Real world use of DI turbo engines has shown me the opposite, they will get EPA ratings when driven conservatively. There lies the issue, people tend to use the low end torque they produce to accelerate more briskly than they would with an NA motor without realizing it, burning more fuel in the process.

“because it has to run at damn near redline to get the vehicle to move.”

Wait wait wait, are you trying to tell me that a direct vehicle sales model that cuts out those shady dealers only leads to more profits for the manufacturer and not cheaper cars for the consumer?!? Say it isn’t so.

There are waiting lists for the Navigator:

If you don’t like the back and forth, just walk in offering to pay sticker, less manufacturer incentives plus tax and title, dealer eats admin, etch etc. Any dealer would take that offer all day long on any vehicle. That is what direct purchasing would look like.

Ford doesn't have the production capacity to come close to Escalade sales. One upside of Ford getting out of the sedan business is that they will be adding production capacity for full size SUVs (navigator and expedition) and Super duty, all vehicle lines that are currently having trouble meeting demand. 

Your pricing is off. First of all people need to stop looking at MSRP on pickup trucks. They are heavily rebate driven, at all times of year. Transaction prices can easily be 10K lower than MSRP. Also, trucks hold their values very well compared to the minivans you’ve mentioned. 

Kindly point out the "exciting" mainstream 7 passenger SUV. At least ford offers the 3.5EB in the explorer giving it some spice, the only other one I can think of that offers something other than 4 cyl turbo or NA V6 blandness is the Durango which entails owning an FCA product and all that goes along with that.

The boxes those products come in are covered in lies. Intake/exhaust work on most engines will yield a louder vehicle with no appreciable increase in performance. Jeep forums are full of people who have tried to squeeze a little more performance out of the stock powertrain with some intake/exhaust work, even a tune.…

No matter what I’m driving, I always back in. It is not for speed or ease of entry/exit, it is for safety. Visibility is vastly improved driving out of a parking spot or driveway, giving a much better view of cross traffic and pedestrians.

5.0 instead of 3.5Eb for towing? So they could get similar mileage while having far less torque (overall and moreso at lower RPM), requiring the 5.0 scream at 4k+ RPM with their right foot pushing the accelerator to the floorboards just to maintain speed up a grade?

Rangers are arriving on dealer lots in January. Maybe you meant the Bronco? We should see what that will truly be (as opposed to the endless stream of photoshopped clickbait we’ve been subjected to) in January at the Detroit auto show.

Without a link, pic, etc. I’m calling BS on any aluminum body panel on a 2015+ F150 developing anywhere near enough corrosion to cause a hole. Unless some idiot attached a part/accessory using an improper fastener, like a steel sheet metal screw to attach a mud flap, it is chemically impossible.

I seriously doubt that. Unless you were comparing trims, like a Toyota Platinum vs an F150 Platinum, which you'll find the Ford a good bit more, but that would be because the Ford platinum has a ton of extra tech and features not even available on the tundra.

ATF (or worse, burnt ATF) makes me nauseous.

Off roading for pleasure is the main reason to off road in North America. Those that off road for work prefer to use other types of vehicles in NA, usually 3/4 or 1 ton pickup or chassis trucks.

You are giving car salespeople far too much credit, none of them can force someone to do something they don’t want to. They would love to “put people” in to vehicles by shear force of will or salesmanship, the reality is that no one is that good.

Why does everyone assume the long loan is the dealers fault? Full disclosure, sales manager at a large (largest without driving 10 hours) Ford dealer.

Not sure what you are trying to say. You seem to be disputing that Ford is the best selling truck with the f series, saying that GM/chev sales combined are more, but the figures you posted still show ford ahead.

Ford has never offered the Cummins in anything other than the medium duty f650 and f750 chassis trucks. That ended in 2015 when they opted to use the in-house designed and build 6.7 power stroke that has been in the f250-f450 pickups and f350-f550 chassis trucks since 2011.