ANT, No disrespect as I think you show a lot of savvy about your business.But I got to take issue with you about some of the things you mentioned about stability control added for the freestyle. (a) pushing the price point too high (b) another gadget that can go wrong (c) slow down development time. I'm a diehard Ford owner having bought 5 vehicles in the past 15 years. I'm really keen on ordering a Freestyle in the latter part of the production year hoping that some running changes &/or production glitches will be ironed out. Just this past week the Automobile Journalists Assoc. of Canada selected their model 2005 Car of the Year in the Crossover category from such contenders as Chev. Equinox, Freestyle, Hyundai Tucson, Nissan X-Trail, and Subaru Outback. The category winner was the Hyundai Tucson. I was amazed by AJAC's choice and wondered how they could have overlooked the Freestyle with all its great features. But in fairness to the Tucson it is offered with complete safety features such as side and curtain airbags AS WEll AS stability control priced thousands of $ less than the Freebie.They also have a 7-year powertrain warranty. My other point is that Ford could offer a Canadian Driving Package for the 2004 Freestar minivan at only a nominal charge of about $800 which included AdvanceTrac, Traction control, Reverse Sensing, and Brake Assist. So why not add this to the Freestyle to make it a better product to speak for itself rather than having to spend those additional millions in wasteful advertising to stimulate the greater sales volume to help recover the development costs. Just my foolish rant but then what do I really know.
Yes I agree with that, but there's various other politics at play that we don't all know about playing out in the background. While some ideas look as no-brainer's, every idea has to be meditated before being czrried out.
Integrating AdvanceTrac will take awhile since it's a new vehicle, therefore the development time takes a bit longer, but it's currently being worked on.
Folk, I love this posting site. The comments have been very useful. Here is my first post.
I just got my redfire/gunmetal SEL AWD Freestyle yesterday. It took almost 12 weeks, for the record. I am a car person, not a truck person - so the tight suspension and steering feel made me very pleased. The second row has the bucket seats with center console. The center armrest will come in handy for elbows in row two on long trips. The last row has the split buckets. All seats are cloth, and the interior is shale color (which looks nice to me with the red exterior).
Living in the Land of 10,000 Lakes in the midwest, I expect to test the AWD on snow soon. There is none now. On the trip home, a long incline caused the electronic "pseudo-downshift" to kick in and maintain my speed. Cool. Otherwise, I can mirror other comments from here: smooth transmission, good acceleration, amazing usable space inside, quiet, stable.
This was ordered on X-Plan, and I got a last minute $250 rebate, so it worked out well having to wait a bit. All for now
I think Fords done the right thing price pointing Freestyle to the Pilot not the Pacifica which seems to be far more expensive.
But Ford's marketing machine messed up not only on the production split between the 500/Freestyle, but also on model mix.
Flexible production is great as long as suppliers can support it.
I don't understand why very few vehicles on lots have Safety (a must), lots with DVD.
Hopefully now that they have had few months building the machines, they are close to getting model mix/spec right.
Just wish Ford would flip the switch and allow me to order a LTD in Silver frost (500 Ltds come this way),black interior with everything except sunroof/DVD.
Much of the reason that the mix is what it is on dealer lots is because dealers do the ordering and order what they think will sell. Surprisingly, not as many people are as interested in the safety features as you might think...
I have a wife, two young boys and a dog. We are a very active bunch. We have a VW Passat 4-motion but need a little more room. Not sure if we one of those SUV monsters.
Any feedback on the Freestyle would be appreciated.
We too are a family of 4. Two boys 12 & 6 - both active in scouts, soccer, and whatever else. Two dogs (both male) and we looked at many cars/SUVs before picking the Freestyle. It has a lot of room and a lot to offer.
We did go w/6 seating - wanted the console in the middle to separate the kiddos.
Anyway, there is a ton of good info in previous posts too.
May I ask how you got the $250 rebate? I have a Dark Blue SEL AWD on order for about 6 weeks and haven't received any update from the dealer. Mine was ordered on A-Plan so maybe the dealer is not as concern about timely delivery as I am.
