The Fast Lane Car

2012 Ford Focus Electric Inside and Out preview and Factory tour video

The 2012 Ford Focus Electric will be available for sale next year and will be the second all electric car from a big automaker to hit the showrooms after the Nissan Leaf.

However unlike the Leaf, the EV Focus is completely based on an existing car and platform so it looks and even drives like the gasoline power version of the Focus. Ford says the Focus Electric  will go over 70 miles on a full charge and take 3 hours to fill up with electrons when plugged into a 240V Charging station. 

We recently had the chance to take a tour of the Wayne, Michigan factory where the EV Focus is being built.

Check out this video preview below of the all Electric face of Ford.

Video: 2012 Ford Focus versus Mazda3 Mashup 0-60 Review

The 2012 Ford Focus and the 2012 Mazda3 are two small cars that both have something special to offer new cars buyers.

The Ford Focus is a new breed of small car that combine European design and small car luxury with great fuel economy while the Mazda3 combines a new engine and transmission with even better fuel economy.

Both cars represent a new trend for small cars: upscale features in a compact package.

Both cars also have 155 HP engine that produce almost the same amount of torque.

Both cars can be had with automatic and manual transmissions.

And both both cars are fun to drive.

So which one of these two small cars is better? Watch the video review below to find out.

Video: Ford F-150 Ecoboost vs Chevy Silverado Duramax Pick-up Mashup Review

Ford excepts to sell almost 100,000 brand new Ecoboost twin turbo F-150's this year. With a towing capacity of just over 11,000 pounds and 360 HP, the F-150 is a class leading pick-up truck.

But how will it do when stacked up against a Chevy Silverado 2500 HD (heavy duty) with the Duramax turbo diesel engine?

And perhaps even more importantly how do both classic American pick-ups do when used the way that many people use pick-ups...as their daily drivers?

We took two of America's newest and most popular turbo-charged pick-ups and put them to the everyman test of comfort, ease of use, and combined that with a very unusual drag race to see which pick-up was the better daily driver.

Watch this classic American pick-up mashup challenge and review below.

Is the new 2011 Ford Explorer Colorado mountain trail off-road worthy?

The new 2011 Ford Explorer is a kinder, gentler and more civilized SUV than the previous model it now replaces.

It comes in a four wheel drive model that uses modern electronics to help the car when the road turns rough. But is it Colorado mountain off-road worthy?

Unlike the previous generation of the Explorer, the new model is no longer built like a "traditional" body on frame SUV.

For some of off-road purist that means that the new Explorer is no longer as off-road worthy as the last model.

We wanted to find out.

So we took the 2011 Explorer for a off-road review in the Colorado Mountains to see if it still had the chops to go where other more dirt oriented cars and SUV's have gone before.

We dialed in the new Explorer's electronics to rock and mud mode, and set out up the mountain.

The results?

Please watch the video below to find out.

Review: why the 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 kicks the BMW M3's ass

The 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 is a 444 horsepower that makes 380 lbs-feet of torque and can spin up to 7,500 rpm. The additional horsepower over the GT is due, in part, to the forged pistons, connecting rods, short-runner intake manifold, better cams and ported cylinder heads (CNC) among other tweaks. It loses some torque to the GT, but gains a free spinning powerhouse that throttles up like lightning.

The Boss 302’s lighter, adjustable and performance oriented suspension can go from street to track with the twist of a screwdriver. The steering is adjustable too. Simply select comfort, normal and sport and you’re on your way. 

Review: Is the 2011 Ford Explorer good enough for 'Smelly Toddler?'

The 2012 Ford Explorer is a major departure from the Explorer of yesteryear. I’ve never been a fan of the previous Explorer as it consumed like a full size vehicle while not providing quite enough space. I’m not the only one who had issues; Ford’s sales of the Explorer severely dropped off over the past few years.

Rather than reinvent the Explorer as a small truck, again, they opted for something completely different. The 2012 Ford Explorer became a crossover. This was a risky move for Ford and I applaud their cajónes – they truly went for something new.

Review: the 2011 Ford SVT F-150 Raptor meets today's newest technology

Passenger: “Oh my GOD!”

Nathan: “Yee-HA!”

2011 Ford SVT F-150 Raptor Crew Cab 4×4: “VEERRRROOMM! Splat!” Ah the sounds of driving completely balls-out in one of the most extreme trucks on the planet. The 2011 Ford SVT F-150 Raptor Crew Cab 4×4 is every boy’s moisture inducing dream. It is, quite simply, everything you want to slice through dunes with or pound dirt roads with.

I mashed my foot down to feel the 0 to 60 mph time vanish in 7.2 seconds. Dude, this thing weighs about 6,000 lbs and it’s as fast as a sporty sedan. Off road, it feels even faster. It can go anywhere a M1 Abrams can with the exception of serious rock crawling. It’s too wide (7 inches wider than a regular F-150) and way too long. It has a 145 inch long wheelbase as opposed to the 133 inches in the Super Cab. Ah, but on a rally track – it’s biblically cool.

Passenger (Hollering over the engine’s roar): “Wow, would you look at the time? Let’s go back.”

Nathan (stepping harder on the gas): “What? I can’t hear you. You will have to talk louder in the mic!”

