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Comments
Will the Freestyle/Magellan have a TPM for 2007? Isn't it going to be a federal law soon that all new vehicles come standard with them?
My '05 Mountaineer has one, and it really works. My wife was driving last week, and the warning light came on. Sure enough, there was a screw in the tire, and it was leaking air. She was able to get to a repair shop and have it fixed.
By EDMUNDS.COM EDITORS
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has just released new tests for rear crash protection in current model SUVs and pickups. Disturbingly, only six of the 44 SUVs and none of the 15 pickups rated "Good" for protection against whiplash injuries.
Specifically, only the Ford Freestyle
Mary in Weatherford
Bottome line: Not many dealerships step up to the bat on a misunderstanding AFTER the deal is signed. I was impressed with this dealership owner's consideration and class. Every time I get in on a cold day or when my back hurts, I thank Jay Powell at Jack Powell Ford for my warm buns. The drive from Weatherford to Mineral Wells is well worth the trip to go to a great dealership.
Mary
Ford Freestyle
Ford Freestyle: Lease Questions
Ford Freestyle: Prices Paid & Buying Experiences
I'm seeing that too. I'll send a note up the chain.
tidester, host
Well, that sure 'splains it, eh!
tidester, host
Steve, Host
I sure hope she is! .. and if so, GOOD news! Tnx!
Grey Baby
:shades:
Basically, I have loved this vehicle. I figured that because the Freestyle is a brand new type of vehicle I would be tortured by some flaws such as this leak. Overall there's been very little to complain about so far. Everyone who rides in it seems amazed that the Freestyle is so nicely put together.
Ford rarely advertises the Freestyle. Why not?
If I part of Ford's marketing department I'd be pushing the Freestyle like crazy, pointing at the car's link to Volvo engineering and of course mentioning that it gets relatively good gas mileage.
About the Ford advertising approach, I have said the same thing, describing it as a "low-key" approach. The Ford marketing team has made a carefully considered decision to put most of their ad money into cars that appeal to younger buyers. (Other car manufacturers do the same thing.) Ford may be right about this one. The Freesytle is a vehicle for people who typically buy cars this way:
1. The decision: I need a new vehicle.
2. The search: I'll look at what the dealer's have and read Consumer Reports, Motor Trend, Car and Driver, etc. to make an informed decision to meet my needs.
On the other hand, younger buyers (overall) are proven to go about buying a car like this:
1. The decision: I want (might need) a new vehicle.
2. Which car to get: What makes me look cool, within my budget (or Daddy's budget)? What is fast? What is fun and comes in yellow?
3. The search: They look for what appeals to them and are heavily influenced by advertisements, and will zero in on it like a laser once they determine what is "cool".
Note the younger buyer (Scion, Chrysler, Ford's other models, etc.) is influenced by ads about 10 times as much as older, sensible people! Advertising is far more effective on younger-people's products!
That all has changed. My family is in need of a larger vehicle that will hold more than 5 passengers. We hate minivans and like SUVs but hate their poor gas mileage, not to mention they generally are not as big inside as they look. Quite frankly, we were at a loss as to what vehicle would best serve our needs and be economical to operate in the current environment of high energy prices.
Then it happened. Last week on a business trip Hertz handed me the keys to a Freestyle. Before this I only vaguely knew this vehicle existed, and thought it was just another typically crude Ford vehicle probably similar to the Windsta....errr... I mean Freestar. Boy was I wrong.
Within 5 minutes of driving this vehicle I knew it was different. In fact it amazingly drove a lot like my Saab 9-5. (It wasn't until later reading these forums that I realized it was built on a Volvo platform and then it all made sense.) I was smitten. I just knew within a few minutes that this was the vehicle my family had been looking for but didn't know it existed. Shame on Ford for not better marketing this vehicle. It is heads and shoulders above the Explorer and Freestar. I can't believe it exists and Ford isn't shouting about it from the mountain top. In my office of 10 people I personally asked each and everyone if they knew anything about the Ford Freestyle, and not one did. This is a shame!
I have read each and every post in this form and have a couple of comments:
First, I drove my rental Freestyle for two days and over 250 miles. These comments about "having to get used to the CVT" and "lack of power" are simply wrong. I am a power hound and have been driving turbo charged Saabs for years. The Freestyle has plenty of power and the CVT transmission is a dream. I just think certain people are unnerved that the car doesn't shift and the RPMs don't move in tandem with speed. And regarding power, this car accelerates way better than the Ford Exploder I test drove. I think the power delivery is so smooth that people just don't realize how fast it is accelerating.
