Ford Freestyle - Taurus X

hilsport

Are there other interior leather colors that may be added to the black and tan offerings for the Freestyle LIM model? I went to Ford.com and Edmunds and could not get a good visual of the exterior colors combined with either of those two interior choices for the LIM model. I favor an ecru leather more than pebble/tan. Black leather does not seem practical with 2 dalmations traveling with me. I am still driving a "black and tan" 1990 Nissan 300ZX but do not want to repeat this color combo. I sat in an upgraded SEL with leather interior color more to my liking but 18 inch wheels that I WANT are not available in SEL. It's been so long since I bought a domestic auto I am not sure what I should expect or try to negotiate to get. I could wait a few months to purchase. Any advice?

johnclineii

I doubt seriously that other colors will become available, but only Ford knows for sure.

They have attempted to limit option combinations for order simplicity and cost reasons...

cminchik1

When it comes to negotiating, the price you pay if totally predicated on inventory levels. The more cars on the lot, the lower your price. You should still negotiate, look for internet coupons from your dealer, even solicit online bids, but with limited supply it will be tough to see a discount. Several dealers in my area (Baltimore/Washington) are selling above MSRP. Good luck.

hilsport

Okay, thanks. Now since we are limited to those interior leather colors, pebble(tan) and black, would buyers and prospective buyers reading this color discussion for the 2005 Freestyle LIM please respond to me and EXPLAIN briefly your preferred ext/int color combo for the 05 LIM? Personal preferences can be enlightening. Thanks very much.

cminchik1

I ordered the Merlot w/Pebble Leather on my Limited Freestyle. I like a light interior. I had a chance to drive one and thought it looked good. My personal preference rather than black.

fsmmcsi

The Mercury Montego verison of the vehicle has a two-tone interior, and the Mercury Mountaineer has a two tone interior, so it seems certain that the Mercury version of the Freestyle will have the same feature.

michaellno

...that there was going to be a Mercury version of the Freestyle.

On a related note, the wife and I took a look at one over the weekend. Wife is looking for a non-SUV with AWD. She's been a Ford gal for many years, and was pretty impressed with the Freestyle. We looked at and drove a Limited - Navy with black or dark grey leather.

ANT14

Yes, but the Mercury version is still some time away....

gmginsfo

Ant, I saw a new Mercury Mariner at the mall last weekend and it was pretty indistinguishable from the Freebie I'd seen earlier.

Good call on the old VW 0-60 ad! I bought my '68 bug for $900 in '71 and sold it for $1600 in '74.

Explorer instead of Freebie? Nein, danke; too big and probably not as safe. I'll wait until the first year kinks are out of the Freebie and the clamour for a bigger six increases to a dull roar. My Forester will take good care of me 'til then!

ANT14

The Mariner is Mercury's version of the Escape. The Freestyle's Mercury clone has not yet been named.

figueroafamily

I saw today on FOX News an ad for Freebie. They showed it with full seating, and then with a full load of boxes. They also showed it driving on mud roads. The interior shown was the LIM's.

The part I liked the most is the shifting gears. The camera shows the driver shifting all the way forward. It gives the impression of shifting gears, like a manual one. We know better...

Since they began to release Freebies to the dealers, they now can throw ads and bring the fish in.

Sam

johnclineii

Fish?

figueroafamily

In a section of the "confessions of a car salesman" article, the Edmunds.com agent described the weekends as tuna runs. They meant the customers kept coming in with no effort.

With Freebie's appeal, I won't be surprised something similar happens. Thus the "fish" metaphor.

Sam

figueroafamily

My Freebie is blue pearl metallic (navy blue) with tan interior. It's a hit with us. The inside makes a nice contrast to the darker outside.

The dealer put a pinstripe on the car, which made it look nicer.

Here are the pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/figuesam

Dust-wise, dirt shows quite a bit on this blue. However, it's nothing an occasional bath can't fix. I also recall on an earlier post the black interior was a dirt magnet.

Hope all this helps.

Sam

hilsport

Thanks for the pics - I like the look - any chancer of sending a pic of the side view w/a pinstripe?

hilsport

I think the pebble leather must appear lighter when contrasted with the darker exterior blue and merlot colors and when contrasted with the fake wood trim on the LIM interior than it does on the online Pebble color swatches. Sam's pics look good but so much lighter than the swatches. With Freestyle LIMs arriving at local dealers I will have a more thorough look at color options soon. Thank you for your help.

