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The creative concept of the Ford EcoBoost Challenge is to give drivers a head-to-head test of their current vehicle with a new Ford vehicle.  Ford wants to know which car customers will prefer.  Hint: they have a pretty good inkling that everyone will favor Ford. This has been an ongoing and mobile challenge taking place at 17 locations throughout the country.  The closest one to Preston, MD actually took place at Fed Ex Field on the weekend on March 28 th, which we highlighted in an earlier blog post.  Ford featured some of its top vehicles including the 2015 F-150, Edge, Explorer, and Mustang.  These vehicles had the challengers proclaiming, “I’ll definitely be buying a Ford!” for one major reason: the EcoBoost Engines. EcoBoost is a blend of two technologies that aren’t necessarily unique to Ford; however, Ford did coin and market the term EcoBoost.  The two technologies that make up an EcoBoost engine are turbocharging and direct injection.  When it’s put in laymen terms like that you probably realize that you’ve heard of many other vehicles that have turbocharged, direct injected engines, but unless they’re a Ford they’re not EcoBoost.  While people see the positives of getting the extra Eco (fuel economy) and extra Boost (acceleration), criticisms have come up that say the various EcoBoost engines don’t deliver as much on the fuel economy as they do the acceleration.  Nonetheless, it has been found to be a general consensus that the EcoBoost engines are just different enough to win people over. The EcoBoost Challenge will be taking place in 13 more cities between now and the end of June!  The next closest EcoBoost Challenge to the Eastern Shore will take place in Philadelphia on June 6 th.  Check out the complete list of cities and dates below.  You will even have a chance to win a brand new 2015 Ford Edge if you attend one of the challenges.  It’s sure to be a fun start to summer with the EcoBoost Challenge Tour by Ford! Miami, FL - March 7th Los Angeles, CA - March 14th Dallas, TX - March 21st Washington D.C. - March 28th Houston, TX - April 18th Louisville, KY - April 25th Charlotte, NC - May 2nd Phoenix, AZ - May 2nd Seattle, WA - May 9th Chicago, IL - May 9th Cincinnati, OH - May 30th Pittsburgh, PA - May 30th Orlando, FL - June 6th Philadelphia, PA - June 6th San Francisco, CA - June 13th Rochester, NY - June 13th Minneapolis, MN - June 20th

Join the Preston Automotive Group in celebrating Car Care Awareness Month!  If you think about it, your vehicle is probably your second largest investment (second to your house if you own one).  If you have a vehicle you probably use it to drive to work every day, transport the kids to their activities, and get you to and from various other places, right?  And if it broke down or started to work improperly, then you might be in kind of a pickle, right?  Well, the goal of Car Care Awareness Month is to make sure people know how they should be taking care of their vehicle. Last year during Nationwide Car Care Inspections, 84% failed at least one component of the inspection.  That means nearly every one of these drivers were potentially driving around in an unsafe vehicle.  Now, that number could be reflecting failures such as faulty taillights, low washer fluid, or some other small issue, but nonetheless it is a safety hazard if it causes your vehicle to fail an inspection.  There are all kinds of numbers that would scare you such as nearly 1 in 5 vehicles needed a new air filter, or 13% had the “check engine” light on.  But here’s the bottom line: most people don’t know what kind of regular maintenance should be completed on a car at each specific milestone. Another part of Car Care Awareness’ mission is to give you the knowledge so you can detect small issues early before they turn into big problems.  Neglected vehicle care almost always means higher costs down the line.  The results found by carcare.org show that the majority of vehicle owners could save a substantial amount of money by being proactive in their vehicle maintenance. So, our goal this month, alongside the Car Care Council, will be to inform you of the best way to look after one of your largest investments.  Whether you have a new or pre-owned vehicle, there are certain steps and precautions to take, and that is what we will be highlighting all month long!

No surprises here, right?  Ford has been selling the best trucks in America for the past 38 years now and has just received its latest in a long list of accolades: Kelley Blue Book's Best Overall Truck Brand.  KBB, as it's referred to, just revealed Ford as the only Brand Image winner in the Truck category, while it named Mazda (another brand sold at the Preston Automotive Group) the Best Car Styling Brand. As for Ford Trucks, this was to be expected by many.  Being the best selling trucks in America combined with the awards the 2015 F-150 has already won, made Ford a solid lock for this spot.  All the Brand Image Awards are based on the Brand Watch study done by KBB Market Intelligence.  It is a specific study calculated among non-luxury shoppers.  With all the awards the 2015 F-150 has already won, you may have expected it to be out for a full year, but actually it was only released in January.  So, it is only about 4 months old, but as you can see below it has no shortage of awards. This is the second consecutive year the Ford Motor Company has claimed the Brand Image Award for Best Truck and sixth time in the past seven years.  It wasn't only the hot F-150 that won Ford the Award - shoppers' favorable perceptions of the F-250 Super Duty and F-350 helped lock it down too.  Check out our vast selection of Ford's at our various Ford Dealers across the whole Eastern Shore Peninsula.

According to Road & Track, the 2015 Saleen Mustang 302 Black Label is coming.  And it's fast.  This range-topping Mustang will reportedly output 730 horsepower!  This will easily be the most capable Mustang Saleen has produced to date. It will ride with a 5.0-liter V8 engine and will cost about $100 per horse. With 730 horses under the hood this exclusive ride will add up to approximately $73K. It's bodywork consists of multiple carbon-fiber components and other stylings that will set it apart from any stock Mustang.  It gets a couple inches boost from front to back enabling it to have improved downward force. Its chassis upgrades consist of new Saleen springs, shocks, swaybars and bushings. The Saleen-designed 20-inch wheels are wrapped in insanely thin, sporty tires. As expected, the interior will be incredibly extravagant yet have a distinct sport-feel.  From the classic three-spoke, leather-wrapped steering wheel to the large touchscreen display, you will be riding (fast) in style.  This will be Steve Saleen's 31st year of tuning and modifying Mustangs and his signature will be included on every Black Label model. As you may have heard, Preston Automotive Group will be the EXCLUSIVE Ford Saleen Dealer of Maryland and Delaware. There is not necessarily any word yet on when we'll be getting our first shipment of these bad boys, but we wanted to share this anyways. We are certainly excited, and we hope you are too! Keep your attention on our blog for any updates regarding Saleen Mustangs!

A comeback of Lincoln Continental has been talked about for quite a while now; and, short of this being a very elaborate April Fool’s joke planned by Ford and Lincoln, it looks like it is in the works. Lincoln officially put out a press release outlining everything today, Monday, March 30, 2015.  This comes the same week of the New York International Auto Show – where they were already expected to release the details.  But being that they are battling it out for biggest auto news stories of the week with Cadillac and other automakers, they decided to reward us patient consumers with pictures and tons of info early. The biggest theme of the biggest auto story so far: Technology.  New tech seems to be a hallmark of this new, reimagined, conceptual Lincoln Continental.  We’ll start you off with something easy to digest.  Lincoln says the new-age Continental will have a Premium Revel audio system with three different modes: Stereo, Audience and On-Stage.  Now that’s cool, but how about lights inside and out that turn on when it senses the key approaching?  Yep, it will have that too.  Think that can’t be topped?  Well, try this on for size; the new Continental will have a SPD SmartGlass tinting sunroof.  That means, at the touch of a button, you will be able to turn the tint up on the glass, which will enable the interior temperature to be lowered as much as eighteen degrees and block out 99% of UV rays.  This futuristic, full-size luxury sedan will also feature Pedestrian Detection and a 360 degree camera, which will display on the MyLincoln Touch screen.  Under the hood, it is said that it will have a 3.0-liter V6 EcoBoost Engine.  That would be a Lincoln Exclusive engine and certainly something to be excited about. Now, the 2015 New York International Auto Show will be taking place April 3 rd -12 th with a press preview day on April 1 st.  And the news of this Lincoln Continental is surely just the beginning of many stories to come out of New York in the next two weeks.  Use the hashtag #NYIAS to find interesting articles and pictures throughout the two weeks.  Also keep an eye on our blog for everything and anything auto!

