Ford Freestyle - Taurus X

passat_2002

I've not done this myself, but quite a few people who post on this forum have had good luck improving the Freestyle's sound system by simply replacing the speakers.

gardencenter

I don't understand all the hoopla about the Edge. From the photos I have seen, the engineers apparently designed it so the Mercury Mountaineer wasn't the homeliest thing on the road. The Edge just looks plain ugly from the front. In my opinion that is the problem Ford has at this time: Fusion, the whole Mercury line, Lincoln except for the LS are all styling loosers. I am very happy with the way our Freestyle looks. Functionality doesn't mean a thing if the styling is as lack luster as the Edge looks to me.

nitromax

But if Ford simply updates the Freestyle's styling and puts the 3.5L in it, I think it will hold it's own for some time to come. Heck.. you never know, they might even decide to advertise it.

LOL
They advertise it. Haven't you seen the commercial about the sad lonely divorced guy who's "ex" is kind enough to take him along on a road trip.
I love the scene at the end where he watches his wife drive away in the car that his alilmony paid for.
:-)

yeah, they can do better.

jimcat11

What did you not like (other then price) about the shelves?

Thanks

Jim

stevedebi

"I think that's the problem with Ford in general, if you can get the same (or better in the case of the CR-V vs Edge comparison) thing in a Ford or Honda, why buy Ford when you have the added quality of Honda. I own a Ford Freestyle because I couldn't find a Honda or Toyota to match what the Freestyle offered at the same price."

Well, just to drop in my note here, I traded in a 2003 CR-V for my FreeStyle. If Honda had made a car that had the same capabilities, I would be driving a Honda. But they don't make such a vehicle.

There is no question that Honda has better build quality. However, I must say that this is the best Ford product I have driven. But it isn't a Honda.

passat_2002

"I traded in a 2003 CR-V for my FreeStyle. If Honda had made a car that had the same capabilities, I would be driving a Honda. But they don't make such a vehicle."

C'mon. Are you saying the Pilot couldn't have gotten the job done for you? Face it.. you liked the Freestyle better. Give Ford a little credit why don't ya.

vgumbatz

Well, I was one who traded in my '04 Pilot for a '05 Freestyle. I've been driving Hondas exclusively for the past 20+ years. The Pilot didn't work for me since my wife couldn't deal with the high step-in (we have a baby). Also, I was sick and tired of getting 13 MPG (I never got close to the advertised 21). As to the interior, yes, the Pilot was better, sort of. Yet, the Pilot had hard door panels, non-illuminated steering wheel controls, non-powered passenger seat. Oh yes, I had to spend $200 just to get an electronic compass with an auto dimming rearview mirror.

Wait, did I say why I like the Freestyle better?

tidester

Hi, everyone. As you've probably noticed, we have been trying to refine the discussions into more narrowly focussed topics. Our objective is twofold. We want to make it easier for people seeking specific information about their vehicles to find it easily and without having to wade through hundreds or thousands of postings.

To those ends, we will be shutting down the general make/model discussions and work exclusively with specific issues. This requires us to populate the make/model subsections with relevant, interesting and timely topics. Rather than having the hosts simply create boilerplate topics for each make/model, we feel that you, the owner, the make/model enthusiast and the prospective buyer can best judge what those topics should be.

You can help by adding a discussion (it's easy!) or suggesting one here.

To add a discussion, click on the last link in the "You are here" line at the top of this page. That will take you to the topic page for this make/model. Review the list of topics and click on the "Add discussion" link when you've decided what topic you'd like to add. Follow the directions and you're done! Feel free to add more than one. Just avoid duplicating existing topics and try not to make it TOO specific!

Your help and continued participation in the Forums is greatly appreciated! Thanks.

bobw3

Exactly my point. For me, the Pilot didn't have enough 3rd row space. And price was an issue for me. If I bought a Pilot with the same features, I'm sure it would have cost a lot more than the $23,500 I paid for the Freestyle. I'm guessing I saved about $5000 and have the extra space and better mpg. And if down the road I end up putting in a couple of thousand more in repairs in the Freestyle, I'll still be ahead.

stevedebi

"C'mon. Are you saying the Pilot couldn't have gotten the job done for you? Face it.. you liked the Freestyle better. Give Ford a little credit why don't ya."

