1964 Lincoln Continental on 2040-cars

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Autoblog Podcast #327

New York Auto Show, Jim Farley interview, 2014 Chevrolet Silverado fuel economy, Ford fuel economy app challenge
Episode #327 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth, Zach Bowman and Jeff Ross talk about this year's New York Auto Show, Chevrolet's latest assault in the pickup truck fuel economy battle, and Ford's reward for developing a better fuel economy app. Dan also has an interview with Ford's Jim Farley about the future of Lincoln. We wrap with your questions and emails, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Keep reading for our Q&A module for you to scroll through and follow along, too. Thanks for listening!
Autoblog Podcast #327:

Lincoln Aviator's Air Glide Adaptive Suspension knows when it'll hit potholes

Lincoln is set to release its all-new three-row 2020 Aviator this summer. It will become the fifth SUV in Lincoln's lineup and the second-most expensive of the bunch, behind its Navigator big brother. One of the vehicle's stand-out features is the available Adaptive Suspension with Road Preview, which adjusts to the road using cameras and sensors. Lincoln detailed the modern tech in a new video seen above.  Selling vehicles in the luxury space requires various impressive characteristics, but above all, the most important might be the ride. Engineers design everything to maintain a comfortable experience, and today, the preparation for rough roads doesn't stop in the development and production facilities. Modern technology allows cars adapt to the surfaces they're driving on rather than applying a one-size-fits-all setup to all roads.  The 2020 Lincoln Aviator will use Air Glide Suspension and Adaptive Suspension with Road Preview in attempts to provide the best ride possible. The Air Glide Suspension uses air springs instead of coil springs, and the air bladders will stiffen or soften based on the road conditions, driving speed, and drive mode.  The Adaptive Suspension uses 12 sensors placed throughout the vehicle to monitor all sorts of vehicle conditions. It collects information on body motion, steering, acceleration, and braking and adjusts accordingly. Lincoln says the system reads the road about 500 times per second and can change settings up to 100 times per second. For example, the Aviator will know when a pothole is incoming and will stiffen the shock absorber to reduce the harshness of the hit. Road Preview, which uses a built-in forward-facing camera near the rearview mirror, helps understand the road up to 50 feet ahead and aids in informing the adaptive suspension of incoming bumps between two to eight inches.  Buyers interested in the Aviator will be able to choose between two powertrains: a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 or a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 hybrid. The Standard model starts at $52,840, while the Black Label Grand Touring starts at $89,540. Look for the Aviator to pop up at dealerships soon. 

Ford recalls 1.48 million F-150s for transmission, plus other models

Weeks after recalling more than 800,000 F-Series pickup trucks for a fire risk, Ford has issued another separate recall for approximately 1.48 million 2011-2013 F-150s for a transmission fault. The six-speed automatics could unexpectedly downshift into first gear without warning. Ford and Lincoln tangentially issued much smaller recalls for the Mustang, Continental, Nautilus, and Navigator. According to Ford, some 2011-2013 model year F-150 pickups with six-speed automatic transmissions could "experience an intermittent loss of the transmission output speed sensor signal to the powertrain control module." This could potentially cause the trucks to temporarily downshift, which could be dangerous if it occurs while driving. Of the 1.48 million affected trucks, 1.26 million are in the U.S. while 221,000 are in Canada. Thus far, Ford knows of five reported accidents involving the issue. To remedy the problem, owners can take their trucks to dealers to update the power control module software. Ford also issued recalls for about 4,350 2019 Mustangs, Lincoln Nautiluses, and Lincoln Navigators in the U.S. and Canada due to a possible fault with the instrument clusters. Although there have been no reports of accidents, Ford says the instrument panel clusters assemblies might be blank or not turn out when the vehicle is started. Additionally, Ford issued a third recall for 28,200 2017-2019 Lincoln Continentals in the U.S. and Canada. Ford says silicon contamination might build up inside the door latch motor, causing it to malfunction. As a result, the door latch might not always fully engage, and the doors could possibly open unexpectedly. Despite no reports of accidents, Ford will remove and replace door latch assemblies on all doors for those affected by the defect. If any of these apply to a vehicle you own, contact Ford to discuss whether it is included in any of these recalls and have the vehicle checked out at a Ford dealership.