Transit Connects Everywhere

The transit connect is a all new model for the 2011 Ford model year. Cars.com wrote this article:
By Scott Burgess
Detroit Newspapers
September 3, 2009

The recession is over, and I've got proof.

While many "experts" will point to the GDP, unemployment figures and the trade deficit, I'm more of a believer of those tangible products that predict our nation's financial plight. Sales of cardboard boxes, diamonds and lipstick have been monitored in the past and could work today.

Future economic soothsayers will gaze into their Magic 8 Balls and use the Ford Transit Connect sales numbers as a barometer of the nation's small business health. To paraphrase a different auto exec from a different time: What's good for small businesses is good for the country.

Who knew the U.S. economic engine was a little 2-liter four-cylinder? But the 2010 Transit Connect's four-banger can handle the load, 1,600 pounds at a time.

While the exterior has the utilitarian styling of an airplane's chock block, this vehicle is packed with infinite purpose. The Transit Connect is European chic with a Puritan work ethic. It's been a mainstay in Europe since 2003 and after selling 600,000 of them, Ford Motor Co. finally decided U.S. small businesses might need some help.

It starts at $21,475 (including shipping) -- though even fully outfitted with high aftermarket customization, the price is not likely to cross $30,000. Offering two, four or more seats, the Transit Connect provides business owners with what they want.

When Ford introduced the Transit Connect to the U.S. media last year, the company showcased different versions and showed how the vehicles could be transformed into speedy suites and rolling billboards. They can deliver everything from azaleas to X-ray machines or become mobile workshops for electricians, mechanics or just about anyone else. Imagination is the only limit.

During the recent Woodward Dream Cruise, I tried to convince my editors to use a Transit Connect as a mobile newsroom. Some scoffed -- but just wait. It's a folding table top, desk chair and Wi-Fi connection away from replacing my desk on West Lafayette.

Two aspects make the Transit Connect work so well: capabilities and performance.

Any business owner can tailor the Transit Connect to fit his or her needs exactly. That could mean a few more deliveries every day because of the 135 cubic feet of storage space. The storage area is 59 inches tall and the low floor means it is easier to load.

Currently, there is no direct competition to the Transit Connect, at least not in the U.S. No doubt, there will be in the future. As smooth as it is useful

Versatility is one thing, but the Transit Connect also offers a good ride. The 2-liter engine provides 136 horsepower and 128-pound-feet torque. It's not quick and no race car attributes come to mind behind the wheel of the Transit Connect, but it always gets the job done. The four-speed automatic transmission whines a little more than I liked, but fewer gears helped keep power at the wheels instead of having the transmission hunt too long.

Getting onto the highway is easy and the Transit Connect stays with the flow of traffic without overworking itself.

Even with the high roofline, the Transit Connect handled corners and city driving particularly well. The power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering was easy to turn and the vehicle was easy to maneuver (though I would suggest including the optional back up camera). It has 39-foot curb-to-curb turning, which is the same as the 2010 Ford Taurus. It's easier to maneuver than bigger vans or pickups and a novice could master it quickly -- another factor for small businesses, no doubt, to consider.

It comes with anti-lock brakes and roll stability control. All the while, the Transit Connect gets 22 miles per gallon in the city and 25 mpg on the highway. Stripped down, all business

The interior feels much more workman-like than luxurious, but I expected that. My test vehicle was a basic five-seater; there's no reason to have pleated leather door inserts or Alcantara roof liners.

If the military used the Transit Connect, officers wouldn't drive it, sergeants would; so this truck needs to know to how work for a living. Maybe in a few years, after the Transit Connect grows in popularity, Ford can build the King Ranch Transit Connect but for now, the Blue Oval's Transit Connect is strictly blue collar.

Ford gives this vehicle everything it needs. There's a big storage shelf that stretches across the front, above the driver. It creates purpose out of dead space and for small businesses, every bit helps.

The driving position is upright and helps keep you fresh during a day of heavy hauling. The dash is well laid out and caters to the driver.

The sliding second-row doors are also an excellent feature, providing lots of room for ingress and egress, as well making it easier to park in tight spaces and still have space to open up.

The double barn door style rear doors also open in tight spots and can include the optional 225 degree opening, meaning they can open up and become almost flush with the side of the vehicle.

Then there's Ford Work Solutions, such as Tool Link and Crew Chief.

Tool Link uses RFID tags to take instant inventory of the equipment in the vehicle and immediately alert the driver if everything needed for a job is loaded. It can also check at the end of the day to make sure a worker brings everything home.

Crew Chief allows the boss to monitor the location, speed, idle time, fuel usage and 30 diagnostic measures of vehicles on the road.

The tool can help save costs and assists with good preventative maintenance.

