1983 Thunderbird- Heritage Edition 41k Original Miles. on 2040-cars

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Ford bringing adaptive steering to the masses [w/video]

Within the next year, Ford will offer a brand-new adaptive steering system (unimaginatively dubbed "Ford Adaptive Steering"), and this week, the automaker invited us out to its proving grounds in Dearborn, MI to get a taste for how its new setup works. In function, Ford's system doesn't greatly differ from the majority of other adaptive steering units already on the market from companies like Audi or BMW, but consider this: Ford will be the first non-luxury automaker to offer this technology, and uniquely, the whole system fits inside the car's steering wheel.
Ford's engineers have worked hard to create a system that can be tacked on to the company's full lineup of cars, trucks and utility vehicles, and says that the adaptive steering will be uniquely tuned for each specific vehicle. The automaker will not confirm exactly which vehicle will launch with this technology, but for the purpose of our preview, we tested the technology in a 2014 Fusion - a vehicle with already-good behind-the-wheel feel, one that the company says best demonstrates its current steering efforts.

2020 Ford Super Duty Tremor vs. 2020 Ram 2500 Power Wagon: How they compare on paper

(Editor's Note: Due to inconsistencies in manufacturer reporting methods for ground clearance, an earlier version of this article stated the Ram Power Wagon's "ground clearance" to be 14.3 inches when in fact that is its "running clearance," which is deemed the ground to the lowest point of the truck MINUS the axles. The numbers below now reflect true ground clearance, or the ground to the lowest point of the truck, period. The chart and text have been updated to show both measurements for maximum accuracy and clarity.) For several years, the Ram 2500 Power Wagon has been the unquestioned king of heavy duty off-roaders. But competition is coming, and some of the strongest is from the 2020 Ford Super Duty Tremor. We decided to take a look at these trucks' specs and features to see how they compare in the realm of capability. The raw numbers are below along with some notes on each truck's unique features that go beyond the spec sheet. Off-road capability While both of these trucks boast impressive clambering abilities, each with particular strengths. The Super Duty Tremor earns points for better ground clearance and axle clearance, as well as approach angle. Some of the credit goes to the larger 35-inch tires and a shortened front air dam. On the other hand, the Power Wagon leads the Ford in departure angle, and in the ramp travel index. The latter is largely the result of the Power Wagon's electronically disconnecting sway bars, and for those unfamiliar, the ramp travel index measures articulation by having a truck drive one wheel up a ramp with the other on the ground. The farther the truck goes with the ground wheel in contact with the, well, ground, the better the score and the better the articulation. Numbers aren't everything, though. It's important to look at the equipment each truck offers, and things are closer, here, but the Ram still has an edge. Both feature off-road-friendly solid axles at both ends, but only the Power Wagon has fully locking differentials front and rear. The Tremor has a locking rear differential while the front is a limited-slip differential. The Power Wagon comes standard with a 12,000-pound integrated Warn winch, whereas such a winch is an option on the Tremor. The Tremor has its own unique features, though, including the 35-inch tires rather than the Ram's 33-inchers, and it has Ford's fancy off-road cruise control function called Trail Control. Both trucks have shocks and springs tuned for off-road use.

Ford Police Interceptors dominate Michigan State Police testing

Once again, Ford Motor Company builds the fastest police vehicles. The Blue Oval touted the news in an official release following Michigan State Police and Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department testing. Ford did very well. Except for one acceleration metric – zero to 10 miles per hour – the Blue Oval's Taurus and Explorer-based cop cars were the quickest, with particular praise coming for the EcoBoost-powered models, which bested Chevrolet and Dodge's V8-powered variants. Dearborn's products also posted the fastest average times around MSP's vehicle dynamics course. But it wasn't all positive for Ford. The only four-cylinder in the contest, the 2.0-liter, EcoBoost Ford SSP Sedan, had both the lowest top speed, 120 mph, and the slowest acceleration figures. It was also the slowest in track testing. Ford's products also failed to match the braking and top speeds of its rivals from Detroit and Auburn Hills – the rear-drive Charger Pursuit posted the best braking stats of the entire test, while the V8-powered Chevrolet Caprice hit the highest top speed, at 155 mph. Ford did score a top speed award, among SUVs, but at 132 mph, the naturally aspirated Police Interceptor Utility had to share its award with the equally fast, rear-drive Chevrolet Tahoe. The LA County Sheriff's timing isn't publicly available, but according to Ford, the EcoBoost-powered police cars put on a similarly impressive show for cops on the West Coast. We've assembled a spreadsheet on Google Docs that offers an easy to browse comparison of the different stats assembled by the Michigan State Police, and divided the vehicles between standard V6-powered sedans, high-performance sedans (EcoBoost and V8 models), and SUVs. You can check it out here. Related Video: