Ford Freestyle - Taurus X

barnstormer64

but one review of the Ford 500 last year thought the 6 speed spent too much time hunting for the right gear,

Well, the Freestyle (or a Five Hundred with the CVT) is ALWAYS hunting for the right gear. But it takes such small steps that you don't mind it doing so. In fact, you WANT it to.

That's why I made sure my Five Hundred also had the CVT.

northlakes

The CVT seems much more successful at hunting AND finding the right gear for the right moment. It has been great in my Freestyle, and I'm glad your 500 experience has been a good one too. :shades:

volfangary

Tonight I had the opportunity to talk with a Ford mechanic that has worked on Freestyles. He states, "The Freestyle is one of the most sound cars Ford has made in a long time". He stated he has been so impressed with the car that he is buying one for his wife next month. He said there have been very few in for any kind of repair. He said the foundation of the car is the best Ford has ever had and that is because of the Volvo engineering in its build. He states the only work they have done on the CVT is a module needed to be replaced on one car. He is amazed at how few on the Freestyles his dealership has sold have needed any mechanical repairs. His words were, "The lowest ratio of any car they have ever sold". He also stated his co-workers in the body shop are also amazed at how easy body work is. Apparently repairs are made easy by Fords use of components that are simply changed out. Finally, he reports Ford IS reconsidering there orginal plans to stop selling it in 2007,per his recent conversation with sales manager.

fsmmcsi

It seems that Ford is just too poor to offer stability control and other missing features. They are waiting three years to give the cars the engine and transmission they needed when introduced! Maybe they will add stability control and a bunch of other things when they move it to Mercury, rename it, and raise the price, although with the new engine, it will be greater competition for the Mountaineer. It will be interesting to see how they position the different vehicles competing for the same customers.

freealfas

Ford's not too poor to offer stability control, all they would have to do is charge that much more for the feature, the point is the FS does not NEED it. Would it be nice to have, maybe, Is it a requirement at this price point on this vehicle... No. The FS is quite capable and sure footed, It has a capable platform and for what it is, a Crossover, it is MORE than competent, period. Is anybody out there complaining about all the other competitor's that don't have it, doubt it.

"They are waiting three years to give the cars the engine and transmission they needed when introduced!"

The 3.5l is not the engine the FS "needed", the FS is the fastest 0-60 in its peer group, what am I missing in this point. The CVT is capable, efficient and proving to be reliable, again where's the problem.

"Maybe they will add stability control and a bunch of other things when they move it to Mercury, rename it, and raise the price, although with the new engine, it will be greater competition for the Mountaineer. It will be interesting to see how they position the different vehicles competing for the same customers."

Stay tuned as to the move to Mercury, It seems this may be getting reviewed by Ford brass. The FS is superior in every way to a explorer/mountaineer as it sits today, safer, more stable, more efficient, just plain better all the way around the block. It can't help but be more competent and safe considering the abilities of the platform it sits on and the technology it represents. The explorer/mountaineer is an old, outdated design that only represents a cash cow to Ford plain and simple, the lowest common denominator. It's ONLY trump card to the FS is its ability to tow, that's it. If that is not a prerequisite for your purchase then I would challenge anyone as to the wisdom of purchasing the FS vs the explorer/mountaineer, the FS is the more complete, up-to-date, capable and most of all safe rig of the group hands down.

Rather than worrying about improvements to the platform/mechanics itself, where the FS is a bit lacking is the interior and more specifically the material selections. It starts with the carpet being standard, dated, US car manufacturer shiny carpet they have been putting in cars for years ad nauseum. It need to go, its horrible when there are so many better options.

The dash/door panel plastics are poorly selected as well, the door panels are a bit too monochromatic, your arm rests on a wide flat surface which is nice but this was a perfect opportunity to provide a material with a bit of give and contrast to allow one that much more comfort physically and visually.

The dash is laid out well, readable, and largely well designed , again it is the surfaces that you touch that let you down again. VW offers amazing interior surface material in its jetta's & passat's that come in at this price point. Why can't lesson's in texture and material selection be learned from these great examples to improve the US car industry rather than ignore the facts like they do not exist. Classic head in sand mode and ironic when one considers all of the forward thinking it took to put the FS together from all of the good stuff that is under the corporate umbrella at Ford. How hard and at what price really would it have taken to make different decisions that cost the same but have better effect and perception. It really does not have to cost more for better design than for poor design.

Ford save your money from the 6spd auto(pointless, you have a cvt with an infinite number of gears between its high and low ratios, how many "speeds" do you have to have folks, really), 3.5l motor(unproven, you really think it won't have teething problems), and ESP(not needed) and put those funds towards better materials where the customer touches/interacts with the interior. That would be the single greatest improvement that could be made to this very well conceived Crossover.

The FS is not just your average bear, it should represent a bit of a benchmark for the class at the end of the day, it's that good...

fordforme

AWD will not save you in a curve, but stability control may. What happens is if the sensors sense oversteer or understeer the one wheel brake is applied to put the car back on its intended course. Just do some google searches and you'll see demonstrations of how it works. AWD gets you going okay, but will not save you from an error, whereas stability control certainly will.

nitromax

AWD will not save you in a curve, but stability control may. What happens is if the sensors sense oversteer or understeer the one wheel brake is applied to put the car back on its intended course. Just do some google searches and you'll see demonstrations of how it works. AWD gets you going okay, but will not save you from an error, whereas stability control certainly will.

OK, you're contradicting yourself. First you say "may" and then you say "will"...which is it?

If you're worried about driving a 7 passenger vehicle too fast into a turn where you have to concern yourself with oversteer or understeer, then you're looking at the wrong vehicle.

barnstormer64

The 3.5l is not the engine the FS "needed", the FS is the fastest 0-60 in its peer group, what am I missing in this point. The CVT is capable, efficient and proving to be reliable, again where's the problem.

It's all marketing, really. People look at the HP numbers, or the displacement, and think that since the FS uses the "old 3.0 Duratech", that it must be underpowered.

The one thing the 3.5L would do (or at least should do)is improve the towing capacity of the vehicle. For some, that's an important feature that might be preventing them from choosing Freestyle over the Explorer.

bobw3

"The one thing the 3.5L would do (or at least should do)is improve the towing capacity of the vehicle. For some, that's an important feature that might be preventing them from choosing Freestyle over the Explorer."

On the other hand, for those of us who never tow, I'd rather not pay any extra cost, or lose any mpg, for a feature that I'll never use.

barnstormer64

On the other hand, for those of us who never tow, I'd rather not pay any extra cost, or lose any mpg, for a feature that I'll never use.

Fortunately, it appears that there really won't be much of a mpg hit with the new 3.5L

I do wonder about the timing of all these new higher-output engines (from all manufactuers) given the current state of oil and gas prices.

It seems like (with 20/20 hindsight) that perhaps the money developing a new engine would've been better used to come up with more fuel efficient versions of the same outputs we had before, rather than increasing outputs and keeping the mpg status quo.

freealfas

Ditch the hybrid escape and give us a hybrid Freestyle... Ford put that in your pipe and smoke it. Improve the interior and you have a vehicle that would spank a lexus r330h or whatever it is. You can't tell me Ford could not do this AND undercut the price of the Lexus while producing something that was superior. It has the perfect platform to go toe to toe with it with these improvements. Ford needs to embrace the strengths of this vehicle and build on it instead of allowing all the useless speculation about its future that has been flying around. It really seems they just do not recognize what they have in this vehicle and more so the potential that it holds.

freealfas

Ditch the hybrid escape and give us a hybrid/CVT Freestyle... Ford put that in your pipe and smoke it. Skip any thought of a 3.5l/6spd tranny FS after 2007 and give us and improved interior and you have a vehicle that would spank a lexus r330h or whatever it is. You can't tell me Ford could not do this AND undercut the price of the Lexus while producing something that was superior. It has the perfect platform to go toe to toe with these improvements. Ford needs to embrace the strengths of this vehicle and build on it instead of allowing all the useless speculation about its future that has been flying around. It really seems they just do not recognize what they have in this vehicle and more so the potential that it holds.

bobw3

"Skip any thought of a 3.5l/6spd tranny FS after 2007 and give us and improved interior and you have a vehicle that would spank a lexus r330h or whatever it is."

I completely agree on this. I'd rather leave the mechanicals alone and have them focus on the interior. It's not bad right now, but if they're going to improve something, I'd start in the cabin...some of the plastics, clock that's hard to read in the day, same with the guages, etc...however, I wouldn't want to spend thousands more for these changes. If they could makes some of these changes and only add a few hundred to the end cost that would be okay, but I'd rather not pay a couple more thousand for softer plastic components.

freealfas

Do you own a car with ESP and if so how often do you use it, i.e. the ESP feature specifically. How many times has it saved you and what was your "error". Do you check your tire inflation pressures regularly and adhere to all scheduled service schedules as well to make sure that every time you or your loved one drives the car is 100%. I'd argue that those often overlooked aspects of car ownership are more important than whether or not your car has the added cost and complexity of ESP.

