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Comments
After nearly 60,000 miles on my '05 Freestyle, I'm averaging about 22mpg, with about 20mpg around town, mid 20s at fast highway speeds and close to 30mpg if I keep the speed at or just under 65mph.
One of the only cars uglier than the Pacifica is the Azera.
Have never driven a Pacifica. Some days I like the way it looks, other days I don't. I've been driving a PT Cruiser while my Taurus X is getting some cosmetic work done. Definitely don't like the way it looks, but a very nice little car otherwise.
THanks
Jc
Mark.
TX 2008 - AWD Limited
TRANSMISSION: 6-speed automatic
DIMENSIONS:
Curb weight: 4216 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS:
Zero to 60 mph: 7.7 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 22.0 sec
Street start, 5–60 mph: 7.9 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 16.0 sec @ 88 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 111 mph
FUEL ECONOMY:
C/D observed: 16 mpg
FX 2005 - AWD SEL
TRANSMISSION: continuously variable automatic with torque converter
DIMENSIONS
Curb weight: 4190 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
Zero to 60 mph: 8.2 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 24.1 sec
Street start, 5-60 mph: 8.7 sec
Standing 1/4-mile: 16.4 sec @ 86 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 111 mph
FUEL ECONOMY
C/D-observed: 17 mpg
My wife thinks our Freestyle is “sporty”. While I wouldn’t go that far, it is a very competent vehicle. It handles very well in normal driving conditions around the city and on the Interstate, as well as on the twisty and hilly state highways and side roads we travel on our 50 to 100 mile jaunts to wine country, carrying 6 adults (and their stuff) in safety and comfort. Even adult passengers relegated to the third row are surprised at not being cramped, and that their comfort was not an afterthought.
Some automotive journalists feel that the Freestyle is underpowered; we disagree with their reviews. After driving the Freestyle for a year and a half, we find it to have ample power and acceleration under all circumstances. The engine is noisier than we would like under hard acceleration, and it does stay higher in the RPM range than we’re used to as it maintains speed to climb hills with a full passenger load. This is an engine that lets you know when it’s working hard! As far as gas mileage, the Freestyle gets good mileage for the type of car(?) it is. We average 17.5 around town, 28-29 on the highway at legal speeds (60-70 MPH) and 25-26 MPG beyond the legal limit.
Build quality is good. The Freestyle feels solid, and there have been no squeaks, rattles, or other disconcerting noises to date. The front and rear seats are comfortable (can’t vouch for the third row, as I haven’t spent any significant time back there). The drivers seat is power adjustable in all aspects, and finding the “just right” driving position is easy for all of us; me (long arms and legs), my wife (long arms and short legs), and our son (even longer arms and legs). There are a few things that we do have issues with, such as the tether on the gas cap, which gets in the way when unscrewing or screwing the gas cap on/off; and the in-dash multi CD player that makes cheap sounding noises as it loads, unloads, and switches discs.
Reliability has been very good, so far. Our Freestyle has been in just for routine maintenance. At the time we bought, Ford was offering two years of free scheduled maintenance, so we have continued to bring our Freestyle back to the dealer we bought it from. This dealership has been proactive whenever we bring it in for scheduled maintenance, and replaced the rear brake pads (the current Achilles Heel of the Freestyle) at no charge to us, even though we had not experienced or commented on any brake issues. The new rear pads generate much less brake dust then the original pads. And then there’s the continuously variable transmission (CVT). Will that prove to be the future Achilles Heel of the Freebie? I hope not, at least I hope if it does fail, it does it during the extended warranty period.
Overall, our Freestyle is a safe, comfortable, and handsome vehicle, capable of hauling a bunch of kids and grown-ups (and their stuff, did I mention that?) whether traveling across town or across country. In a nutshell ..a Very Competent Vehicle.
