Tag Archives: Ford Videos

The Ford Bronco Is Much Better To Drive On The Road Than The Jeep Wrangler

The Ford Bronco is one of the hottest vehicles on the market right now and Matt Farah and Zack Klapman recently had the opportunity to put it to the test.

The following review is the first video in a two-part series that will focus on the new Bronco. This first part is centered on driving the car on the road, while the second will explore its off-roading chops.

Watch Also: Independent Front Suspension Makes The 2021 Ford Bronco Well Suited To Daily Driving

Ford sells the Bronco in seven different trim levels, including the limited-run First Edition. This model is the Outer Banks which sits above the Base, Big Bend, and Black Diamond in the range and below the Badlands and Wildtrak. It starts at $38,995 in two-door guise and $41,450 as a four-door. The Bronco tested also had the flagship 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 rather than the smaller 2.3-liter EcoBoost.

A key point of difference between the Wrangler and its main rival, the Jeep Wrangler, is its use of independent front suspension. It also has rack and pinion steering whereas the Wrangler has a recirculating ball steering system. Compared to the Wrangler, the Bronco is much more refined when driving on-road.

Farah also notes that the tires of this Bronco Outer Banks model don’t produce too much road noise but above 60 mph, the off-roader does create a lot of noise and is very loud. This is despite the fact that the Bronco tested had the available fixed roof complete with extra noise insulation.

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Someone Was Ready To Pay $500,000 For A 2004 Ford GT Confirmation Prototype With A 5 MPH Top Speed

A 2004 Ford GT prototype that isn’t road-legal and has its top speed capped at just 5 mph (8 km/h) failed to sell at an online auction as it didn’t match the reserve despite attracting a $500,000 bid.

This Ford GT is known as Confirmation Prototype 1 and carries serial number 00004. It was used by Ford for emissions testing and road certification purposes.

As this was a development prototype, it looks a little different from most other GTs out there. For example, it has a port on the passenger seat for testing different grades of fuel, experimental exhaust pipes, an exposed rear bumper, and a bare aluminum headliner. It also features the signatures of the car’s development team, including Carroll Shelby, Bill Ford, Camilo Pardo, and Fred Goodnow, the Bring A Trailer listing reveals.

Read Also: Someone Made Nearly A $400,000 Profit On A Pristine 2019 Ford GT

The interior of the GT prototype is similar to production models but does have a few quirks. Key features include leather-wrapped Sparco bucket seats with exposed carbon fiber backs and aluminum ventilation grommets. There’s also a CD stereo and a steering wheel that uses the airbag of a Mustang and the steering column of a Ford Windstar minivan.

Like the road-going car, the prototype is outfitted with a 5.4-liter supercharged V8 engine coupled to a Ricardo six-speed manual transaxle driving the rear wheels through a helical limited-slip differential. Documentation reveals the car has been driven 1,212 miles (1,950 km) and the engine has 217 operating hours under its belt. Like we mentioned earlier, a Ford-installed chip limits the car to 5 mph (8 km/h), although it is stated in the comments that it can be unlimited and run at full power.

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Ford Crown Vic With Gargantuan Twin-Turbo 27-Liter Rolls-Royce V12 Starts Up

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A few months ago, we stumbled across a Ford Crown Victoria in Sweden that had been fitted with a massive 27-liter V12. Fast forward to June and this insane engine up has been fired up for the first time while nestled into the Ford’s engine bay.

The engine in question was built by Rolls-Royce and formerly used in a World War II-era tank; in its hey-day, it delivered roughly 550 hp. That’s a lot of power for a Ford Crown Victoria but isn’t that much when you consider just how massive the V12 is. As such, those behind the project have equipped it with a pair of turbochargers and a custom ECU so it ultimately delivers closer to 2,500 hp.

Read More: This Ford Crown Victoria Is Getting A 27-Liter Twin-Turbo V12 From A Tank

During this video, the car is rolled out from the barn where it is being built before the engine is fired up. It takes a couple of tries to fine-tune the air and fuel ratio before the engine starts for the first time. A thermal imaging camera is then used to ensure that all 12 cylinders are working. The video notes that the pressure pipes to the turbochargers were not connected during these initial tests.

As you can imagine, fitting a 27-liter V12 into a Crown Vic was no small feat. In fact, the car actually has the front end of a Chevrolet C10 pickup truck and the rear of the engine extends into the cabin.