Yes the demonstrations are compelling and the technology is advancing. I'd personally start in the US with better driver's education and the embracing of personally responsibility when operating a vehicle within its specific limits relative to road conditions as opposed to looking to technology to be another crutch that may or may not function properly in that critical moment. Technology while valuable is not here to solve everything. The ever spiraling complexity of the modern automobile is reflected in its pricing, weight and ongoing maintenance costs, all of which are increasing.

What's next "Hal, HAL... there's a tree HAL, We're headed for the tree HAL.........(A Space Odyssey) I'm sorry you did not follow the prescribed service maintenance schedule and that discount oil you put in because you were cheap I do not appreciate... you have been terminated"

"... but will not save you from an error, whereas stability control certainly will"... It's that mindset and thought process that is permeating the masses that will find most of them in the ditch because they were told that ESP was the answer to yet another problem they did not know the even had. I'll wave as I go by the ditch the car will be in because of this reliance on marketing of technology as opposed to personal accountability and understanding of the tools at hand. Everything you are told, read see, or hear is not always true or what it seems...

Let's see I'll even fan the flames a bit... Weapons of mass destruction... enough said... I digress even further but that's for another forum perhaps...

barnstormer64

Ditch the hybrid escape and give us a hybrid/CVT Freestyle... You can't tell me Ford could not do this

I've been told that it's easily doable . . the big issue is still the supply of batteries for hybrids. And the associated extra costs (which may not pay out the fuel savings).

freealfas

You should not have to pay thousands more. Bad design can cost just as much and often more than good design because it is inherently ill conceived, it's proven each and every day. Think about it, do we really NEED power seats and power windows for example. Those two things alone when they fail are inordinately expensive to fix, they add cost and weight, unnecessary complexity, and adversely impact mileage due to the added weight. Eliminate those two items from a car and you can reduce pricing by hundreds of dollars, improve long term maintenance costs and eliminate potential customer gripes due to their failure. Do we have power windows at home or power seats, why do we need them in our car's(so they can charge more money, hence perceived value now that everyone has them). Look at VW's passat manual seat adjustment system, it's simple, the seat can raise/lower, forward/back, adjusts lumbar support, it's lighter and cheaper to produce. It's a winner... It's all about perception and marketer's separating you from your money. It should be a customer driven market, I fear its a marketing department driven market and we are all the less for it because it just cost more for "perceived" value. As with most design it all comes down to who is making the decisions and I'd argue Ford as well as GM need to hire better people to make those interior design decisions. It has always been one of the largest failings of the US auto industry. People care about what they touch and interact with and equate quality to these perceptions. With a properly considered and cost effective interior the FS could be world class people mover, someone at Ford needs to understand this. If they did this for the '07 model I'd be happy to re up and trade in our '05 which we are still quite happy with...

freealfas

Hence the fallacy of the current generation of hybrids but you have to start somewhere and with any luck this course of improved efficiency will lead to truly effective alternates to the combustion engine(not that I ever want to see it go away totally). The manufacturers subsidizing the actual costs of these vehicles is not a true measure of where we are at. When the hurdle can be made for a profitable alternative it will be then that the technology has met the challenge of the question at hand. Again marketing and government mandate are driving this answer to market and what these feel good hybrid drivers do not realize is every other factor that goes into the production of these vehicles. When you look at the big picture and the complete scope of what it takes to produce one the benefits are very, very small. But hey they can sleep at night knowing they did their part. I want to know what they are going to do with all the dead batteries personally...

barnstormer64

do we really NEED power seats and power windows for example

I can't imagine how far Ford's sale would slide if they took those off vehicles.

barnstormer64

I want to know what they are going to do with all the dead batteries personally...

Probably bury them in OUR backyards, not theirs.

stmss

Well this is true but there are lots of items that you don't 'need'. I think the market is very consumer driven.

For example, manufacturers are producing AWD, V8s, more HP, more gadgets (back up sensors, self dimming mirrors, info centres etc etc.). The 'majority' of consumers want these things but none are a 'need'.

Personally, I, like you, would prefer to keep things simple in design and well engineered and sooner see mony spent here than in 'back up sensors' for example.

