Ford MyKey tech coming to Ricart Ford for 2010

When you are a teenager, say sixteen or seventeen years old, there is no rush of freedom quite like when you get the keys to the family car and head out on the road… no Mom, no Dad, no hassles. The problem is, a teen is dramatically more likely to be involved in an accident because teens tend to speed more, fasten their seat belts less, blast their tunes louder, and in general lack the experience most adult drivers are able to acquire over time. Ford, that innovator of automotive technology has come up with a device which will help keep younger drivers safer, giving them the chance to build the skills that only come from being behind the wheel. It’s Ford’s new MyKey, and it will be available as standard equipment at Ricart Ford in the Ricart Megamall starting with the 2010 Ford Focus coupes.

MyKey is designed to allow parents to encourage their kids to learn safer driving skills, as well as increase the fuel economy of their vehicles, and it does it by letting Mom or Dad, Grampa, Uncle Dave, or whoever limit the top speed of the vehicle, the volume of the radio/entertainment system, give earlier warning signals when the vehicle is low on fuel, encourage the use of safety belts, and give audible cues when the car attains specific speeds, like 55 miles per hour. All this should help your younger driver be more aware of how they are driving, enhance their focus while they are tooling around town, and prevent you from having to endure DMX at sonic shrapnel volumes if you are first to start up the car after your youngster has driven it.

MyKey is only one of the ways Ford has been working to help your family drive more safely. Another is Ford’s Driving Skills for Life Website (see it here) which is a gold mine of information and tips for teen drivers, and drivers of all ages. Ricart Ford takes the safety of younger drivers, and all drivers so seriously, we have teamed with The Bloom School of Driving Dynamics in offering one of a kind, hands-on training at The Ricart Megmall. Check out all the details, and sign up for the course on the Bloom Driving Dynamics site.

Ford’s MyKey and Driving Skills for Life, and Ricart Ford’s relationship with Bloom Driving Dynamics are a few more ways that Ricart and Ford continue to build a family experience of vehicle ownership for all of our customers. After all, everyone wants to keep their family members as safe as possible when they're on the road.

Shelby GT500 KR arrives at Ricart Ford (and you gotta check this beast out!)

September 25th was a very special day at Ricart Ford in the Ricart Megmall, because the rebirth of a legend took place at about 4:30 in the afternoon. That’s when we welcomed a 3,700 pound bouncing, 540 or so horsepower, Shelby Mustang GT500 KR, King of the Road to our store!


All these photos were taken just after the KR was backed out of the covered transport, waiting to be hand washed using the mildest cleaning solutions, and wiped down with shammy clothes spun from the finest standards available… you get the idea. This is a car you just don’t put through the automatic car wash.

The list of features for the Shelby GT500 KR is truly impressive, almost mind boggling! From the carbon-composite hood mirroring the classic Shelby KR design, to the 40th anniversary Shelby badging, six speed short-throw shifter married to a 5.4 liter supercharged V8 that cranks 510 ft-lbs. of torque and an estimated 540 horsepower, to the Shelby embroidered headrests and dash nameplate, to the unique performance suspension and much more, the Shelby KR is one amazing piece of machinery.

You can see, smell, and (gently) touch the Shelby GT500 King of the Road on the showroom floor at Ricart Ford in the Ricart Megmall on South Hamilton Road in Columbus, Ohio. Oh, and if you are thinking that maybe the KR is a bit more than what you want in a Mustang, don’t worry, there are plenty of V6’s, GT’s, Bullitts, and even some more Shelbys to check out. Heck, if we had many more, we’d have to change our name to The Ricart Ranch!

Ford-Microsoft Sync goes to New York, in my Focus.

So a few weeks ago I drove our 2008 Ford Focus SE to New York to visit my folks, the same ones we visited in Florida this past Easter. They spend summers on a small lake between the Finger Lakes and the Adirondack Mountains. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it’s lovely there, but I really want to tell you about how cool the Ford-Microsoft Sync system is when you get the chance to put it through its paces. I’ll tell you about the ducks and geese on the lake, and the first tinges of autumn color on the hillsides some other time. Hopefully the picture will tide you over.

Anyway, we left The Ricart Automotive campus at about nine in the morning after stopping by to pick a couple of things. By the time we made the first turn onto Hamilton Road, the Sync had already indexed the additional songs I had put on the Zune MP3 player the night before, and everything was set to put that talking car to work!