I did nothing specific to get the $250 rebate. It "showed up" on the final invoice when I went to pick up the Freestyle at the dealer. I think it was a dealer sponsored rebate. No mention of it the week before.
Regarding the delivery time, I checked with the dealer every week or two. At about week eight, I got a build date - the magic piece of info. From there, everything seemed more clock-like - the convoy date to my state, and an estimated arrival at the dealership were matched by reality pretty closely. It paid to "encourage" the dealer to check on the status. I hope that helps.
new SEL AWD Silver Freebie yesterday, the dlr informed us we had an additional $500 rebate on
top of the already existing $250 rebate, totalling $750 in rebates. The added $500 came into the picture late in the game sometime last week as I understand it. This was an X plan deal.
We traded our passat wagon for the freestyle. I love the new car. It has more room, the seats are more comfortable and my two kids sit far enough apart that they don't fight anymore! The ride is smoother and the gas mileage is about the same. So far I can't complain about anything. My suggestion, make the switch.
My info is that rebates come and go on an essentially arbitary basis. We were originally supposed to pick up our Freebie a week ago, before the extra $500 rebate appeared, but there was a problem with our custom ordered Freebie not being built to my orig specs, causing a delay.
We have less than 100 miles on our Freebie - I've noticed that the MPG computer, when I was driving it home, registered just over 5 mpg, then, as the ride progressed (all at about 30-50 mph local roads), the reading creeped up, reaching a max reading of about 10. Is there a learning period for the sensors/computer? Actual mpg is about 20 so far all local driving.
It needs awhile for it to learn, considering the data. Make sure it's not on instantaneous fuel economy. I've had a fuel vehicles with that setting, and the harder I pressed, the lower the number would lower...even 3MPG in fuel fledge acceleration, but would increase up to 20MPG once I would ease on it.
Thanks for the info. When I ordered the vehicle the dealer thought that delivery would be about 4 week and I actually believed him! I have been calling him every week since then and he has not be able to give me a build date yet. From your experience it looks like about 4 weeks after receipt of the build date to actually get the vehicle. I have some Citibank Driver's Edge rebates that expire at the end of the year and I was hoping to cash them in but it looks like it won't happen. I still have the option of choosing something from the lot but colors and options are not right (I order SEL AWD w/ comfort & safety package). If I get some of these other rebates that have been mentioned it may even out for me.
We only have one child so far, still in a car seat, and two dogs -- traded in our Volvo wagon for the Freestyle and we couldn't be happier (250 miles or so). Only a foot longer than our wagon and not much wider, but the height and seat configuration offer so much usable space it's fantastic. We love the ride, too -- it will probably be familiar to you from the Passat, much higher but still very tight and responsive, very much like our Volvo (doesn't have the sway and bounce of a minivan or a traditional american sedan).
I can echo the other person who said the mileage readings are a bit off -- I think the trip computer does a lot of "assuming" with the mileage and driving behavior, and I think I read that it's based on the average of the last 500 miles. Might be more accurate a few months in, I'm not sure -- ours had 60 test drive miles on it before we picked it up, so who knows how they drove it.
And for folks interested in pricing, we got a SEL AWD with most of the options (no DVD, but yes moonroof, which works fine for me at 6'3"). Dealer offered a couple hundred over invoice on an email quote (worked out to $2700 under MSRP, I think) and we purchased without negotiating. Didn't get any rebates, but by setting a price online we avoided some of the dealer processing fees you sometimes see. If I remember correctly I think X-plan pricing is about the same as we paid, slightly over invoice (might be wrong on that, but you can look it up).
driver's edge rebates. you might call citi to see how it works. you may be able to cash in your dollars, but request the check after your vehicle comes in. it's worth a try.
2024 Ford F-150 STX, 2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
Thanks for the info you have provided regularly to this discussion, and in particular to some of my questions.