However, if all consumers thought this way Saab would be the largest manufacturer in the world. :shades:

vwcarcrazy

You are welcome to your opinion and I to mine. I still say the CVT takes a lot of getting used to (for some people, including myself). I own 4 cars and regularly drive rental cars. 3 of my cars (including the FS) are AT/CVT. 1 is a 5-speed. The CVT is more noticable when I am switching between it and the other vehicles. I extensively drove a Ford 500 with a 6 speed, preferred it over the CVT and almost did not purchase the FS because of the CVT. I bought the FS because it was the best option available of the choices out there, and still is. I would advise people test-drive the FS for a lot of miles, as my dealer told me they have had several FS's traded back in or leases cancelled because the owners disliked the CVT and "could not get used to it". I really had to resist purchasing one of these low-mileage "bargains" over purchasing new. I went for a 2006 from their 1st shipment of the new model year - and happy I did.

The car is slightly underpowered. Period. It is not just my opinion, it is in almost every review of the FS. Yes, the car is best in class in 0-60, but you have to stomp on the gas pedal and put up with the extremely noisy at higher RPM engine racket. By the way, the 3.0 in my 96 Taurus makes a similar racket at higher RPMs. It is also underpowered. We put over 120,000 miles with no mechanical drivetrain problems on the Taurus. My son has driven the Taurus for the past 2 years after we gave it to him. His #1 complaint is that the Taurus (his words) "sounds like a John Deere tractor, particularly during acceleration". The Freestyle has a more mellow sound - perhaps a John Deere lawn tractor. Why is it that Ford cannot do some "sound engineering" on the FS (like my Mustang GT) to make it sound more like a 6 cylinder and less like a 4 cylinder? Now note again my comment on not needing to be a speed-demon. I am a conservative driver and my #1 goal in life is to safely merge onto the freeway at each morning and evening, and not get run over. My personal belief is that the FS is much more capable at 40 to 70 mph acceleration than 0 to 40 mph.

On the tires - go to TireRack.com and check out the ratings on the Continental tire for the FS. It is among the worst rated tires on the website. The tires are very cold-blooded (inelastic rubber response at lower temperatures) and are much less responsive on cold mornings until they warm up after a few miles on the freeway. My opinion - these are the worst tires I have ever owned. My tires likely see more frequent temperature swings, lower temperatures and more snow in the Twin Cities, MN than yours do in Chicago (I am in Chicago-land freqently on business, so I realize that Chicago winters are harsh too). These tire are poor on wet pavement and have terrible traction in snow. This is borne out in the ratings on-line and comments in this forum.

Again - My opinion only. I respect your opinions. Best regards.

hedden

Don't diss the rear sensing! My wife needs that! *shudder*

freealfas

"However, if all consumers thought this way Saab would be the largest manufacturer in the world."

Nice...you win that round for astuteness. Nowhere do you see anyone waxing poetically for a Saab 9000s' ability to get 30+ mpg at 80+mph, that was a great drive to vegas and that was 1986 technology, my how far we have come...

"...the market is very consumer driven."

But we can thank the marketing types for convincing the consumer that they "need" this stuff on their cars and even putting these thoughts in the heads of the buyers. They started with these upgrades to differentiate themselves from others initially and now all the marketing types are hiding behind the veil of the "consumer's demand", classic dog chasing tail at this point but there had to be a start to it and you can argue it started with the manufacturers. All it is is a rationale for them to charge more money. It's all based in perception...

barnstormer64

The car is slightly underpowered. . . . Yes, the car is best in class in 0-60

THAT'S the problem with calling the Freestyle "underpowered".

Now, if they want to call the Freestyle the "least underpowered vehicle in its class", that'd be fine with me.

But to single it out as "underpowered", while saying NOTHING about its competitors (and even ignoring which is best in its class) wreaks of the typical Consumer Reports bias.

Bottom line: If you want a sports car, the Freestyle is underpowered. Otherwise, it's really not.

barnstormer64

But we can thank the marketing types for convincing the consumer that they "need" this stuff on their cars and even putting these thoughts in the heads of the buyers.

One man's "want" is another's "need".

Take the auto-dimming mirrors, for example. I can't stand to drive at night without an automatic dimming mirror. The standard rearview mirror with a two-position switch simply does NOT cut enough of the headlights from idiots behind me in their SUVs and pickups (proabably with brights on, too LOL).

I consider the auto-dimming rearview mirror a SAFETY item, not just a luxury.