Passenger: “You little _____!”

Five reasons why the 2011 Ford F-250 Super Duty King Ranch 4x4 Diesel is one of the biggest, baddest pickup trucks built

Ford has dropped a lot of time and money into their truck program. The proof is apparent in most of their rigs, other than the Ford Ranger. Many journalists are no longer allowed to properly sample their vehicles, so we must seek them out. I had to find the 2011 Ford F-250 Super Duty King Ranch Crew Cab 4x4 Diesel at an event in Southern California. There, I spent the better half of a day driving one. What a pain in the neck.

Review: Is the 2011 Shelby GT500 the greatest Mustang ever?

Legendary champion racer/performance car builder Carroll Shelby first built affordable “Shelby GT350 Mustang” models, based on the then-new production Mustang, in 1965 and the car even beat Corvettes on tracks. A good GT350 is a prized collector’s item that costs at least several hundred thousand dollars.

Shelby is still with us as of this writing, feisty as ever at nearly 90, and must be very proud of the muscular-looking 2011 Ford Shelby GT500 Mustang. It’s the latest in a series of Ford Shelby GT500 models built in the last few years, and is by far the best yet. Some feel that it’s the greatest Mustang, ever.

The new rear-wheel-drive GT500 I drove was a coupe that stickers at $48,645, although a convertible version that costs $53,645 is also available.

Review: the 2012 Ford Focus is sexy, sassy and smart, but is it fun?

The new 2012 Ford Focus is now the same world wide car.

Unlike the previous generation of the Focus, Ford is planning on building and selling basically the same Focus in America as in Europe as in Asia.

That doesn't mean that the American Focus will get the same engine at the European model. For now Ford is only selling the Focus with one engine...the 2.0-liter four with aluminum-block-and-head construction and direct injection that put out 160 HP and gets a very respectable 40 mpg on the Highway.

This  of course begs the question...does one size Focus fit all? We recently had the chance to put the new Focus to the test in the twisty canyons of Mulholland Drive near LA.

First drive review: The 2012 Ford Focus aims for the best in compact-car class crown

LOS ANGELES—The new, redesigned compact Ford Focus is a sleek, mildly Americanized version of Ford’s European Focus. Developed and tuned in Germany, it’s a big improvement over its dated predecessor.

The new, tightly assembled Focus is a very early 2012 model that will be sold in many worldwide markets. It comes as a versatile sedan or hatchback. The “hatch” has the same 104.3-inch wheelbase as the sedan, but is 6.9 inches shorter. Both versions have wheels pulled to the far corners of the body for better ride and handling. 

Both versions provide decent cargo room.The rear seatbacks on most Focus models flip forward but are too thick to allow a completely flat cargo floor when moved forward. There’s good interior occupant space, but a tall passenger behind a driver needs more legroom.

Sneak Peak Video: The all new and redesigned 2012 Ford Focus hits the road

For 2012 Ford has completely redesigned the Focus. And unlike the old Focus, the new Focus is almost identical to the European car.

Ford says the upcoming American and European cars will be twins in about every respect. The new Focus is certainly European in style and flavor. Ford calls the design language the 2012 Focus uses to style the cars "kenetic".

What does that mean?

First drive: is the new Ford F-150 Ecoboost V6 twin turbo really like a V8?

It may be a cliche but since almost the beginning of time the Ford F-150 has been the best selling pick-up in America...in fact it's the best selling vehicle of any kind in America.

So now meet the new boss...same as the old boss except that new Ford F-150 has a 365 HP V6 with two turbo chargers that Ford says is better and more fuel efficient than a V8.

Ford also says the new F-150 with the 3.5 liter Ecoboost will tow 11,300 pounds and makes 430 lb-ft of torque and will run on regular fuel while delivering better fuel economy than a competitor's comparable V8 engine.

Can this be possible?

Review: 2011 Ford Explorer is softer, but more luxurious with a premium carlike personality

The Ford Explorer dominated the SUV market in the 1990s, but lost most of its ground by the middle of  this decade. The redesigned carlike 2011 model may make it popular again.

The new three-row Explorer is larger, but lighter. It shares underpinnings with the Ford Taurus and Flex and trades its rear-drive layout for front-drive, while its trucklike body-on-frame construction gives way to a unit-body platform. Four-wheel drive continues to be available.

The old Explorer’s trucky dynamics are gone. So is the V-8, replaced by a 3.5-liter V-6 that generates 290 horsepower and 255 pound-feet of torque. It works with a responsive six-speed automatic transmission, which can be shifted manually. There are lowered initial gears for better off-the-line acceleration and higher gearing for better efficiency at lower engine rpm when cruising.

Review: The 2011 Ford Mustang is the best Mustang yet...with either engine

LOS ANGELES—Next to the Model T, which seems to have become too old for even history books, the Ford Mustang has become the best known Ford model since it was snapped up by all age groups right after its mid-1964 introduction.

There’s something to be said for automotive continuity. For example, while Chevrolet dropped its Camaro for eight years after 2002, the Mustang has been continued since its debut.

A media preview of the new Mustang in the Los Angeles area involved everything from mountain driving to drag races with the rival Camaro. It showed the 2011 Mustang to be the best Mustang yet. It reaches showrooms in mid-spring.