird E-Code

In March 2018, Ford unveiled its plans for the next two years, which includes many new models and a shift toward crossovers in the U.S. The bigger news includes dropping most cars in favor of SUVs, a hybrid version of the F-150 truck, and a revival of the iconic Bronco. The latter will be joined by a smaller sibling with similar boxy cues. A baby Bronco!

Described as a vehicle "designed to win a growing number of people who love getting away and spending time outdoors with their families and friends," the compact SUV was partially revealed in a teaser photo. In November 2018, photos of the actual vehicle leaked onto the web following a Ford dealer meeting. And based on what we can see, it’s aimed directly at Jeep. Specifically, while the new-generation Bronco will go against the all-popular Wrangler, the smaller crossover will take on the Renegade. There’s no official name for it yet, and details remain a mystery, but it could roll out by 2020.

Updated 11.14.2018 - Leaked photos from a dealer meeting shows the "baby" Bronco before we’re supposed to see it. Check out the photos in the gallery section.

Continue reading to learn more about the upcoming "baby Bronco."

When Ken Block unleashed the original Hoonicorn back in 2014, we went just a little bit of crazy. And why not? With an all-carbon widebody paying homage to the ’65 Mustang, a race-spec AWD system, and 845 horsepower from a 410-cube race-spec V-8 with velocity stacks rising more than a foot out of the hood, it was pretty much the perfect machine for grabbing eyeballs on the Internet. Now, Block and the Hoonigan team have once again managed to one-up themselves. The latest is called the Hoonitruck, and it’s bigger, more powerful, and crazier than the original Hoonicorn.

Like the Hoonicorn, the Hoonitruck took about two years to build. This time around though, the machine is “based” on a 1977 Ford F-150. And by based, I mean the Hoonitruck employs the same general shape as the factory pickup. That’s it though, as everything else is custom-built to put on a tire-killing speed show. The Hoonitruck is now headed for a starring role in the tenth iteration of Block’s über-viral Gymkhana video series, but until then, read on for all the details on this wild new smoke factory.

Here’s the latest Superformance classic-looking Ford GT40. The American masters of continuation GT40s unveiled at the SEMA Show the Future GT Forty prototype which draws its inspiration from both the original 1960s GT40 Mk. and the modern, Le Mans-winning, V-6 Ecoboost-poweredFord GT GTLM race cars.

The South-African Superformance company has been building painstakingly accurate GT40 recreations for over a decade and a half. Their cars are officially licensed to use the GT40 name and even eligible for the GT40 register, which means the Blue Oval fully approves of these beasts.

This latest model, presented after an 18-months-long buildup in the MagnaFlow booth at the SEMA Show, features the same livery as the 2017 GTE-Pro Le Mans-winning Ford GT built by Multimatic and a host of aerodynamic and mechanical upgrades that increase the GT40s prowess around any race track.

Keep reading to learn more about the Superformance Future GT Forty

The second-generation Ford GT was launched for the 2017 model year as a revival of the limited-edition supercar that the Blue Oval first produced between 2004 and 2006. The modern GT is also a tribute to the original GT40 from the 1960s and marked Ford’s return to endurance racing. Following a handful of special-edition model, Ford created the Carbon Series, a lightweight version of the standard GT.

Fitted with an extended range of carbon-fiber parts as standard, including wheels, the Carbon Series is nearly 40 pounds lighter than the regular GT. It also features extra carbon inside the cabin, as well as customized seats and a dashboard badge. Is it more powerful? No, but the fact that it’s lighter makes it a more nimble car on the race track.

Ford has brought the Series 1 Mustang RTR Powered by Ford Performance to the 2018 SEMA show, but unlike most other special Mustangs on display, it’s actually going to sell 500 examples come early 2019. Its creation is the collaborative effort of Ford Performance and RTR Vehicles, the company owned by world champion drifter Vaughn Gittin Jr. and is a mix of elements from both.

One of the Ford Utility Concepts scheduled to debut at the SEMA this month is a rather fashionable piece finished by MAD Industries. This California-based tuner has worked with Ford numerous times before usually tuning cars for the SEMA. This time is no different as they have revealed a custom Ford Explorer with a cool two-tone exterior paint job. Now, I have to tell you that, at first glance, the MAD Industries Explorer looks a bit like a Range Rover. Maybe the Evoque.