If I were to piece together some of the things you have said, along with a few bits of info I have gathered elsewhere, I might come to the following conclusions: (feel free to correct any facts as they are based on a lot of guessing/wishful thinking on my part)
1) The Freestyle will offer Stability Control beginning 2006 model year (to be released in the typical fall time frame, i.e. October for new models). This is the only feature that is currently stopping me from buying this vehicle. I usually keep my vehicles for quite a while and I believe that in the near future stability control will be very common, so I don't want to miss out on this feature.
2) The 2006 model will have tinted glass on ALL rearward windows. I base this on the fact the other models (Saturn VUE for example had the same type of tint as the Freestyle for its first year, but has since switched to the more popular style of tinting all rear windows equally).
3)The 3.5 L will be offered as an option on the refreshened 2007 Freestyle (October 2007). I predict they will also offer telescopic steering by then.
4)The Mercury Freestyle will be released as a 2006 model (October 2006) but will only offer the 6-speed transmission.
Here is just a comment. The Freestyle could have provided even more legroom by allowing the front and back seats to slide further back on tracks. It seems it was designed so that when you fold the 3rd row, it does not bang into the 2nd row. I would rather give the 2nd row more legroom when there is no one in the 3rd row (most of the time) and only slide it forward when either someone is sitting in the 3rd row or when the 3rd row is folded flat. This just gives more flexibility. I love the legroom in the 500 and found it significantly better than the Freestyle's. Its importort to recognize that the driver spends the most time in any car by far, followed by 2nd row passangers and finally 3rd row passengers; therfore that should be the order of making them confortable. Anyways that is just my $.02
Some of those points are correct, although some of it has yet to be finalized. Once I receive confirmation then I'll obviously share, but it's still some ways off.
As for the Mercury version of the Freestyle, look at the "Meta One concept" at the upcoming auto shows for an indication of where it's headed.
Has anyone else been told that delivery of their vehicle is being delayed because of a problem with a transducer in the air conditioning system???
My Nebraska dealer has told me that my vehicle was built the week of 11/22. It was to be "shipped" the week of 11/29. His region man told him a problem with a transducer was found and it was delaying all the units until fixed. I'm supposed to have a convoy unit number for shipment, but I've been trying to find out for a week when they are going to start moving units out. No news from the dealer. If anyone else knows anything let me know.
today I hit the reset button while the display was in MPG mode (right side of steering wheel) and that seemed to cause the MPG computations to 'get real' and register what I expected. I haven't read the OM yet so I don't know if what I did is Std procedure or not.
It just showed up on email one day not too long ago. It was from Ford Direct - "Because you've expressed an interest in this vehicle, blah blah" - It is good for the Freestyle or 500. $500 Internet Bonus Cash thru 1/3/05. I'm pretty sure there is a Ford Direct section of the site.
Hi, I am now approaching my first oil change. I have AWD LTD. What I have noticed lately is occasional strange smell from the air vents, especially when the heat is on. I first thought it could be related to the protective coating that new cars have underneath "burning out", but 2700+ miles should be enough to take care of this. The smell is sometimes very strong and resembles some type of either plastic or fluid. In fact it smells close to fresh engine oil (not the burnt one). There are definitely no leaks underneath. When it smells, not only you could smell it from the AC vents, but if you turn the engine off and walk out, it smells outside as well. If I open the hood, I can't see anything wrong. Any clues or suggestions? I will definitely bring this to the dealers attention on Saturday when I have the oil change appointment...
Have you used it a few times already ? I've had that issue in a few vehicles when I've used the heater the first few times... Or like home A/C systems that haven't been used all year long, usually the first heat cycle will small quite bad, like something is burning since it hasn't been used all year.
Yes, I've used it for some time and the smell is different. In fact it looks like it comes from underneath where the exhaust pipe is. Could it be that the protective coating is so thick that it takes a while to wear out? Or could it be that the dealership waxed the tailpipe while washing it before the delivery (or something similar along these lines)? They did spray leather seats with some (window?) cleaner and I had them wipe all that stuff off when I was buying...
