Hardball duo completely fumble American green car discussion
We love experts, especially those with the guts to go on television. We also love seeing how they respond to the "tough questions" asked of them by reporters. Like, um, "Name a fuel-saving American car that you'd want to buy." When Chris Matthews from Hardball asked Robert Reich that exact question, his answer leaves us a bit speechless. Well, it left Reich speechless too. "Uh, let me think about that for a moment... uh, I like Fords." Great! Which one in particular? "Let me be honest... I drive a Mini Cooper." Well, that's fine. What exactly does that have to do with the question. Later in the interview, Matthews mentions the upcoming Ford Volt. Yeah, we're looking forward to that one too.
Let's help poor Mr. Reich pick a good American fuel-saver... we'll use his favorite manufacturer, Ford. How about the Focus? Plenty of people seem to like it and it gets pretty good fuel economy. Not your cup of tea? Try the Escape hybrid, which manages to eke more miles per gallon of fuel than any other utility vehicle on the market. If you can wait a few months, the new 2010 Ford Fusion hybrid will hit the market and we have very high expectations for that midsized sedan. Click here to watch the video with Matthews and Reich. Their eyes aren't closed the entire time, we promise.
[Source: Hardball via Jalopnik]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
kazoomaloo 7:41PM (11/13/2008)
People might make fun of me for this, but I think there's a definite case to be made for the new Ford Focus. Ugly though it may be, it think it's an arguable position that the Ford Focus is the best bang-for-your-buck American vehicle on the market today. Loaded up with Sync and all sorts of other goodies you can still get out the door with a new one for $16k, maybe even less. It'll easily return 35+ mpg highway and it's a pretty quiet, comfortable little cruiser for such a cheap car.
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ziv 8:59AM (11/14/2008)
I rented a Ford Focus for a week and really liked it, the car was well built, handled well, accelerated well, had a decent look to it, and I actually was kind of happy to see it every morning when I went out to throw my suitcase into it and drive away. I got good mileage and it handled pretty darned well when I did the Cooke City Pass on my way to Montana.
That having been said, I really wish it could have been a new Escape Hybrid...
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Jan 10:37PM (11/13/2008)
Well, if anyone would ask me that question, I would have trouble answering as well. I don't want a SUV and I do want a car that can drive purely on electricity in stop-and-go traffic (hello California). There is no american car that I can buy here and now that matches these requirements. And there are a couple of Japanese. So what am I supposed to do now that my 13-year old Audi is dying on me...
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Summazooma 6:59AM (11/14/2008)
There are more than you think... How about a Cobalt? They keep kicking more highway miles out of a gallon on that (at least on the base M/T equipped car). In fact, it annihilates things like the Kia Rio & Hyundai Accent... the cheap as sin Versa? That's a pig compared to a Cobalt XFE. If only I could get a Sport trim and look with it (and, sacrifice an MPG, perhaps?), I'd consider it if I was looking for MPG.
Though it stretches the definition, I'd consider a Civic Coupe, a car not only built here but, as Coupe, developed here and for this market. I know, I know... but, just so it's clear, there's no allowed consideration of any vehicle built outside of the borders of the USofA, then.
How about a Malibu LTZ I4? Talk about a nice car, with great MPG. This, like the Cobalt above, gives smaller cars a real run for their money, and it's loaded for bear, too. That's not even considering the BAS Hybrid Malibu/Aura which, though relatively low-tech, get much better real-world MPG (city and hwy) than you'd expect and for (what?) a $1500 premium?
There are cars out there, especially if the conversation turns to in-progress development programs. The shame is that these future programs are on the bubble while dollars are short, though it does seem to me that they are exhibits 1-through-47 of what gets delayed/killed if the bail-out funds aren't produced quickly. A little one-upsmanship, perhaps?
sunrooftop 10:10AM (11/14/2008)
I do want a car that can drive purely on electricity in stop-and-go traffic
Ford Fusion Hybrid arrives Spring '09 if u can hold on that long. 36 mpg city and runs electric-only up to 47 mph.
Luke 8:03AM (11/14/2008)
The Focus is a decent car for the price, and the Cobalt is getting better all the time.
Btw, Matthews and Reich made more sense in that interview than they have in the past eight years combined = none.
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Tim 9:39AM (11/14/2008)
Liberal hypocrites. So sad, it's almost funny. Kind of like slamming you elbow into the corner of a desk.
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bruce 1:41PM (11/14/2008)
My wife and I had the misfortune of buying a Focus based on several positive rental experiences with them... somehow, even though we routinely got excellent fuel economy out of the rented Foci, the one we bought can't do better than about 24 mpg in mixed city and highway driving. On a pure highway trip, if you draft every truck you can find and stay firmly below 65 mph, you might be able to squeeze 30 out of it with luck. We asked the Ford dealer to hook it up to the computer and see if there was something amiss in the engine, and they basically told us to go to hell. So, take that for what it's worth, but I won't be repeating that particular mistake.
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JayC 2:31PM (11/14/2008)
This really isn't surprising. It happens all the time. Most of the talking heads on TV don't know anything. It's only when they start discussing your personal area of expertise that you realize how shallow most of them are.
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bandit 6:14PM (11/14/2008)
I want a mid sized pickup witht he same hp as a conventional 6 cylinder for under 25K.
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Chris 2:23PM (2/03/2009)
Doh. You would think he is at least up on electric cars. Mr. Reich (rich?), here are a few you can afford:
http://www.topathon.com/Viewtopa.aspx?Id=945
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