escortrod

True, but a ‘smart’ coffee maker offers more flexibility for some.

That pretty much exists, no? I guess most rely on a water tank, but I'd be happy enough to use water placed in the tank the night before. Plenty of bean-to-cup machines do the rest, and include a built-in water filter.

Another benefit of electric cars...

Nonetheless your assertion that a person cannot be forced to perform oral sex if they have teeth is obvious bullshit.

Just like women’s bodies shut down and don’t allow procreation in ‘genuine rapes’.

Since the Fusion/Mondeo was developed as a world car, with high US sales in mind, it hasn’t really done well in Europe. I’ve driven every generation of Mondeo and this is the first I have disliked. Ford is not seen as a premium manufacturer here, rather they have a reputation for making the best driving cars in each segment (with the exception of the Mondeo). That combined with reasonable value and a good dealership network sees the Fiesta and the Focus at the top of sales rankings on a regular basis.

The Focus has always beaten the Civic in Europe because it has generally been considered to be a significantly better car. The latest global Civic is a significant improvement on the previous Euro/Japanese car, but it’s not good enough to beat the Focus. I will be surprised if the Active trim does well though. The only ruggedised models that have done well here are those with genuine off road ability, e.g. the Skoda Octavia Scout, Fiat Panda 4x4, etc. Ford are also chasing luxury car buyers with Vignale versions of the Fiesta, Focus and Mondeo, but I’m yet to see a single Vignale branded car on the road.

I would also expect that a large number of Americans will resent giving up a personal vehicle, even if they do not drive it themselves. My limited experience of shared vehicles in the States (Zipcar in New York) is that the vehicles were kept in significantly worse condition than Zipcars in London. I don’t know if that is purely economic, or if New Yorkers are willing to put up with worse (the latter being entirely possible given the state of the subway), but I can imagine many wanting to maintain a personal vehicle for that reason alone. Ultimately it may be regulation that pushes private vehicles off of the roads. When cars become truly interconnected it will probably pose too great a safety and security risk to allow individuals to be responsible for the maintenance of their vehicles. It would be like allowing private trains on high speed railways.

Depending on the jurisdiction. The EU has not mandated electrics, and there isn’t any other supranational body that could. The U.K. has mandated zero emissions capable by 2040, but that includes various forms of hybrid powertrain. Ford have stated that from their autonomous vehicle testing they consider hybrids most appropriate and efficient in the medium term. So long as they are integrating electric in some form into their vehicles there is little to stop them ramping up production of full electrics when the market for them begins to mature (which still assumes that BEVs win out over other energy storage solutions such as hydrogen). It will be interesting to see if the vast sums being invested in BEVs by GM, Nissan, etc will result in a significant competitive advantage over the more hawkish approach taken by Ford. That is certainly not guaranteed.

Abandoning that market in the US. They’re continuing to pursue smaller cars with the Focus, Fiesta, Ka+ and Escort in other markets. There would be little to stop them selling those in the US if demand for such vehicles rises sufficiently. The Fiesta-based EcoSport is pretty small too, even though it’s a crossover. They are continuing to sell that in the States. It will be interesting to see if they replace the Mondeo in Europe. Competitors are selling plenty of cars of that size (Passat, Insignia, etc) and are still developing new models, but as with the identical Fusion the Mondeo hasn’t been a big seller. Possibly because it was developed to be a ‘world car’ which has resulted it in not suiting any market particularly well.

Interesting. The previous generation Prius and Prius V used Nickel Metal Hydride batteries, not lead/acid (though as with most cars they would have carried a lead/acid battery for the 12v systems). The current Prius uses a 1.8l I-4 “Atkinson cycle” engine with a lithium ion battery, of varying capacity depending on model. I put “Atkinson cycle” in quotation marks since they are actually Otto cycle engines with timing altered to simulate the Atkinson cycle. So far as I am aware there aren’t any true Atkinson cycle engines in mainstream production cars.

Doesn’t the Fusion use a Toyota drivetrain? The C Max hybrid certainly did when it was released, and I thought Ford had continued to use Toyota’s extremely reliable drivetrain for other hybrids.

Priuses are compact hatchbacks. SUVs have at least a pretention towards off-road ability. The Rav 4 is an SUV.

This isn’t a huge surprise. Most companies are watching traditional sedan sales fall (with the notable exception of the Nissan Maxima which has seen strong growth from a low base). I have never understood why somebody would prefer a sedan over a hatchback or wagon. There used to be a meaningful improvement in torsional rigidity, but that hasn’t been relevant for decades. It’s just a shame that sedans are giving way to less efficient CUVs and SUVs instead of hatchbacks and wagons.

I find about 1/4 offer stats and/or a picture. I'm surprised by how many do, but I guess they are keen to ensure there is at least some degree of compatibility.

My mother has had CML for more than a decade. It’s a scary diagnosis, and her medication has not been without its side effects. That said with rigid adherence to her medication regimen she has been able to live a relatively normal life, and that shows no sign of abating. Good luck with your treatment.

Surely to give a fuck is positive? Or is this like ‘could care less’?

Some STIs are just as transmitable through oral, but not all. Unprotected anal intercourse is still riskier that unprotected oral, even if you’re on PrEP. That’s fine if you want to do it, but putting out a false equivalence isn’t all that responsible.

I've had no problems escorting in the UK. It's fundamentally legal here, though some associated activities (which I do not do) are not legal. In London I feel pretty confidence that if I was the victim of a crime in the course of escorting I could report it to the police and be taken seriously. That's about as good as it gets. The possible downside to it being legal is that rates aren't as high as in the US, but that's a trade-off I'm willing to take. I've also found clients in the UK treat me better than in the US. Which isn't to say I've had terrible experiences in the States, but more clients there have been transactional with me, and wanted to get their 'money's worth'. Edit: when I think about it, I've experienced a lot less pressure to bareback or do drugs than I faced in the US too. Both are definitely common in London, but are asked of me about 25% of the time, vs 50% in NYC and Vegas.

Worse than the various threads discussing shit in one form or another?

As above, some people do, but also car manufacturers like to plaster their cars in badges. Base model Mercs will usually have at least ten, and AMG (or AMG Line) models typically have at least 18.

One is discreet enough to not be obvious in any photograph, and the other is on my back. I hadn’t realise my butt pic was in my private gallery. I pay little attention to rent men.

God, I want to re-write their website for them.

95 miles isn't *that* far. I pop down to Bournemouth quite often. It's an easy day trip.

My tattoos are meaningful to me, and I'm pleased I have them. If that loses me some business, so be it. (Happily, though, many clients comment that they like them, so it may be the case that it gets me different business). There are lots of tattoos on others that I don't like, but I don't generally feel the need to comment on it, nor has it ever decisively put me off of somebody.