Could be the protective wax is a bit thick. I have a friend with an Altima, and she too had a similar issue. Turns out she ran over a plastic bag on the street and it became lodged between the exhaust housing, which was the burning smell she kept smelling. Could this be a possibility? Have you looked under the vehicle?
If it's not out of your way, I would just drop by the dealership and let them get dirty and look under the vehicle. Might be some decent explanation to it.
A few weeks back there was a bit of discussion about the first 12-15K units and some fine tuning in the earlier units. I guess that's normal enough, but is there much reason to hold out for a higher VIN number? VIN numbers are all over the map here, as low as ...A07xxxx and lower, or as high as ...A18xxx. Should it concern me to end up with a lower VIN? Or am I wondering over nothing?
I experienced all the same symptoms in two test drives of Freestyles, one an AWD, one a FWD. Strange smell. seems unique to this car since i'm not encountering this on other makes of cars (Subaru, Chevrolet, Toyota)
We had a build date of 11/15. The word we got today was 9,000 units were being held for two reason one was a brake problem. Come to think of it, my sales person never told me the 2nd reason. The dealer's Ford Rep (I live in Wisconsin) did not give an estimated delivery time frame. It sounded like Ford was still working on a fix. Once a fix was found, it was going to be determined if the vehicles could be shipped and fixed at the dealer (likely) or if they need to go back to the factory. Anyway, my wife's new car in sitting in a cold parking lot instead of our heated garage. Poor thing.
Thanks...My head does this "throbbing explosion" when I laugh because of my sinus issue today. That was funny...
Yes, if there's a problem that can be fixed at the dealership, chances are it'll be shipped. Although it's good they are catching this at the factory since everything is being combed over with a fine tooth comb.
Our Figgie Freebie (following an earlier spoof on me) had a burn smell for a short time. It was the first time we used the heated seats. We shut it down, and never re-ocurred.
BTW, I found the "metallic vibration noise" source I reported shortly after I bought Freebie. The back license plate has only two screws, allowing it to vibrate freely. Think of an Old West "Morse Code gadget" to visualize how the plate creates the noise. I'll get extra screws once it goes to its first check-up.
In other news, we'll go to Florida just before CHRISTmas (Dec 23). I'll tell you how Freebie behaved once I'm back (Jan 7).
DEARBORN, Mich., Dec. 14, 2004 - Ford Motor Company today announced that the 2005 Ford Five Hundred has received NHTSA's top five-star crash-test rating for front- and side-impacts - the only 2005 model passenger car tested to achieve this performance without the optional side air bags...
If you look beyond the simple 5 stars to the actual ratings, you can see that the Freestyle (also tested without SAB), does MUCH better in side impact than the 500.
I've used mine everyday lately here in Frigid Ky and haven't noticed a burning smell. I really like the 2 position switch so I can turn it down once the buns are warm.
problems showing up. Basically, I've seen complaints of leaking trans, body panels that don't fit, a/c valve problems and now an unknown issue with the brakes.
I really like the vehicle overall and have a use for a station wagon type, but, I bought one of the first Sables in 1986 and swore I would never buy a first year vehicle.
Comments
No disrespect as I think you show a lot of savvy about your business.But I got to take issue with you about some of the things you mentioned about stability control added for the freestyle.
(a) pushing the price point too high
(b) another gadget that can go wrong
(c) slow down development time.
I'm a diehard Ford owner having bought 5 vehicles in the past 15 years. I'm really keen on ordering
a Freestyle in the latter part of the production year hoping that some running changes &/or production glitches will be ironed out. Just this past week the Automobile Journalists Assoc. of Canada selected their model 2005 Car of the Year in the Crossover category from such contenders as
Chev. Equinox, Freestyle, Hyundai Tucson, Nissan X-Trail, and Subaru Outback. The category winner was the Hyundai Tucson. I was amazed by AJAC's choice and wondered how they could have overlooked the Freestyle with all its great features. But in fairness to the Tucson it is offered with complete safety features such as side and curtain airbags AS WEll AS stability control priced thousands of $ less than the Freebie.They also have a 7-year powertrain warranty. My other point is that Ford could offer
a Canadian Driving Package for the 2004 Freestar minivan at only a nominal charge of about $800 which included AdvanceTrac, Traction control, Reverse Sensing, and Brake Assist.
