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- The rumor about the 2021 Ford Thunderbird?
- Best car for my bakery?
- You guys hate Chevy!
The first question comes from a fan who wants to know about the rumor of a 2021 Ford Thunderbird
Q:Hi Nathan and Andre! Do you guys know anything about Ford bringing back the Ford Thunderbird?
I hated the last one. It looked like a cigar, it was too soft and too slow. My grandma liked the way it looks, and I think that was the type of person Ford was gunning for. My officemate says there will be another Ford Thunderbird that comes out in 2021 or 2022.
I’m skeptical. What do you guys think about this rumor? I hope it happens!
Ted
A: Hi Ted!
I have a tiny bit of information and a gaggle of rumors regarding the 2021 Ford Thunderbird. We know that Ford filed a trademark application for the name “Thunderbird” back in May 2016. Considering the last Ford Thunderbird rolled off the assembly line in Wixom Assembly Plant on July 1st 2005, very little was said about its demise.
There are a few rumors that I’ve recently heard regurgitated by a few industry “insiders.”
Mustang platform: One bit of speculation hovers around the fact that the new Ford Mustang has an independent rear suspension – a must for luxury/performance consumers. It should be possible to build a T-Bird based on the Mustang – but is there a market for that?
Electric Thunderbird: There is a completely unsubstantiated rumor regarding Ford collecting old names that they will reintroduce when they bring out their fleet of all-electric cars – in the near future. It stands to reason that, if there’s any credence to this rumor, cars like the Thunderbird (“Lightning-bird?”) might be used. Frankly, this is a tough rumor to swallow.
Shortened Lincoln Continental: The Ford CD4 platform underpins the new 10th generation Lincoln Continental and it’s used by several other Ford/Lincoln vehicles – it’s a flexible platform. This setup allows for front and AWD setups. This setup could make for the first AWD T-Bird; something that’s never happened before.
Either way, Ford won’t build any Thunderbird until they see favorable market potential in its future.
N
This next question comes from a fan who is looking for a good bakery van.
Q: I am looking for a replacement of my husband’s truck for my bakery business. I was thinking about a minivan, but my husband says a small work van is the way to go.
I am very short (five feet nothing LOL!) and it’s hard enough getting into my husband’s (2015 Ford F-150) truck, unloading from the back is very difficult for me. Just the other day, I dropped a whole tray of baked goods while unloading. Fortunately for me the client is very understanding and I made up for it that afternoon. That was the final straw for me and my husband agrees.
He says that you guys are great about being real and that you’ve tested vans before. My husband Joey loves watching you and laughs out loud some times along with your videos. I’ve seen a few and I like your variety!
I am willing to spend about $25,000 as long as I get a good warranty and something big enough to hold my four-foot by four-foot racks and about 400 pounds. It would be nice to get something very low (for little-ol-me!) and something that gets good mileage.
Can you help me?
Gertrude M.M.
Wilmington, Delaware
A: Hi Gertrude!
You’re in luck! Our sister website, TFLtruck.com has material on all three of the main players for small cargo vans. All three of these vans, the Nissan NV200, Ford Transit Connect and the Ram ProMaster City are front-drive, easy to get in and out of while their loading-floors are very low.
Here’s some basic information:
- The Nissan NV200. All three start in the low $20,000-zone with the Nissan NV200 being the least expensive. It’s extremely easy to park and it’s quite maneuverable. It has the best warranty of 5-years and/or 100,000 miles, bumper-to-bumper.
- The Ford Transit Connect is the most “car-like” among the three. It rides well and it’s as easy to drive as a Ford Fusion. This is the only van that has two wheelbases to choose from. It can tow the most, up to 2.000-lbs.
- The Ram ProMaster City is very capable with the best cargo capacity – 131.7 cubic feet of space, best highway mileage of 28 mpg and best maximum payload of 1,883-lbs.
I recommend going on all three websites and looking at how you can equip them. There are some nifty upgrades you can get including business wrapping the exterior, custom shelving for the interior and more! It’s worth the time to research each one before you test-drive.
You truly have to test all three on the same day – if possible.
All three are good little vans. I would recommend looking at your competition, checking out owners’ blogs and asking around. As I am the opposite of “small” I cannot tell you which one would be most accommodating for you. Sorry.
Best of luck!
N
The last question comes from a viewer who thinks we hate Chevrolet.
Q: (Statement paraphrased from our The Fast Lane Truck/TFLtruck video page) – I mean that the TFL group in the past has been notorious for being biased against GM products. So it would only make sense that they’d bring on people to showcase that GM is an inferior brand.
John Doe
(Via: YouTube)
A: Wow – “notorious?”
Okay… after thinking about this remark, and rubbing my beard in deep contemplation, I opted to answer using a few years worth of Gold Hitch Award recipients. I’m not going to argue the point; as I suspect that, in one comparison, you didn’t like something we liked or we didn’t agree with something you believed.
Here is 2016’s results:
The 2016 Gold Hitch Award Winners:
Best Towing Mid-size pickup truck: 2016 GMC Canyon Duramax Diesel
Best Towing Half-ton pickup truck: 2016 Ford F-150 5.0L
Best Towing HD pickup truck: 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 HD 6.6L
Best Towing SUV: 2016 Toyota Land Cruiser
Best Off-Road truck: 2016 Ram 2500 Power Wagon
2016 Gold Hitch Truck of the Year: 2016 GMC Canyon Duramax Diesel
Hummm… maybe this year’s awards will show that “bias” you’re talking about.
Best Towing SUV: 2015 GMC Yukon XL
Best Towing Midsize: 2015 GMC Canyon 3.6L V6
Best Towing Half-ton pickup: 2015 Ford F-150 2.7 V6
Best Towing HD Gas: 2015 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 6.0L V8
Best Towing HD Diesel: 2015 Ram 3500 Dually 6.7L I6
OOPS! Sorry, that was 2015… GM only dominated three out of five awards.
Here’s the 2017results:
Best Off-road: 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor
Best Towing Midsize: 2017 GMC Canyon diesel
Best Towing Half-ton pickup: 2017 Ford F-150
Best Towing HD Diesel: 2017 Ram 3500 Dually 6.7L I6
Truck of the year: 2017 Ford F-150 (which includes the Raptor)
…so – yes – 2017 wasn’t GM’s year.
Still, if you look at the big picture, and you look at the total tally of awards, GM is on top. Also, if you would bother to watch our other GM videos featuring their newest trucks, you will see that we opted not to fling cow dung at them.
Honestly man, we do our best to call them as we see them.
If this doesn’t convince you – nothing will.
N
Now, to be fair, he did respond and I guessed correctly, he didn’t agree with our testing methods and results on a recent Ike Gauntlet test. He went on to say that we geek out over Fords all the time. ” nathan adlen I look forward to watching the video and seeing your defensive answer. ”
It is what it is folks.
Check out this fun Chevrolet video from the desert!
Nathan and The Fast Lane Car team are here to answer your (reasonable) questions. Interesting and/or entertaining emails will be posted to this column. If it’s relevant in the automotive universe, there’s a chance we may know something about it. The author’s email address and name will be omitted – leaving your initials or nickname, your preference.
From day one, The Fast Lane Car has made it our policy to answer as many questions and comments as we can. We get thousands of emails and comments and feel that, as part of a tight-knit automotive community, having an open dialogue with you keeps things fresh and exciting.
Got a question for Nathan? Drop him a line at: asknathan@tflcar.com.