If this is in fact that case, I am wondering how dealers are going to handle this situation. If something is being advertised as being "standard" on a vehicle, and yet it is missing from some vehicles, I know that I might not be too happy once I discovered that fact. The optimist in me hopes that salespeople are going to disclose this fact, but the cynic in my suggests that this could be an area which might lead to a "poor customer experience". Let's hope that Ford dealers take the high road on this one and be up front about this issue.
The price of the TX Limited when the Sync was automatically included went up by $400, coincidentally the price of Sync. So as a practical matter, you now have that option as mandatory. But you can choose not to have Sync and save money just by getting one of the older models.
Anyone who really wants Sync will notice it's missing on the car (it's listed on the Invoice) and chose the newer models as needed. I suspect it won't be too hard to handle at the dealers.
Thanks
Jim
Thanks for the info. I didn't notice that the MSRP went up, but that makes sense. At least you are getting what you pay for, or not getting what you didn't pay for, as the case may be!
I finally had a chance to check our the TX at the local dealership. They had a fully loaded one sitting in front of the showroom for demos. I didn't have time for a test drive, so my impressions are limited to just sitting in the car.
Things I liked:
1. Plenty of room in all seats. I am 6'2" and I was able to sit in the third row without much trouble. Same with the second row.
2. The "command seating" was very nice. Basically, the second and third rows sit up a couple of inches higher than the previous row, giving a stadium seating effect. I am surprised that more vehicles don't do it, because it is a great idea.
3. There seemed to be a lot of cargo space for a station wagon/CUV. Even will all of the rows in use, there was a good amount of space behind the third row. Most other CUV's have the third row seats practically against the liftgate, so there is barely any room back there, so the TX was nice in this regard. Plus with the seats folded down, you get a good amount of space for hauling stuff.
4. The fold flat seats are very easy to operate.
5. I mentioned to the salesperson that I am eligible for X-Plan pricing. The salesperson said that they accept X-Plan customers, but that they would be able to do "even better than X-Plan". I wonder if this is because TX sales are weak, as I had suspected.
Things I didn't like:
1. When flipped down, the DVD player greatly restricted rear visibility, but I am sure this is true of most vehicles with roof mounted players.
2. Rear visibility in general seemed fair, but it was hard to really judge not actually being on the road.
3. The second row seats tumble forward to allow third row access, but with a carseat installed, they would be impossible to operate. I couldn't judge if you could fit between the second row captain chairs, since there was a big center console in the second row.
4. The roofline seemed very low to the point of being claustrophobic.
5. While cargo room was decent, it still doesn't compare to the room you get in a minivan.
My overall impressions were positive based upon my walkaround. I even liked the styling of it. One thing that I dont' like about the current CUV styling is how they try to hide the fact that they are really just minivans with their high clearance and aggressive stances, while sacrificing true family utility. The TX is an unapologetic family vehicle with its station wagon appearance, and there is something to be admired for that type of courage.
I am not sure if I will end up buying a TX though. I am still thinking that a minivan might be a better choice as a family vehicle.
Carsten
Since you are shopping with your family in mind, remember that with it's Volvo P-2 chassis, no Minivan will protect your family the way the Taurus X will. Even the original Freestyle with no side airbags received a five-star side impact rating. The X is also a good deal more maneuverable and sure footed than a minivan, making it less likely to be in an accident to begin with.
if you know that you will be driving the car longer or more miles you may want to get the maximum time/mileage coverage.
we are now beyond 36000miles and it "feels" good to have the additional coverage. so far no problems (knock on wood) but you never know...
Carsten
We've got two kids in car seats. One option is to keep both kids in the second row when the third row is not in use, and move one kid to the third row when transporting a third adult. As the kids get older and graduate into booster seats, this won't as much of an issue, though.
You can get the bench seat on the Limited, by the way.
Thanks for the input on the rear visibility. Like I said, I didn't get to test drive so I couldn't really judge.