So why not add this to the Freestyle to make it a better product to speak for itself rather than having to spend those additional millions in wasteful advertising to stimulate the greater sales volume to help recover the development costs. Just my foolish rant but then what do I really know.
Integrating AdvanceTrac will take awhile since it's a new vehicle, therefore the development time takes a bit longer, but it's currently being worked on.
My brother SWEARS that I need to try one of those first. Of course, he just got one.
I just got my redfire/gunmetal SEL AWD Freestyle yesterday. It took almost 12 weeks, for the record. I am a car person, not a truck person - so the tight suspension and steering feel made me very pleased. The second row has the bucket seats with center console. The center armrest will come in handy for elbows in row two on long trips. The last row has the split buckets. All seats are cloth, and the interior is shale color (which looks nice to me with the red exterior).
Living in the Land of 10,000 Lakes in the midwest, I expect to test the AWD on snow soon. There is none now. On the trip home, a long incline caused the electronic "pseudo-downshift" to kick in and maintain my speed. Cool. Otherwise, I can mirror other comments from here: smooth transmission, good acceleration, amazing usable space inside, quiet, stable.
This was ordered on X-Plan, and I got a last minute $250 rebate, so it worked out well having to wait a bit. All for now
But Ford's marketing machine messed up not only on the production split between the 500/Freestyle, but also on model mix.
Flexible production is great as long as suppliers can support it.
I don't understand why very few vehicles on lots have Safety (a must), lots with DVD.
Hopefully now that they have had few months building the machines, they are close to getting model mix/spec right.
Just wish Ford would flip the switch and allow me to order a LTD in Silver frost (500 Ltds come this way),black interior with everything except sunroof/DVD.
The LTD colors are not near as sporty as the SEL colors.
I want the 6-passenger seating, though (buckets with console in the second row).
MSRP: $33,620
Invoice: $30,717
"What others are paying": $32,802
Hopefully the X-plan price is near Invoice.
There's not a single Limited in the Houston area that I could find online. Sheesh.
Any feedback on the Freestyle would be appreciated.
Thanks.
We did go w/6 seating - wanted the console in the middle to separate the kiddos.
Anyway, there is a ton of good info in previous posts too.
Good luck!
Regarding the delivery time, I checked with the dealer every week or two. At about week eight, I got a build date - the magic piece of info. From there, everything seemed more clock-like - the convoy date to my state, and an estimated arrival at the dealership were matched by reality pretty closely. It paid to "encourage" the dealer to check on the status. I hope that helps.
new SEL AWD Silver Freebie yesterday, the dlr informed us we had an additional $500 rebate on
top of the already existing $250 rebate, totalling $750 in rebates. The added $500 came into the picture late in the game sometime last week as I understand it. This was an X plan deal.
Anyway, we're "lovin' it" (a la McDonald's...).
I can echo the other person who said the mileage readings are a bit off -- I think the trip computer does a lot of "assuming" with the mileage and driving behavior, and I think I read that it's based on the average of the last 500 miles. Might be more accurate a few months in, I'm not sure -- ours had 60 test drive miles on it before we picked it up, so who knows how they drove it.
And for folks interested in pricing, we got a SEL AWD with most of the options (no DVD, but yes moonroof, which works fine for me at 6'3"). Dealer offered a couple hundred over invoice on an email quote (worked out to $2700 under MSRP, I think) and we purchased without negotiating. Didn't get any rebates, but by setting a price online we avoided some of the dealer processing fees you sometimes see. If I remember correctly I think X-plan pricing is about the same as we paid, slightly over invoice (might be wrong on that, but you can look it up).
Not that I need the brochure, but a rebate would be nice.
How long did it take to get one? I still haven't seen anything!