1. No, the Pilot couldn't have gotten the job done, or I would have bought it.

2. Of course I liked the Freestyle better - I bought it.

But there are worlds of difference in both engineering and quality between Ford and Honda.

xnappo

That is really annoying and unnecessary. This board doesn't get that much traffic. I am not going to keep up with 10 different topics. I don't know if I am interested in what someone has to say until they say it

xnappo

stever

Heh, 6500 posts is a lot to plow through when you are searching for something. If you just track the Freestyle group, you'll see all the same posts - they'll just be pre-sorted a bit for you.

tom_holsinger

IMO this General Discussion topic is perfect for comparisons to other vehicles, Ford's hilarious promotion "efforts", whether the Freebie has a future, which model Freebie to buy, etc.

kpevav

I agree. It is enjoyable to read the general discussion and the various topics that get explored. Many discussions seem to cover what would be several specific topics, and so would be difficult to track otherwise. The general discussion also lets one bring up little questions and concerns, ones that do not really warrant a whole topic.

barnstormer64

But there are worlds of difference in both engineering and quality between Ford and Honda.

That would explain why my brother's Honda Civic blew it's A/C twice . . to none on my Ford Tauri. :P

freealfas

"But there are worlds of difference in both engineering and quality between Ford and Honda."

YES there is...I'll take the Freestyle's VOLVO DNA over honda's any and every day of the week to keep my family safe...

kpevav

The figures for injury rates among 2003-2005 SUVs includes these: For 4WD, the Freestyle is at 54 (substantially better than average) and the Pilot is at 78 (better than average). For 2 WD, the Freestyle is at 79 and the Pilot is not shown. Perhaps the injury rate difference between the 4WD and 2WD Freestyle is due to the fact that the 2WD vehicles (like my own) often do not have side air bags, traction control, and, of course, 4WD.

The data comes from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, and the institute explains that, "All losses are stated in relative terms, with 100 representing the average injury...for all vehicles. For example, a result of 122 is 22 percent worse than average, and 96 is 4 percent better than average...The results also are adjusted, or standardized, to reduce possible distortions from...nonvehicle factors — operator age [in the case of injury rates]."

dnash

I would have to agree. There are already too many discussions to keep up with.

jschreiber

OK I will try to recenter the discussion:

Hit 30,000 miles on my freestyle AWD SE purchased December 2004
Never in the shop except oil changes
brakes inspected--90% still there no change yet needed
continues to drive very well with that great volvo tightness and AWD
has been a real workhorse for hauling stuff and family when needed
I keep reading underpowered in edmonds review--I just don't have that problem--push on the gas on the freeway and I pass whoever I want--the CVT is indeed different but I love it

Real issue for me is what next--my kids are leaving for college and I want to downsize, keep AWD for Minnesota weather and get great mileage--I hate the interior of the escape hybrid--(why can't they use the freestyle interior!!) really cheap feeling--I wish the edge or other new vehicle was also a hybrid

bobw3

HOST...Message 4800 was posted Oct 21, 2005, so that's about 1700 posts in the past year, or 4.6 per day. Most of the posts are historic, so if you want to go through all of the old ones and categorize them, then go for it. But if the number of posts remain consistent with the past year's average, I think we can manage to read 4.6 posts per day in this general topic without being too overwhelmed.

bobw3

My Freestyle FWD SE just hit 40,000 miles, and like you, it's only been in the shop for oil changes. The tires and brakes are still good, the mpg is still great, and the car is as tight as when I bought it.

That being said, at 40,000 miles, both my 91 Ford Escort nor '99 Mercury Cougar also were problem free and had never been in the shop except for oil changes. In fact with the Escort, my first repairs began at about 110,000 (at about the 4 year mark) with an alternator, water pump, and a couple of minor things. It finally died at 180,000 miles after 6 years of driving, so I was pretty satisfied. Even the Cougar, which gets the blackest of ratings from CR, was pretty much trouble free prior to 100,000 miles (okay, an alternator at 70,000 miles), but in the past couple of years, between 110,000 and 120,000 miles, I've had to replace the alternator two more times, A/C compressor, and several other things, so now I'm car shopping.

What impresses me with Honda/Toyota as compared to Ford, is not just the longevity, but the quality feel inside. I sat in a Honda Fit or Toyota Matrix, and they both felt much more solid inside than the Freestyle. You couldn't move the center console/armrest back and forth as you can with the Freestyle. Or sitting in a Civic or Accord, everything inside has a greater feeling of quality then the Freestyle, or any Ford.

So when I'm talking about quality, I'm talking about mechanical quality beyond the 100,000 mile mark, and of the feeling of quality and craftsmanship for the interior components.

Yes I like the Freestyle, but if I needed only two rows of seats and AWD, I'd buy either the CR-V or RAV-4 over the Escape any day. I'm looking for an ecomomy car, and my choices are the Fit, Versa, Corolla, Matrix, but because of the quality, the Focus isn't on my list. Sitting in the driver's seat of a Focus feels like you're sitting in junk after sitting in a comparable Honda or Toyota, plus again in the long term (post 100K miles) I hear more stories of Hondas or Toyotas going 10 years and 200,000 miles much more than I do from domestic cars, and the quality rating back that up.

I think some people are blinded by brand loyality. My Dad retired from Ford, as did many of my uncles, so I used to be that way.

stever

Part of the idea is to encourage new people to also post and many aren't comfortable jumping into a discussion that's years old with several thousand posts in it.

Others don't have good search skills and can't easily find the answer they need.

Somewhere there's a happy medium (and yeah, I've heard the one about the giggling fortune teller ).

bobw3

If you want an example of how making a bunch of categories will kill a forum, just look over at the Mazda5 forum. When they had the one main category, there were quite a few posts. Now I check it out once a week and there hardly anything being posted. So if you want to finish off this forum, the go ahead and make a bunch of categories.

mrdinmn

I've owned Hondas (3), Toyotas (2) and a Nissan since college, and never got more than 107,000 miles out of any of them before encountering a $2+K repair, and I maintain them according to the book and don't drive them hard. Alternators, leaking head gaskets and repeated ball joint and CV joint repairs head the list of faults with the imports I've had. (Each time the service advisor has said, "This is very unusual," but it's no consolation when you're having to pay the freight.) So I've discarded the notion that imports are more reliable or cost less to maintain. I bought the FS because I liked the ride, handling, fuel economy and space. Time will tell if it's any more or less reliable than the imports. I did get a Ford certified 05 SE with the 5/75 powertrain warranty, because there's no track record with this CVT transmission.

stevedebi

In my opinion, the direction Edmunds is going creates information overload.

tidester

creates information overload.

Think of it as a larger playground with more toys and more room for everyone to move around in!

tidester, host

tidester

go ahead and make a bunch of categories.

I'm counting on you guys and gals to come through with innovative, interesting and exciting new topics and discussions that will be enticing, stimulating and informative to newcomers and regulars alike. Consider it a challenge. I think you're up to it!

tidester, host

stevedebi

"I'm counting on you guys and gals to come through with innovative, interesting and exciting new topics and discussions that will be enticing, stimulating and informative to newcomers and regulars alike. Consider it a challenge. I think you're up to it!"

I agree with former posts. It will stifle discussion. It will be easier for new folks to find information, but of less interest for people to follow forums.

I haven't been back to the Fit forum since I first saw it. I was interested in finding out about the car, not in perusing multiple titles. The more topics and discussions there are, the harder it will be to keep up. The threads will be too fragmented, and the sense of community now found will be lessened if not gone.

kjnorman

I do not like the idea of spliting the Freestyle forum up into multiple topics. I already think there is enough and I ignore all threads except for the general thread.