Nevertheless, there is much more to it than that. MAD Industries did a thorough job refreshing the Explorer inside and out.

The Ford Expedition is headed to the 2018 SEMA Auto Show in two different guises. One of these two Expedition creations goes by the name "Destination Expedition," and it comes by way of Hulst Customs. The noted tuner developed its program with an eye towards turning the Expedition into the “ultimate SUV.” It features extensive upgrades in the exterior and interior, to go with a number of technical additions. The result is a go-anywhere version of the SUV that lives up to its Expedition name.

Blood Type Racing is returning to the SEMA Auto Show with a new creation. The noted tuner is mixing it up this year, ditching past automotive muses like the Hyundai Genesis Coupe and Ford Focus ST in favor of a Ford Edge ST. It’s a fitting challenge for Blood Type Racing; the Edge ST is the first SUV to come out of the Ford Performance team so, by default, it’s performance-ready on its own. But even that didn’t dissuade Blood Type Racing from going to work. The tuning specialist created an extensive program for the SUV, highlighted by an engine upgrade program that adds more power to a vehicle that already boasts an output of 335 horsepower and 380 pound-feet of torque to go with an ST-tuned suspension.

The Ford Expedition is arguably one of the most versatile SUVs in the market. It has the size, the technology, and the all-around capability that you’d want from a full-sized SUV. It’s also highly customizable, whether through Ford itself or through the aftermarket tuning scene. The Ford LGE*CTS Expedition Classic is a perfect example of the latter. It’s designed and built by noted designer Theresa Contreras, who focused on creating a “modern classic” interpretation of Ford’s popular SUV. There’s a lot to like about the this tuned Expedition, particularly its impressive presentation. We’ll get to see it up close at the 2018 SEMA Auto Show in Las Vegas.

The Ford EcoSport’s standing as the Blue Oval’s smallest crossover isn’t stopping it from making a statement at the 2018 SEMA Auto Show. With assistance from aftermarket tuner, Tucci Designs, the EcoSport is showing off a more rugged “Big Adventures” personality that’s built for the outdoors. Bucci Design’s Ford EcoSport Big Adventures is one of five Ford crossovers and SUVs that’s appearing at SEMA when the world’s biggest aftermarket auto show opens its doors next month.

As part of the SEMA show this year, Ford introduced a quartet of amazing, modified Mustangs, one of which is actually a car crafted by the CGS Motorsports. Every year, Ford gifts us with four or five fantastic tuned Mustangs and gives us a unique opportunity to see just how differently tuners approach the tuning of these cars. California-based CGS Motorsports focused on power and performance upgrades and simplistic interior mods. While we are still waiting for the interior shots, the sketch of the exterior shows admirable modifications and transformation of the 2018 Ford Mustang GT fastback into a proper street racer.

More than two months after unveiling the Ford Mustang Heritage Edition, Hennessey is back at it with another special tuning program, this time for the Ford F-150 Raptor. Filed under the same “Heritage Edition” name, the F-150 Raptor gets a steady dose of upgrades, covering aesthetic, mechanical, and performance upgrades. Hennessey ties a bow on its mad creation with an engine upgrade that jacks up the V-8 engine’s output to 758 horsepower.

The Ford Mustang is, without question, one of the most heavily accessorized cars in the world, and we’re getting several servings of it when the 2018 SEMA Auto Show rolls around next month. For now, five different tuners have taken the challenge of giving the Mustang the aftermarket runabout, including CJ Pony Parts, which is presenting the Mustang GT Supercharged Drifting Smoke Show at the annual aftermarket spectacle in Las Vegas. Long name notwithstanding, the Mustang GT Supercharged Drifting Smoke Show comes loaded with upgrades, topped off by a slick Stars and Stripes graphic.

Galvin Auto Sports is returning to the SEMA Auto Show with a new toy to showcase to the masses. The tuner’s new car-of-interest is a heavily decked-out Ford Mustang GT with enough kits and packages to make Jeremy Clarkson’s head explode. One look at this Galpin-tuned Ford Mustang GT and you might even mistake it for a Decepticon with its colors and all. Fortunately, it has no plans for world domination because, from the way it looks and presumably runs, this tuned Mustang GT will settle for being one of the stars of SEMA.