The EcoBoost Difference

Posted on October 24, 2015 by admin

ford ectoboost logoFord has been promoting its EcoBoost technology for quite some time now. However, if you’re not sure exactly what it is, but you find yourself daydreaming about a vehicle that offers the performance of a larger engine and the fuel economy of a smaller one, then you’ve come to the right place.

Is the EcoBoost for You?

Picture this: You’re driving a car, SUV or truck with an engine that is powerful but not at all fuel-efficient. Or, the horsepower and torque figures are not as impressive as you would like, but consumption ratings are good. Maybe you wish your vehicle had the performance of a large displacement eight-cylinder engine, but with the fuel economy numbers of a six-cylinder? Or that your six had the consumption ratings of a four? That’s where the EcoBoost comes in.

Back in 2013, Autotrader wrote an article about Ford’s EcoBoost engines and described it as a combination of turbocharging and direct injection that results in improved fuel economy without having to sacrifice power. The technology is offered with almost all Ford models, including the popular F-150 pickup truck.

Turbocharging and Direct Injection

It’s important to note that EcoBoost engines are turbocharged. Compared to conventional engines, the turbocharger allows for greater air entry. In general, Autotrader says that more air plus more fuel helps increase the potency of an engine. However, when it comes to Ford’s EcoBoost unit, the turbocharged aspect of the engine will add power, but it will not considerably lower fuel economy as one might expect.

Direct injection is also featured, which is basically a form of fuel injection. The process of sending fuel into the engine is much simpler than traditional ways, and a benefit includes greater efficiency.

Conclusion

Consumer Reports, in testing the new 2015 Ford F-150 XLT Supercrew, found that the model’s new and smaller engine (a 2.7-liter turbo V-6 unit) is not only more affordable than the same truck equipped with a larger and more powerful 3.5-liter turbo V-6, but that it is also more fuel-efficient, and slightly faster, too. What’s more, the smaller engine bested bigger units from competitors in acceleration tests, making the 2.7-liter EcoBoost F-150 quicker than rivals such as the Chevy Silverado V-8 and Ram V-8.

Visit your Planet Ford dealership in Houston and test drive a car, SUV or truck sporting the American automaker’s EcoBoost technology.

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Planet Ford Donates Ford Escape to Benefit United Way

Posted on October 9, 2015 by admin

P45 social Pink oct 2015 image004At Planet Ford and Planet Lincoln in Spring, TX (serving The Woodlands, Houston, Cypress, Conroe), we love supporting and working with our community. This week, Planet Ford and Planet Lincoln spent the day at Anadarko to help support their efforts to raise money for the United Way of Greater Houston.

Since 1988, Anadarko has donated more than $25.5 million dollars through its annual giving campaign. In fact, it has been the 4th largest donor from 2007-2014 in Greater Houston and #1 in Montgomery County.

For the first time in campaign history, Anadarko added a new car raffle drawing to a myriad of specials events being offered during their fundraising campaign. This drawing was dubbed “Key To Giving!” The Reed family and Shawn Burns, General Manager/Operating Partner of Planet Ford, were proud to donate a 2-year lease for a 2016 Ford Escape. Anadarko employees had an opportunity to buy a raffle ticket over the past two weeks for a chance to win. With the Ford Escape being a donation that means 100% of the money raised from ticket sales benefits the United Way.

And the Winner Is!
Dwayne Seawall is the winner of the Escape. Our Planet Ford team looks forward to awarding him with his new vehicle.

Also, as part of the “Key To Giving!” Planet Lincoln hosted a Driven To Give event helping Anadarko raise even more funds for the United Way. This fun and unique FUNdraising event was held onsite at Anadarko for its employees to experience our 2016 luxury vehicle lineup. Lincoln Motor Company pays $20 for each eligible test drive and an additional $20 for a bonus test drive in a Navigator.

The Planet dealerships conducted over 90 test drives yesterday and most of their employees took advantage of the bonus drive. Potentially, Anadarko could receive over $3,400 for United Way. This definitely was an AWESOME event and highly successful for Anadarko!