hilsport

I appreciate the discussion about good acceleration with the existing Freestyle engine because the first thing I asked the sales rep was does the LIM come with a more powerful engine option? By my research, please correct me if I'm wrong, the only option that distinguishes the LIM from a fully upgraded Freestyle SEL is 18 inch wheels and a different and smaller range of color combinations. I have been driving a '90 Nissan 300ZX as my commuter car on Los Angeles freeways and curving peninusla mountain roads for 15 years. I love that ride but the need for more hauling space and passenger room is getting too much to ignore. So, I probably will trade in a newer sedan for the '05 Freestyle and keep the old Nissan. I would love the Freestyle to eventually have the power that I associate with its name as well as the cargo/passenger flexibility. A sportier LIM is what I need with peppier engine plus power sport bucket seats with true lumbar plus side-support like the ones in my old 300ZX. "Sport" bucket seats support the lower back much better on long drives and curves or on frequent freeway stop and go situations. While 7+ secs to 60 is okay that probably won't be achieved with 4 adults merging onto the freewway on a golf safari, with their luggage and four sets of golf clubs, for example. I expect passing acceleration would be sluggish also with that load. I need a test drive with golf buddies, luggage and clubs. Maybe one of you new freestyle owners driving with four or more adults and cargo up to the roof could tell me what happens to your passing acceleration and hill climbing. Thanks! I am thinking of getting the '05 on a lease and I hate leases.

johnclineii

On Freestyle, Limited also gets you dual instead of single zone climate control, leather in the first two rows and vinyl in the third instead of cloth, heated seats, an outside temperature display, power seats with more ways of movement and even a different axle ratio. The interior looks substantially more expensive to boot.

I suggest you try both...

cminchik1

Add to that: memory seats, audiophile radio w/subwoofer, homelink (garage door opener), monochrome paint & mirrors, and 18" wheels. You can't upload an SEL to get all that, and even if you tried you are only $500 less without what I mentioned above. The Limited seems to be a good buy (if there is such a thing when buying a car) when all is said & done if you want the bells & whistles.

ANT14

The overwhelming orders have allowed for Freestyle production to be boosted. Originally the 500 was to sell a bit more than the Freestyle, now it's the other way around. Luckily in this flexible manufacturing plant, you can switch from one vehicle to another in a flip of a switch.

mkobler

Good/bad to hear of the overwhelming orders. Any idea how long from placing an order to receiving a vehicle is?

mike

ANT14

Actually it's not a bad thing at all. Just means more Freestyles will be built, over 500/Montego. Previously it was thought that the 500 would make 60% of the mix, now it seems it's a 50/50 senario. Therefore orders might be able to be fullfilled a bit quicker.

My personal bet was 60% Freestyles / 40% 500 mix. I'm giving it a year to see the outcome.

mkobler

I agree totally. I was saying "bad thing" because it might mean that a freestyle order would take long for me to get

jfavour

I have seen interior pics on the Ford site (and others) showing the interior trim as both faux wood and faux aluminum. I have figured out that the SE has the aluminum and the limited has the faux wood, but what does the SEL have?

I really don't like the look of the faux wood in the pics, although I am sure other people feel just the opposite. I was hoping the SEL would have the aluminum, but I can't figure it out. Anyone know?

cminchik1

The Freestyle SEL has the aluminum look...no wood.

ANT14

And it's only a matter of time when aftermarket supplier's start producing aluminum, carbon fiber, real wood appliques you can retrofit. I've done that a few time on some of my vehicles since I dislike any type of wood.

figueroafamily

Look for the "Freestyle at Warnock's" pictures. Select last one, with me on it. (Hopefully, my "handsomeness" won't shatter your monitor's glass. Click on "view full size". You'll see the pinstripe, although as one instead than two stripes. It's one beige & one grey. Very nice.

Sam

ANT14

I hope that pinstripe wasn't part of a $900 "Protection package" which a local Toyota dealership down here loves to do.... They package rust proofing (not needed here in S.FL), a heavy duty wax (not needed when a vehicles is new), scotchguard (you can get it out of a can) and a pinstripe, ALL for $900 ! When there's no more than $30 worth of materials in all that...

Then you should see how some people breakdown when they suddenly hear "OH we won't charge you for the Protection package". Heh... Funny how they fall into that.

dle1

Do all Freestyles have 3 row seating. I want the room, but do not need or want three rows of seats.

For those of you who have or have seen the Freestyle here is another question: does the third row fold flat to form a level load floor? How about the second row? I'll need to get a rubber mat of some sort because I sometimes carry wet and/or muddy gear and can't imagine how an uneven load surface would work for me.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts. Sounds like everyone is very happy with the car. I'm looking for a wagon and have been seriously considering a Passat, but will now look into the Freestyle before I buy.

figueroafamily

"I hope that pinstripe wasn't part of a $900 "Protection package" which a local Toyota dealership down here loves to do...."
**************

Actually, it was a "freebie" on our Freebie.

You may recall (many posts ago) our Freebie would have gone to some Fall Festival event. They added the pinstripes as it was the only Freebie available, and obviously wanted to stir customers in.

