steve c

The wife is out of town for the next month so I drove her LR3 to the airport this week. First time in a while I have driven it, still pleasently surprised with just how well everything is put together and how it drives.

Anyway, it got me to thinking. Being that Ford owns Landrover, is the LR now considered a domestic?

If it is my bet is on Ford to do well in the future as they seem to have nailed it with the LR3.

Lice Locket

Well, it all comes from where it is actually made (ex. on the car sheets on cars, it may say 95% UK, 5% USA). Just b/c a car company owns another company it doesn't mean that its responsible for its research, procedures, etc. Like, Acuras have a higher reliability rate than Hondas, believe it or not (on Consumer Report, I think, Acura is #1, and Honda is #4. Similarly, Lexus/Toyota and Infiniti/Nissan have differences). Honda Accords made in the US have slightly more reliability issues than Honda Accords shipped from Japan.

Ford may own the Landrovers, but doesn't it also own Mazda? Mazda still has its own stuff, and Ford simply is there for money decisions. How the Mazdas are built is up to their scientists and engineers.

no_really

actually, I'd say it has more to do with corporate history than country of origin at this point. Land Rover is as English as Jaguar and bubble and squeak, so it definitely is not domestic. Chrysler is a domestic maker mated to a German make, but their cars are certainly domestic. Accords are imports, regardless of the actual factory location. The GTO bears a domestic label, so it is domestic, regardless of the Holden connection.

If you stick to defining domestic by the badge on the car, it is very easy. If you like to get into parts sourcing, factory location, holding companies, and all the other nonsense involved, you'll give yourself a headache, and gain no greater truths for your efforts.

FWIW, reliability surveys from the likes of CR tend to rate a domestic nameplate-bearing car lower than the identical car, from the same factory, with the same parts, bearing import labels. Go figure.

rai

Ford has a lot of potential, however they're not on the level they should be. They own Volvo and their XC90 is the best selling import suv from europe.

They can use that platform or the LR3 platform to make real nice high volume SUVs.

I see Ford as being 8-10 years behind where they should be in in engines. They can only make 200 hp V6s for the mustang and the Five hundred. And the XC90 has to source Yamaha for a V8. They were making 270hp V8s for thunderbirds.

True Jag and LR do have better engines (power) but they're not putting those engines in the high volume cars like Honda/toyota etc. are.

Honda, Nissan, Toyota, MB, BMW, even Chrysler have 250hp to 300hp V6s falling out their ass. It can't be hard at all. Honda can make an Accord with 260hp and sell it for low 20s. Honda makes 200hp I4s easy as pie.

So here's the Ford five hundred with 200hp and here's the Avalon with 280hp which one has the advantage?

Ford invested in excursions and navigators and 2-ton trucks and is using engines from the 90s in its so-called bread and butter cars.

steve c

Good point, wtf.

Sr2oD3

it is owned by Ford, but they are still made in England

the UK Ford division is totally day and night in reliability compared to the US division they make great cars (I an't believe I said that)

they basically bought the company, improved TONS of parts and engine designs and increased the quality, but they are still a British made luxury vehicle(I love the LR3s )

they also have a partnership with BMW for the Range Rover series with help in development of the engines also

steve c

Actually, BMW owned LR for a while, thus the outgoing BMW motors in the range.

rockville

Rai,

I generally agree with your points but I thought I would point out a few things.

I see Ford as being 8-10 years behind where they should be in in engines. They can only make 200 hp V6s for the mustang and the Five hundred. And the XC90 has to source Yamaha for a V8. They were making 270hp V8s for thunderbirds.
Ford currently has two 200hp domestic labeled V6s, the Duratec 3.0L and the one used in the new Mustang. I personally like the 2.5L Duratec engines. The 200hp version in the Contour SVT was wonderful. For what ever reason the motor seemed to have lost all it

Lice Locket

I totally agree with you. Ford is WAY behind. Another example you can add is the STi; Ford Mustang V8s are known as the big muscle cars, but suprisingly, the 4 cylinder car can outrun it (0-60 for STi is 4.8 s vs the Mustang GT's 5.2 s).

rockville

[QUOTE=Lice Locket,Jun 23 2005, 10:22 AM] I totally agree with you.