We are truly honored to have been able to work with Anadarko and support the efforts of its employees to raise money for the United Way of Greater Houston. To learn more about Planet Ford, visit www.PlanetFord45.com. You can visit Planet Lincolns site at www.PlanetLincoln.com.

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Ford Introduces 2017 Ford Super Duty

Posted on September 25, 2015 by admin

Screen Shot 2015-10-06 at 11.25.29 PMTalk about some heavy duty news being talked about at Planet Ford in Spring, Texas (serving The Woodlands, Cypress, Conroe and Houston). This week, Ford, America’s truck leader, introduced the automakers new 2017 Ford F-Series Super Duty. Ford says this is the toughest, smartest, most capable Super Duty truck lineup ever.

Joe Hinrichs, Ford president of The Americas said, “Ford Super Duty is the truck America’s hardest-working men and women trust and depend on. We are helping these customers build a better world by delivering a new generation of pickups that set new benchmarks in capability, performance and efficiency.”

What’s new?
Ford is utilizing advanced materials to reduce the vehicle’s weight. Plus, the 2017 Super Duty truck and chassis cab feature all-new, segment-exclusive smart technology to help increase customer productivity, comfort and convenience.

“While Super Duty is America’s best-selling heavy-duty truck, we never take our leadership for granted,” said Raj Nair, Ford group vice president, Global Product Development and chief technical officer. “Our team is using relentless innovation in materials, technology and Built Ford Tough engineering to deliver customers our best Super Duty yet.”

The Tough Stuff
At the core of Fords new F-series is a new, fully boxed frame that is made from more than 95 percent high-strength steel. It’s up to 24 times stiffer than the previous frame – enabling the most towing and hauling capability ever delivered by Super Duty. In addition, the Ford truck line up features heavier-duty four-wheel-drive components, driveline, axles and towing hardware.

And for the very first time, Ford’s Super Duty body utilizes high-strength, military-grade, aluminum alloy, which is more dent- and ding-resistant than the outgoing steel body.

Weigh Down
Implementing the new high-strength steel and high-strength aluminum alloy help reduce weight by up to 350 pounds while Ford is reinvesting additional weight savings everywhere it counts, to give customers more towing and hauling capability.

Smarts
Towing is always a primary focus when designing the Super Duty. All-new advanced coaching and camera technology makes conventional and gooseneck/fifth-wheel towing easier and more efficient.

Ford unveiled 16 segment-first new features – from LED lighting to adaptive cruise control – that assist Super Duty drivers to make driving and work situations easier and more comfortable.

As many as seven cameras help customers see more angles and monitor conditions surrounding the truck, and provide better trailering than ever before.

A center high-mounted stop lamp camera aids in visibility into the cargo box, especially for easier hook-up of gooseneck/fifth-wheel trailers. The 360-degree camera system will use four digital, high-definition cameras to give truck drivers a bird’s-eye view surrounding Super Duty. Trailer reverse guidance provides visual cues and tips to help ease backing up a trailer. A first-ever, factory-available trailer camera can be attached to a trailer to improve visibility backing up.

Super Duty owners will also appreciate in-cab trailer tire pressure monitoring system from the comfort of the cab while stopped or on the highway.

Adaptive steering allows drivers to have increased confidence to help make towing the heaviest of loads easier and brings greater ease to navigating job sites and parking lots – with or without a trailer. The technology reduces the amount of steering input needed to change direction at low speed, while reducing sensitivity to steering input at higher speeds.