If you must split them up then there should be no more than 3 threads. I would suggest the following:

- General Discussion
- Maintenance and Issues (or how do I..?)
- Pre-purchase & Lease Questions, Prices Paid and Real World MPG numbers

Just my 2c worth.

bobw3

Exactly, the Fit forum is another example, like the Mazda5 forum that has really gone downhill after the addition of too many categories.

Hey HOST, if it will make you happy why not just create a new folder called Freestyle 2007 and start using that in 2007. It will be a clean slate. You already have over 20 folders already...how many do you want?

volfangary

I also agree! Keep it as it is.

tidester

What would you folks think about a "Meet the members" or some such topic that would keep the dialog going and satisfy the requirement of "fine graining" the topics?

tidester, host

bobw3

It's a dictatorship so we must comply!

tidester

It's a dictatorship so we must comply!

That made me think of the Borg line in Star Trek - "You will be assimilated. Resistance if Futile!" LoL!

Seriously, I think a "Meet the members" topic would give the "Best of Both Worlds."

tidester, host

stevedebi

"What would you folks think about a "Meet the members" or some such topic that would keep the dialog going and satisfy the requirement of "fine graining" the topics?"

How about leaving open the general Freestyle forum and the Freestyle "Problems" forum, and see which forums get all of the action?

Let people post where they want, if people like the new style, OK. If they prefer to post on a single forum, OK. It isn't as if we can't have both. :shades:

dougmalissa

We need to come up with a wave. When one freestyle passes another on the road. Like the Jeeps do. Any ideas?

tidester

Here's your chance to be first! Check out Ford Freesytle: Meet the Members!. Try it out for size.

tidester, host

preferbicycles

I fold my middle three fingers back under my hand , extend my thumb and little finger to the left and right, and twist my wrist back and forth few times.

No one has any idea what it means, which is OK. I figure maybe eventually they will figure it out. I seem to remember people in Hawaii doing something like this to mean "Hang loose", but since I am not in Hawaii I don't think it will confuse anyone, and I am OK with people thinking that is what I mean anyway.

pnewby

Looks like Bill Ford Has come to Edmunds. I have heard the general discussions are gone and there is nothing we can do about it. Sound familiar to anyone? :shades: I see nothingggggg-

bobw3

I never knew there was a Jeep wave?

dougmalissa

Did anyone else see the article about the Tausus? http://msnbc.msn.com/id/15338425/?GT1=8618
If Ford is smart, they will tie in the Freestyle on the Taurus coat tails.

bruneau1

Has anyone replaced the 215 Continentals with a different tire? If so. how are the ride and noise, etc.? i don't want or need snow tires. Merci.

northlakes

Having put a 20 year old Taurus out to pasture earlier this year, there is nothing wrong with the Freestyle also being put out to pasture in another 18 years or so. :shades:

rick2456

Good point. One has to admit that is about the dumbest ad since "Head on, apply directly to the forehead".

tidester

Please go to the group top level and create a discussion that fits your comments/questions or post in an existing discussion.

Ford Freestyle

tidester

Enjoy!

tidester, host

lenwoodruff

My 2005 Limited AWD Freestyle has 35,000 and I have notice some low speed whine. Anybody have any noises like this?

coldcranker

Can you tell if its coming from the CVT (under the hood) or if its coming from the AWD differential in back?

lenwoodruff

It is definitely coming from the Front End. Like the power steering.

coldcranker

The water pump (on the right as you look at the engine) is direct-drive off the intake valve camshaft. The impeller bearings could be starting to fail. A little grit in there over time can fail those bearings, and they usually squeal a little bit. A greater fear is that its the CVT transmission wearing a bearing down. Also, I did have a whining sound and replaced an alternator (easy) on a '95 Windstar and on a '97 GMC pickup, so its a common failure item that makes that noise. (I'm not a mechanic, but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express.)