They probably just wanted a car that worked....

It keeps coming back to this. You (and to be fair, a lot of people around here) have some visceral reaction to trucks that is way out of proportion to their impact on your life.

Sure it is. You consider someone buying more truck than you think they need as excessive.

Yes, you are so virtuous to call out other people’s “excess”, as defined by you and you alone.

So? I don’t “need” a 500hp turbo inline-6, carbon ceramic brakes or full merino leather interior either, but it’s sure nice to have.

False equivalency and a straw man argument all in one.  Good job!

I mean, I don’t get the appeal of sacrificing 90% of the capability of a real truck just to be a bit easier to park,

She isn’t exactly a Clydesdale horse!

stinky/sweaty clothing, dirty tools, paint, chemicals etc.... truck bed. NOT inside. im gonna say it SUV’s are kinda dumb.

As a company, Ford has a manual transmission they could use if they wanted.  The Fiesta, Focus, Fusion all had manual transmissions available.  

but I don’t see the utility of a tiny open bed on a full-sized cab. Seems like someone who wants that would just go for the Escape or Bronco Sport.

I’ll allow it.

Trim Levels should be names. Look at how successful King Ranch, Platinum, Denali, Elite, Touring are. People enjoy saying out loud that they have one of those. They don’t enjoy saying they have an XLT.

Thankfully it still has a nice side profile.  The front is forgettable and could be any manufacturer.  

That’s gotta be one of the most boring Jaguars I’ve ever seen. 

Call me when they do something stupid like put those quilted seats (which actually seem pretty awesome) in a Camaro and call it the new GSX.

Way back when I said they should have just made all of their sub brands trim levels.

but it reminds me of the original accord hybrid. That car failed because it was too conventional, which is not what the early adopters wanted. At least this thing looks weird, that should help it.

Standardization is the enemy of innovation.

Therefore, the real benefit in battery swaps would be getting a fully charged battery for a long distance drive.