Ford, as the only one that did't take the whole bailout, is also the only company that, between the fusion, the escape, etc., seems to make drivable cars

I agree. I've had good experiences driving Fords, in general, from the last 5 years. I once drove a Chevy convertible which was… meh, OKAY, but not spectacular. Beyond that, though, I have little patience for GMC or Dodge products.

So Toyota's, Honda's, maybe a Nissan (if a rental) or a Ford, given the choice.

Yep. I'm a big fan of Mazdas too- well engineered, comfortable, reliable, solid bits of kit, those.

I have to admit, after five days of driving it, I do rather like the big bruiser. It might be thirsty and it might lean over onto its door handles whenever it turns- but it's big, quiet, comfortable, reasonably well laid out, and handles both the long stretches on the interstates, and the fun windy bits on the back-roads, very well indeed.

They're comfy, big and take off like a frightened deer. Good job on getting an Expedition.

I fucking hate what Dodge and Chevy have put out over the last decade. The Intrepid could be a touch of an expensive car to fix, but not an obnoxious hangar quee, and for something so large it handled, was smooth, comfortable, roomy, etc.

The car they replaced it with sucks.

i've also climbed into smaller fucking Kias that felt roomier than the fucking Chevy Cruz – enough so that the other option being a beetle, I nearly took that. (I like driving Jetta's and Passats, but would never buy one again – not a Jaguar but for a German car, a fucking maintenance nightmare)

So Toyota's, Honda's, maybe a Nissan (if a rental) or a Ford, given the choice. BMW's and Mercedes just aren't worth the money – at least in the states – except for the cachet, though are very solidly built and engineered vehicles.