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Vaughn Gittin Jr. Takes Ford CEO Jim Farley For A Ride In The Mustang Mach-E 1400

Regardless of what you think of the name, the Mustang Mach-E has proven to be a solid vehicle out in the real world. Even better, though, was the one-off Mach-E 1400 Ford created as a proof of concept, and in this video, we get to see professional drifter Vaughn Gittin Jr. take Ford CEO Jim Farley out for a spin in it.

The Mustang Mach-E 1400 was built by Ford to show the insane performance potential electric vehicles could have when dialed up to 11. As such, the SUV sports seven electric motors making a combined 1,400 hp (1,419 PS / 1,044 kW), as well as an aero kit that aside from making it look really cool, produces a whopping 2,600 lbs (1,179 kg) of downforce at 160 mph (257 km/h).

Read More: Ford Is Now Building More Electric Mustang Mach-Es Than Gas-Powered Mustangs

The video more than demonstrates the Mach-E 1400’s immense power and roadholding, and while the high-pitched wail from the SUV’s electric motors and straight-cut gears might not be to everyone’s taste, there’s no denying this vehicle’s performance. Unfortunately we don’t get to see any live footage of it drifting, but for those who wanted to see some sideways action, a Facebook post from Gittin Jr. has you covered with some still photos of him and Farley sliding around.

See Also: Driven: The 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E Isn’t A One-Trick Pony

Watching the video, we couldn’t help but be reminded of the scene from Ford v Ferrari in which Carroll Shelby drove Henry Ford II around in a GT40 prototype so hard it brought him to the point of tears. Although, based on Farley’s ecstatic Twitter post from the event, it seems as though he fared a lot better than Henry Ford II did in the film.

BMW Makes Bizarre Double U-Turn, Crashes Into Focus ST And Drives Away

In the immortal words of Ron White, you can’t fix stupid and one Redditor found that out to their own cost. The driver took to the social media site to give details on the story that started with what appears to be a deeply indecisive BMW driver (that or the worst donut we’ve ever seen) which ended with a three-car collision and the 3-Series allegedly driving off the scene.

User u/AStupidCouch posted photos of the damage that was done to his car in the dedicated Focus ST subreddit yesterday. Although the driver has dashcam footage and managed to get their hands security cam footage from a nearby building, none of that will be necessary in finding the BMW since its license plate fell off and is now safely with the police.

Fortunately, the ST owner didn’t suffer any serious injuries.

“So for everyone asking I was the only driver and walked away with nothing super major, I feel body aches and some pain around mainly my wrist and knees. As for the person who hit me it was a hit and run,” he wrote in a comment.

Read Also: Video Of A Police BMW Doing Donuts With A Passenger Mooning From The Back Was Staged

In a second comment, the user wrote “It wasn’t road rage. My dash cam footage shows he was just being an idiot. Never had an altercation or anything. Also I was going the speed limit.”

Although a separate Redditor who posted the footage described the BMW’s action as a donut, it’s such a bizarre maneuver that it’s hard to know what it was. It may have been the world’s most unsuccessful powerslide or a panicked and equally unsuccessful double u-turn. Whatever the case, the car goes from the lane to the right of the left turn lane, does a 180, goes straight for a split second, and then from the rightmost opposing lane, turns back into the path of the Focus ST, which takes evasive action.

The Focus’s driver, although unfortunate, probably did avoid a more serious head-on accident and so should probably be applauded. Sadly, it wasn’t enough to save the car, which was declared a total loss by his insurance.

Ford Mustang Mach-E Fights Range Anxiety By Taking On A 12-Foot Rocket

Ford pitted the Mustang Mach-E electric crossover against a rocket to prove that range anxiety is nothing but a misconception.

Part of the brand’s ‘Mustang Mach-E v. Everything’ marketing campaign, which includes a series of five short films that highlight the strengths of the zero-emission crossover, it helps visualize its EPA-estimated autonomy of 300 miles (483 km) in the Extended Range RWD variant.

“Mustang has always been disruptive, and the all-new all-electric Mustang is no different”, said the company’s chief marketing officer, Suzy Deering. “We needed a campaign that brought the spirit of Mustang to life in the most compelling, entertaining way possible. And ‘Mustang Mach-E v. Everything’ does just that.”