The all-new Super Duty is available with a number of driver-assist technologies:

SYNC® 3 is Ford Motor Company’s new communications and entertainment system. the system will feature faster performance, conversational voice recognition and an easier-to-understand graphical interface, along with an intuitive smartphone-like 8-inch touch screen

Blind Spot Information System with trailer tow is optimized for Super Duty to include the length of the trailer; BLIS® uses radar sensors in the taillamps to monitor areas that may not be visible to the driver

Lane departure warning provides a warning when a driver strays from a lane through a series of steering wheel vibrations that mimic rumble strips

Adaptive cruise control and collision warning with brake support use sensors to detect slower vehicles moving in the same direction. If another vehicle is too close, red lights flash on the windshield and a warning sound chimes. If the driver does not hit the brakes, the brake system is pre-charged to stop faster when the brake pedal is pressed
Advanced light-emitting diode technology sheds light all around the new Super Duty, including:

  • New LED sideview mirror spotlights enable illumination surrounding the truck to light up a work site or camp site
  • Class-exclusive quad-beam LED headlamps and taillamps
  • New LED cargo box lighting

New Generation
The second-generation Ford-designed, Ford-built 6.7-liter Power Stroke® V8 diesel engine is available for pickup trucks and chassis cabs providing the highest combination of horsepower and torque ever.

The 6.2-liter V8 gasoline engine comes equipped with the new TorqShift-G transmission for the F-250 pickup – allowing for improved capability.

The Super Duty chassis cab lineup offers a choice of 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8 diesel, 6.8-liter V10 gasoline or 6.2-liter V8 gasoline engines.

“The bottom line is Super Duty customers will be able to tow and haul more than ever before,” said Schmatz.

Interior and Cargo Space
All three cabs (Regular Cab, SuperCab and Crew Cab) will be longer and feature a new interior design, including dual compartment glove box, overhead console-mounted auxiliary switches to operate aftermarket equipment, and completely flat SuperCab and Crew Cab second-row floors that make loading large items in the cab easy. Vital controls are close at hand, with the integrated trailer brake controller switch located even closer to the driver.

Customer accessibility and ease of use extend outside the truck as well, with the cargo box offering customers these class-exclusive features:

BoxLink™: Ford-patented combination of metal brackets and custom cleats that can be used to secure a variety of accessories in the cargo box

Remote tailgate lock and release: Tailgate can be locked/unlocked and opened with the key fob, eliminating manual locking and increasing convenience and security. The tailgate is damped – dropping gently down, hands-free, to a flat position when opened

There are five models in the Super Duty lineup – XL, XLT, Lariat, King Ranch and Platinum. We expect to see them available at Planet Ford on I-45  late next year. If you’re ready to shop for your Super Duty now, we invite you to take a short drive down I-45 or shop online anytime at www.PlanetFord45.com.

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Check Out the Ford Super Duty in Spring

Posted on July 21, 2015 by planetford45writer

Last week Planet Ford showed you some of the 2015 Ford F-Super Duty’s impressive features and today we’re giving you another comparison between the 2015 Ram HD and Ford Super Duty in Spring. The Ford F-Super Duty is a force to reckon with causing competitors in its class to fall short. Don’t take our word for it-see for yourself below!

These are some of the Ford F-Super Duty’s most noteworthy features that cause the 2015 Ram HD to miss the mark:

  • The F-Super Duty offers an optional Hill Descent Control feature so you can safely descend down a slope but the Ram HD doesn’t offer this feature.
  • The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration performed side impact tests on new vehicles and the F-Super Duty outperformed the Ram HD.
  • The F-Super Duty was also found to be the safer vehicle in the NHTSA’s front crash tests.
  • There are no mileage limits on the F-Super Duty’s five-year corrosion warranty but the HD’s warranty ends at 100,000 miles, which could be problematic if you travel a lot.
  • The F-Super Duty Gas comes with a “limp home system” that keeps drivers from being stranded if engine coolant is lost. This allows you enough time to make it to a service station to get repairs.
  • If you’re looking for the more powerful vehicle, look no further than the F-Super Duty that provides more horsepower and torque than its competitor.
  • The Ford F-Super Duty uses regular unleaded gasoline but the Ram HD 5.7 V8 engine requires mid-grade gasoline that will cost more.
  • You and your passengers will prefer the interior of the F-Super Duty that offers more passenger space than the Ram HD as well as more cargo capacity for all of your hauling and storage needs.
  • The minimum standard towing capacity on the F-Super Duty is much higher than the Ram HD’s (12,100 vs. 10,770 lbs.) so you can tackle any job that comes your way!