Ditto for rear sensors. A camera may be over the top. But the sensors are VERY practical. And at least on the Freestyle they're inexpensive.

fordforme

Read the limitations on stability control that comes with an owner's manual. Nothing can defy the law of physics. Sorry... I would not consider a Freestyle until they put stability control in it.

fordforme

Why don't you ditch the airbags, seatbelts and ABS too. That will make it even less expensive and complicated. It is people like you that have no concept of safety that Ford caters to. That's why the don't offer it. Shall we say simple minded sheep??

freealfas

"You are welcome to your opinion and I to mine. I still say the CVT takes a lot of getting used to (for some people, including myself). I own 4 cars and regularly drive rental cars. 3 of my cars (including the FS) are AT/CVT. 1 is a 5-speed. The CVT is more noticeable when I am switching between it and the other vehicles. I extensively drove a Ford 500 with a 6 speed, preferred it over the CVT and almost did not purchase the FS because of the CVT. I bought the FS because it was the best option available of the choices out there, and still is. I would advise people test-drive the FS for a lot of miles, as my dealer told me they have had several FS's traded back in or leases cancelled because the owners disliked the CVT and "could not get used to it". I really had to resist purchasing one of these low-mileage "bargains" over purchasing new. I went for a 2006 from their 1st shipment of the new model year - and happy I did."

But you still fail to describe specifics of one vs the other, that's what I am trying to flush out here. I to have spent my fair share of time in rentals, race cars, autos, manuals, blah, blah, blah and still fail to identify this so far indescribable preference that not only you have mentioned. I have no problem with people having their opinions I just want to understand where all of this comment on the CVT is coming from in your words and estimation. I'm glad you are happy with your purchase as I am, please just clearly express this "difference" to us. It's 2 pedal driving, plain and simple. The FS is markedly smoother as you do not have the "shifting" of the auto slushbox, hence to me a real improvement in tranny design. You get smooth acceleration as the trans works itself out, is perceived shifting such a mandatory aspect of 2 pedal driving, after owning the CVT I think not. An auto box works the shifting out for you, a CVT works out the "shifting" for you, it has a infinite number of ratios so you are always in the power range you need, the auto box only has a predetermined number to pick from, how can infinite not be an improvement over fixed. The FS has not left me wanting for any improvement in its drivetrain for what it is, a crossover, not a sports car that carries 7.

"The car is slightly underpowered. Period"

Completely disagree, its soft off the line but has great power as you mention in the midrange where you need it. How is that underpowered when it is fastest in class. Furthermore what is the point of marginally faster 0-60 time when the majority of buyers could care less and don't spend their days running off 0-60 sprints. Where do you stop with it all, 250hp/300hp/400hp, yeah I like HP as much as the next guy hence my time at the track, but I do not think the world needs 400hp CUV/SUV's for their high school kids to be taking out at night because its the safe car with no competent training in how to handle it. It all starts to be more than a little ludicrous and pointless this mindset that more is always good. Where does it stop...

As for winter's in MN, I'd just have dedicated snows like I do here for Chicago for our passat. I go to the Tire Rack in South bend for all my tires, have been a customer for 15yrs, I more than know about the Tire Rack I'm a huge proponent. I read the reviews and note that most if not all of those reviews are for these tires on autos as opposed to CUV/SUV, I suspect there might be some difference in that alone. I have never once been caught out by these tires, They have gotten us through winter, rain, etc. safely, again I am not sure what you are expecting form these tires that they are not providing. Driving within the limits of the FS there should be no problems. I won't be buying them again but I do not think they are deserved of the rap they get.

Again, have your opinion but don't like so many on these and other forums fail to quantify, describe, support your points that you feel you need to make. After having spent any number of hours reviewing this forum it seems to be proving to be as much a source of information as it can be a source of disinformation. All the speculation on the FS after '07 alone has taken up a stupid amount of bandwidth. To me these forums would be much more valuable with complete statements and support to the initial point as opposed to the blanket one liners.

freealfas

Quite to the contrary fordforme, the reason I/we bought the FS was because of its VOLVO safety architecture, full airbags(even bought the optional extras), ABS, and safety ratings to carry my wife and newborn in. It quite simply is the most value and safety for the money in the class. All good things and quite within the realm of my "simple minded sheepness" to understand and embrace for the security and peace of mind they offer me and my family.

If you would take the time to understand my point and recognize that the FS is a vehicle that you, like the rest of us who already have, can indeed purchase, enjoy, and travel in safely and securely in it's current NON ESP configuration.

