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Ford gets dirty testing the 2017 Raptor

Want to hear the sweet sound of turbochargers spinning merrily away underhood of a 2017 Ford Raptor pickup truck test mule? Of course you do. And we're happy to oblige. Fortunately for you, those aren't the only sounds you'll hear when you watch the video above. We noted plenty of birds and insects, too, which means Ford has finally seen fit to share some good old fashioned muddy off-road footage of its upcoming off-road superstar as it is subjected to rigorous testing ahead of its on-sale date in the fall of 2016. It's no secret that we're big fans of the first generation of the Ford Raptor. If there was one complaint we've voiced about the truck, it's that the off-road-specific pickup could use a touch more power. Fortunately, more power is coming for 2017 as Ford replaces the outgoing 6.2-liter V8 with a new version of its 3.5-liter twin-turbo EcoBoost V6. We don't know exactly how many horses the new truck will corral, but we know it will be more than the 411 horsepower and 434 pound-feet of torque offered by the previous truck. This is the second time Ford has let out some interesting information about its tests of the next Raptor, the first focusing specifically on grueling desert trials. Considering the promises Ford is making about the 2017 Raptor's various off-road capabilities, we're keen to put the pickup through its paces ourselves. For now, though, join us in watching the video above. Related Gallery 2017 Ford SVT Raptor Desert Testing News Source: Ford Ford Truck Off-Road Vehicles Videos ford f-150 svt raptor ford raptor

STUDY: Ford owns brand loyalty in 2009; Scorned Saturn, Pontiac buyers will look outside of GM

Ford buyers appear to love their cars more than customers of any other automotive brand, returning back to the American automaker when it comes time to purchase their next vehicle. According to a study by Experian Automotive, six of the top 10 vehicles for customer brand loyalty wear badges from the Blue Oval. That includes the Ford Fusion (62.4 percent), Ford Edge (57.9 percent), Ford Five Hundred/Taurus (56 percent), Ford Freestyle (51.9 percent), Ford Escape (49.4 percent) and the Ford Focus (47.57 percent).
Other vehicles making up the top 10 include the Toyota Prius (52 percent), Chevy Impala (51.7 percent), Toyota Camry (47.8 percent) and Toyota Corolla (47.56 percent). This brings up an interesting question: With the closing of automotive brands like Saturn and Pontiac, where are those buyers to turn for their next automotive purchase?
Apparently, not back to General Motors. According to Experian, Pontiac owners are most likely to look to the Ford lineup for their next car or truck and Saturn shoppers will switch to Toyota or Honda - not particularly surprising given that Saturn was meant to compete with import brands. Experian predicts that GM's overall market share will fall from 20 percent to about 17.5 percent, with most of the slack being picked up by Ford, Honda and Toyota.

Ford announces four recalls, 1.4M vehicles affected

Ford is taking a bit of the spotlight away from General Motors, announcing a major group of recall campaigns, covering a total of 1.4 million vehicles built between 2006 and 2013.
Let's start with the big one, which covers the Ford Escape, Mercury Mariner and, according to The Detroit News, Ford-built Mazda Tribute CUVs. 915,216 vehicles are covered, all of which were built in model years 2008 to 2011. 736,000 vehicles are in the US, while Canada then Mexico make up the vast majority of the remainder. The problem is due to an issue with the torque sensor in the steering column, which could lead to sudden power steering failure. Manual steering would still be available, though.
"Dealers will perform one of three service fixes, depending upon what diagnostic codes are shown when the vehicle is taken to the dealer," Ford spokeswoman Kelli Felker wrote to Autoblog in an email. "They will either update software for the power steering control module and the instrument cluster module; replace the torque sensor; or replace the steering column, which includes upgraded power steering control module software."