I pushed the media button on the steering wheel… “Sync, please say a command” comes the pleasant female voice, not at all mechanical or clunky.
“U.S.B.”, I tell her because that’s the port under the radio and Sync console where I plug in my 80G Zune. (With over 10,000 songs ranging from stuff by AC/DC to Zwan and all points in between!)
“U.S.B. Please say a command.” she says, again politely, bringing me to the realization that my new Focus is a girl.
“Play playlist Road Tunes!”
“Playing playlist Road Tunes…” The quietness of the Focus’ cabin is then immediately shattered by the down-beat of Headin’ Out On The Highway by Judas Priest and we were on our way!

Of course Sync does not limit you to playing just playlists, its indexing system and the speech recognition programming lets you choose what you want played by album title, artist, genre, or playlist. Sync does just about everything for your musical entertainment in your car except teach you to play all the songs yourself! (Please do not attempt to play guitar, drums, keyboards, bag pipes, or any other musical instruments while driving. (Oh, and if you want a free lesson or two on guitar, Fred’s giving lessons at fredricart.com.)

When we were about an hour outside of Syracuse, I called my folk’s house to let them know what progress we were making, and all I head to do was push the phone button on the steering wheel, the music muted, and there she was again… that voice.
“Phone, please say a command”
“Call Mom at lake” I say and the phone starts to ring at their house.

Since the trip to New York was the first chance I have had to interact with my Focus and Sync, it wasn’t until we got back home to Columbus that I realized what a great safety, convenience, and entertainment device it actually is. Oh, and again this year, Sync is only available on Ford Company vehicles, so if you stop by Ricart Ford in the Megamall sometime, just ask to check out Sync. After you do, I’m sure you’ll want one too.

The New Truck- 2009 F0rd F150

If you are into trucks, really into trucks, you are probably counting the days until the all-new 2009 Ford F150 hits the asphalt at Ricart Ford in The Ricart Megamall. That’s cool because we are counting down the days too… to September 9th when we (and you) will have the first chance to see, smell, touch, climb all over, and drive the latest version of the only half-ton that’s built Ford tough!

We don’t want to spoil the surprise, but you should be left slack-jawed with what Ford has done with the F150. The best-in-class payload capacity has been enhanced with industry firsts like the box side step, and an available integrated tailgate step that makes it easier to get all you need to haul into one of the available box styles saving you time and trips!

If you need to tow, the 2009 F150 has taken the factory installed Integrated Brake Control, a familiar feature to F-Super Duty owners, and adapted it to the F150, another class first innovation. When combined with trailer sway control, you now get a towing experience that other owners only dream of.

If this short list of advancements in truck design makes you think that Ford has really, really nailed tough with the all-new F150, you’re right, but that doesn’t mean it’s unrefined… you’ll hear that when you drive or ride in one, and the difference is in what you don’t hear. This really is a truck tat will bust hump all day, and clean up really nice for the night. Oh, and with the no-cost option of the Flex Fuel engine, the F150 can do it all and still respect the environment.

I’ve already let quite a bit of the cat out of the bag, so you’ll just have to join the Ricart Ford Truck Team at the Ricart Megamall Tuesday, September 9th from 5 to 7 p.m. to see all this and more for yourself.

Ford Flex a comin'!

It’s not like there is pacing up and down the polished floor of the showroom with groups of people looking a lot like expectant fathers, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. No, there are no scenes like that, but the anticipation of the new 2009 Ford Flex arriving soon is actually growing pretty strong.

When the Flex hits the Ricart Ford showroom in a few weeks, families will see a vehicle designed with them in mind. As a matter of fact, anyone who needs to move five or six people comfortably will be finding that someone has finally designed and built a vehicle for them that isn’t a mini-van (ick) or have an armored personnel carrier as its kissing cousin!

To be sure, the new Flex is large enough to take the family to church in one trip, but you’ll be surprised that it doesn’t look, or maybe more importantly, feel like you are cruising on the Queen Mary… far from it! As a matter of fact, Edward Loh of Motor Trend said, “…the Flex manages to look long, wide, and low at the same time. It’s not fat or ungainly though.”

The 2009 Ford Flex boasts more third row seat space than the Mazda CX9, the 2008 winner for most rear seat roominess which should avoid fights over who is going to sit in the “way back”, a point which will become extremely obvious once you sit back there. Oh, and while you are there, check out the view. Yes, that is stadium seating in the Flex which allows you to see all around, including through the windshield for a great view of the road ahead. And speaking of views, you can get the Flex with moon roofs for the middle and rear seats which give it an expansive feel, open but still cozy.

