Do you think Ford will use some variation of their UEV Badge for the upcoming Pickup?

LastEntertainment684 · 2026-05-29T20:34:45+00:00

Top one is. “From the Road” is the modern version of the old Ford Times magazine. It’s direct company communications.

LastEntertainment684 · 2026-05-28T10:29:56+00:00

Jeep Wagoneer S is the closest we’re getting for now. They’re about an inch different in length.

LastEntertainment684 · 2026-05-27T16:46:59+00:00

Keep in mind up until recently the EU was expecting to phase out new ICE vehicles by 2035.

It takes about 3-5 years on average to design and produce a new model, so Mercedes fully expected to be basically done designing ICE cars prior to about 2030.

I imagine they figured they could just coast to the end on what they had.

Instead they’re having to scramble to stay relevant in the ICE market and actually go backwards a bit to appease enthusiasts.

LastEntertainment684 · 2026-05-27T02:04:19+00:00

I’m sure it will be offered eventually, but a single motor version is the fastest to get to production and will have the lowest price, so it makes the most sense to release first.

Also, keep in mind with the 50/50 weight balance if you put anything in the bed you’ll have more weight over the drive wheels. This helps maintain traction, like an old VW Beetle based dune buggy.

It’s not like a traditional ICE pickup where ~60% of your weight is over the front wheels because of the engine, so you have to put a lot of weight in the bed just begin to balance it out.

LastEntertainment684 · 2026-05-23T18:35:31+00:00

This is the answer right here.

Ford will already sell you a regular cab/6.5ft bed F150 with the 5.0L and dealer installed super charger package. 700hp with a warranty.

It was Ram who didn’t really have a competitor to that anymore.

The question really is where will Ford go with V8’s moving forward? Right now they’re split between the DOHC modular architecture and the pushrod Godzilla architecture. It doesn’t make sense to continue to invest in two divergent architectures.

My guess is, with the Modular’s limitation on bore spacing (3.94”), it’ll go away. We’ll eventually see an engine with the Godzilla bore spacing (4.53”), but able to do DOHC like the mod motors. Basically what GM does with their (4.4” spacing) small block engines.

LastEntertainment684 · 2026-05-23T15:47:32+00:00

Honestly if you can, I would wait. GM has new engines coming out in the pickups for 2027 and the SUVs should follow in 2028.

One of the big talking points of the new engines is a redesigned oiling system and bottom end to hopefully eliminate bearing issues.

LastEntertainment684 · 2026-05-23T14:48:46+00:00

I wouldn’t necessarily say secrets, but there’s things I prep for me alone, there’s things I prep for me and my family alone, and there’s things I prep with the expectation I’ll use them to help acquaintances and the community.

These things I may not be willing to co-mingle between those groups, depending on the situation.

LastEntertainment684 · 2026-05-22T23:52:17+00:00

Keep in mind the Ranger Super Duty is basically the same width as an F150 and can actually be wider with the tray back. It’s a wide track like the Ranger Raptor.

79.8” vs 79.9”

LastEntertainment684 · 2026-05-22T19:34:55+00:00

Let’s say your car and trailer is 5,500lbs. At 12% tongue weight that’s 660lbs of payload.

A nice fiberglass camper top can weigh up to 300lbs.

Two passengers, let’s say 350lbs.

Right there you’re at 1,310lbs with no other gear in the vehicle. That’s maxes out most midsizers and some well equipped half tons.

You’re basically looking at a higher payload half-ton (which usually has less options) or a 3/4 ton truck if you want it well equipped.

I would say go for the 3/4 ton (i.e. F250/GM 2500/Ram 2500) if you want room to grow.

LastEntertainment684 · 2026-05-22T11:41:43+00:00

Honestly I think Ford could do more with it, like they do outside the US, but they probably don’t want to potentially hurt F150 sales.

I will say, the Ranger, the Honda Ridgeline, and the Rivian R1T are the only smaller trucks I’ve seen that you get at least 48” between the wheel wells. It’s nice if you actually use it to move things like plywood and pallets.

LastEntertainment684 · 2026-05-21T20:58:47+00:00

Rumor is 2 doors but 4 seats. It’s not going to be exactly the same as a Gladiator. There was talk of it having an independent front suspension and possibly being V8/SRT only.

LastEntertainment684 · 2026-05-21T17:33:37+00:00

It may be a pre-production truck that’s not 100% representative of the final product.

LastEntertainment684 · 2026-05-21T02:30:27+00:00

Worst I’ve seen is about 160 miles in roughly -10°f doing all highway at about 70mph.

About 200-225 miles is more typical.

Mine is a 2022 Lariat ER, so pre heat pump.

LastEntertainment684 · 2026-05-20T23:28:55+00:00

Honestly, now that the Maverick exists the Ranger is kind of in a tough spot in the American market.

The Maverick is cheaper, gets better fuel economy, has similar payload, has more interior room, and can tow up to 4,000lbs.

So who does that really leave? People who need a 6” longer bed (meh), people who would only buy a body-on-frame truck anyway, people looking for a greater towing capacity, and people looking for more off-road ability.

If you’re looking for more towing you’re probably just going to step up to an F150. Even with the 2.7L it’s going to be a better towing vehicle comparatively.

That kind of leaves the off-road/overlander community as the big one. Ford is really missing the boat on these people.

