Ever wonder what it takes to be Ford Tough? There are rules that need to be followed and abided by and that is why there is B.F.T. Built Ford Tough is a mantra for truck and owner alike. F-Series leaves no room for compromise. Its reputation for toughness has been earned on the farms, work sites and roads across America. So, if you’re going to drive the toughest truck, then you’ve got a responsibility to man-up and do your part. There’s a code of conduct when you’re behind the wheel of an F-Series. They’re here to enforce it. They’re here to protect and serve the brand.
Check out the following videos to see what they stand for.
and then check out www.bftrules.com to see more rules being enforced.
Filed under: Ford Products, Uncategorized | Tags: emissions, environment, ford, green, hyrid
These days you hear everyone talking about how we need to be “green” and the different types of fuel and emissions of vehicles. But do you feel comfortable with what they are talking about? Here is a crash course in some of the most popular terms you may hear when looking at new vehicles.
- E85-a mixture of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline, used in only compatible vehicles.
- Flexible Fuel Vehicle- a vehicle that is capable of operating on an alternative fuel, like ethanol or methanol, and on gasoline. (example: Ford F150)
- Hybrid Electric Vehicle- combines an internal combustion engine with an electric motor for improved fuel economy and/or performance than a conventional gasoline engine vehicle. It may also contain regenerative braking to charge the electric motor battery, shut down the gasoline engine when stopped and operate partly on just the electric motor. (example: Escape Hybrid)
- Low Emissions Vehicle (LEV) – designations are applicable only to vehicles that are to be registered and/or operated in states that have adopted the California emissions standards. These designations can be followed by a I or II indicating compliance with the first or second version of the emission standard. Version II replaced version I will more stringent standards. (examples: Escape 2.3L/3.0L, F150, Mustang Bullitt/Shelby, and Ranger 4.0L)
- Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle (ULEV) – reduces hydrocarbon emissions by 46% from the LEV standards, and is the standard that the average 2008 model year meets. (examples: Edge, Fusion 3.0L, Explorer, Expedition, and Sport Trac)
- Super Low Emissions Vehicle (SULEV) – gives off substantially lower levels of hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and nitrous oxides compared to a conventional vehicle and is 75% cleaner than the average vehicle. (examples: Escape Hybrid, Focus (Duratec 20E), Taurus, Taurus X, Fusion 2.3L)
- Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (PZEV) – have the least impact on air quality of any vehicle that uses a gasoline engine. Vehicles certified PZEV are sold in “California Emissions States” and their bordering states. They meet a very strict standard that establishes very low combined tailpipe emissions and zero fuel-based emissions by virtually eliminating the escape of fuel vapor. They produce 76% les smog-forming emissions than the average new car. For example, the Focus PZEV would have to be driven more than 2,100 miles or five trips between L.A. and San Francisco, to equal the emissions produced by an hour’s use of the leading 5.4-horsepower lawn mower!!
- Advanced Techonology Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (AT-PZEV) – not only meets both the SULEV and PZEV standards, but also uses some innovative new technology that helps improve fuel mileage. Hybrid drivetrain components are a good example, like the Escape Hybrid.
- Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) – offers zero tailpipe and evaporative emissions and does not require any emission-control systems that can deteriorate over time. These vehicles include hydrogen fuel cell vehicles or battery electric vehicles. Ford currrently operates a number of fuel cell vehicles in California, Florida, Michigan, Canada and Germany.
If you are looking for a quality vehicle that has the features you are looking for… then look no further! Check out the following article and see how Ford is one of the best in the business.
The following is an article that was just posted on Automotive News on April 7, 2008:
DETROIT- Ford Motor Co. is trumpeting its quality gains as it launches an advertising campaign designed to get consumers to reconsider its vehicles. Quality is one of four virtues Ford touts in its new “Drive One” campaign that kicks off Tuesday April 8th, with commericals on the top-rated TV show, Fox’s “American Idol.”
“In the last three or four years, we’ve really built a strong case to go out to customers and present them with how we’re doing on quality, so we can encourage them to consider Ford products,” said Mark Fields, Ford’s president of the Americas, in an interview today. He was speaking from Las Vegas, where executives are meeting with dealers this week to showcase Ford’s plans for product introductions, marketing and dealer incentives for the next 12 months.
Ford today released the results of an internal quality study that executives say shows the automaker’s quality is on par with Honda and Toyota. The study results for the first quarter show Ford’s domestic brands improved 8 percent from last year with a combined average of 1,284 things-gone-wrong per 1,000 vehicles during the first three months of ownership, according to Ford. That compares with 1,250 things-gone-wrong for Honda and Toyota. Ford, which commissions RDA Group, of suburban Detroit, to conduct the study, called the results a statistical dead heat.
In addition to quality, the “Drive One” compaign also aims to promote safety features, environmentally friendly initiatives at Ford and smart technology such as the Sync system that allows in-vehicle voice operation of music players and mobile phones. Ford’s challenge, Fields said, is overcoming “the perception gap on our quality, the perception gap on how green we are, the perception gap around the technology and the features we have in the vehicle.”
As gas prices continue to rise wouldn’t it be nice to be able to improve the MPG of our cars. Well, sometimes it is the little things that can actually help. Here are a few little tips that might help you get a little more from your fuel.
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Drive Sensibly- aggressive driving such as speeding, rapid acceleration and braking wastes gas. It can lower your gas mileage by 33% at highway speeds and by 5% around town
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Observe the Speed Limit- each vehicle reaches its optimal fuel economy at different speeds, however, gas mileage usually decreases rapidly at speeds over 60 mph. As a rule of thumb you can assume that for each 5 mph you are traveling over 60 mph you are paying an additional $.20 per gallon of gas!
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Remove Excess Weight- avoid keeping unnecessary items in your vehicle, especially heavy ones. An extra 100 pounds in your vehicle can reduce your mpg by up to 2%. (Extra weight will affect smaller cars much more than larger ones.)
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Avoid Excessive Idling- idling gets 0 mpg and the larger the engine typically the more wasted gas.
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Use Cruise Control- it keeps you at a constant speed, therefore helping to reduce fuel usage
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Use Overdrive Gears- it slows your engine speed down, saving not only gas but also on engine wear
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Check and Replace Air Filters Regularly- replacing a clogged air filter can improve your mileage and help protect your engine
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Keep Your Tires Properly Inflated- not only can you improve your mileage by around 3.3% by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure but properly inflated tires will last longer and are much safer
Source: www.fueleconomy.gov
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: dealership, ford, landmark, oregon, portland
Hello, Landmark Ford customers! We are trying something new on our website now. We have set up this blog as a tool to provide our customers with information, not only about our dealership, and the community but also about Ford Motor Company. We hope you will be able to use this as a resource if you have any questions or comments. And we would appreciate any feedback you have to offer us. But we would like to also remind you to please be respectful of what you post and we reserve the right to delete any comments that we feel are inappropriate.