Cozy is a great way to describe the way the amenities for the Ford Flex work together in a logical manner to afford comfort and convenience to all, from an available cooler chest in the combination console to the Sync navigation/audio system for hands free phone use, music, sports updates, directions and more. The Flex is cozy and cool.

If you have ever tried to describe love to somebody, then you know how hard it is to explain… and that’s a lot like trying to talk about a segment shattering vehicle like the 2009 Ford Flex before anyone has the chance to really get inside it and drive it around… but once you do get in and drive one it’s almost a certainty you’ll love it, and then it’s your turn to describe Flex to your friends.

Let's Refuel America... Gas Gimmick

Chrysler has just announced what it calls the “Let’s Refuel America” program, which promises that you will pay $2.99 a gallon for gas for the next three years, no matter how high the actual cost may rise. Sounds easy huh? Sounds great too, huh? Well, I contacted a friend of mine who graduated from MIT to do the math the way it is laid out in the program. He was busy and promptly referred me to an MSNBC.com article that said someone buying a 2008 Dodge Durango would save just over $400 a year with an average three year gas price of $3.61 a gallon (the current average price in the Detroit area).

Hmmm… $400 a year for three years sounds a lot less than the $4000 rebates available on a 2008 Ford Explorer. I guess that means Ford wants you to have gas money, and a little something to spend on a drive away vacation, about $2800 worth of something!! Formula you ask? Why, yes, there is a formula involved where you factor in 12,000 miles per year, the vehicle’s government fuel economy rating and the cost of a gallon of gas. I don’t know about you, but any promotion that requires me to do more math than simply reducing my price by a pretty good chunk of coin makes me more than a little suspect… especially one that makes your savings a crap shoot. It also gives me a head ache.

To be honest, I have had it with fear mongering, and to be sure, this Chrysler promotion is nothing more than that. The formally American, then German, (then American again?) automaker is playing off the fear that more violence in the Middle East, or South America, or wherever will have an adverse affect on the oil supply and send gas prices ever higher, which is the only way you really come out ahead with this program. I don’t know, I’d rather drive around this summer and beyond in my new 2008 Ford Focus at nearly 40 miles per gallon, enjoying the car, my family, and the driving experience and not sit around rooting for more world unrest to inflate the price of gas… how about you?

Ford-Microsoft Sync... cooler than cool!

So I bought my third Ford Focus the other day, long before I read an article about Kelly Blue Book rating the new 2008 Focus one of the ten coolest cars you can get for under $18,000, which it most certainly is. I used the rebate to pay off my Liquid Gray 2003 Focus SE and am giving it to my eldest daughter for her college car. Heck, it has well under 60,000 miles on it, and still looks and drives great. She is thrilled, and thinks it’s a cool car. Now, with all modesty aside, I really didn’t think that a car could add much to MY coolness factor. I worked in rock and roll radio in New York for nearly two decades, roadied for Van Halen for part of the second album tour, watched Deep Purple rehearse in a friend’s basement when I was a kid, actually saw the Ramones at CBGB’s… you get the idea. Anyway, all things considered, how could a Ford Focus possibly make me any cooler? One word… Sync.

Just In case you are still living in the twentieth century and have missed all the commercials and press about the Microsoft and Ford creation which is Sync, it is a system available only in Ford. Lincoln, and Mercury vehicles, which seamlessly allows you to use voice commands to control your Bluetooth enabled phone, your MP3 player (I have the Microsoft 80g Zune), and has upgradeable software that will allow updates of the system, the first of which is due by early fall. All this means that you can tell Sync to call your home, and it will. You can also tell Sync you want to listen to the Ramones, and it will, or to play a certain genre of music, or album, or song, or songs that sound kind of the same… and it will!!! Now that’s cool.

Okay, so it may be hard sitting there reading this to picture in your mind’s ear just how Sync works and sounds, but a quick trip to see Sync demonstrated in person will calm those Hal from “2001 A Space Odyssey” fears, and let you see just how easy Sync is to use, and how easily it becomes a part of your driving life. Ford has Sync in the Focus, the Edge, and the Fusion now, and on the way for the Escape, F150, and Taurus making it a lifestyle feature that spans all economic levels, and can make anyone who owns it at least a little bit cooler… not that I needed it mind you.

Come see, hear, and experience Sync at Ricart Ford in the Megamall today, and you'll probably have a new Ford at your house tonight!