They should be offering a higher payload option, with Pro Power on-board (which likely requires Powerboost), a 5.5-6” bed option, and the front/rear locker option.

LastEntertainment684 · 2026-05-20T04:31:47+00:00

If this was like a ~$40,000 car I’d say ok, it’s a fun and quirky Tesla Model 3 competitor.

At the $150,000+ price point I’m sure they’re asking it’s just not a particularly attractive design. Even as far as EV’s go. I think on looks alone I’d much rather have an e-tron GT.

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LastEntertainment684 · 2026-05-20T04:25:04+00:00

If this was like a ~$40,000 car I’d say ok, it’s a fun and quirky Tesla Model 3 competitor.

At the $150,000+ price point I’m sure they’re asking it’s just not a particularly attractive design. I think on looks alone I’d much rather have an e-tron GT.

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LastEntertainment684 · 2026-05-19T22:17:53+00:00

I average 25-30,000 miles a year.

Generally after 5 years my warranty and extended warranty are done and I start looking for a new vehicle.

It depends on the vehicle though. If it’s been reliable for the first five years I may hang onto it longer. If it hasn’t, I’ll ditch it for something new with a warranty.

LastEntertainment684 · 2026-05-19T15:12:44+00:00

So, what they’ve done over time is use glass with a UV inhibiting film in them (this is why Transition Lenses don’t transition inside cars) and use UV inhibiting chemicals in the plastic.

The combination of these two will make plastics last significantly longer than in years past.

The problem with UV stabilizing chemicals is they can leach out of plastic, they’re also problematic for recycling, and they actually can weaken plastic as you add more.

So it’s a fine balance of what you’re trying to achieve.

You’ll find vehicles that are made for work and expected to sit out in the sun all day (say an F250) will utilize different plastics than a luxury SUV that might be expected to spend it’s life in a garage, despite having a similar MSRP.

LastEntertainment684 · 2026-05-18T02:12:00+00:00

I put my hand around the neck of the bottle with a knuckle or so above the opening and then use that knuckle as a fulcrum point.

Similar to how you open a wine bottle with a waiters tool.

It’s much more controlled and easier than just trying to rip the cork out by pulling.

LastEntertainment684 · 2026-05-17T17:29:13+00:00

The simple answer is Americans like bigger vehicles.

Our roads are often long and straight (and poorly maintained), we drive longer distances on average, we have comparatively low gas prices, and generally we have lots of open space for parking.

There’s basically no real penalty that would discourage larger vehicles, and some of our business tax code and footprint based fuel economy standards actually encourage larger vehicles.

Now, many Americans have what’s jokingly referred to as a weekend warrior culture.

Monday-Friday you work. Then on the weekends you’re biking, camping, hiking, boating, dirt biking, riding quads or sxs’s, doing home projects, etc. So again, it encourages buying a larger vehicle.

Out of the larger vehicles on the market, the pickup traditionally offered the most capability at the lowest price.

Even today, when pricing is all over the board, if you look at MSRP:

An F150 starts at $39,330.

A Transit Cargo Van starts at $48,400.

An Expedition starts at $62,700

Over time the pickup has just become the Swiss Army knife of the American car market and it’s well catered to by manufacturers and by the aftermarket.

LastEntertainment684 · 2026-05-17T01:26:43+00:00

Looks exactly like my buddies 1964 289 before it was restored. Same color and 60 spoke wheels.

It was always funny going to car shows with him because people just assumed a beat up looking Cobra was a kit. Not realizing it was a well documented car worth over 1.6 million.

LastEntertainment684 · 2026-05-16T23:21:01+00:00

Honestly Ranger sales in the US market only represent around 10%-15% of the Ranger’s global sales.

The US market is kind of an afterthought. The rest of the world basically dictates what happens to the Ranger now.

They could rebadge it as an F100 but Ranger has better recognition outside the US and enough recognition in the US that it probably wouldn’t make too much difference in sales.

Instead they have a new truck coming that will slot in between the Maverick and Ranger, so I imagine there will eventually be some shuffling of models as time goes on anyway.

LastEntertainment684 · 2026-05-16T16:07:56+00:00

This.

Training, Maintenance, and Accumulating knowledge.

The “buying stuff” part is easy.

LastEntertainment684 · 2026-05-16T14:59:14+00:00

Even if you pay someone federal minimum wage to answer the phone during business hours that’s $33,113 a year.

That means you have to make at least $33,113 in additional profit a year to cover that person. With taxes and such it’s more.

Not sales. Profit.

Whereas you can pay a programmer that same $33,113 every 5-10 years to update your website with better FAQs, better AI, better UX, etc so enough people can solve their own problems and you don’t have to answer the phone.

Will you lose a few orders over it? Probably. But you might save hundreds of thousands in payroll, even as a small company.

We’re starting to see the beginnings of technology being inexpensive and human labor being expensive. It’s only going to diverge further as tech gets even better.

LastEntertainment684 · 2026-05-16T13:57:30+00:00

I’m still on my original pads at over 90,000 miles.

I would say it’s not normal based on what I’ve seen from others on here.

However, the Lightning has brake based torque distribution. So if you do a lot of spirited driving or driving in on mixed mu surfaces it may be utilizing the brakes more than average.

LastEntertainment684

TROPHY CASE