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Comments
You are correct.
After more than a year with my Freestyle, I am convinced there is nothing like it. I am not convinced Ford sees it that way and it may be offering the Edge as a consolation prize (I am sure that the Edge is a fine vehicle in its own right, but not a Freestyle). :shades:
The best way to find out what's being tested is to follow Karl on Cars, our chief editor's blog. And sometimes they spill the beans in the Letters to the Editors.
Steve, Host
http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=22340
Not to be confused with the Nissan Urge. :shades:
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Let's see what the future holds.
Sam
My suspicion is that if Freebies were to get Cyclones (Duratec 35s), they would be far more fuel-saving. The FWD would be in near-30 highway, and the AWD making as much as present FWDs.
Also, with 250/250 horse & torque, it would eat Maximas for breakfast. :P
Sam
Hey 060114-000020, I've always wondered what would happen if you put a Tornado in a Cyclone -- you'd probably have gas coming out the fuel tank.
Since everyone says the Freestyle is history (except Ford), I suspect the editors will be more likely to add an Edge to the test schedule than the Freestyle. Keep your fingers crossed.
Meanwhile you can write your own review.
Steve, Host
I learned on my Masters' that many Companies fail because they don't capitalize newer technologies until after it's profitability and dominance had long been established. The best analogy is surfing. To best "catch the wave", it's best to be in at right before it begins to rise. Thus you're on top of it before/during/after it reaches full height. Failing companies try to get in the wave at "during full height". Way late.
The current Ford situation in the market is not peachy by any means. They're beaten with all the Japanese "better products all-around" customer mindset. Hearts and minds are hard to change. To me, the crossover market is the "wave" Ford needs to catch to regain former glories.
I believe Freebie is a perfect embodiment of this "catching the wave". Technologies within it truly show promise. The CVT is the best example, as even when mated to "underpowered" Duratec 30s the whole system does deliver reasonable power.
This "wave catcher" perspective propelled me to buy it, just as much as all the vehicles features we know and love. I realized the vehicle was a transition product, yet thought it would had a long life on its own. (I mean with transition that it would help bridge production line changes between the -then- "today" of '04 models and the CD3-based vehicles galore of the future.)
I really got disappointed at the news of cancellation, as Freebies would not show their true potential without Cyclones. (You may recall my "Merlin Mustang" analogies. The original WW2 Mustang fighter was underpowered, but became the legendary plane we know after it got the Merlin engine upgrade.)
My measure of Ford's long-term viability is Freebie. The way they (mis-) handled it indicates to me Ford Management is too stuck in "Profit as the sacred variable". They don't think of having product offerings that offer flexibility to varying market circumstances. For example, the highly-profitable Explorer got a beating post-Katrina in its sales. Profits of vehicles not sold are zero.
Ford should had pumped ads (like Toyota did after Katrina) showing a vehicle fitting seven with AWD, five-star safety, etc. All that and doing 27 mpg, (vs. 30 for most cars). People would had flocked to the Freebie wagon bandwagon :surprise: .
On the other hand, one possibility running in my mind is that Freebie is a victim of internal "personality" politics. That also explains the Freebie dilemma. :mad:
Just some thoughts.
Sam
Tornado on a Cyclone... Sir Steve, I think you found the perfect name to a supercharger, should they make a Freebie SVT.
Sam
Do I have a defective device or is this that chip you are all talking about. I do not have the chip. Should I try acquiring that first. We were trying to use it initially for an ipod but gave up on that. We're now planning to hook up our Sirius Kenwood receiver to try and bypass having to use the FM transmitter (which I loathe)
Thanks in Advance for any help
And if your device does have the new IC chip, PIE has found that disconnecting the negative battery cable for about 15 seconds (just need to do this ONCE) has solved the problem of "losing" the adapter.
After contacting Logjam I replaced mine and sent the old one back to them (Postage paid both ways by Logjam) and the whole system is working great! This setup is highly recommended if you want to use your Ipod.
I take it you're disappointed Ford is not taking full advantage of the Freestyle's product life cycle and possibly killing it somewhere in the development stage.Doesn't look like a good business plan without full capital recovery, let alone talk about profitability.
If Ford is continuing production of the 500 and the Milan at the Chicago plant how are they going to make up for unused capacity since the two remaining D3s are not expected to increase sales significantly with the new Fusion now available. The Freestyle suffered from almost a complete lack of promotion, not a lot of people even knew it existed and at the time I was shopping for it some sales people were even confusing it with the Freestar.