Review: 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E Is A ‘Stang, Jim, But Not As We Know It

Besides the 12-foot (3.65-meter) rocket, the EV took on gravity in another short film that tested its reaction against a falling chandelier. Its over-the-air updates were also demonstrated in comparison to a mobile pit crew, and its charging time was validated next to a lightning charge generated by a 12-foot Tesla coil. In the last video, dubbed the ‘Mustang Mach-E v. DNA’, Ford proved that it is capable of differentiating between identical twins.

The 2021 Mustang Mach-E range kicks off from $42,895 for the Select model, which has a 230-mile (370-km) range, followed by the Premium, California Route 1, First Edition and GT, which start at $47,000, $49,800, $58,300 and $60,500 respectively. These can travel for an EPA-estimated 300, 305, 270 and 250 miles (483, 491, 435 and 402 km) respectively. The 458 HP dual-motor GT is the fastest variant, with the 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) acceleration taking only 3.8 seconds.

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These Are 10 Interesting Features Of The Ford Mustang Mach-E

The 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E has started to land in the hands of customers in the United States and journalists had the opportunity to check it out.

In this video from Jason at Engineering Explained, we find out about 10 of the EV’s intriguing features. Not everyone will like them, but they do all influence the overall experience of the Mach-E to varying degrees.

One of the cool features that the YouTuber is a big fan of is the keypad located on the B-pillar that allows owners to get inside without the need for a key or their smartphone. Ford first introduced a keypad like this back in 1980 and it remains just as handy today as it was four decades ago. Speaking of the B-pillars, they also house illuminated buttons that are used to open the doors. A small grab handle has also been neatly incorporated just below the button.

Read Also: The Mach-E Is Like No Other Mustang Before, So Why Did It Get That Name?

Another interesting feature of the Mustang Mach-E is its frunk that includes a drain plug, meaning you can load it up with all kinds of stuff without worrying if something spills out – you can just drain it and, if it gets dirty, you can also rinse it out.

Anyone who buys a Mach-E will also get access to a smartphone application that allows you to lock and unlock the vehicle, start it up, and open up the trunk. The app also displays tire pressures.

Those in the market for a Ford Mustang Mach-E can pick one up from $42,985 before EV tax incentives. The entry-level Standard Range RWD variant has a 75.7 kWh battery and has been rated by the EPA at 230 miles (370 km) of range over the combined cycle.

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New Ford Mach-E And F-150 Getting Hands-Free Driving Tech Over The Air In Q3 2021, Subscription Costs $600

Ford is going to offer its latest hands-free driver-assistance system with the new 2021 F-150 and Mustang Mach-E models but there’s a catch.

While customers will get the necessary hardware for the system to work with their new 2021 F-150 or Mustang Mach-E, either as standard equipment or an option on certain trims, Ford’s hands-free driver-assistance system won’t come online until the third quarter of 2021 via an over-the-air software patch.

Read Also: GM’s Super Cruise Crushes Tesla’s Autopilot In CR’s Hands-Free Test

Ford said that the new Active Drive Assist will be standard for the 2021 F-150 Limited and for the 2021 Mustang Mach-E CA Route 1, Premium, and First Edition models.

Here’s how much it will cost you

As for the rest of the F-150’s range, the hands-free driver assistance system will be a $1,595 option while Mustang Mach-E Select buyers can get it as part of the $3,200 Comfort and Technology Package, which also includes a 360-degree camera, heated front seats and a heated steering wheel.

Ford will also offer the hardware for the Active Drive Assist, which includes a forward-facing camera and radar sensors among others, as a separate ‘prep package’ together with the Active Park Assist 2.0 for $895, which includes a $100 early adopter incentive.

Customers will then have to pay $600 for a three-year subscription for the software of the hands-free Active Drive Assist, when that is ready to launch, in which case they’ll receive it via an over-the-air update.

So to sum up, owners of upper level trim cars that already come equipped with the hardware as standard, will pay $600 for the software subscription. Otherwise, owners of lower trim levels will have to pay for the hardware (via options) and an additional $600 for the software.

“In the second half of 2021, new customers will be able to purchase the hardware and software together in the Ford Co-Pilot Active 2.0 package, without the need for an Over-the-Air Update to initiate the feature,” the company said in a statement.