Lastly, the notion that Ford may be dropping the Freestyle and/or the CVT is crazy. If Ford does either of these things they deserve their fate. They have something great, and to cut and run is insane. It takes a couple of years for any new model and/or technology to take off and for people to learn about it. I think people just now may be finding out about the Freestyle. My family will be buying one, and believe me I'll be telling everyone I know about how great it is.
Note to FORD: GIVE THE FREESTYLE SOME MORE TIME AND MORE MARKETING DOLLARS AND YOU'LL BE GLAD YOU DID. THE ERA OF THE SUV LAND BARGE IS OVER AND WELL DESIGNED AND ECONOMICAL CROSSOVERS LIKE THE FREESTYLE ARE THE FUTURE!
- Chad
By the way, I'm getting 25 mpg in 75% highway (avg. 65 mph speed) driving.
I was so impressed at the time - I thought Ford was turning a corner and actually bought a little stock.
Since then, they have not been impressing me. They managed to get a great product out (this isn't the only one either - I was also impressed by the new Mustang and Fusion for their markets). However they have no idea how to *sell* them!
Hopefully the marketting dept. will catch up with the design dept.
xnappo
Thanks for you input. I do not have any other electronic device on my keychain and after reading your message, I will make sure I never do!
greybaby
By the way, Ford does use quiet steel and other such things in various of their vehicles.
As for the Nissan V6, why would they need it when they have their own 3.5 V6 on the way for the Freestyle and other vehicles?
Prospetive Freestyle Owner
(ordering vehicle this month)
I hated the look of the light interior, but I have always had a thing against tan/beige...
On the Nissan V6 issue, remember that engine has been winning engineering awards (Wards Automotive tech magazine) for several years now. It is nearly perfected (fewer bugs, anyhow). Also note the new 3.5L V6 Ford is coming up with is a new design. Its not based much at all on our 3.0L Duratec we have in our Freestyles. Therefore, I wouldn't buy that new Ford V6 for a least a couple of years, until they get the kinks out.
I didn't know about the decibel data you had. Thanks for that! The Freestyle may be very competitive indeed. Lexus (and Toyota's related Avalon) and BMW 5-series sedans have been setting the standard lately for quietness. I've got a friend who is an acoustics engineer and he once told me in one of my engineering classes I had with him that the frequencies you hear are as important as the overall decibel level. A car may seem quieter if the frequencies are low (low notes) as opposed to annoying high frequencies (high pitched noise, screaming babies, mother-in-laws, etc.). To really separate better cars from mediocre ones, I wonder what the human-factors "annoyance index" actually is. Acoustics engineers have devised an index that takes both frequency and decibels into account. A low pitched, rumbling noise in the background is easy to live with. That new index may be the future standard of comparison for noisy things humans have to hear.
I hope they do. There was some vague statements made earlier about someone getting lower RPMs at 70 mph after the dealer re-flashed (put new program on) the engine computer.
Odie
On another note, about the sound of the Freestyle engine, it definitely has more roar when your head is under the hood. The frequencies they did filter from the cabin do sound buzzy. If you can't eliminate all noise, you can shift it to a more pleasant range (as stated earlier). I am afraid I am used to it now anyhow. :shades:
I think the bottom line is that Ford has done a lousy job of advertising the Freestyle. In fact, most advertising in general just shows cars driving along some road (maybe the outside show is all that really sells...I'm not an ad man!) rather than showing off the interior size & versatility, and how it can fill the car/minivan/suv roles all in one package. Instead, there's no advertising, and what there is just shows the outside or a quick pan of the dashboard, which really tells you nothing of this vehicle.
If they wanted to, they could market this vehicle to a pretty broad range of people. From SUV owners wanting something with better MPG that doesn't require a ladder to enter, or young folks that want something economical but also something they can use to bring a group of friends to a concert, or young married couple with a couple of kids that don't need huge minivan space and want the car handling characteristics, to older people that want big station wagon, etc... But again, there's either no marketing or what there is stinks.
I caught the tail end of an interview with a Ford Spokesperson (I think it was CNN) and, surprisingly, she volunteered that Ford may have a serious problem with advertising and promotion. My guess is they are very concerned about it given their recent announcements. I expect to see changes.
tidester, host
I'm only seeing 3 Freestyle "discussions" when I sign in.
tidester, host
1. Seat 7. That's for when I wanted to take my wife and our oldest child's family (which now includes 5 individuals - with her hubby and the three grandkids)out to dinner or on a vacation.