As for your hope to fit the 3.5L Cyclone with the Freestyle for its full potential, unfortunately the CVT's torque limit would come up short around 220#. Maybe if the Freebie should survive with rising demand then the 3.5 with the new 6-speed trans. wouldn't be too hard to swallow. :confuse:
What I compared was an Explorer Limited V8 with rear wheel drive, 21E safety canopy, 96B ultimate convenience, and 76R reverse sensing and a Freestyle Limited with CVT&AWD (most comparable to rear wheel drive), 87E safety canopy, 76R reverse sensors, 90B power pedals, and 175 Homelink.
You're not comparing apples with apples here. AWD is not "most comparable" to 2WD. It's most comparable to 4WD and that expands the price difference by another $1800. Your MPG difference is flawed on this basis as well.
Living in snow country, FWD or AWD handle better in the snow and muck, in my experience, than RWD. One of the Freestyle issues seems to be that it is a bit cheaper than the Explorer (which can reach $40K) and has been eating into the Explorer sales. That might be Ford's dilemma. :shades:
tidester, host
That being said, it wouldn't suprise me that Ford is shifting the Freestyle over to Mercury to prevent the competition to the Explorer
The explorer with the V8 will give you better off the line acceleration and towing power, but if you can live with 0-60 mph numbers in the mid 8's then the Frestyle might be fine for you.
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Samuel,
Many thanks for your question, and for your kind feedback. We don't have any immediate plans to do a crossover comparison, but it's very likely that we'll schedule one over the next few months.
Warren Clarke
Content Editor
Edmunds.com
--------------------
Sam
Any thoughts? Feedback?
Thanks!
Rick
The jack man lied to his boss who then tells Ford that they did not do it. However the Certified Ford Mechanic said they did do it. Isn't it good to know Ford does not stand behind their mechanics but instead believes a sub contracted firm.
Lets see - I spent 7.5 hours on the phone with 9 different individuals with a cost of at least $75 per hour for a total of $562.5. The cost to fix the vehicle is $275.51.
Next month I was going to purchase a new F150 Quad Cab 4X4 - well not anymore.
In the end the customer is always right. I do not need them but they need us.
So now I will appreciate the fact that Ford is laying off employees because they have earned it. :sick:
I've had my Freestyle SEL FWD for a little over a year and have 31,000 trouble-free miles on it. I have absolute confidence in the CVT. My Ford 150 truck drivin' husband loves it, too. It's his car of choice on road trips. I had no trouble getting used to the CVT--I really didn't feel like I had to "get used" to it at all, actually. My grown children love the car, too, because there is room for carseats, big people and all of their stuff, but yet it's a pleasure to drive. I've had Thunderbirds, Expeditions, Explorers, and a Taurus, and this is my favorite (the Explorer was my least favorite). In my opinion, it's one of the smartest cars around. Now, if they ever make a hybrid version, I'm way down for that!
Steve, Host
The CVT takes a lot of getting used to. Would have ordered the 6 speed auto if was available.
Car is somewhat underpowered, but works well if you are not a speed-demon.
Gas mileage is close to EPA estimates (23 mpg overall 50/50 mix).
Cloth seat snags and stains easily - get the leather if you can.
Pebble cloth interior color is very nice, but the carpets are too light colored. Get a set of after-market mats quick (and Ford does not offer mats for the 3rd seat).
The standard Continental tires are crap. Very bad handling in rain or snow, almost dangerous if you live in a northern clime. Get the optional 18" tires.
The 6-CD player sounds like a garbage disposal - slow and noisy.
No body-side molding makes car a door ding magnet.
No cargo area cover available.
Overall a great car. Nothing is perfect. Best luck in your decision - Freestyle is still the best option out there for 6-7 passengers in comfort and good mileage.
Question though, why didn't you just change the flat yourself?
No issues other than my wife refuses to keep the darn thing clean. Should you really feed an entire box of yogurt covered raisins to a 1.5 year old? Carpet shampoo, here we come!
Have noticed (and like very much) that it is heaver and seems to be more predictable in the snow. Comparing it to a Subaru (my mother's), I like that it is bigger and heavier. Although the Subie is fun to do 4wheel drifts with 25ft high rooster tails of snow from all the wheels, the Freebie seems to be a bit more sedate and harder to make wonky in slippery conditions.
Road manners are pretty good otherwise.
I've heard this any number of times now and after owning ours for 6mos I have no idea what all this "getting used to" exactly means. Press the gas pedal the car goes, how is this different than a normal slushbox, it goes through its gear adjustments smoothly, the gearbox allows improved mileage, no real discernable shifting hence the car is very smooth and comfortable to drive. What am I missing here someone tell us this already...