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Ford’s new Active Drive Assist system builds upon the existing adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go function and the Lane Centering and Speed Sign recognition systems. The system will allow drivers to take their hands off the wheel on prequalified sections of divided highways, the so-called ‘Hands-Free Zones’ that make up over 100,000 miles of North American roads.

Ford’s new system also uses an advanced driver-facing camera that will track eye gaze and head position to make sure drivers are paying attention to the road while in Hands-Free mode, as well as when they are using the hands-on Lane Centering mode.

“As breakthroughs in new technology allow us to help reduce the stress of long highway drives, it’s important to make sure these capabilities can be enjoyed by the largest spread of people possible,” said Hau Thai-Tang, chief product platform, and operations officer, Ford Motor Company. “Active Drive Assist can help improve the driving experience while ensuring people remain aware and fully in control, all for a price unmatched by our competitors – a commitment to affordable innovations that has driven us since Henry Ford put the world on wheels.”

Ford expects to sell more than 100,000 F-150 and Mustang Mach-E equipped with Active Drive Assist technology hardware in their first year in the market.

Here’s More Intense Off-Roading With The 2021 Ford Bronco

A pair of new videos showing the 2021 Ford Bronco being tested in Moab, Utah along the extremely difficult Hell’s Revenge Trail have hit our desks.

In these videos, a handful of camouflaged and non-camouflaged Bronco prototypes are driven up and down large rock faces along the 6.5-mile long trail. At one stage in the second video, a Bronco is filmed at ‘Mickey’s Hot Tub,’ a difficult obstacle along the trail where vehicles drive into a large hole and then have to drive out the other side via a near-vertical face of rock. With the exception of some wheel slip, the Bronco deals with the obstacle very well indeed.

Both 2- and 4-door Bronco prototypes are featured in the video with various different wheel and tire packages. All of them seem superbly capable in tough off-road conditions, something that will be welcomed by enthusiasts and prospective owners alike.

Also Watch: See The 2021 Ford Bronco Get Tested To Its Limits In Utah

Aiding the Bronco’s off-road abilities is the fact that it offers best-in-class ground clearance of 11.6 inches (294 mm) and best-in-class water fording at 33.5 inches (851 mm). It also has a maximum breakover angle of 29 degrees with a departure angle of 32 degrees. The short front and rear overhangs prove to be particularly useful in these videos.

When order books for the 2021 Ford Bronco open, it will be available with two EcoBoost engines; a base 2.3-liter four-cylinder producing 270 hp and 310 lb-ft (420 Nm) of torque and a 2.7-liter V6 with 310 hp and 400 lb-ft (542 Nm). A hybrid model is also thought to be in the works.

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‘Bronco Nation’ Website Is Your One-Stop Shop For All Things Ford Bronco

Ford Bronco owners and fans of all things Bronco can sweeten the wait until the world debut of the all-new 2021 Bronco and 2021 Bronco Sport by accessing a new website made especially for them.

It’s called the Bronco Nation and was developed by a passionate group of enthusiasts “whose mission is to celebrate the iconic Bronco brand and build a community for everyone that loves the Bronco.”

The website describes itself as “an independent enthusiast community and the first to be nationally recognized and certified by Ford.” Bronco Nation is said to be built by “a passionate and knowledgeable community of enthusiasts” and its goal goal is to create a community for Bronco fans. It will do that by hosting exclusive news, community forums, events, interactive maps, how-to content, historical archives, and other resources.

Read Also: Did You Know That The Ford Bronco Was Nearly Named The Wrangler?

Bronco enthusiasts will also be able to buy merchandise from the website, which currently offers t-shirts, caps, patches, and sticker packs. Obviously, the website focuses more on the upcoming 2021 Ford Bronco which is likely the reason why it was set up in the first place. Ford needs a Bronco community to rival the Jeep Wrangler community and Bronco Nation aims to do just that.

While it looks great, the website is low on fuel at the moment and by fuel we obviously mean 2021 Bronco- and 2021 Bronco Sport-related stuff. Originally scheduled to debut on March 17, the all-new Bronco body-on-frame SUV was delayed because of the coronavirus outbreak and is currently expected to launch sometime this year.

The launch of the smaller, unibody Bronco Sport was also delayed for the same reasons. Production has been postponed by nearly two months, with manufacturing of the SUV now scheduled to start on September 7 at Ford’s plant in Hermosillo, Mexico. The 2021 Ford Bronco will be made in the United States, at the Fort Wayne plant in Michigan.

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