You are free not to purchase but to base that decision only on the basis of ESP or non ESP I fear is a very limited way to think about things when looking at the FS. I'm not sure what better choice(I don't think there is one) there is to buy that has ESP, hence we voted with our checkbook and quite enjoy our FS LTD FWD.

fsmmcsi

Good point on the power seats and windows! As long as the manual seat gives the full range of adjustments, the only argument in favor of power seats is the ability to easily add a memory function for multiple drivers.

To me, simplicity is a luxury, especially since it also reduces weight, improves fuel mileage, cuts maintenance costs, and reduces the potential time wasted for maintenance. The BMW 7-Series is a good example of just the opposite, with a knob, numerous buttons, and a screen for all kinds of functions. Now, I am not suggesting that all electrical / electronic features are bad. For example, speed sensitive rain-sensing wipers are a real convenience which eliminates the need to constantly fiddle with the wiper control switch.

freealfas

From edmunds on you revered XB

Safety Features

Antilock Brakes: Standard Four Wheel Antilock Brakes: Standard
Depowered Airbag: Standard Passenger Airbag: Standard
Head Airbag: Not Available Side Airbag: Not Available
Child Safety Seats: Not Available Traction Control: Standard
Stability Control: Standard

Crash Test Results


NHTSA Ratings
Passenger: Not Tested
Driver: Not Tested
Side Impact Front: Not Tested
Side Impact Rear: Not Tested
Rollover Rating: Not Tested
NHTSA: Excellent, Good, Average, Poor, Very Poor, Not Tested

IIHS Ratings
Crash Offset: Not Tested
Bumper Bash: Not Tested
IIHS: Good, Acceptable, Marginal, Poor, Not Tested

I guess that ESP on the XB will make up for all of those Airbags it DOES NOT COME WITH AND YOU CAN'T EVEN BUY as an option, between that and all that testing documentation, why aren't we all not rushing down to trade our Freestyle's in.

Seems like real a real apples to apples comparison and wise decision of a vehicle to purchase based on all of your "safety" concerns. Better your family than mine with this one...seems like a real winner.

freealfas

Could you imagine how nice a de-technologied 7 series, S series, or A8 would be. Keep the safety and simplify down the rest to competent, effectively designed controls. That would be the car to have, not the computer on wheels it has turned into.

stmss

No dissing intended - just an example. My wife doesn't drive the Freestyle. She prefers her Volvo - no rear sensors, no auto dimming mirror, no rain sensing wipers (not even a good intermittent one), no AWD, no info centre, no DVD, no nav system - but does have headlight washers which the Freestyle should. Doesn't know what she is missing.

stmss

Yes - advertising and marketing is a wonderful thing to convince the consumer a want is a need.

But they have themselves a problem now with consumers expecting so much and the discontenting going on to keep cost down. Something has to give.

kelle_j

Hi There,

My husband and I bought an 05 FWD SEL in July, and we just took it to the dealer once again due to a dead battery issue. We both commute to work via public transit, so we don't drive very often - we've only put about 400 miles on the Freestyle since July.

We bought the Freestyle to use as family car, primarily around town on weekends. Our 14 month twin girls are still on a twice per day nap schedule, so our long distance road trips are limited for the time being. We do drive it at least once per week, but the battery is dying on us almost every other week.

The dealer service folks have told us we need to drive it more because all of the computer systems on board drain power quickly, but we don't have alot of extra time on our hands to go take the car for a drive, and running it in the driveway, burning high priced gas just seems ridiculous. Has anyone else run into this issue? I realize not many people drive as little as we do, but I'd like to hear opinions of fellow owners. Thanks much!

freealfas

Seems like a problem with the electrical system, we are in a similar boat only using car on wknds predominately but we have yet to have a battery issue. I think the dealer needs to be a little more agrgessive with trouble shooting this one. We have not gone longer than 6 days in between drives and have not run into this.

By the way take the road trips, the kids should love sleeping in the car, our daughter at 5mos is quite happy to be napping while moving along in the safety of the FS.

Good Luck and let us know what happens...

northlakes

There is no reason for your battery to be "dead" after a week of non-driving unless it is defective or you live where it is 50 below zero. I live only 3 miles from work (low mileage on cars) and am keeping a car for child in college. It only gets started every week or two. Never had a dying battery problem.

Does the dealer realize that all Freestyles have a "Battery Saver" function as a standard feature? Further, the computers don't sit there sucking big current with the car turned off - they go to sleep.

