Originally Posted by shadoquad

I have read through a lot of this thread. Basically, I think they're just different companies. Nissan isn't doing poorly, in my opinion. As much bashing as there is on the Z, it's still a lot of fun to drive. It'll still get your heart pumping and give you RWD thrills with gorgeous styling. It has its flaws. Maybe it's overpriced for what it is? I don't know. I still think it's a hoot at that price.

Ford is making quality motors right now, but each of its performance cars have some flaws, too. I don't like the way the v6 and v8 Mustang are listed separately. Just talk about the entire Mustang range. They're all bang for buck performance-wise. But I'm not 100% sold on them. They're big and ugly. If that's your thing, then cool. And yes, they're very fast and handle fairly well for their size.

The Focus and Fiesta ST are too small for me inside. I drove the Focus ST, and the Fiesta is bound to be even more cramped. They're pretty quick, but I'd rather buy a WRX in that segment. In fact, I did. And while the Fords are somewhat well-appointed in fancy designed interiors, they're still built with cheap materials underneath. You're paying for the performance.

All that said, I don't believe any of this bears a conclusion on the directions of the brands. Nissan is still selling Joe Public his Altima Sedan with CVT and making a huge buck off that. Ford is still selling base Focuses and pick-ups to Tom, ****, and Harry, and they're both doing well.