Ford Freestyle - Taurus X

northlakes

A couple of additional notes to your comments. The throttle-by-wire Freestyle engine has a slower rpm drop than a typical vehicle when you let off the gas at first. If you have it in park, and just tap the accelerator, you will see what I mean. This adds to the coasting effect of the CVT. That being said, I have never felt the CVT "fighting" me like the original poster, rn865, mentioned.

I ran a few experiments with the "Low" transmission setting. At about 30 MPH, dropping it into low almost doubles the engine rpms. That convinced me that "Low" acts more like a first gear, as opposed to going from overdrive to drive. I would recommend using "Low" only at low speeds. I hope that helps! :shades:

nitromax

I'd like to also add that the RSS lowers the radio so the beeping can be heard.

nitromax

This is something new to me and maybe others already knew so bear with me.

The CVT stays in a high gear on acceleration from a stop if the pedal is mashed quickly from a stop. This gives some nice "off the line" torque which I didn't know the car had in it.
I used to just start off normal like in all of my other cars....that is, light throttle pressure and then increasing pedal. When using this method the Freestyle is somwhat slow and I can see why some people thought the car was a slug. (not that I care...I bought a family car not a sports car)

I then read about the CVT software being designed to allow a higher gear when starting from a dead stop. (I read it in one of the other Forums.....Fusion I believe)
Not believing everything I read, I then tried it one day and was shocked to have the car leap off the line from a stop sign.

Once again, this may be old news....if not, give it a try and tell me if you feel it too.

northlakes

Cool! The little surprises make me like the Freebie more and more. Must get my Freestyle keys now... :shades:

bruneau1

i don't experience what you are reporting- whereas mine slows down very well, especially on hills where the hill calibration takes effect. I never use the L position, since there is no need.

barnstormer64

"I went back to my car about 3 hours later and when I pressed the AUX button the factory head unit did NOT recognize the PIE AUX adapter. A day later it still isn't recognizing it. I have emailed both Logjam and PIE to see if they have any answers."

I have the PIE adapter for my Five Hundred. It's just a simple AUX connector, though (doesn't control the ipod, nor charge it).

The first versions (like the one I got) came with a chip that wasn't programmed correctly. They finally got around to fixing that, and sending out replacement IC chips.

PIE took a few months to come out with the fix . . but they did get it done.

One thing you might try: try disconnecting the negative battery cable for 15 seconds or so, then reconnecting it. Even after some people had put in the new IC chip, the vehicle would lose connection with the AUX connector. So far, they've said that disconnecting the battery cable ONCE has solved that issue for good.

maxdraw

Thanks Barnstormer64. Logjam is sending me a new unit with the replacement IC chip. I'll keep in mind your tip to disconnect the negative battery cable. I plan on posting a final update for everyone after I install it.

hedden

barnstomer and maxdraw:

I'm looking to do a similar PIE Aux install for an iPod. But I'm having trouble finding instructions on 'cracking the case' and getting access to the stereo connections. Any tips about or pointers to this info? Or is all this included in the instructions that come with the PIE device?

barnstormer64

The PIE Aux "box" that I got doesn't need to be "cracked" to get to the RCA inputs. Nor to get to the potentiometer.

I did have to open it up to replace the IC chip, though.

There were just 4 little tabs that needed to be pushed aside with a screwdriver to to this.

maxdraw

Hedden,

By saying "Cracking the case", are you asking how to get into the dash to the head unit? If you are, it's pretty simple. The fake wood or carbon fiber panel surrounding the head unit pulls straight out. Open the top lid on the dash and gently start pulling it off from the top. You can completely remove it and get it out of the way by unplugging the connections to the heater, lighter, etc. The head unit is right there and it is held by 4 small bolts. The PIE directions should take you from there, but something that was not in my directions and should be now is the procedure of hooking up the harness. This is very important and won't work otherwise.

Just in case here is what you do.
-Leave the factory 16-pin plug (if present) disconnected from the FRD04-AUX harness and turn the Key On to ignition and watch the radio turn ON. When it does, you should see the headset icon light up.
-Once the icon lights up, you may reconnect the factory 16-pin plug to the FRD04-AUX harness.