"Car is somewhat underpowered, but works well if you are not a speed-demon."
It's not a sports car, its a crossover that is MORE than capable of getting out of its own way and cruising at highly illegal speeds if need be. This is just another fallacy propagated in this forum, plain and simple if you want fast buy a sports car. Read the comparisons to its competitors, ITS THE FASTEST PEOPLE despite not having all of the extra horsepower of the other motors, it just uses what is has more effectively. Move on from this criticism already. 8 sec 0-60 time for a rig this size is more than safe and apropos. If you need to tow all of these comments do not apply and you need to look to other vehicles.
"The standard Continental tires are crap. Very bad handling in rain or snow, almost dangerous if you live in a northern clime. Get the optional 18" tires"
Incorrect, while they may not be the best tires out there they have gotten through a Chicago winter no problems with a FWD FS. I won't be replacing them with like tires because indeed there are better options but by no means are these "crap", yet another fallacy...
"Gas mileage is close to EPA estimates (23 mpg overall 50/50 mix)."
agree
"Cloth seat snags and stains easily - get the leather if you can.
Pebble cloth interior color is very nice, but the carpets are too light colored. Get a set of after-market mats quick (and Ford does not offer mats for the 3rd seat)."
Have black leather and am happy we do as to the glare issues and what has become apparent with stains on the cloth optioned seats.
My biggest gripe has been minor quality control stuff, trim pieces, molding fit, and the dealer to a point. Was not real impressed with how we were handled but that's another story.
The bottom line on our 6mos old '05/7.5k miles FS LTD is that we enjoy it for what it is, the most capable crossover out there. We carried 6 for new years eve to consolodate to one car, another day 7 with grandparents and aunts and uncles in tow, its stylish, reliable, comfortable and safe for the family. You cannot find a similarly capable rig for the price that is better. Buy it and you will not be sorry.
WHY, has it because of its LACK of electronic stability control(ESP) thrown you from the road lately or have you heard of a rash of Freestyle's flipping, etc. The FS is more than capable and has proven to be a class leader in stability testing.
What, other than increased cost, would the benefit be. Bottom line is the DRIVER is still the one who has to be IN CONTROL of the vehicle and what he/she is asking it to do at any given moment. Heck the majority of driver's don't know what ABS does for them and how to use it to it's best effect and now we are going to give ESP to customers and tell them that this will take care of all of their driver errors. Hit a 45mph corner at 90 and regardless of ESP or not you are going to be in the ditch.
The Explorer has proven to more or less NEED an ESP due the limitations of its size, weight, center of gravity, for what people ask it to do, travel at high speeds on roads that change direction thereby taxing the dynamic limits of a truck based SUV. The FS was designed to carry people safely and securely, it does that significantly better than any Explorer ever could.
ESP is really only used effectively at a vehicles dynamic limits, the more capable the vehicle is the less the ESP would come into play. How often would you find yourself at the dynamic limits of a FS, really. In the end you need to ask what the real world benefits would be to the majority of the drivers and I would argue in this case it's just not worth it. Drive this vehicle within its limits and responsibly and you will find it more than capable and enjoyable for what you ask of it.
Regarding a 6 speed transmission, the new one (Ford-GM design) may be better, but one review of the Ford 500 last year thought the 6 speed spent too much time hunting for the right gear, which became irritating on hills and the like.
I can only add that my shale-colored cloth seats benefited greatly from a $4 can of Scotchgard as soon as I got the Freestyle. A year and another $4 later and the cloth is still in good shape. :shades:
Power has never been an issue...if necessary you can stomp on it and power is there (although not to the extent of a V8).
We have the pebble interior and I have no complaints about it - you just have to keep the carpets clean but that's no big deal. The leather is real easy to care for.
Another one of the great capabilities is the Freestyle's handling/performance in snow. The AWD certainly contributes to this performance as do good winter tires but it is certainly another selling point for this vehicle (if you live in a snowy climate).
You correctly state that stability control helps going around curves at limits. So do tires and center of gravity. Some erroneously think stability control prevents rollovers, which it doesn't. That being said, not all stability control systems are created equal. Some are smarter than others. Some are added to compensate for a less than optimum suspension design.
As far as safety, the 5 star front and side crash ratings, four star rollover ratings, three-row side air curtains, center of gravity, and Volvo chassis/safety cell construction, were the icing on the cake that sold me on the Freestyle. Living in snow and ice country, I would take my Freestyle against a ScionB any day (though the customizability is tempting...). :shades: