Rough Rider: The 2020 Ford Ranger Supercrew 4X4 Lariat

The 2020 Ford Ranger Supercrew 4X4 Lariat.

Ford, which has owned the full-size pickup world with its F-150 for decades,  returned to the midsize pickup segment last year with the first new Ranger truck in seven years.  And while it's already caught up to Chevy's Colorado, which had a re-boot five years ago, it's still selling roughly half as well as the leading midsize, the Toyota Tacoma, which got its last major re-do in 2016.

Love Rekindled: The 2020 Ford Expedition Platinum

The 2020 Ford Expedition Platinum. 

Regular TireKicker readers may remember our 2018 roadtrip---two weeks and 3,800 miles through Nevada, Arizona, Utah and back.  Our ride was a 2018 Ford Expedition Max Limited..  The Max is the stretched version of the Expedition, with additional cargo room behind the rear seats.  Now, a year and a half later, we spend a week with the 2020 Ford Expedition Platinum.

Exploring The Other Use For A Hybrid: The 2020 Ford Explorer Limited Hybrid

The 2020 Ford Explorer Limited Hybrid.

I think most people, when they hear the word "hybrid", have expectations of improved fuel economy, and possibly sluggish performance.  But not all manufacturers take that tack.  Some calibrate that additional electric motor combined with the gasoline engine to boost performance rather than cut consumption.  And that's the story of the 2020 Ford Explorer Hybrid.

The Future of Ford: The 2020 Ford Escape Titanium AWD

The 2020 Ford Escape Titanium AWD.

It's been a while, but you may have missed the news.  Ford is getting out of the passenger car business.  The only exception is Mustang, which is on its way to becoming a sub-brand with Mustang, Mustang GT, Shelby and the all-electric Mustang Mach-E. 

Beyond that, it's the F-150 pickup and its derivatives, the big Expedition SUV, the Transit and Transit Connect vans, the upcoming Bronco and rumored Bronco Sport and a very full line of crossovers.

30 Minutes With: The 2020 Ford Explorer ST 4WD

The 2020 Ford Explorer ST 4WD.

Publisher's note: Normally, the cars you read about here at TireKicker are loaned to us by the press fleets of the various manufacturers for several days. Seven is typical.  Occasionally, we'll get a longer period of time, and sometimes it'll only be three or four days.  Our "30 Minutes With" series features cars we spent half an hour driving during the just-concluded Western Automotive Journalists Media Day in Monterey, California.

Needless to say, these are quick drives and brief impressions that we hope to be able to flesh out with a full review of the vehicle at some point in the near future.

Media Days is a driving program, with journalists taking cars from the staging area at Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley over Laureles Grade and back or off-road on the acclaimed Land Rover Experience on the grounds of Quail Lodge.

My second vehicle of the day was the all-new 2020 Ford Explorer ST.

Performance Edge: The 2019 Ford Edge ST AWD

The 2019 Ford Edge ST.

With cars rapidly fading from its product portfolio, Ford has decided to imbue its surviving crossovers with some performance via its ST line. 

The new 2020 Explorer will come in ST form (a "30 Minutes With" short drive from the just-concluded Western Automotive Journalists Media Day 2019 in Carmel Valley will post here at TireKicker in the next few days), and the 2019 Ford Edge ST is already available.

Plugged In: The 2019 Ford Fusion Energi Titanium

The 2019 Ford Fusion Energi.

We've said a couple of things consistently during the 11 years that TireKicker has been in existence. One: The true value of a hybrid is in a larger car, where the fuel economy gains will be greater than they are in small cars.  And two:  A plug-in hybrid, done well, is a better alternative (and will be until range and charging issues are fully addressed everywhere in this country) for many people than a pure electric vehicle.

And really, the Ford Fusion Energi, doomed as it is (Ford is phasing out passenger sedans and the Fusion Energi may not see the 2021 model year), is the best of them.

Goldilocks and the One Pickup Truck: The 2019 Ford Ranger XLT Supercab 4X2

The 2019 Ford Ranger XLT Supercab.

I pulled into the driveway.  Mrs.TireKicker was out front watering the lawn.

"That's a nice big pickup."

"Um...it's supposed to be a midsize."

The pickup in question was the 2019 Ford Ranger XLT Supercab.  As small as "small" pickups get these days, and a return for the Ranger after a seven-year absence.

Now, my wife will be the first to tell you, she doesn't pay much attention to cars.  But as I stood there and looked at this two-wheel drive extended cab pickup with a six-foot bed, it started to look kinda big to me, too.  I looked down the block.  My neighbor, three doors down, has a previous-generation Ranger in his driveway.  It looked small.

A Fresh Edge: The 2019 Ford Edge Titanium Elite

The 2019 Ford Edge Titanium Elite.

It's been a bit over three years since the last time I drove a Ford Edge, and there have been some changes---both in the Edge itself and in its place in Ford's future.

In the fall of 2015, the Edge was the middle child of Ford's crossover SUV lineup---bigger than the Escape, smaller than the Explorer---with some wondering how much of a future there was for any crossover that didn't have a third row of seats.

But now, with Ford's decision to focus its portfolio on the Mustang, the F-Series pickups, the Expedition and its crossovers, the Edge looks like it could very well be Ford's future bread-and-butter machine.

Forward Into The Past: The 2019 Ford Mustang Bullitt

The 2019 Ford Mustang Bullitt.

Steve McQueen (no, not that Steve McQueen, this Steve McQueen) fans rejoice.  Ford Motor Company has given us another opportunity to live out our fantasies that we, somehow, some way embody 1/1000th the cool of the '60s coolest film star with the third in a series of Bullitt edition Mustangs.

Road Master: The 2018 Ford Expedition Max

The 2018 Ford Expedition Max in Monument Valley, Utah.

I've said it before, I'll say it again.  Time and miles reveal a lot about any given vehicle.  At the end of a trip, you're either happy it's over or in love with the machine that took you there and back---with a deepened appreciation of exactly what that car, truck, minivan or SUV is all about.

I've said it before because TireKicker has an annual tradition of a summer roadtrip, lots of miles to and from interesting places.  Among the most memorable, our week-long Utah trip in 2014 in the 2015 Kia Sorento SXL and last summer's two weeks in Grand Teton and Yosemite National Parks in the 2017 Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring.

This summer (actually straddling the end of summer and the beginning of autumn)'s trip was the most ambitious yet, and as wonderful as both the Kia and Mazda were, the latest and largest version of a venerable American SUV seemed the perfect match.  Ford Motor Company and its prep and delivery partner here in Northern California, Page One Automotive, graciously made possible a three-week loan of the all-new for 2018 Ford Expedition Max.  Two weeks on the road, plus a few days either side for packing, unpacking and cleaning.

Turns Out There Is A Substitute For Cubic Inches: The 2018 Ford Mustang Ecoboost Coupe Premium

The 2018 Ford Mustang Ecoboost Coupe Premium.

My son-in-law-to-be wanted to know about the Triple Yellow Mustang parked in the lot outside the winery where a family wedding was winding down.

"What engine does it have?"

"Two-point-three-liter Ecoboost turbo four."

He made a face.  He's 20.  He's allowed.

"A four in a Mustang?  I didn't know they did that."

"They did from 1979-82", I said, conveniently leaving out the whole sorry 1974-78 Mustang II affair.  I also left out the 1984-86 Mustang SVOs, which were also fire-breathing 2.3-liter turbocharged fours.  He's 20, they're almost 35.  It'd be too much explaining.

Instead, I just took him for a ride.

Heart Transplant: The 2018 Ford F-150 4X4 SuperCrew Power Stroke Diesel

The 2018 Ford F-150 4X4 SuperCrew Power Stroke Diesel.

It's been forty or more years since they used the slogan in their advertising, but...Ford has a better idea.  Diesels are terrific for towing, because of their serious torque, and for offsetting the often-dismal fuel economy of the truly big 3/4-ton and larger trucks they're used in.

So, why not put a smaller diesel in a half-ton pickup, put some serious towing capacity in the hands of buyers who don't really need the monster F-250 Super Duty,  and offer some significant fuel economy to buyers of the F-150?

Head Held High: The 2018 Ford Fusion Platinum Energi

The 2018 Ford Fusion Platinum Energi.