A last bit of advise would be to find a good place to tuck the PIE unit to try and keep it away from any power wires. Some people have complained about a hum and I would bet that their PIE unit is too close to a power wire. Good luck.

hedden

maxdraw: thanks, that's just what I was needing to know. By the way, how did you manage to route the ipod connector cable all the way back to the center console?

maxdraw

Hedden,
I hooked up another devise to the FRD04 AUX and it is called the Blitzsafe UII Universal Ipod Interface. It hooks up to the FRD04 using RCA jacks (Although I had to buy 2 sided male RCA converters because both units are female) and connects to your Ipod at the bottom. This is a better sound connection and also charges your Ipod. The cable coming out of the blitz to the Ipod is pretty long. I had to tie up some slack in the dash to give me the right length. I left about 2-2.5' of slack coming out of the drilled hole in the console. BTW the panel with the cup holders that goes around your shifter pulls right out. Just remember to take the decorative ring around the shifter off first. To get a better angle to drill the hole in the console I took it out. I also put a rubber grommet in the hole.

bobw3

The owner's manual specifically says that Low gear is for getting additional engine braking (going down hill, on curves, for additional power, etc), so I consider Low gear to be like the Overdrive Off button on automatics that can be used at any speed to give additional engine braking.

When you're using Overdrive on a normal automatic then it's the same as Drive in the Freestyle, and when you turn off the Overdrive in an automatic, that's the same as driving in Low in the Freestyle. I think the confusion is that in an automatic you have positions for Low, 1, 2, D, N, R and people are comparing the Low position in an automatic (which can be either first or second gear) to the Low position in the Freestyle (which is like an Overdrive Off position).

All that the Freestyle's Low position does is keep it at a higher "virtual gear" position keeping the RPMs higher. You could drive in Low all the time if you wanted, and the affect would be similar to turning off the Overdrive in an automatic.

Page 200 of the owner's manual states:

"D (Drive)
The normal driving position for the best fuel economy.

L (Low)
Provides more engine braking when the accelerator pedal is released than D (Drive)."

damianinpa

When you say Mashed..do you mean just flooring it? Problem is higher RPM's and a big decrease in gas milage. I admit that I baby it off the line till I get going and then kick it in.

nitromax

yeah, that's what I mean by mashing it. :-)

I agree with you. I don't like doing it either, but if you can get up to speed quicker by mashing it, you will save gas.
The latest mpg tests have proven that "babying" the throttle to get up to "say 30 mph" uses more gas than accelerating quickly and then letting off of the throttle....at least that's what they found with the Toyota Prius.

I'd like to hear from other Freestyle users to se if they can feel the difference when mashing....stomping....the pedal. Maybe it was just my imagination, but I sure thought I felt a kick where there was none before.

bobw3

I agree. There is definately more kick when mashing the gas, but that's with any tranny...auto, manual or CVT, so it's not surprising. As far as the mpg, I don't know if using the hybrid example would be the same, since the hybrid is in electric mode when idling at a stoplight, but I don't know. Even if the mpg is better by mashing the gas off the line, I don't know how good it is on the engine and other components as compared with a gradual launch from the stoplight. I'm in the middle, I don't mash but I don't baby. The RPMs are about 2500 until I get up to speed. If I mash, then the RPMs are around 4000 until I get up to speed, and by babying I guess you mean that you keep the RPMs about 1500.

bruneau1

There is no way anyone is going to save gas by heavy acceleration from a stop. Also, flooring the Freestyle engages a little notch that can be felt and the CVT sends the rpms to 5800. Dramatic, but quite noisy. The smoother and slower you drive the better the mileage. People who drive their hybrids aggressively discover that the mileage decreases dramatically. See an article in the current Car and Driver.

barnstormer64

"The latest mpg tests have proven that "babying" the throttle to get up to "say 30 mph" uses more gas than accelerating quickly and then letting off of the throttle....at least that's what they found with the Toyota Prius."