That is a good point about the TX's safety pedigree. Volvo is pretty much the gold standard when it comes to safety, so that is one thing that I appreciate about the TX. On the other hand, there are some minivans which also have good crash ratings and good driving dynamics, so it's not like I'd be driving a deathtrap if I opt for a minivan!
I thought I would consider a Chrysler Town and Country as an alternative. But then I read several reviews that said the Town and Country is pretty weak from an engineering point of view. Chrysler put all their effort into the entertainment system and seats. The base engine of the Chrysler minivans is also weak. However, those vans are apparently selling well.
Consumer Reports has been hammering Chrysler about the engineering of their vehicles for the last year. Many Chrysler vehicles showed up on Forbes' worst vehicle list. Also, Ford has been increasing in quality much faster than Chrysler, according to Consumer Reports.
What was your average speed?
My 2006 SEL gets 26.5 @ 80 MPH, about 28 at 70 MPH, and somewhere around 30 at 65 MPH. All are steady state, no hills. Hills will reduce MPG somewhat.
We went from the Valley to Disneyland yesterday, average speed less than 65 MPH, which yielded 32 MPG. But that is unusual.
However, one of the persistent annoyances of it was the way the gas seemed to nearly evaporate from the top 4 gallons of the tank. Like within 40-60ish miles sometimes...
Other then that, only downsides were [it was an SE], no changer/mp3 player, no fuel estimation trip computer, no awd or sunroof. Oh, And also the mileage. For me, it seemed like it was 20-25mpg tops highway.
The only time I think I touched that "forced power" button with the accelerator was to pass a semi on a hill on a two lane road... I think I hit 6000rpm that time. It was a good car, stable, but a bit heavy. There were times I nearly rearended someone due to the cars weight.
I wanted gas mileage, especially with gas prices the way they are now. With the FS, the way it seemed to go thru gas was a bit unacceptable. So I traded in for a Subaru Forester.
While it was a pleasure driving a unique car seemingly, the low popularity of the FS was not very conducive to keeping of value. I dont need something that has 3 rows of seating. At most I really only need 2 rows.
In some ways, if I could turn time back, I would've stayed with my freestyle a bit longer, It was great car and I really liked it.
Its a good time to buy - rebates are up to $2K, interest rates are reasonable and net prices from dealers are down.
Regarding the gas gauge behavior, mine does that too and it is annoying but you just have to tell yourself it is a gauge issue and your car isn't really burning MORE gas during the first 50 miles. I have had the opposite problem on other cars where for the first half of the gauge it would hardly move making you think you are getting great mileage, but then when it hits half way it drops like a rock. Either way it is just odd gauge behavior and not actual variance in fuel consumption.
- Chad
I would never buy the SE; the SEL has so many more features, including a trip computer. I only wish now that I had bought the Limited, just for the movable pedals (my wife is short and I am tall).
It's not like the driver had anything to do with those "nearly rear ended someone" moments. It had to be the fault of Ford's engineers and designer's without a doubt...
Please... last I knew cars aren't out driving themselves. Maybe if you were keeping a safe distance you might have avoided the "nearly rear ended moments" you blame on the vehicle.
Well, mine was also well equipped, and the dealer didn't tend to offer a lot of options on the SE. Mine has no DVD player or Sunroof, but it has the curtain airbags, reverse sensing system, rear aux, and 7 passenger seating. Plus I think the CD player is better in the SEL? Also, I'm not sure if the SE has the automatic headlights or the fog lights?
This was the EB edition, which I had never seen before, and it was very nice. While the interior doesn't compare to, say, a Lexus, it was very nice for a $30,000 vehicle. The wood-colored trim, the retro speedometer, and the two tone leather gave it some style. The seats were comfy, especially since they were uber adjustable. My only complaint about the interior was that the center stack was very busy with all sorts of controls and buttons and the like.
One thing we liked was the fact that with the captains chairs and no center console, there was plenty of room to access the third row. This is important since we have two kids in car seats and a mother-in-law living with us.
