The original Taurus SHO had the definitive look of sporty nailed. It had the ground effects package that gave it that low to the ground race type theme. On the inside, the manual transmission made it even more of a thrill as one climbed through the gears. The car felt heavy, but very competent and able to perform as one might expect from the letters that stand for Super High Output (SHO).

The attraction then was carried on to this new version, the 2nd generation Taurus SHO and Ford once again made the SHO a success. It has the same comforting features, speed characteristics, and agile handling that one would expect from a sports car.

This new version however, is a bit more stealthy than the older models. It has more of a sleeper effect, with less prominent ground effects or body modifications that would indicate it to be as powerful as it is.

The Ford Taurus SHO has made an impact on the enthusiast community and aftermarket industry, with a significant support infrastructure where owners can meet other owners and share information about the vehicle. These forums originating online have led to tech sessions and other events, all contributing to the passion behind the SHO.

Perhaps the most famous owner of an SHO being Conan O’Brien who often spoke of his awesome Ford Taurus and swore that he’d never own anything better. This personal relationship is what all Ford Taurus SHO owners should be able to expect and appreciate.

The Ford Mustang will instantly gain your respect at a stoplight after it yanks you through first gear and abruptly introduces you to power you were not anticipating. As you climb through the gears, you’ll be satisfied to a degree that spending six figures is ludicrous and unwarranted.

I remember my first 5.0 L. The sound of the exhaust was deep and powerful. One had to be careful, letting up on the clutch too quickly could lead to excessive tire wear, especially the rear ones. The best feeling was the low-end torque is that pulled you out of each gear.

The 5.0 L badge was a symbol of something special under the hood. The chrome 5.0 emblem sat just above the front tires but back towards the front doors, perfectly positioned as a point of reference for anyone to know whether it had the power.

It’s easy to understand why Ford brought back the Mustang 5.0 L. It was such an iconic car so many kids dreamed of owning. I never owned one until I was about 22 years old. But even then it meant just as much if not more to sit behind the wheel of something I always wanted to drive.

The look of the 5.0 L was cool on the outside but until I started the engine and sat in the driver’s seat, did I experience the reason that made me desire one of these vehicles so much. The sound of the ignition was like a burst of adrenaline.

Even though mine was an 88, I’m anxious to see if the new 5.0 L will still send those same feelings of anxiety and anxiousness through me when the key turns and the high-pitched starter precedes the low rumble of the engine at idle.

Back in the day, if you saw the 5.0 badge on the side of the Mustang just before the door on the quarter panel, you knew it had some power behind it and it could really move. Then when the new packages like the Cobra, Saleen, and Roush, people seemed to be wondering what’s the baddest of all these.

The Mustang RTR is bad.

I don’t even need to know what RTR stands for other than to see one sitting there at a light or cruising along to know this vehicle is one sick ride. The appearance gives off an even more sinister look that the Cobra R did, and it’s clearly much more low profile than the R.

So look again at that name, RTR. If it has anything to do with what the R meant for the Cobra then we’re going to be in for a shockingly fast street car. Most people who have never driven something like a supercharged or a big block V8 that’s been built with forged components would likely never want to just jump into one of these and cruise along. The sheer power when you get into the throttle is enough to make you fear that your guardian angel is looking out for you.

Horsepower is a seductive thing. Once you acquire a taste for it, you’ll likely want to seek out more. The question is whether you are skilled enough to handle something like that because frankly, once you get behind the wheel, you’ll be asking yourself that very question.

So if you’re in the market for some extra horsepower and slick looking design, it’s going to run you $7,995 for the RTR package designed by Vaughn Gittin Jr.

The popularity of phones that have Google Maps on them makes this an attractive offer from Ford. In addition, the directions and route information will be converted to audio, which will provide turn-by-turn instructions. As people become more dependant on their cell phones for information a risk of using the phone while driving presents substantial danger, so this was a necessary technology and a timely one.

This ‘send to SYNC’ will be initiated later this month and will be accessible for existing models, supplied with the SYNC TDI without any extra cost as well as without any additional software and hardware updates. A new facility to Ford Service Delivery Network, this ‘send to SYNC’ will provide voice triggered services available through a customer’s cell phone. Director of Ford Connected Services said that printed paper information from a site is a historical object in this digital era and with this send to SYNC option, you can plot a destination, wherever you have connectivity, and hence when you are in your car, it already knows your destination.

The SYNC TDI function powers a customer’s cell phone voice function and the vehicles incorporated a GPS receiver to convey locality-based services. These services will enable drivers to spend less time searching for businesses and destinations. Whenever the user visits Google Maps on the website in search of destinations, an option to send a selected destination to their Ford via a send menu will be available.

Ford is presently the sole automaker working with Google to send directions to your car with SYNC free of cost. The director of Ford services said that the reason why Ford is a leader with SYNC is that Ford is constantly working to deliver improvements to their customers and that they are proud to be associating with Google in this respect.

Five more 2010 Ford Motor Company vehicles – Ford Flex, Ford Fusion, Lincoln MKZ,
Lincoln MKT and Mercury Milan – have earned Top Safety Picks from the Insurance Institute for
Highway Safety (IIHS). The rating also applies to the Fusion Hybrid and Milan Hybrid.

Flex, Fusion, MKZ, MKT and Milan previously earned top possible scores for occupant protection in
IIHS’s front, side and rear tests, but had to pass IIHS’s new roof strength test to maintain the rating.
Vehicles also must offer electronic stability control to be eligible for a Top Safety Pick.