I suspect that this advice (if true at all) is only true for hybrids. It wouldn't be true at all for normal gasoline-powered vehicles.

scootertrash

No, I read a BMW produced bulletin a few years ago that advised that some thing. The sooner you get to top gear (without completely flooring it), the better.

tamarack

I had just purchased a limited for my wife a couple months ago. I had noticed that the panel below the headrest on the drivers side of the leather seat is wrinkled as if it has stretched out. I have watched to see how she enters the vehicle thinking she was putting her elbow into it for support when entering and exiting but she is not. I am concerned as the car is only a couple months old and the rest of the leather is tight throughout. Has anyone else experienced this?

northlakes

In doing a few calculations,
1) to shave 25% off of the quarter mile acceleration time, it requires ~ 2.4 times the horsepower for a vehicle the weight of a Freestyle.
2) to shave 50% off of the quarter mile acceleration time, it requires ~ 8.1 times the horsepower of the original case.

If we assume that amount of gas burned per horsepower is about the same, it seems clear that the amount of gas burned by accelerating faster rises much faster than the time reduction might suggest. It makes it hard to think that harder acceleration saves gas. You can check out "www.smogsite.com/calculators.html" and run your own numbers. :shades:

nitromax

You guys may be right, but I did read that recently and it got me thinking.

Think of it this way:

There are two ways to get to 30 MPH. One way is to accelerate from 0-30 in "say 5 seconds" and the other way is to accelerate from 0-30 in 10 seconds.

The first way makes the engine work hard (say 6000 rpms) for 5 seconds and then the rpms drop way down and the car basically coasts at 1500 rpms (just a guestimate)

The second method makes the engine work at moderate rpms (say 3500 rpms) for a longer period of time. V = D/t ---> 30 mph = D/5 sec. So for an extra 150 feet, the car is needing to keep the engine rpms at 3500 rpms just to equal the output of the first car.

When you measure the power under the rpm curve over the total time, my bet is that the second car would have used more power.

I don't mean to start any arguments. I just thought it was interesting and something to ponder.

mrsj

Just checked online and the Magellan doesn't have the same available options as the Freestyle ... DVD player and Nav are not available as factory installed option... not even as an either/or option. Can this be right? Mercury dealers must be furious!

It is the combination of all of the options at this price point, along with the great ride, that make this a good choice for our next car. In order to get a similar ride in an SUV with similar options, we have to go to an MDX... not even the Pilot offers both Nav and DVD together, it is an either/or option.

We currently have a Pilot and replacing it without Nav will cost us 6 grand more! The DVD player is loved by my wife and I and our kids, for different reasons of course. But we want Nav also! I see the interior and basic utility of the Pilot and Freestyle as being essentially equal but the Freestyle handles better and has a better ride... quite a compliment because we bought the Pilot instead of an Explorer for the very same reasons in '03.

The 3.0L engine is the same in the Freestyle and the Magellan vehicles. Any word on if/when Ford will offer a larger engine? I can wait a few months but not sure if I can wait till 07 models.

freealfas

Don't worry about waiting for whether or not the 3.5l will get to the FS if you like it, The 3.0l is more than capable with the CVT. You might find few if any who are disappointed with the power here. If you want one go buy it, I and many others would reccommend the FS as it stands with NO HESITATION.

nitromax

This is my opinion, but I can't understand why anyone would prefer a factory GPS system over an aftermarket system.
The aftermarket is going to be easier to upgrade, it can be moved from one vehicle to another, it can be placed just about anywhere in a vehicle instead of the mandatory "center of the dash".

The only thing going for the factory GPS is a cleaner install.....and that's not always a given either.

Like I said....just my .02

rbco

I am looking for a luggage rack and possibly a ski rack for my 2005 freestyle. I also am looking for a 2 inch hitch for my bikes. should i go through dealer? any suggestions? pricing , etc?

thanks

ps. interesting mpg observation. I just go back from a 5 hour highway ride, and averaged 25mpg (i have awd). Yet city has been poor for this car since day 1. I have written about this before. My city mpg is around 15. I am a proper driver for maximizing mpg. all other past cars were fine. oh well. i found the Consumer Reports article to be pretty correct, especially with my experiences.

thanks for any help on the carriers. i got my floor mats from this board.

northlakes

Though I could find no Magellan info on the Mercury site, I am not surprised that there would be some "de-contenting" of the Freestyle platform. The upcoming Ford Edge will be on the smaller "CD-3" chassis. It will be smaller and have less glass (more Murano-like, according to spy photos) than my Freebie.

If the Magellan goes on sale in the Fall of 2006, it is too soon to believe the option list is set in concrete in late 2005.

That being said, we owners of the current Freestyle may have a bit of magic with the Freestyle that may not be repeated again at this price & feature point. :shades:

bruneau1

Some hybrids don't even use the gas engine if accelerating very gently up to 25-30. I may be wrong, but I think the Escape works that way. The February issue of Car and Driver contains a good article with some testing of speed, acceleration, and braking and the their effects on mileage.

reverend12

Try www.autoanything.com. They seem to have quite a bit of accessories.

reverend12

On the Mileage, You really gotta let this vehical "coast" whenever you can. As you know it coast very well. I can usually get 19-20 even in town when I drive it. My wife gets 15-16. Highway has been as high as 27.

rmsamples

Does anyone out there know if there is any information available on the safest placement for child seats in the Freestyle? I have a rear facing infant seat and a toddler in a front facing. I can't find anything in our the literature that came with the vehicle that indicates the safest place to put the children, except not to put them in the front...obviously!

rbco

thank you for the autoanything link recommendation. i will check that out.

"On the Mileage, You really gotta let this vehical "coast" whenever you can. As you know it coast very well. I can usually get 19-20 even in town when I drive it. My wife gets 15-16"

I will try that. I have not considered coasting, and that could be it. I do live in a hilly area, and i think that contributes to the poor mileage. i have had a Lexus rx300 and a jeep grand cherokee. both got better city mileage than my freestyle (but i havent tried coasting).

With that said, I bought the freestyle because of my desire to be thrifty, have safety, gas mileage, 4wd. So far (and it has only been 7000 miles in 6 months) the freestyle has been my favorite car yet (but, I have only been driving for about 336 months ;-).

stever

I assume by coasting you mean letting off the gas and easing up to stop signs and red lights.

Taking the vehicle out of gear and coasting is illegal in most states because it's not a safe practice.

Just want to clarify.

Steve, Host

cmuniz

I bought my bike rack from cityStop.com and am very happy with it.

On the MPG issue, I find my AWD Limited to have the greatest variance in MPG of any vehicle I have owned. Get up to 24.5 mpg on highway trips and about 18.5 on my average daily use. It appears to be very sensitive to the way it is driven. Overall I like it very much for all the reasons that have been mentioned here earlier. It has been great on snowy roads todate.

reverend12

Once you get the vehical up to speed, simply lift the pressure from the accelerator pedal. This transmission will maintain speed with a slight pressure on the pedal as opposed to keeping the foot in it.

barnstormer64

Once you get the vehical up to speed, simply lift the pressure from the accelerator pedal. This transmission will maintain speed with a slight pressure on the pedal as opposed to keeping the foot in it.

Applying any more pressure to the gas pedal than is needed to maintain speed will result in ACCELERATION. Any less will result in DECELERATION.

The best way to improve gas mileage is to:

1) use the cruise control
3) avoid braking followed by acceleration

The Freestyle is a HEAVY vehicle, and not very aerodynamic. If one lives in a hilly area, one can't expect great gas mileage.

northlakes

It is important to note that the Freestyle weighs the same as a Nissan Murano, Ford Crown Victoria, Buick Riviera, or Cadillac DTS sedan. The Explorer weighs ~4400 pounds. The Freestyle may be heavy compared to some sedans, but not outrageously so for its size. It actually has a much better volume to weight ratio than the sedans mentioned.

Aerodynamics to me look much better than an Explorer or Escalade or Suburban (more boxy than Freebie). The Freestyle nose is pinched and sloped, the windshield is raked, the rear end curves and wraps, and it is lower to the ground than even the Murano. That may be why the highway mileage jumps so much for the Freestyle as compared to city driving.