Visit Planet Ford today to learn more about the Ford Super Duty in Spring and what makes it such a catch compared to the competition!

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Planet Ford Celebrate Employee Milestones

Posted on June 2, 2015 by admin

p45joseemployeemay2015image004At Planet Ford and Planet Lincoln in Spring (serving The Woodlands, Houston, Aldine, Conroe, Cypress) we are lucky to have an amazing, award-winning team. We like to pause each month to celebrate their birthdays and anniversaries!

Our celebration also recognized the Planet Ford/Planet Lincoln Employee of the Month, and Employee Excellence. A big thank you and congratulations to Sean Currie for 21 years of service. Our Employee of the Month is Jose Chavez.planetfordseancurrie21yearsimage002

Shawn Burns, the General Manager/Operating Partner of Planet Ford presented a several of employees with an Employee Excellence Award in recognition of outstanding performance in customer satisfaction, sales, and training.  These employees have exceeded the highest levels of performance in their area of expertise.  Great job to all of the employees honored with this award!

May Anniversaries Celebrated:

Sean Currie
Daniel Trevino
George Vinery
Jesse Williams
Amanda Holiday
Randall Crooks
Rogelio Gonzales
David Moran
Delia Ramos
Aaron Smith
Ted Matthews
Reynaldo Flores
Karen Ferguson
Anibal Hernandez
Ken Lazard
Marco Moreno
Alex Chavarria
Roosevelt Woods, Jr.
Erika Tristan
Jaime Arenas
Amber Davila
Devin Duoto
Carlos Duca

May Birthdays Celebrated:
Tom Dejohn
Stephen Tucker
Arthur Wooten
Randall Crooks
Morieta Treat
David Schultz
Dawn Eaton
Michael Murfin
Vance Deer
Vickie Pscion
Denise Kelley
David Sherman
Esivel Gonzalez
Tran Keels
Tomas Castillo, Jr.
Derick Brown
Luis Gonzalez
Ean Mizell
Evan Cotter
Nazaret Cruz
Tina Ivy
Michael Knight
Adam Perez

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Planet Ford Delivers $6K to Westfield HS

Posted on May 28, 2015 by admin

p45 drive One for Ur School westfield high school image003Today, Planet Ford in Spring delivered a check for nearly $6,000 to Westfield High School. The money was earned during a Ford Drive One 4 UR School fundraising event held March 7th at school.

“We want to thank the community, students and staff for coming out to help make this event a big success for the kids,” said Shawn Burns, GM/OP of Planet Ford on I-45. “We had a lot of fun test driving new Fords and answering questions from our community.”

Planet Ford partnered with Westfield High School for the event that benefited Westfield’s S.A.N.E. Senior Organization, a senior students association. S.A.N.E. hosted Drive One to help raise money for Prom 2015.  A total of 298 test drives. At $20 per drive donated by Ford, the students raised $5,960!

Ford’s Drive One 4 UR School program was developed as a fun, engaging way to help high schools raise money to support various programs and extracurricular activities.  Ford dealerships partner with local schools to conduct the fundraising test-drive events.  Participants get to drive a new Ford, such as the F-150, Fusion, Mustang or Focus, among others.  For every valid test drive completed, Ford donates $20 to the high school  – up to $6,000.

To learn more about Planet Ford in Spring (serving Houston, The Woodlands, Aldine, Cypress, Conroe), take the short drive on I-45 to the Louetta exit or log on anytime to www.PlanetFord45.com. We also invite you to visit our all-new, world’s largest Quick Lane Tire and Auto Center.

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2015 Chevrolet Malibu vs. Ford Fusion in Spring

Posted on May 21, 2015 by planetford45writer

Wondering who the winner is in the match up between the 2015 Chevrolet Malibu and Ford Fusion in Spring? Both vehicles put up a good fight but the Ford Fusion takes top prize with its great features. Learn about some of the Ford Fusion’s features below from Planet Ford!