When they realized we would not buy if it went there, they changed their mind. The pinstripe stayed .

We bought our LIM Freebie for about $1,500 below invoice (father in-law is a retired lineman). Adding taxes and other joys of car-buying, the toll on the wallet was $32,100. No added cost for the pinstripe.

Thanks to YOYO123's reminder, we'll get an extra $1,000 incentive from Ford. (Thanks again!) That sets the price to $31,100.

Furthermore, the dealer-installed reverse sensor is currently not working. We paid $300 for it, thanks to an error on the dealer's part. (It's going back to the dealer for getting that fixed soon.) It was "priced at $400" (rip-off!). Considering the overprice, the free pinstripe evened things.

Sam

figueroafamily

Click on the website I stated earlier, and look for the "Freestyle at Warnock's" pictures. The first one has the third row seats in flat and tailgate modes. You can click on "view full size" for greater detail.

There's an option to have the third row as single or 50/50 split. I don't know if each trim level allow that choice. The default is single.

Earlier postings can tell you the cargo length.

Hope all this helps you.

Sam

figueroafamily

I completely forgot to do my objectively biased comparison of our 2001 LX Windstar with our 2005 LIM Freebie.

Tachometer-wise, both vehicles have similar counts on equal paths traveled. Freebie consistently has a 100 RPMs or more lower. When accelerating, Windstar climbed to the 3-4 K RPMs prior to dropping (after shifts) to around 2K. Freebie did 4-5 in the same spot, before settling on the under 2K count. No shifts, just settling down like a fall leaf gently lands on the ground.

As I described (much) earlier, Freebie's CVT errs on the side of power.

Handling-wise, Freebie's reaction to bumps and dips is more abrupt than Windstar' s. I think ANT14 calls it "choppier". As I recall, the LIM's 18" wheels have to do with that.

Driving-wise, Freebie is eons ahead of Windstar. Freebie's loudest noise comes from the AC vents! Windstar's, engine and miscellaneous others. No contest.

In short, Freebie is the best vehicle I've ever driven. I recognize I never been inside a Lexus or other "top line" vehicles, but I'm big-time impressed on Ford's result.

And you can clearly call this my objectively biased assessment.

Sam

yoyo123

Sam, your welcome regarding the extra $1000 incentive.

I also thought I would share with others what I did today. I ordered a Blue Pearl Limited w/ Pebble interior, Safety Package, Auxiliary climate control, and Homelink. I had to order it because we the dealer couldn't find any out there that didn't have the moon roof (too tall) or the DVD player (already have a portable one and the kids already watch too much TV).

Anyway, I also need to take delivery by 11/30 in order to receive the $1000 retiree incentive. I learned a couple of things:
1. Orders for cars all get pulled on Thursday.
2. It takes 2-3 weeks from the pull date to get a VIN and a build date.
3. It will be useful that I live in the Chicago area so that the transport time doesn't take too long.
4. Some dealers will be less than truthful to get your business.

I talked to 2 dealers. One said it would be no problem to modify an order to meet my needs. The other dealer said he could put in a new order and prioritize it ahead of all others. Since I knew the second guy, I believed him, especially since I talked with a couple of other dealers and they all said that once an order is "pulled" it cannot be changed.

Anyway, to make a long story short (or shorter than it would have been), I will have to wait and see if my car will come in time. In the mean time, the dealer said that he would continue to try to locate a Freestyle that met my requirements. Those requirements may loosen a bit as 11/30 approaches, but I absolutely do not want a moonroof. I have 3 options, take the ordered vehicle whenever it comes in, take the closest one they can find to my requirements before 11/30 or they agreed to hold onto my $500 deposit until the Chicago Auto Show when there will most likely be specific auto show rebates available.

I will keep you all updated on the status of the delivery. I am keeping my fingers crossed that my freestyle will be built and delivered in time.

Anyone out there have any pull on when a car gets built? Once I have the VIN, I will see if I can get anyone to pull strings, but every little bit helps. My father-in-law told me stories about people who moved their cars up in production to get them faster.

ANT14

At other times, in other plants, yes...Now with how the factories are structured and how computer dictate what's coming down the pipeline, nearly impossible.

dle1

figure0afamily - thanks for the reply. Everything I've been reading indicates that there is no option to delete the third row, just options for how to configure it. How about the load floor with the 3rd row folded, is it relatively flat?

kjnorman

I have looked at an SEL. The rear seats drop down into an open area behind the seats and when the third row is stored the floor appears, to my eye at least, to be completely flat.

yoyo123

Thanks Ant. It was many years ago when I heard of people doing this. Hopefully, the increase in the number of Freestyles being produced (in comparison to the number of 500s) will increase my chances of receiving my Freestyle or finding one that meets my requirements before 11/30. I have my fingers crossed.

