Ford is already effed... Evidenced as:
- getting out of the Sedan/Coupe market
- importing and selling the EcoSport
- overpricing the new Explorer (and everything else)
- messing up assembly quality on just about every model, but especially F150s since 2018.
- Using the cheapest possible interiors and components on their…

Greatly improved crash survivability is worth paying for, even in base models.

Why not just keep the one you have?

Wow. If this is Hackett’s brilliant idea, Ford is fucked.

Except “now you can get a cheaper basic car” isn’t how it’s going to play out. An ultra-basic model will theoretically exist, but no dealers will order it, it’ll be a pain to get, and the moderately-equipped stuff we’re used to will be marked up.

Here’s the $19,999 model:

Cassette players went out with the Lexus SC like 8-9 years ago, CD players are already nearly extinct - my last two cars didn't come with one.

“We’re beginning to look at things that customers don’t use at all,” Hackett said.

They just need to sell Ford loot boxes. For $100 a pop you can open one and hope that it has an option you want for your vehicle. It will mostly be terrible paint colors and ugly plaid patterns for your seats, but you can always hope.

“Heres the NEW 2026 Ford F-150, starting at just $19,999!”

No. From now on, Patrick is known as xXxPartyBaby69xXx.

I’d like Drive to buy the Jalopnik site and name.
Short of that, we can all just move to Drive and take what’s good about this place there.

You know I was so resistant to The Drive at first, like Spinelli had ‘betrayed us’ somehow. Yeah, it’s so silly now. Feels like I’ve been a regular on both sites forever now, especially since Rogoway jumped. Was very glad to see Stef Schrader pop up there and I got the distinct feeling that Patrick had something to do…

Hey, he said it was up to US, so we’d best take our comments over there as well!

Thanks Patrick. This site has become my refuge from the overt cynicism that seems to have become the modus operandi everywhere. In fact, my current car is a result of feedback from the comments section on this blog. I wrote into What Car Should I Buy, and while I didn’t buy any of the suggestions, the comments section…

Godspeed, and thank you for testing crossovers and giving me my only COTD win.

Great piece!

The ex-gawker sites are pretty much the only places where reading the comments is not just suggested, but pretty much required. Thank you for fostering that community, and thank (the royal) you all for writing what other places couldn’t and wouldn’t.

I’ve been on Jalopnik for over a decade, and I’ve loved every minute of the PG era. Great work as always, and I hope you revel in your success in the future

I can’t help but feel like you were shielding Jalopnik from the wave of “content for the sake of content” that G/O Media wanted to push. You’re right. I’m not here for lists. None of us are.