It’s tough to only list a few of the Fusion’s impressive amenities but we’ve included some that are worth taking note of:

  • The Fusion offers all-wheel drive to give you best traction even under poor conditions, but the Malibu doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.
  • Put a little more pep in your step with the Fusion that can accelerate from zero to 60 mph in just 6.8 seconds, which is 1.6 seconds faster than the Malibu.
  • Improve your fuel efficiency with the Fusion that gets better highway fuel mileage than its competition.
  • Fueling is easier in the Fusion with its standard cap-less fueling system that automatically opens when you insert the fuel nozzle so your hands stay clean.
  • Standard front and rear gas-charged shocks give you better control on uneven surfaces.
  • The Fusion has more interior space so you and your passengers will be comfortable and its standard locking glovebox gives you a place to keep your valuables secure and out of sight.
  • Speed-sensitive windshield wipers and power windows allow you to focus on where you are headed rather than fiddle with features.
  • Choose the optional Adaptive Cruise Control or Active Park Assist feature to give you even more of an edge over the competition.

Wouldn’t you agree that the 2015 Ford Fusion in Spring is the way to go? Visit Planet Ford today to take the Fusion for a test drive and see what all the hype is about!

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Planet Ford Delivers New Escape Keys to Spring Teacher of Year

Posted on May 18, 2015 by admin

Screen Shot 2015-05-18 at 12.05.00 AM

Congratulations to Claudia Lara, recipient of the Spring ISD Secondary Teacher of the Year title and a brand new Ford Escape from Planet Ford and the Reed family.  Saturday, Shawn Burns, Operating Partner/General Manager, handed of the keys to Mrs. Lara’s new Ford Escape from Planet Ford on I-45 in Spring, Texas.

Mrs. Lara said she was in shock and was truly excited. Before driving off into the sunset in her new Ford, she not only wanted her husband to take a photo of her and the new vehicle, but asked that “her dream team” join in the snap shot.

Planet Ford and the team were proud to help make this dream come true for a teacher who has and will continue to help the dreams of her students come true.  The Reed family and Planet Ford also recognized the Elementary Teacher of the Year, Latoya Patterson, with an all-expense paid cruise vacation. Both teachers were recognized during Spring ISD Employee Recognition Banquet held at the Hilton North Houston in Houston, TX.

“Educators do so much and often go far beyond the call of duty,” said Mr. Burns. “There really isn’t enough that Planet Ford can do to celebrate and thank all they do. However, this is one way to show our appreciation, and we greatly enjoyed surprising these awesome educators and delivering their well-earned prizes.”

Owner, Randall Reed agreed, “Teachers are at the heart of our community,” he said. “They do more than just educate our young people, they help mold lives and ultimately have an impact on everyone’s futures. We are pleased that we can recognize their lifetime work by fulfilling a dream of a lifetime with a new car and exotic escape.”

Ms. Patterson teaches art at Anderson Elementary where she is also a Gifted and Talented program representative and serves as the sponsor of both the school’s Creative Dramatics program and Destination Imagination team.

Mrs. Lara teaches Spanish at Carl Wunsche Sr. High School where she includes a variety of activities that make learning fun for her students. “I like to have dynamic classes where they are actually learning through doing,” she said.

This is the second year that Planet Ford proudly helped celebrate and reward area educators during the Spring ISD Employee Recognition Banquet. Last year, IMG_5163Robert Silvy (left) drove away in a new Ford Escape.  Tamia McEwen (right) was awarded a Carnival Preferred Awards Plus all-expense paid cruise for two to the Bahamas.IMG_5153

Spring ISD’s Teacher of the Year program recognizes outstanding educators for their commitment to excellence in education. Each year, every Spring ISD school selects a campus Teacher of the Year. Those winners are then invited to submit materials to a committee to be considered as a finalist for the district’s Teacher of the Year program. From there, the selection committee chooses two educators to represent the district.

