My wrist is getting much better, cause frankly, I had to rest it for this Friday series. Didn't want to disappoint Mr. Jim Farly, Chief of Marketing at Ford, since he is reading my posts on the Flex and added his own comment regarding my last one:
Jim Farley said...
My wife is on her 2nd Flex and loves it. I have two kids who also love the Flex with their individual screens. I believe the vehicle design/fun to drive speaks for itself.
I appreciate your input on our marketing and accept it completely. We continue to adjust our positioning for Flex as an attractive and high tech functional vehicle that to input like yours; perfectly suited for family customers, like mine!
Jim Farley
Group Vice President, Global Marketing
Ford Motor Company
You ROCK Mr. Farley!
Being "Green":
When I grew up, being "green" meant someone who was extremely inexperienced in something or some subject. That's not the case today; being green means being good stewards of a tremendous and rare gift God gave us all known as Planet Earth.
Common sense tells us that when someone gives you such a rare and beautiful gift, you should spend your life taking care of it. Since Earth Day is being celebrated this week, I thought "Being Green" would be a good subject for the Ford Flex.
Ford IS eco-friendly, and by NO means.. inexperienced!
First of all, I'm not even going to attempt promoting the gas mileage on a Ford Flex, or whine that it's not a hybrid (yet). It replaced both of Ford's minivans; therefore, it has roughly the same gas mileage as your van has now - 22-24 mpg, but because of it's EcoBoost engine, it's not a gas guzzler.
That being said, Greenopia.com does give the Ford Flex a 4 Leaf rating because it is a relatively fuel efficient vehicle given it's size.
The Ford Flex IS a Greener alternative to the minivan no matter how you look at it!
The good thing is, it's still a LOT better than a larger sized SUV. Even better than that, it doesn't have a rollover issue like what has just been announced regarding Toyota's Lexus GX-460 Model. Things are pretty bad when your car gets a "Don't Buy" by Consumer Reports.
Poor Toyota - can't stop, but they sure can roll over!
Just another reason to run to Ford's right now for a Flex!
Going Bio:
Ford is green though!
Have you heard of the new biomaterials being used in the 2010 Ford Flex yet? No? Well, Ford is working closely with an Ontario government-funded project in using plant based materials in it's auto industries. As a result, Ford and the Ontario BioCar Initiative have come up with using wheat straw bio-filled polypropylene in the Flexs' Quarter Trim Bin. It's odorless and it also meets the industries standards for thermal expansion and degradation, rigidity, moisture absorption and fogging.
Whew! That was a mouthful!
Using this straw-based material will reduce petroleum use by 20,000 pounds per year and CO2 emissions by 30,000 per year!
Ford has concentrated for the past several on the following:
- Bio-based (such as soy) polyurethane foams on the seat cushions, seatbacks and headliners on 11 vehicle models. The 2 million Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles on the road today with bio-foam seats equates to a reduction in petroleum oil usage of approximately 1.5 million pounds
- Post-consumer recycled resins such as detergent bottles, tires and battery casings used to make underbody systems, such as aerodynamic shields, splash shields and radiator air deflector shields. The latest example is the engine cam cover on the 3.0-liter V-6 2010 Ford Escape. As a result, Ford has diverted between 25 and 30 million pounds of plastic from landfills
- Post-industrial recycled yarns for seat fabrics on vehicles such as the Ford Escape and Escape Hybrid. A 100 percent usage of recycled yarns can mean a 64 percent reduction in energy consumption and a 60 percent reduction in CO2 emissions compared to the use of new yarns
- Repurposed nylon carpeting made into nylon resin and molded into cylinder head covers for Ford’s 3.0-liter Duratec® engine. The industry’s first eco-friendly cylinder head cover is used in the 2010 Ford Fusion and Escape
- The automotive industry’s first application of wheat straw-reinforced plastic for the third-row storage bins of the 2010 Ford Flex. The natural fiber replaces energy-inefficient glass fibers commonly used to reinforce plastic parts
Now, let's talk Turbocharge!:
Ford Flexs' 2010 Model will have the 355 HP twin-turbocharged V7 engine, which gives V8-like power for those drag racing wanna-be's in your family. We know who YOU are! In my case, it's my 4 year old daughter, Nia!
"Go faster mommie.... go FAAAAAASSSSSS-TER!"
In other words, you can go varooooooommmmmm without the fuel consumption penance for doing so, because it's an ECOBOOST engine!