It might be worth having the dealer do a battery cell check to look for internal shorts. An alternator check would also be reasonable. They get paid for warranty work whether they want to do it or not. :shades:

fsmmcsi

Ford would be very wise to persue de-technologied luxury as a niche being ignored by others. A Freestyle or Mercury whatever-they-name-it like that would be very strong competition for all of the other fancy crossovers which are going the other way.

We recently returned from Eastern Europe where I drove a relative's Audi 100 (it was sold as the 5000 here before the slightly unusual pedal placement on the cars with automatics lead to all of the real and phony un-intended acceleration claims). His car has the size and good looks of the basic design, but a cloth interior, a four cylinder engine, and a manual transmission. While that may be too-stripped, I don't remember seeing anything but loaded and expensive Audi 5000s here.

fordforme

My usage of the Xb was not an apples to apples comparison. I used that deliberately to show that cheap no frills car has that at no extra cost. Believe me, I would not buy one, but Ford is just plain stupid for not putting it in. I bet you Volvo would never do that. I guess us Ford customers are not too smart when it comes to safety. Remember the Ford Focus in 2003? It had ESP as an option. No one wanted it so now it is not offered anymore. If you're not convinced it reduces fatal accidents by a huge percentage, I could not care less. No FS for me until Ford decides to get with the program and add that as a safety feature.

barnstormer64

I'd get one of those little battery-minders . . the ones that trickle charge to keep your battery all charged up.

Have you exchanged the battery for a new one yet? If you got an old one that had been sitting for a while at the lot, I'd ask for a new one under warranty.

barnstormer64

I just want to understand where all of this comment on the CVT is coming from in your words and estimation. I'm glad you are happy with your purchase as I am, please just clearly express this "difference" to us.

I don't understand all the hub-bub about this "it takes getting used to", either.

To me, it's harder to "get used to" a normal automatic, because of the obvious shifting.

I guess it simply doesn't "feel right" to most people not to feel the shifts. To me, it's never felt right to feel the shifts. But I dealt with it.

figueroafamily

Ladies & Gentlemen:

Our Freebie is 13,000+ miles and counting. So far, so awesome.
To me, Freebie has significant safety advantages over Explorer. Another factor against the latter was that my wife would be intimidated to ride it. She's A-OK riding in Freebie.
In short, it fits our needs nicely, with room to spare (literally). :surprise:
My experience on the CVT is that it surprised me the first time, but got used to it quickly after. Now, I love to see the tach drop as the car gains speed. :P
Performance-wise, it's "sufficient", as I said several hundred posts ago. Not a race car, but a will-do-as-you-need-when-you-need-it acceleration. All that while carrying 6-7 adults comfortably. (That's 3 trips in most sports cars... )

Sam

autoboy16

That being said, it wouldn't surprise me that Ford is shifting the Freestyle over to Mercury to prevent the competition to the Explorer

If Ford switched the Freestyle over to Mercury :sick: , wouldn't it interfere with the lagging mountaineer and monterey sales? Ford's best hope would be to send it over to Lincoln because the Navigator is fullsize & the Avaitor has ceasced production. The new vehicle claimed to be the avaitor is an edge crossover twin and is only a 5 passenger vehicle. :shades: Plus Lincoln has no van/minivans? Maybe sending the freebie to volvo, jaguar or landrover would help because the xc90 and LR3 are on the $$$$side and jaguar has no suv's! Who knows, a Jaguar Suv/wagon/van cross may be popular. Especially with jazzed up interior materials and perhaps a standard dvd entertainment system(with a bigger, less plastic screen) as gm's saturn offers with its relay.

The biggest problem with sending the freebie to mercury is that the monterey is the worst selling vehicle in the us which i read in an internet article. People don't buy the monterey and mountaineer because few people know they exist. If the few people that see the mountaineer or monterey see the freebie as an alternative to a mercury variant of the freebie, ford WILL have a gigantic problem, something ford cannot afford.

kelle_j

Hi again,

Thanks so much for your responses - it helped us be more aggressive with our dealer. It turns out that the service manager did some research and uncovered a bulletin from Ford regarding potential low grade power leaks from the headlamps in some 05 Freestyles. They claim it's fixed - we'll see! Just thought I'd put the word out on the issue in case anyone else runs into it.

Should we worry that the battery might have been compromised by this issue? Should we ask for a new one under warranty?

Thanks again for your help! We love our Freestyle and hope it's smooth sailing from here...

