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.
That's because the Chassis is a left-over from the mistakes made in 2005.
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.
Same as the 370Z.
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.