Are you listening up dads?
We are talking about an EcoBoost V-8 powered engine that has an estimated 355 horsepower at 5,700 rpm's, and 350 foot-pounds of torque at 3,500 rpm's. It also delivers segment-leading fuel economy at 22 mpg/highway and 18 mpg/city.
If you have NO clue what I'm talking about; go grab that better half you married and tell him to read this cause he's gonna HAVE a clue real stinking quick!
VAROOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!
According to Jalopnik.com:
• The turbochargers are smaller, resulting in more-compact exhaust manifolds, which don’t generate as much heat
• Turbochargers are packaged adjacent to the cylinder block and have improved mounting providing NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) improvements
• The dual turbochargers spool up quicker, allowing the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 engine to reach peak torque faster. The turbochargers spin at approximately 170,000 rpm. By comparison, the redline for the engine is approximately 6,500 rpm
In fact, I highly recommend you visit Jalopnik.com for some GREAT detailed, understandable reading on the new EcoBoost engine. I haven't seen anyone explain it better than they did!
Just be sure you put some kind of seatbelt on the man in your life when he reads it cause you just might find him jetting through the computer room as he does. SLOW DOWN BOY!
"Get your motor runnin'
Head out on the highway
Lookin' for adventure
And whatever comes our way....."
Thank you Steppenwolf for those most poetic words at this moment
A Green Company Since It's Roots:
Even though you haven't seen it in big, plastered news articles or TV news bites, Ford has made a commitment to being eco-friendly. Put it this way, they don't need to make a big hoo-haa on CNN over something that should already be corporate common sense anyway. They don't need to make a big advertising campaign over being green just so they can sell their cars.
Do I need to remind you again that Ford was the one who refused the taxpayer bailout funds, and instead, decided to clean up their own financial mess on their own like a normal responsible company should!
Anyway.......
Not only do they use office paper and business cards from recycled material, but they are also using soybeans to curb their usage on chemicals and petroleum.
Did you know that even Henry Ford worked with soybeans back during the Model-T days, and that it was actually used in the paint (black only of course, LOL). Ford is the only company to date to be using soybeans in this manner.
Don't be thinking you'll sneeze yourself to death over allergies to soybeans in their products cause they only use the oil of the soybeans - not the proteins which trigger your allergies.
Thanks to Greenandcleanmom.org for this fascinating info on Ford!
Cool... huh?
Time To Ditch That "New Car" Smell:
Did you know that new car smell you get with your vehicle is actually toxic!? It is because of the plastics and textiles used in a car's interior is made from a myraid of harmful chemicals like chlorine, bromine, lead, and antimony (look em up will ya - then gag!).
This makes your car up to five times more polluted than your office or home, which means you're driving around in a toxic gas cloud while your testing out that new sound system with the Black Eyed Peas blaring through the bass!
**COUGH** **COUGH** **HACK** **HACK** **HACK**
"Based on the Interior Air Quality put out by The Ecology Center (EC), which is based out of Ann Arbor, Michigan, Ford received a "B" for having 4 of it's vehicles certified to an independent allergy-free standard. They also placed 3rd for their efforts in developing the soy-based foam and bio-fabric seating for their cars."
by master_jim2008 | August 10, 2008 at 12:57 pm
To make a long story short (yeah..... right - cause we both know I could really go on forever here.), Ford is green, eco-friendly, and is making a real conserted effort to change the way it makes it's cars so that they are both family and environment friendly.
Again... The Era of the Minivan is SO Over!
Another Plea To Ford:
BTW Ford, I have a family reunion coming up this summer that I haven't attended in decades; you think Ford can give me a Flex so I can have MY piece of the "Green" by then?
Cause the 2001 Honda Odyssey just is NOT cutting it in the reliability department, because now it needs rear shocks and that "new" air conditioner I had put in a few years back is now making strange rattling noises.
Dear God, just don't let that thing go out in the dead of summer here in Florida!
There is NO fitting 6 people in a stinking BMW made for...... very. small. people! Though the hubs did manage to get new spark plugs and wires for things and it finally starts when you want it to start! If I had to pack the family in that car for a family trip, it would consist of putting for of in a luggage compartment strapped to the top of the car. I don't think they would even have room for their Nintendo DS's if that happened.
Unless I get hold of that "Honey - I Shrunk The Kids" contraption, it's gonna be another missed family reunion!
Until then......