Kelle

fsmmcsi

Good to hear that you found a responsible service manager willing to do some leg-work. Normal car batteries are not made to be deeply discharged, especially multiple times. If that happened, you have every right to expect and demand a new battery.

freealfas

"...but Ford is just plain stupid for not putting it in. I bet you Volvo would never do that."

You are correct, your bet would have won you that round as VOLVO provides standard ESP for it's $40k SUV.

http://www.safercar.gov/RollRatings2.cfm goes on to prove to you that the VOLVO despite said ESP that you hold so dear to you, is MORE LIKELY to flip over in the NHTSA testing. Irony defined in light of the conversation today. When you also look over the complete ratings for the FS vs. the XC90 you will find that AGAIN the FS fares more favorably, albeit slightly but measurably by the NHSTA.

"I guess us Ford customers are not too smart when it comes to safety"

I'd argue that getting this much value and built-in safety feature's make the Freestyle buyer a whole lot smarter than most and I get a sense of dejavu since purchasing our 98 passat way out in front of the crowd new as well for the value and safety it represented(1st with standard side impact bags if I remember correctly).

http://photobucket.com/albums/c328/FREEALFAS/?action=view&current=FLEET.jpg

"Ford Focus in 2003? It had ESP as an option. No one wanted it so now it is not offered anymore"

Did you ever think once that due to the inherent goodness of the handling of the Focus that people realized it was not necessary to check the ESP box. The Focus is one of Ford's best chassis in terms of handling dynamics, It's got ABS and airbags, sound engineering, and comes in at a reasonable price that people are willing to pay for its capabilities. Where's the problem, the marketplace has spoken.

"If you're not convinced it reduces fatal accidents by a huge percentage, I could not care less"

I never said it did not improve fatality rates, I doubt the numbers represent "huge" swings in the statistical numbers, pony them up if they are that significant. I only questioned your overbearing and irrational requirement that to purchase the Freestyle the measure now is whether or not it has ESP. Ford suffers justifiably with the Explorer debacle, you could not pay me to own one. It's OLD TECH with A LOT of bandages applied to keep it profitably moving along, Ford could be faulted for continued production of it at this point.

In turn Ford needs to be applauded for doing its homework with the FS and the safety competence it represents. The Freestyle deserves to succeed. It seems it is starting to as enlightened buyers are realizing all it has to offer. With any luck Ford will give it its due and allow others to come around to its inherent goodness.

"No FS for me until Ford decides to get with the program and add that as a safety feature."

& this one from a previous;

"This is why I would not get this vehicle. Stability control is great on curves where there could be black ice or snow driving at night. It works, I know."

This is the 2nd time I will be asking you what ESP equipped cars you own that makes you so passionate about dinging the FS for it's lack of one. Black ice is black ice you are screwed ESP or not if you are unfortunate enought to find it, illustrate otherwise and enlighten us.

Again Ford, as noted, has a bit of work still to overcome the Explorer. They have, and their new products represent marked improvement. If you want to maintain your shortsightedness we still live in a "mostly" free country. You could be a pleased FS owner as well, you choose not to give the FS a fair and unbiased assessment for what it is, quite exceptionable for what it is capable of for it's price point.

Let us know what you buy in place of it in an attempt to trump it...

fsmmcsi

FYI - NHTSA does not do roll over testing. They simply make a desk calculation based on center of gravity.

tidester

NHTSA now does a dynamic test as well as the calculation in determining their rollover ratings.:

"The rollover resistance rating system for model years 2004 and later predicts a vehicle's chance of rollover in single-vehicle crashes by combining: (1) an at-rest laboratory measurement known as the Static Stability Factor (SSF) which determines how top-heavy a vehicle is, and (2) the results of a dynamic maneuvering test that determines how susceptible the vehicle is to an on-road un-tripped rollover."

tidester, host

willie19

Hey what's going on here? Been away for a few days as up north we are caught in the grip of an upcoming Federal election.Normally it is easy to catch up as usually a nominal number of posts are recorded daily.I'm over a hundred posts behind and just today we have 44 so far.

Seems to me the majority of responses are centered on trying to convince someone who is perpetually whining (sic) about the Freestyle not adding Stability Control as an optional feature. This topic had been discussed numerous times in the past (do the search) and to keep harping about it, ad nauseam, is just a waste of bandwidth.

The person must be trolling, Lol ! as surely he must know there are other alternate vehicles available with ESC.
Personally I think he's barking up the wrong tree in this forum.

fordforme

Stability control is not just for rollovers. I guess you never did a search and looked at some of the videos on how it works.