The Transit Connect started rolling into dealerships in July, and Ford sold 417 of them. In August, it sold more than 2,220.

Yes, times are tough, but judging by my revolutionary Transit Connect economic predictor multiplied by the spirit of small business owners, the outlook is improving. The recession may not be over, but its end is near.

We can find our own bootstraps -- the Transit Connect just gives people a reason to pull a little harder.

sburgess@detnews.com (313) 223-3217

2010 Ford Transit Connect

Type: Multipurpose vehicle

Starting price: $21,475

Engine: 2-liter four-cylinder

Power: 136 horsepower; 128-pound-feet torque

Transmission: 4-speed automatic

EPA gas mileage: 22 mpg city / 25 mpg highway

Report Card

Overall: *** 1/2

Exterior: Good. Better as a rolling billboard than a fashion statement.

Interior: Excellent. You decide how you want to use it and configure it.

Performance: Good. Small engine provides good gas mileage and enough power on a daily basis. Easy to operate.

Safety: Excellent. Front and side airbags, rollover mitigation and anti-lock brakes.

Pros: Versatile and comfortable ride. Good starting price.

Cons: May not fit all needs, especially if heavy towing is necessary.

The Fleet Team at Gresham Ford is motivated to sell all the Transit Connects on our lot. Come take a look, we have many many to choose from. It looks great in Red or Blue. Call the Fleet Department at 503-969-4184 or email Annette@GreshamFord.com for more information or to make an appointment.

Ford will Rock the Rally World

It was a shock to the off-road racing world when superstar Ken Block announced that he would be leaving his successful Subaru team to get behind the wheel of the new Ford Fiesta and Ford Focus rally cars. Come see the new Fiesta at Gresham Ford today!The Fiesta was heavily hyped leading up to the 2010 Detroit Auto Show and the new compact was well received in sedan and coupe version. Come see what all the hype is about. Visit www.GreshamFord.com to see our online inventory of new Ford Fiesta's. They even had a dressed up Fiesta to show off the sport compact potential of their new small car.

This past Saturday brought us the debut of the Ford-Block partnership in Atlanta, Michigan and while Ford built this up to be the introduction of a prosperous new race team – things didn’t work out as planned. First, the unseasonably warm weather caused much of the snow to melt, followed by a cold snap that turned the race course into a sheet of rough ice. Ford is gaining respect in this arena.

Block’s Monster Energy Drink sponsored Fiesta came storming out of the gate, leading after the first stage by almost 5 seconds. During the second round, the team of Block and Alessandro Gelsomino dropped to third place behind ex-teammate Travis Pastrana in a 2010 Subaru STi and the 2009 Mitsubishi Evolution X piloted by Antoine L'Estage although the Fiesta was only around 6 seconds out of first and less than a second out of second place. During the third round, Pastrana’s Subaru expanded the lead to almost 20 seconds over the second and third place entries although Block’s Ford had closed the gap to second to just 2 tenths of a second.

Unfortunately, during the fourth round Ken Block’s 2011 Ford Fiesta suffered suspension failure, although that news hasn’t been mentioned much on a variety of websites including the Monster World Rally Team website and Ford’s media site.

It was a shock to the rally racing world when Block left Subaru for the new Ford Racing team and failing to finish his first event after leading early in the event had to have been a disappointing outcome. Making the matter worse was the fact that Block’s former teammate Travis Pastrana ran away with the event – winning with a minute and a half lead over the second place Mitsubishi Evolution X and the third place Evolution IX.

Ken Block’s new Ford Fiesta rally car will be back on the track in late February as the series heads to Salem, Missouri. Check out the links below for the Sno*Drift website, as well as the Monster team’s site and a video of Block testing his 2011 Fiesta before the event last weekend. Also, for those who haven’t gotten a good look at the 2011 Ford Fiesta rally car, check out the Gresham Ford facebook page to see lots of interior and exterior photos. Ford is now offering $1000 trade in incentive rebate when you trade in a Honda, Toyota, Lexus, Scion or Acura on any new Ford car, truck or SUV. Call 503-665-0101 or visit the corner of 242nd and Powell Blvd for more information.

Gresham Ford is Colllecting Cell Phones

Gresham Ford is collecting old cell phones to turn into
phone cards for our troops. Drop off your old cell phones
anytime Sunday thru Saturday to our Showroom or Service
Department and receive a coupon towards an oil change.