2. Was reasonable on Gas
3. Fit me well and was comfortable - I'm 6ft tall with long legs.
4. Fit my wife well - She's 4'9" with short legs. (She hates to climb up in a Minivan or regular SUV and strongly dislikes station wagons.
5. Was safe
6. Could haul some cargo and be flexible since I'm constantly going after home remodeling "stuff" which can range from large boxes to 10ft 2X4's.
7. Was reasonably priced.
Those were my only real objective criteria. In my job I have had over 10 company vehicles from multiple manufacturers. The first was a Ford Pinto Wagon (1977), the last was the Volvo S60 (2002) so I've been around the block and seen firsthand how car manufacturers work and yes had a minivan along the way (1996 Caravan).
Now for the fun part. Being somewhat of a car nut(constantly looking at whats out there)I had spotted the Freestyle when Ford first introduced it. I have since then been amazed at it's lack of advertising. Especially from the standpoint of features and functionality. I'll leave Fords advertising at that, but if Henry Ford was selling these he'd sell $31,000 dollar(MSRP)ones for $22,995 and not be able to make them fast enough. (Ever hear back to basics FORD?)
There are many Freestyles on the medium to large Ford Dealer lots and you can still find plenty of 2005's in February of 2006.
I kept my eye on the newspaper Saturday ads and went for the loss leader 2005's that the dealers were trying to clear off the lots. No negotiating on my part. I bought the vehicle through FMCC and they threw in another 1,000 off. In other words, yes, I paid 22,995 for a new 2005 Freestyle SEL 4WD with Safety Option ( including three row canopy airbags) and 7 passenger seating) with the above MSRP Price of 33,505 -and the dealer threw in a remote self start system for free, which I just had installed. With 8,000 off MSRP I wasn't too concerned with a little higher interest rate to buy the vehicle.
I'm not a FORD man, in fact I looked at Murano's, Highlanders, Caravans, Pacifica's, etc in my quest to find a vehicle I wanted. I even understood that some didn't have 7 passenger seating standard and was willing to sacrifice somewhat for the less fancier trim. In fact my Volvo interior isn't all that fancy, in and of itself, but after hauling my sahre of 8 foot 2X4's around in it I'm thinking..... do I really NEED that fancy and minor scuffed up interior in 5 years?.
The bottom line is I love this Freestyle. From the incredible options that I received for the price (Power Seat,6 disk CD changer,Aluminum wheels,Sunroof, Auto Adjust Day/Night Mirror, just to name a few. This thing also has 4 wheel disc brakes, ABS, and traction control with the CVT Trans! Throw in a Safety Cage (including a vehicle safety crossbar under the front seats (ever hear Volvo SIPS?)and a Haldex (Swiss) AWD unit.
Some say the vehicle is underpowered. I say (and I know I'm not the first), where are you going and how fast,that you need 250 HP?. My wifes 2004 Hona Accord Coupe has 245 HP, sucks gas, and covers my once a year thrill of taking a vehicle from 0-70 with the pedal to the floor. Once you're 30 years out of high school you learn to do this on a freeway ON RAMP. Fun+Thrilling+NO Tickets. I can maybe understand those that might want to tow something, but I don't. The CVT transmission in this thing allows the engine to rev at just a little over 1500 RPM's at 65 miles per hour. The gas mileage with the cruise on(at 65)stay's in the 27 MPG range with my wife on-board. And yes this Freestyle has a computer calculating about 8 different things that you can easily view by a handy steering wheel mounted switch. It was also accurate based on my fill up calculations.
I could go on and on, but for the price, I'd personly run, not walk, to the dealer and get one while the gettings good.
Once the rest of us general public hits the dealer lots in the spring, and sees the MPG stickers on the Explorer's, these deals will evaporate.
It might have been a local dealer's ad, and it wasn't as cleverly done as Sprint's "Theft Deterrent" spot, but it was certainly a start!
Still doesn't work for me. What am I missing? :confuse:
Gee Tidester, first us Freestyle owners have to deal with Ford dealers that don't want to advertise them, and now Edmunds is trying to hide the forums to keep us from talking about them....what's up with that?
I smell conspiracy!
:-)
I did it yesterday and it worked. I just tried again and it doesn't work. Maybe there is something to Nitromax's conspiracy theory!
tidester, host