For city driving, the lower MPG has something to do with the CVT calibration, I believe. A friend with a Murano (with CVT) gets 15 MPG in the city, but the person who convinced her to buy one gets 17.5 MPG with the same configuration Murano. Over time, things seemed to get a bit better.

The advice on how to improve mileage is very useful. That is what this Forum is best at. :shades:

barnstormer64

Aerodynamics to me look much better than an Explorer or Escalade or Suburban

Yes, but a lot LESS aerodynamic than say the Ford Five Hundred.

I find I can get a few mpg more out of the 500 than my Freestyle (both AWD).

I also noted that I can get a couple more mpg by using the cruise control when driving on the highway, rather than trying to do it myself. Granted, a lot of that is because I'm usually trying to get around other cars when I'm not using the cruise control.

bruneau1

The cruise control on the Freestyle works very well. The combo of the transmission adjusting constantly and cruise makes for a very seamless driving experience. I got my fuel tank straps replaced; didn't take long at all. Also found a new dealer on whom I can rely.

ranger2001xlt

What is it about wives? I climb into our Freestyle after my wife has been driving it and the MPG computer always reads about 15 MPG. (This reading gets reset at every full fillup on our vehicle) After I drive it around for a few days on the same roads which my wife does I can get our AWD back up to around 17mpg in city driving.

freestylegal

Uh, a wife here. You know what? I find that after my husband drives my car, I get lower gas mileage. I don't know why. In the end, I think it's about driving habits rather than gender. (P.S. I know you were kidding [mostly]).
Happy New Year everybody. I bought my Freestyle on Jan. 2, 2005 and have put 30,000 trouble free miles on my car and I still love it.

scootertrash

Every woman I have ever driven with is somehow obliged to press either the gas or the brake at all times. Coasting, even momentarily, is not an option.

barnstormer64

scootertrash, meet freestylegal. :P

30,000 miles? Wow!

I've almost got 7,000 on mine.

nitromax

LOL

My wife gets worse gas mileage also.....hmmmm

:-)

Happy New Year all!

tourist1234

I priced out the Yakima racks for the Freestyle through the dealer and REI and several online vendors. I was surprised to find that the Ford dealership came in at less $ even with the REI end of year refund. I specifically was looking at the crossbars with both bicycle and canoe attachments. I will be buying them from the dealer.

tidester

Husbands? Wives? We're splitting hairs here - watch your mileage plummet when your kids get behind the wheel!

tidester, host

freestylegal

I doubt you will get ANYONE to disagree with that!

scootertrash

Yes, that reminds me of when my father heard me, from a block away, stomping on the gas, in my 70 Impala with a Quadrajet Carburetor and a flipped over air cleaner lid. That sucking sound was me riding my bike for a week.

I average about 14.8 MPG in our Expedition,
My wife; 12.4

saram

Female here. We bought our FreeStyle SEL FWD in March 2005. We have about 15,650 miles on it. Two trips from Ohio to Iowa. On the highway I average 25-28 MPG and in town I always average at least 20MPG. Sometimes 22.2MPG. I don't see a huge difference when my hubby drives it.
It is a great car. I got it back on Dec. 23rd after four days in the body shop to get the damage fixed that someone did in a parking lot. Looks as good as new now!
Hope you all have a safe and Happy New Year!
Take care and keep posting.
:shades:

indybell

I saw an ad in a car magazine recently for the new Bosch ICON wiper blade. What I could see of the blade in the ad - and it wasn't much, especially the attachment mechanism - did look like our front blades. Anyone know if it is, in fact, ours?

Apparently ICON blades are really expensive too but if they can be used as replacment blades on the Freestyle, perhaps you could get them on sale somewhere and won't have to held captive to the Ford Parts Dept. They're never be on sale there.

I also saw that the rear blade on the Volvo wagon and SUV are solid blades (not hinged)similiar to our front ones. Wonder if they would fit our back wiper arm. Don't know if they work better, but they look better. And, I'm sure, cost many times more.