While driving, the engine shifted in a very smooth and refined manner. Even though this is a bigger vehicle than I am used to driving, it felt very secure without a lot of body lean and slippage. Accelerating onto the highway was adequate, although compared to my current small sedan, it was sluggish. However, that is not a fair comparison. There wasn't a lot of road noise in the cabin. Visibility was amazing from the driver seat. I have driven other SUV's and minivans where you had to cross your fingers when changing lanes, but the TX had great sitelines when you looked in all directions. My only complaint about the suspension was a little lacking when going over bumps.
Other impressions:
- The heated seats are great. My wife was having some back pain this week, and she said that she found the heated seats to be very nice!
- The trip computer is pretty cool. I never had a vehicle that had one, so I had fun playing around with it on the test drive.
- The alloy metallic color (the color of our test vehicle) is a lot nicer in person than in the brochure. It looks the same as black in the pictures, but it is a stately dark gray in person.
- Low volume dealerships are the way to go! This one treated us with a lot more respect than the highway dealer.
In summary, my wife and I liked it so much that we ended up factory ordering one!
The only risk of a factory order is that you don't know what rebates will be in effect when the vehicle arrives. My gut feeling is that they will be the same or higher, given the way the economy is shaping up, plus the fact that the TX seems to be a slow seller. However, even if the rebate goes away, we'd still be ahead of the game by about $1400. Right now the rebate is $1500 in our region.
One salesman explained to me that dealers prefer not to trade because they do not get the 3% holdback from Ford. Instead, the dealer that traded the car gets to keep the holdback. They actually buy the car at invoice price from the other dealer and then have to pay someone to drive it back. If a dealer sells a vehicle from their lot, they save the cost of getting the vehicle and get the 3% from Ford.
If it is a true dealer "trade", that implies that dealer A is sending a comparable vehicle to dealer B. So dealer A won't get the holdback on the vehicle that they are receiving from dealer B, but they WILL get the holdback on the vehicle that they send to dealer B, once it is sold.
Just out of curiosity, why is that grad? Pricing aside, the TX and Edge are two pretty darn different vehicles.
Now for my $.02. I don't know anyone with a FS or TX but my brother-in-law rented one (FS) on vacation in FL and said it was fantastic. He drives a Durango FWIW. Friends of ours have an Edge SEL and love it too. I've been following along in most TX and Edge forums all over the place as we too are interested in them and their opinions of each seem to reflect the vast majority of others opinions so your Aunt seems to be looking at a couple of great choices.
Just out of curiosity, why is that grad? Pricing aside, the TX and Edge are two pretty darn different vehicles.
Well, she likes the seating position and style of the edge, and the 3rd row capability of the TX. We were looking at Ford vehicles for my grandmother's Accord replacement (I wanted her to look at the Taurus Sedan since they can be had for less than the base model Accord and are better equipped). My great aunt tagged along (they are sisters) and she liked the TX and Edge.
At the moment, pricing still isn't good enough to get her out of her 2005 Honda Odyssey.
I am guessing that it will increase. What do I base this on?
1. The activity in this forum and others suggests that there aren't many people interested in, or buying this vehicle.
2. Vehicles like the CX-9, Highlander, Enclave, Acadia, and even the Ford Edge and upcoming Flex seem to be getting all of the "buzz", while the TX doesn't seem to be generating as much interest.
3. Since I have been in the market for this vehicle, I've been checking out dealer inventories online. I've seen the same vehicles listed in their inventory for quite a while now.
4. The local highway dealer has had the same TX parked out front for 2 months now.
Personally, I am glad that nobody is interested in this vehicle, if it means better incentives, and there is something pleasing about buying and driving a vehicle that nobody else is driving (unlike the Pilot/Highlander). However, as an objective observer, it is a shame that such a fine vehicle seems to be languishing in obscurity.