Thanks for the info you have provided regularly to this discussion, and in particular to some of my questions.
If I were to piece together some of the things you have said, along with a few bits of info I have gathered elsewhere, I might come to the following conclusions: (feel free to correct any facts as they are based on a lot of guessing/wishful thinking on my part)
1) The Freestyle will offer Stability Control beginning 2006 model year (to be released in the typical fall time frame, i.e. October for new models). This is the only feature that is currently stopping me from buying this vehicle. I usually keep my vehicles for quite a while and I believe that in the near future stability control will be very common, so I don't want to miss out on this feature.
2) The 2006 model will have tinted glass on ALL rearward windows. I base this on the fact the other models (Saturn VUE for example had the same type of tint as the Freestyle for its first year, but has since switched to the more popular style of tinting all rear windows equally).
3)The 3.5 L will be offered as an option on the refreshened 2007 Freestyle (October 2007). I predict they will also offer telescopic steering by then.
4)The Mercury Freestyle will be released as a 2006 model (October 2006) but will only offer the 6-speed transmission.
Here is just a comment. The Freestyle could have provided even more legroom by allowing the front and back seats to slide further back on tracks. It seems it was designed so that when you fold the 3rd row, it does not bang into the 2nd row. I would rather give the 2nd row more legroom when there is no one in the 3rd row (most of the time) and only slide it forward when either someone is sitting in the 3rd row or when the 3rd row is folded flat. This just gives more flexibility. I love the legroom in the 500 and found it significantly better than the Freestyle's. Its importort to recognize that the driver spends the most time in any car by far, followed by 2nd row passangers and finally 3rd row passengers; therfore that should be the order of making them confortable. Anyways that is just my $.02
As for the Mercury version of the Freestyle, look at the "Meta One concept" at the upcoming auto shows for an indication of where it's headed.
My Nebraska dealer has told me that my vehicle was built the week of 11/22. It was to be "shipped" the week of 11/29. His region man told him a problem with a transducer was found and it was delaying all the units until fixed. I'm supposed to have a convoy unit number for shipment, but I've been trying to find out for a week when they are going to start moving units out. No news from the dealer. If anyone else knows anything let me know.
Good Luck!
If it's not out of your way, I would just drop by the dealership and let them get dirty and look under the vehicle. Might be some decent explanation to it.
Yes, if there's a problem that can be fixed at the dealership, chances are it'll be shipped. Although it's good they are catching this at the factory since everything is being combed over with a fine tooth comb.
BTW, I found the "metallic vibration noise" source I reported shortly after I bought Freebie. The back license plate has only two screws, allowing it to vibrate freely. Think of an Old West "Morse Code gadget" to visualize how the plate creates the noise. I'll get extra screws once it goes to its first check-up.
In other news, we'll go to Florida just before CHRISTmas (Dec 23). I'll tell you how Freebie behaved once I'm back (Jan 7).
Sam
http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=19773&ma- ke_id=trust
DEARBORN, Mich., Dec. 14, 2004 - Ford Motor Company today announced that the 2005 Ford Five Hundred has received NHTSA's top five-star crash-test rating for front- and side-impacts - the only 2005 model passenger car tested to achieve this performance without the optional side air bags...
Sam
Freestyle results
http://www.safercar.gov/NCAP/Cars/3089.html
500
http://www.safercar.gov/NCAP/Cars/3079.html
and for comparison Volvo xc90 which has SAB
http://www.safercar.gov/NCAP/Cars/3289.html
have you used the heated seats again and was all OK?
Merlot Limited AWD
have you used the heated seats again and was all OK?
=================
That isn't a dumb question. Yes.
Sam
no option) Freestyle and have noticed some
problems showing up. Basically, I've seen complaints of leaking trans, body panels that don't fit, a/c valve problems and now an unknown issue with the brakes.
I really like the vehicle overall and have a use for a station wagon type, but, I bought one of the first Sables in 1986 and swore I would never buy a first year vehicle.
Question is just how good/bad are these cars?