What a great way to clean out your drawers and closests from all that
clutter of non working cell phones, batteries and chargers
that you don't or can not use anymore and help a soldier
call home. Gresham Ford located at 1940 E. Powell Blvd.
Gresham, OR 97080 or call for more information 503-665-0101

Gresham Ford - The Best Staff on the Planet

Hi! I am Bess Wills, General Manager at Gresham Ford and I am proud to say I have the best employees on the planet and we are proud to sell the best cars and trucks on the planet. Is this just boasting -no others think so also. At the International Auto Show this year the Ford Fusion was voted the "Car of the Year" and the Ford Transit Connect was voted the "Truck of the Year" by the gurus of the Auto Industry. Locally our Dealership was voted as having the "Reader's Choice" (Gresham Outlook) Auto Sales Professional of 2010 and as having the "Reader's Choice" Mechanic. In addition, our Parts Manager is always in the top five in the Northwest out of over 140 Ford Dealerships. Our Customer Service Scores are always some of the highest the State but the way I know our customers are happy are all the cards and letters we get from happy customers - they have told me our staff have saved their vacations by getting them back on the road in record time, they have told me how our sales professionals have gone above and beyond to earn their business. Visit us and judge for yourself - they are the best!!

Try Local First Suceeding

Thanks to the Gresham Area Chamber of Commerce Try Local First subcommittee for offering its first Blog and Forum class. Kelly Allen from Alphabetix was patient, informative and maintained a great sense of humor. It is so comforting knowing that there are other business that are so determined to learn more about social media and new techniques of business networking. This has been a great energizing experience to help promote our online presence. This is just one of the many reasons that we are happy to be a returning member of the Gresham Area Chamber of Commerce. This is truly businesses for businesses. I would strongly suggest that businesses become involved in their local chambers and gain the support of other businesses in their areas.
It should be fun seeing how long it takes to see our blogging effect our anaylitics.

Green Partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy

Today, U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced that Ford has been approved for the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Incentive Program. These are the loans that Congress authorized in conjunction with the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act.
Seventy-five companies applied for these loans and we all should be proud that Ford Motor Company is one of the first automakers deemed by the government to be among the best companies with the best technologies in American manufacturing and fuel efficiency.
This green partnership with the U.S. government will help us accelerate the development of advanced technologies for even better fuel-efficiency and emissions.
As you well know, we are absolutely committed to fuel economy leadership with every new model we introduce. In fact, we are investing nearly $14 billion in advanced technology vehicles in the next seven years alone. Our partnership with the Department of Energy also will help retool our U.S. plants more quickly to produce fuel efficient vehicles and meet new, rigorous fuel-economy requirements.
In addition, this investment will provide our dealers with a complete product lineup of fuel-efficient vehicles using a variety of technologies to help meet the future needs of consumers.
We remain committed to providing fuel-efficient, high-quality vehicles to consumers across our entire product lineup and this is another step toward achieving that objective.
Thank you for your business and support.

Kelly Blue Book announces BEST Redesigned Vehicle

December 10, 2008
IRVINE, Calif. — Kelley Blue Book announced the winner of its 2009 Best Redesigned Vehicle award, and receiving the accolade was the Ford F-150, which was honored for the second time. Since the award started in 2004, Ford models have taken it three times. Meanwhile, Chevrolet's Silverado and Malibu won in 2007 and 2008, respectively, and the Honda Civic received honors in 2006. "The all-new 2009 Ford F-150 doesn't just haul and tow more, it also does it better than its best competitors while still being comfortable and quiet on the highway and easy around town," commented Jack Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book and Kbb.com. "The multitude of options available on the new F-150, from three cab styles, four box options, seven trim levels, three V8 engine choices, combined with cool features like a SYNC/Sirius/Sony infotainment suite and integral tailgate step, helps to crown it our 2009 Kelley Blue Book Best Redesigned Vehicle," he continued. The Best Redesigned Vehicle award is designed to honor "improvement and superiority" in a specific model compared to its predecessor. Editors evaluated candidates for exterior and interior styling, technology, comfort and convenience features, performance/capability, driving dynamics, safety, fuel economy, overall refinement and value. In addition to the F-150, other finalists included the Acura TL, Acura TSX, Audi A4, Dodge Ram, Honda Fit, Mazda6, Nissan Maxima, Nissan Murano and Subaru Forester. "We were so impressed with the 2009 Ford F-150, we'd go so far as to say it isn't just a great truck, it's a step forward for what a vehicle can be," Nerad added. "Imagine a truck that can help you keep track of your tools and keep you aware of where your employees are, and you can see that the new F-150 brings with it world-class innovation." The complete list of Best Redesigned Vehicles since 2004 is as follows: 2009: Ford F-150 2008: Chevrolet Malibu 2007: Chevrolet Silverado 2006: Honda Civic 2005: Ford Mustang 2004: Ford F-150 "Each year, redesigned vehicle models improve with more standard features and exciting options, giving consumers great choices when it comes to shopping for a new car," Nerad pointed out. "These days, it's tough to find a new vehicle in any category or price-point that isn't up to par, so choosing a vehicle as the year's Best Redesign is a great challenge," he concluded.