We all know that the year 2015 has only just begun, so how can it be that 2016 model year vehicles are slowly coming onto the scene already?  Well there are not many, but the first automaker to send out 2016 models is (drum roll please)… Mazda!  Yes, you read that correctly, Mazda has already released 2016 models of the CX-5 and the Mazda6 for sale to the public.  Here at Preston Mazda in Preston, MD, we have over 20 CX-5’s and 15 Mazda6’s!  We are also one of only two Maryland Mazda Dealers that have been named a 2015 Gold Cup Dealer, so you know we’ll take care of you as our customer. With these extremely new models, you’re probably wondering, what are the benefits of these 2016’s? Well we want to highlight some of the main differences between the 2015 and 2016 Mazda6.  First of all, we looked at the Touring model, which is the middle trim level sandwiched between the cheaper Sport and more luxurious Grand Touring.  Both (2015 and 2016) white models pictured are Touring models in order to get the most accurate sense of the upgrades Mazda has made. If you’re anything like us, the first thing you’ll notice is the entire front fascia – headlight to headlight.  The Mazda Emblem is actually inset into the slats of the grill.  And speaking of the grill, each slat is accented in chrome as well as each fog light.  The final thing different on the front end is the headlights.  The inner lights are designed differently and have a darker casing to cover them.  In our opinion, they look more aggressive and intimidating than before – perfectly personifying this new 2016 style. You’ll be able to see some differences on the inside as well.  In the center of the dash you’ll notice Mazda went from a smaller, inlayed, 5-inch touchscreen, to a popped-up, 7-inch touchscreen in the new model. The seats on this particular model got lighter, while still keeping the leather of course.  There is also a little switch that was added next to the gear shifter to enable Sport Mode!  This particular feature is exciting and you can actually tell the difference when it is switched on – it will give you a rush. The final interior difference would be something that you can’t necessarily see in either picture – it’s referred to as the “heads up” display.  If you scroll down to the next picture you can see that a small screen pops up in order to reflect the MPH closer to your eye line.  Some may say it is unnecessary, but nonetheless, it is a neat, techy feature. We think these are the most important changes made to the Mazda6 from 2015 to 2016.  And again, just because it is a 2016 don’t think it’s not coming out until then.  It is out RIGHT NOW!  We have a large selection of these new mid-size sedans at our Gold Cup Certified Mazda Dealer in Preston, Maryland.  If you could see yourself in one of these sporty, family cars then check out the various links to our website www.prestonmazda.com or call 877-873-3591.

According to Road & Track, the 2015 Saleen Mustang 302 Black Label is coming.  And it's fast.  This range-topping Mustang will reportedly output 730 horsepower!  This will easily be the most capable Mustang Saleen has produced to date. It will ride with a 5.0-liter V8 engine and will just so happen to cost about $100 per horse. With 730 horses under the hood this exclusive ride will add up to approximately $73K. It's bodywork consists of multiple carbon-fiber components and other stylings that will set it apart from any stock Mustang.  It gets a couple inches boost from front to back enabling it to have improved downward force. Its chassis upgrades consist of new Saleen springs, shocks, swaybars and bushings. The Saleen-designed 20-inch wheels are wrapped in insanely thin, sporty tires. As expected, the interior will be incredibly extravagant yet have a distinct sport-feel.  From the classic three-spoke, leather-wrapped steering wheel to the large touchscreen display, you will be riding (fast) in style.  This will be Steve Saleen's 31st year of tuning and modifying Mustangs and his signature will be included on every Black Label model. As you may have heard, Preston Automotive Group will be the EXCLUSIVE Ford Saleen Dealer of Maryland and Delaware. We will be getting our first shipment of these bad boys around the first week of April! We have two Saleen Mustangs shipping out, however, we are not sure whether they will be Black Label 302's or not. Either way, we are certainly excited, and we hope you are too! Keep your attention on our blog for any updates regarding the Saleen Mustangs!

Ford Motor Company has just churned out their 5-millionth EcoBoost engine!  This comes in a relatively short time span too.  Ford started putting out these trademark engines back in 2009 and have averaged production of about 1 million per year. Other automakers had the technology that makes up an EcoBoost engine before; however, no one else came up with a marketable name like Ford did.  There are basically two technologies that make up an EcoBoost engine: turbocharging and direct injection.  When it's put in laymen terms like that you probably realize that you've heard of many other vehicles that have turbocharged, direct injected engines, but unless they're a Ford, then they're not EcoBoost. 2015 Ford Mustang 2.3-liter EcoBoost Engine While people see the positives of getting the extra Eco (fuel economy) and extra Boost (acceleration), criticisms have come up that say the various engines don't deliver as much on the fuel economy.  As a general consensus people have found EcoBoost Ford's to be more successful at delivering performance than fuel economy.  Evidently, Ford sees their performance potential because they're planning on putting an EcoBoost V-6 in the upcoming Ford GT Supercar. Ford 1.0-liter 3-Cylinder EcoBoost Engine Now, EcoBoost engines are offered in every single Ford and Lincoln model - apart from the SuperDuty pickups and hybrid-only C-Max.  Check out the run down of the current EcoBoost engines. 1.0-liter three-cylinder, 123 hp (Fiesta, Focus) 1.5-liter four-cylinder, 181 hp (Fusion) 1.6-liter four-cylinder, 178 hp (Escape, Transit Connect); 197 hp (Fiesta ST) 2.0-liter four-cylinder, 240 hp (Escape, Fusion, Taurus, 2015 Explorer, MKC, MKZ); 245 hp (Edge); 252 hp (Focus ST) 2.3-liter four-cylinder, 270 hp (est., 2016 Explorer), 285 hp (MKC), 310 hp (Mustang) 2.7-liter V-6, 315 hp (Edge), 325 hp (F-150), “330+” (2016 MKX) 3.5-liter V-6, 310 hp (Transit); 365 hp (Taurus SHO, Flex, Explorer, F-150, Expedition, MKS); 380 hp (Navigator)

The Nissan GT-R is celebrating a somewhat historic birthday next model year.  The GT-R is turning 45 and Nissan is doing it big.  The 2016 Nissan GT-R will sport a subtle gold paint job and as you can see from the picture, it is stunning.  A bit of news that's perhaps even more stunning is the fact that Nissan will send just 30 of the Gold Edition GT-Rs to the states!  That will surely make it a highly sought after vehicle.  We are hoping to get one delivered to Preston Nissan in Hurlock, MD, but that won't be for several months yet. Now your probably thinking 1.) 'How much is this beauty gonna set me back?' and 2.) 'Why did they make the Gold Edition for their 45th anniversary?'  Well, one thing at a time.  In terms of price, our answer comes straight from Nissan - and it's not as much as you might expect.  The prices on all three levels of the GT-R will remain exactly the same as last year.  The Premium 0r entry-level model will stay at $103,365, the Black Edition will be $113,105, and the NISMO again will cost $151,585.  And the added Gold Edition will command a $1,000 premium over the entry-level GT-R.  So, for $104,365 and perfect timing (as there will only be 30 available) you could be behind the wheel of a rare, gold-tone, 2016 GT-R.  As for the second question, we have no clue.  Usually a 50th anniversary would be dubbed the Golden Jubilee, but Nissan is bringing on the Gold Edition 5 years early. Preston Nissan actually received a 2015 Black Edition GT-R last year, so who knows, a Gold Edition could be coming to Preston.  It won't be known where the 30 GT-Rs will end up for several months still but it's fun to dream, right?  Keep an eye on our blog and Preston Nissan's Facebook page for updates on everything Nissan!