With each new model year, Ford keeps raising the bar on vehicle safety!

An owner’s ability to rock out, chill out, or even lull the baby to sleep with their individual choice of music can be safely achieved with SYNC system voice commands. An owner’s digital media player, i.e., iPod or iPhone, when plugged into the USB port and SYNC makes an index for the owner’s music library which gives an efficient way to have all songs within a simple voice command. All you have to do is ask what you want to know. Can’t remember the name of the song currently playing? Just ask. Want to hear Led Zeppelin play the most requested song ever, “Stairway to Heaven”? If you have it in your media library, it is a voice command away.

MP3 compatibility is possible on some Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury vehicle sound systems. This is possible with an ‘audio input jack’. Ford tutors owners to “plug in their MP3 player using a standard 3.5 millimeter male-to-male audio cable and enjoy personalized music through the vehicle’s audio system.”

Your vehicle may be built Ford Tough but even tough guys can bend and Ford vehicles accommodate any music genre your heart desires. Classical to Metal; Blues to Lullabies; Hip Hop to Holiday no matter the genre of genres of your digital music Ford makes hearing your favorites as easy as asking.

This weekend in Purcell, Marc Heitz hosted a Used Car Clearance Event bringing thousands of vehicles in to one place from all three dealerships. 93.3 Jake FM was there hosting a remote where some lucky shoppers won some pretty incredible prizes! A car a day was given away by the Marc Heitz Auto Family as well as tickets to see Carrie Underwood live in concert!

Congrats to all of our winners from this weekend!

Going to see Carrie Underwood in concert!

Won a car from the Marc Heitz Auto Family!

Ford Explorer Terrain Management System

Ford Motor Company is spending $400 million to retool it’s Chicago plant for the production of an all-new 2011 Ford Explorer. The vehicle is set to be built on the unibody Taurus platform and will be offered for purchase later in 2010.There will be many new excting features offered in the redesign like the use inflatable rear seatbelts as well as a way to navigate a variety of terrain.

Driving safely is important each time an engine is started and the wheels begin to rotate, but for people who must drive in weather related treterous conditions like heavy snowfalls or navigate land that lies untamed then a ‘Terrain Management System’ is a great feature to have in your automobile.

According to a Ford Motor Company press release, “The all-new Ford Explorer features an intelligent four-wheel-drive (4WD) control system that optimizes vehicle capability to specific situations.” This is accomplished by the manipulation of pertrain and braking to offer ‘appropriate traction’ for rough landscape or roads that are not safe to drive on because of inclimate weather.

The 2011 Ford Explorer owner will be able to easily turn on the Terrain Management System as it is a labeled switchable knob locaed on the console. This grants a range of options from which to choose: snow to sand to mud and hill descents. Just as Route 66 offered Americans the open road adventure now Ford is offering Americans the adventure of unchartered territory.

Ford also relays that terrain management ‘increases fuel economy by eliminating heavy transfer case and driveline components, while making 4WD capabilities more accessible.”

The word that most accurately describes the system is ‘intuitive’ in that the the system takes the guess work out of 4WD management and grants the owner/driver through the system, the ability to ‘match 4WD traction to the situation and road conditions.”

Because Ford Motor Company is aware of consumer need in the areas of off road and inclement driving needs, new technology is offered and it is as always built Ford Tough.

The 2011 Edge has a base price of $27,350 and the sporty utility vehicle now offers three powertrain choices: The 3.5 that offers 285 horses and 253 lb. ft. of torque is now joined by Ford’s new EcoBoost which is a 2.0-liter 4 cylinder turbo, and the third choice is a 3.7-liter Ti-VCT V-6 which grants the Edge Sport 305 horses and 280 lb ft of torque.

The Compact is great for families or individuals who want to carry groceries or gear and do not prefer the open bed of a truck. Fuel economy which seems to be the buzz phrase today in the auto industry continues to improve in compacts. The new Edge with EcoBoost is predicted to get approximately 30% better gas mileage than last year’s model.

Safety features on compacts are also provided with parents in mind. Ford Edge provides a reinforced steel cage, six standard air bags, Personal Safety System™, and AdvanceTrac® with Roll Stability Control™. It is good to remember that this is a crossover which handles well for its size but will still be a little top heavy when compared to a car. The 2011 Ford Edge has made some adjustments in handling using new subframe mounts which should also minimize noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH).

The 2011 Ford Edge and Edge Sport also show an updated exterior and interior. The modern look of this compact attracts and the freshening gives Edge Sport an even more modernistic stance with a blacked out grille, smoked headlights and taillights, chrome exhaust, and those 22 inch wheels. Interiors offer MyFord Touch, a newly designed center stack, and many available options.

Another good reason to buy a compact is the versatility of space. Edge offers 68.9 cubic feet of cargo space and fold flat front passenger seat. On top of all the duties the compact takes on that a typical car could emulate, the Ford Edge can tow up to 3500 lbs with an add on of the Class II Trailer Tow Package.

All in all the newly designed compact Ford Edge and Edge Sport are two good reasons to get the crew together and head out on the highway.

Mini bucking bulls at the Purcell Expo Center, November 2009, sponsored by Marc Heitz. A great time was had by all, including the Mutton-Busters… tomorrow’s mini bullriders !!

See the video here, as shared with us by Linda McKay at AAA Cattle.