To learn more about Randall Reed’s Planet Ford in Spring (serving The Woodlands, Houston, Conroe, Aldine, Katy, Conroe) take the short drive on I-45 to the Louetta exit. shop online anytime at www.PlanetFord45.com!

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Planet Ford Gives New Ford to Spring ISD Teacher of the Year

Posted on May 14, 2015 by admin

SISD_logo-squareTonight is the night! Planet Ford in Spring, TX and the Randall Reed family are excited to help honor the best of Spring ISD’s best. The top two educators of the year will receive two different kinds of dream rides courtesy of Planet Ford and the Reed family. Shawn Burns, Operating Partner/General Manager of Planet Ford, located on I-45, will have the pleasure of announcing the winners and awarding one with the keys to a 2015 Ford Fusion or Ford Escape. The other top educator will win a luxurious, all-expense paid cruise.

This is the second year that Planet Ford has had the pleasure of helping to celebrate area educators during the Spring ISD Employee Recognition Banquet. Last year, IMG_5163Robert Silvy (left) drove away in a new Ford Escape.  Tamia McEwen (right) was awarded a Carnival Preferred Awards Plus all-expense paid cruise for two to the Bahamas.IMG_5153

“Educators do so much and often go far beyond the call of duty,” said Mr. Burns. “There really isn’t enough that Planet Ford and our team can do to celebrate and thank all they do. However, this is one way to show our appreciation and we are looking forward to surprising these awesome educators and delivering their well-earned prizes.”

Owner Randall Reed agrees, “Teachers are at the heart of this community,” he said. “They do more than just educate our young people, they help mold lives and ultimately have an impact on everyone’s futures. We are pleased that we can recognize their lifetime work by fulfilling a dream of a lifetime with a new car and exotic escape.”

Spring ISD’s Teacher of the Year program recognizes outstanding educators for their commitment to excellence in education. Each year, every Spring ISD school selects a campus Teacher of the Year. Those winners are then invited to submit materials to a committee to be considered as a finalist for the district’s Teacher of the Year program. From there, the selection committee chooses two educators to represent the district.

Spring ISD Employee Recognition Banquet will be held at the Hilton North Houston in Houston, TX. The event begins at 6:00 p.m. and the presentation will take place around 7:45 p.m.

To learn more about Randall Reed’s Planet Ford in Spring (serving The Woodlands, Houston, Conroe, Aldine, Katy, Conroe) take the short drive on I-45 to the Louetta exit. shop online anytime at www.PlanetFord45.com!

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Another Look at the Ford Fusion in Spring

Posted on May 11, 2015 by planetford45writer

Last week, Planet Ford gave you a brief overview of some of the Ford Fusion’s great features and today we’re back at it again. We’re bringing you a side-by-side comparison of the Ford Fusion in Spring and the Nissan Altima, but the Fusion comes out on top yet again! Take a closer look at the Fusion’s impressive features below with Planet Ford.

The convenient features you’ll get with the Ford Fusion make it even more appealing compared to the Nissan Altima. Power windows, an exterior keypad and standard automatic headlights add an extra layer of convenience that the Altima does not provide. Choose from optional features like Adaptive Cruise Control, Active Park Assist and automatic rear and dimming side view mirrors to have an advantage on the road this is not offered with the Altima.

Choose the Fusion and you’ll be able to keep more of your hard earned money over time than you would with the Altima. Insurance will cost less for the Fusion owner and The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that you’ll save $375 over a five-year period. Typical repairs on the Fusion will not be as expensive including $143 less for a starter, $187 less for fuel injection and $291 less for a timing belt/chain just to name a few.

The great features on the Fusion have earned it a lot of recognition over the years from consumer publications. Consumer Reports recommends the Fusion for its reliability, performance and safety but the Altima was not recommended. The Fusion was selected as Motor Trend’s 2010 Car of the Year and named one of Automobile Magazine’s “All Stars” but the Altima didn’t make the cut for either of these.

Ready to take the Ford Fusion in Spring for a test drive? Visit Planet Ford today to check out its remarkable features in person!

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