The Ford Fusion will probably be the last conventional four-door sedan the Ford Motor Company builds.  By now you've likely heard the news that over the next two years, Ford will end production of most of its passenger cars. The Fiesta, Focus and Fusion are goners.  Market forces at work. The trend is sharply away from three-box (hood, passenger compartment, trunk) cars.

The Ford portfolio in North America will consist of the F-150 and larger (F-250, F-350, etc.) pickups, the Expedition SUV, crossovers, a crossover variant of the Focus called the Focus Active, and the Mustang.

Word is the Fusion will outlast the Fiesta and Focus by a few months, making it the last one out the door.  But it will go with head held high.  This generation Fusion is the best, and I'll go so far as to say the best sedan Ford has ever built.

A Pony No More: The 2018 Ford Mustang GT Premium

The 2018 Ford Mustang GT Premium.

Fifty-four years ago today, on April 17, 1964, Ford introduced the Mustang.  From that point on, it and its eventual competitors (Plymouth Barracuda, Chevrolet Camaro, Pontiac Firebird, AMC Javelin, Dodge Challenger) were known as pony cars.  They were all sporty compacts, not outright performance or muscle cars.

The 2018 Ford Mustang GT Premium changes all that.  What we have here is a budget-priced, four-seat Corvette competitor.

I can hear the purists howling already.  But let's look at some facts:

Trucking Royalty: The 2017 Ford F-150 4x4 SuperCrew King Ranch

The 2017 Ford F-150 4X4 SuperCrew King Ranch.

Ford hit a home run when it whipped up the deal at the turn of the millennium with the folks at King Ranch.  The number one truck in America got a model named after the largest ranch in Texas.  Back in 2000, when manufacturers were truly beginning to grasp that size mattered when it came to pickup trucks, and that nothing succeeded like excess, introducing a King Ranch edition was a stroke of genius.

Fast-forward nearly two decades and the only thing that has changed is that the taste of the American pickup-buying public has grown more voracious.  The King Ranch is now in the middle of the F-150 lineup (if you remove the off-road Raptor and the work-truck XL), with the XLT and Lariat below and the Platinum and Limited above.

Checking All The Boxes: The 2017 Ford Fusion Titanium Hybrid

The 2017 Ford Fusion Titanium Hybrid.

In my past life as a radio disc jockey (a long time ago), I often wondered why certain records weren't bigger hits.  Singles or albums that seemed to have everything going for them that just didn't crack the top ten (or in some cases, the top 100). 

Same with cars.  And a great example is the 2017 Ford Fusion Titanium Hybrid.

SuperTruck: The 2017 Ford F-250 Super Duty 4X4 Crew Cab

2017 Ford F-250 Super Duty 4X4 Crew Cab.

Used to be there was a stark difference between a half-ton and a 3/4-ton pickup. The bigger ones were clearly meant for work, or hauling very large horse or travel trailers.  You could tell just by looking.

Standard half-ton pickup trucks like the Ford F-150 have become so big and so rugged that you might wonder what an F-250 Super Duty is for.  Or, if you're a long-time Super Duty buyer, you might be underestimating an F-150's capabilities.

It's even tougher to sort out just by eyeballing, since both models can be loaded up with luxury extras that were once reserved for machines with a three-pointed star on the hood.

No, this is going to require a hard look at the facts.

A Little Bit Extra: The 2017 Ford F-150 4x4 SuperCrew Platinum

2017 Ford F-150 4X4 SuperCrew Platinum

Pickup trucks have become all about the extras.  Humble two-door standard cabs do not cut it anymore, except as work trucks for public utilities.  No, a privately-owned pickup truck today has to be a pickup truck, a performance vehicle, a luxury vehicle and, ideally, bigger, glitzier and more expensive than the neighbor's pickup truck.

Boyhood Dream Come True: The 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor

The 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor.

When I was a kid in the 1960s, the coolest thing on God's green earth to me was a late 40s-early 50s Dodge Power Wagon.  It was the ultimate expression of a pickup truck.  Go anywhere, do anything.  And growing up in the Eastern High Sierra from 1965 on, there were actually a few of them doing just that for this young man to admire.

Dodge has tried to recapture that magic on occasion (but not very hard) by applying the Power Wagon name to its trucks.  But the folks at Ford, they get it...and when it comes to a modern-day Power Wagon, they've got it.