And again, Sam, I am so glad for you about the rebate. It made my day when I heard that you could still take advantage of the incentive. I am in the mortgage business so I live for when I can save someone some money and it isn't often that I can help someone save $1000 dollars just by typing a few words.

ANT14

And the front passenger seat also folds down flat...

figueroafamily

MSN Autos updated their coverage for Freebie. They added a review, and a video.

http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/overview.aspx?modelid=11253&amp- ;amp- ;trimid=-1&src=VIP&tab=0

* Look on the reviews tab for it. The gentleman rated it 8/10.
* Look on the photos and video tab for the only video on it. The video has a Ford Freebie spokesdude that will show the 10' cargo area inside Freebie. You'll see why having "fixed" seats is not a drawback.

For the record, the Freebie in the video is a Norsea/Gray clad SEL. I don't recall the exact name for the clad.

Sam

figueroafamily

May I suggest to inquire with Ford "PIN Central" (where the X-plan, etc. OKs come from) to give you some leeway?

I bet they would, as they fixed my situation real fast.

In your case, may I suggest:
"...I want to close the deal to take advantage of the incentive. The problem is the high-demand for Freestyles may cause it to come to the dealer AFTER the incentive's expiration. What can I do to let you (PIN Central) "freeze" the incentive while the car is built? Does another alternative exists?..."

ANT14, others, any suggestions for YOYO123? I recall ANT14 recommended NANCYB to have an "I want to help" attitude in the conversation, thus the talking points above.

I'm doing my best to return the favor.

Sam

ANT14

"I want to help" attitude in the conversation, thus the talking points above."

IN this case, it's more like "Who can I sleep with, to get what I need"... senario :-)

It would have to be someone very high up, to switch things around, and numerous people needed to get to that point.

yoyo123

Sam,

Thanks for the suggestion. I will talk to my father-in-law about giving them a call. It's worth a shot. Since a lot of dealers won't sell a/z plan from their inventory, I may have a shot. I may have a better shot once I have a VIN number and a build date, especially if I am going to miss the date by less than a week.

With regards to Ant's comment: "IN this case, it's more like 'Who can I sleep with, to get what I need'... senario :-)", Hey, I'm easy. ;-)

One last interesting factoid, I am buying my freestyle from an past neighbor (so I trust him) and he told me that I should consider leasing. His reason was the residual value factor is 62%. I don't know what the lease period is (I know, kind of an important variable), but I will find out the next time I talk to him.

mark_in_nh

According to info from the dealer when I place my order for a SEL for 36 month lease, the only combo's for 62% resid value were the LTD with 24 month lease and the LTD AWD 24 month. These numbers were under their 4th quarter Residuals for the 2005 Model Year.

markkal

I ordered my limited AWD 9-23-04 and am still waiting. Dealer said he "might" get a build date this week.

johnclineii

Ford accepts orders on Thursdays. I hope that helps. I finally gave up and had a Ford Five Hundred located for me. It was everything I wanted except colors. I am very happy with it.

Ironically, the day after I took delivery on the Pueblo Gold/Pebble Five Hundred, Ford accepted the order (after six weeks) for the white/shale one!

yoyo123

Thanks for the info. The dealer I ordered through has been getting 1 or 2 frestyles a week and they prioritized my order ahead of their other orders. I would normally think "yeah, right", but I know the guy and he is well connected at the dealership. Only thing I can do is sit and wait. Hopefully, I will have a build date in 2-3 weeks.

lumbar

I'm curious about how you folks feel about the potential for the first year model "blues" with the Freestyle. Don't care? Don't feel it will be an issue? I'm aware the platform and AWD system have been in use, but I really hate bugs in new cars. Otherwise, this looks like a real winner to me. TIA.

307web

It will be a problem. If you wait a year, you can read all the posts hear about all the problems and how and if they were resolved and then decide if you still want it when the 2006s come out. Things like A/C performance will be unknown until people use it in 100+ degree temps next summer.
By the time the 2006s come out, there will likely be bigger discounting and rebates and maybe a few enhancements in standard and optional features.
I'd like to be able to get the Audiophile system on an SEL so I don't have to get leather, fake wood, extra exterior cladding, 18 wheels and some other undesired standard features on the Limited model.
I'd also like to see either a hybrid or diesel version so there will be a high fuel-economy version since the Freestyle is too big and heavy for a 4 cylinder.

dudleyr

I would also like to see a hybrid, or diesel version. It just uses too much fuel right now. The sedan with the six speed tranny does pretty well though at 21/29 EPA.

307web

Maybe the same hybrid engine in the Escape can work with the Freestyle if there is demand and availability.
Diesels could be possible from 2007 models on if Ford has or will have a suitable engine available by then.