Several years ago, GM, and their major US brands like Chevy, Buick, Cadillac, and GMC, upped their Powertrain Warranty coverage to 5 years/100,000 miles.  This was a big selling point for these vehicles because at the time there weren’t many other automakers offering this type of coverage.  However, it was just made known that they would be reducing that number to 5 years/60,000 miles on their 2016 models.  Nearly a 50% reduction is crazy and owners are reacting negatively. Now there’s a couple things to know.  First of all, you may be saying to yourself ‘who even drives an average of 20,000 miles/year?’  Well for those that live in a more rural area such as the Eastern Shore peninsula of Maryland and Delaware, driving 20k miles/year can be very common.  In more urbanized places like Baltimore and DC it is obviously less common to rack up that kind of yearly mileage.  Secondly, for those that aren’t sure exactly what a Powertrain Warranty covers, think of it as basically covering all the “Go Parts.”  Specifically it would be the engine, transmission, and drivetrain parts, which are all the parts that get the power from the engine to the wheels then to the ground including the transfer case and axle assemblies.  All of these parts are not supposed to fail or go bad generally within the first 5-6 years of a vehicles life and that is why most Powertrain Warranties fall within those amount of years as you can see in the chart below. However, one automaker that blows everyone else out of the water with their Powertrain Warranty is Hyundai.  Hyundai is somewhat famous for their 10 year/100,000 mile Powertrain Warranty on all new vehicles.  You can see it written in big letters on the side of our Hyundai building at the Preston Autoplex in Hurlock, MD.  As a matter of fact, pre-owned Hyundai's come with a Powertrain Warranty equal to that of what new GM's will have - 5 years/60,000 miles.  And if you find a Certified Pre-Owned Hyundai, it will actually come with a 10 year/100,000 mile Powertrain Warranty, same as new Hyundai's. So, Hyundai’s warranty still protects you well after GM’s brands (and most others for that matter) stop protecting you.  We love that Hyundai is a part of the Preston Automotive Group and right now we have over 230 new Hyundai’s on our lot!  So, we have a great selection, and each of those come with their own 10 year/100,000 mile Powertrain Warranty.  As proved in the list above, you can’t beat Hyundai’s warranty coverage.

Want to drive a new 2015 Mustang GT but can’t afford one?  How about one of the new style, 2015 Ford F-150’s?  Well here’s your chance. The Ford EcoBoost Challenge Tour is coming to FedEx Field in Washington, DC.  Local Events will take place throughout the week of March 23 rd at various locations around DC.  The Tour will culminate with the main event at FedEx Field on March 28 th from 9am-6pm where you’ll be able to drive what everyone’s been talking about and be entered to win a 2015 Edge (which isn't even out yet!). There will be several vehicles to drive and things to do such as learn how to drive a manual transmission, test your skills on an ultra-high performance Fiesta or Focus ST, and much more as detailed below. More information and consumer registration can be found at http://ecoboostdrive.com/register.html.  Come out to this free event and drive some amazing cars to see why Ford is America’s most popular brand!

We have three Auto Body locations as part of the Preston Automotive Group, and we are all about making it easier on our valued customers.  So, here’s what we did.  We came up with a cloud-based, mobile website where we will walk you through the estimate process for those who were in an auto accident.  This process is quick, painless, and thorough.  We will, in essence, be able to give you an estimate on how much the damage to your vehicle will cost without even seeing the vehicle in person.  Here’s how it will work screen by screen. To start you will go this URL: http://www.bodyshop.systems/quoteoptions.php?BodyShopID=76.  The first screen you will see looks like this and will ask you if you are going through an insurance company or is it just a personal inquiry.  You will choose the correct option for your specific situation and proceed to the next screen. From here, you will be asked to input the year, make, and model of the vehicle in need of the estimate.  This will allow us to narrow it down to either a car, truck, or SUV. After you click Next, you will be brought to the VIN screen.  We now ask that you take a picture of your actual VIN Number, although you can skip this step if you want.  However, if you choose to skip it, we may not be able to give you the most accurate estimate possible. The next screen will finally allow you to narrow it down to the affected area.  Each panel of the vehicle is represented, so you will then choose the correct location of the damage.  If your accident caused damage to more than one of these given areas, no worries, just start with one – you will be able to go back and add other areas later.  In this example, we chose “Drivers Front Door”.  You will be prompted to take two pictures – one straight on and the other from a 45 degree angle.  This will allow us to see as much of the damage as possible from different angles.  After taking your second picture, you will be brought back to the “Affected Area” screen where you can either click I’m Done – if that is the only area affected – or click other affected areas and take pictures for those as well. One of the final screens will prompt you to input your Personal Info.  That includes your name, phone number, email address, and any notes you’d like to include.  From there you will click Request Estimate and it will send directly to whichever body shop you selected and also our Director, Brian Grimm.  We will be able to review the pictures and get back to you very quickly!  This is going to make getting an estimate extremely easy and fast. This will not technically be an application that will be available on the App Store or Google Play Store; however, the URL will act just like an app.  What we suggest is that you bookmark the URL that we listed above just in case you ever need it.  That should be the easiest way to remember it.  We can’t wait till our first customer utilizes this new mobile site, but until then we urge you to at least check it out even if you are not in need of an estimate right now!