Ford Freestyle - Taurus X

pnewby · June 2005

I also considered both. I would first drive each, then compare other items. I liked the feel of the Freestyle, the better "layout" and amount of space. I guess the final selling point was the safety ratings. Only 5 star side impact rating without the side airbags and curtains. I got the safety package, so I figure my "imputed" rating must be at least 6 stars.

The Freestyle price for comparable equipment was also better at the time, but with the rebates on the Pacifica, I don't know if that is still the case. If your friend is worried about the power on the Freestyle, it performed better than the Pacifica in every test I saw. It's only underpowered if you happen to be an automotive journalist. Kind of a sign of the times for most journalists, the truth doesn't matter, only the truth as they report it.

salty_in · June 2005

I would advise you to keep a cell phone in your car at all times. Our Freestyle starting making the same sounds a couple of weeks prior to the transmission completely going out on it. It was replaced with a new one and we are now starting to experience the same sounds with the new transmission. Needless to say we are very displeased and wondering if this lemon :lemon: of a transmission is going to ruin our summer vacation.

salty_in · June 2005

I would advise steering clear of the Freestyle until they figure out what's wrong with the transmision. We're on our second transmission and the car is only 3 months old and we're starting to have problems again.

bruneau1 · June 2005

Please read message 3517

freestylegal · June 2005

I took the Freestyle in for a dead power point in the back--blown fuse--I use a little compressor back there to blow up athletic equipment, etc. I never had a problem with the Expedition's power point, but as long as I know where the fuse is, I can deal.

The dealer then told me that I needed a 15K mile service, a great bargain at $379 that pressure cleans the injectors, change the fuel filter, etc. I told him that I didn't see this in the maintenance manual that came with the car and he came back with one (I had mine in my hand already) and lo and behold, he couldn't find it either--surprise, surprise, surprise. He told me that I needed to get these things done for warranty purposes. Um, I'm thinking that he's thinking that I'm a girl or something so he'll tell me that and I'll buy it???

My question to you people, who know more than the dealer and more than myself, is: is there any advantage to having the injectors cleaned (this is something they are always pushing at the oil change places, too) and replacing the fuel filter at this point? And if I opt out, my warranty is still valid as long as I've had the stuff done that's in the manual?

Thanks--sorry to hear about the transmission stuff going on--I would love to know the percentage of failures vs. models sold, miles driven, etc.

indybell · June 2005

Just curious since we a lot of us are driving around in a CVT. Did you happen to ask the service manager what exactly it was that failed in the transmission. Hardware related or software?

badgerfan · June 2005

Your dealer has it in his standard operating procedure manual, as he wants to buy himself a bigger boat and those payments need some help!

Bottom line is you do not need to do anything more than what is recommended in the manual to maintain your warranty, and even some of the things recommended in the manual are just recommended safety inspection items, like brake inspections and hose inspections etc.

Injector cleaning in my opinion should only be done in response to some poor engine operation, such as rough idle, etc, and even then before I paid for an expensive injector flush, I would throw in a bottle of injector cleaner in a tank of gas before going to a large expense item.

freestylegal · June 2005

Thanks, badgerfan. I did an injector flush once for a rough-idling 2002 Explorer I had (the LEAST of the car's problems) and it did really make a difference. I told my husband that and he thought I was nuts. His 2002 F-150 idles rough and he gave the flush a shot, but it didn't help his truck, unfortunately. When I asked the Ford dealer if I should make this part of regular maintenance, can ya guess what they said? Boy oh boy--you sure have to do your homework and it's great to belong to a forum like this!

I think I'll keep my $379 and put it in the piggy bank for a trip to Baja...

nitromax · June 2005

15,000 miles is way too early to be needing to clean the injectors. As Badgerfan said, he's just looking to buy a bigger boat.
;-)

funits · June 2005

I have had my Freestyle for about 2 weeks, and it has been an enjoyable experience so far. I have two issues that any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

1. The front passenger seat has a rattle that appears to originate from the left front mounting point of the seat to the floor. I suspect it could be coming from the latch system which allows the front seat to fold forward. Anyone else hear this on rough roads and have any suggestions for a fix?

2. The Reverse Sensing feature has "beeped" a couple of times initially going into reverse with nothing behind the vehicle. Both times it was or recently had been raining very heavily. Not sure if heavy rain triggered the response or something else. Anyone else experience this?

I have been getting 21-22 mpg commuting (40 mi round trip per day of highway/local) and general running around town. My 2002 GMC Envoy was getting 17-18. The Freestyle engine is a little loud at 2,250 rpms (its not bad below or above this rpm!) but the power and response has been as good as the Envoy.

I have RubberTite floor mats for the 1st and 2nd row and for the cargo area (with the 3rd row seats folder into the floor) -- for the price they will work fine, but are not as nice as the Catch-All mats I had for the Envoy (but the RubberTite are alot less expensive).

Now if I could find splash guards for the car that will fit!

dgulino · June 2005

Would you folks who are having transmission problems please tell us if you have the AWD or FWD systems? Some of you have mentioned this, but others have not. I've read that there have been reports of problems with the AWD system. Thank you.

marine2 · June 2005

And even with its bigger engine, a 3.5-liter V6 turning out 255 hp at 5750 rpm and 250 lb-ft of torque at 4500 rpm, the Odyssey lagged behind the Freestyle in every straight-line test, though not by much. Of course, the Odyssey has 675 more pounds to haul around, but that still translates to 18.2 pounds per horsepower compared to the Freestyles heftier 19.5. We chalk it up to the Fords CVT, which doesnt suck as much engine power as the Hondas conventional automatic.

From a standing start the Ford reaches 60 mph in 8.15 seconds, the Honda in 8.90 seconds. Through the quarter-mile the Freestyle manages a tarmac-scorching top speed of 88.0 mph, passing the sticks in 16.25 seconds, while the Odyssey could only manage 83.1 mph in 16.88 seconds.

The Freestyle also nips the Odyssey coming to a stop from 60 mph, its 129 feet chopping two feet off the Odysseys best, even if the Hondas brakes feel slightly better to operate. It is the slalom, however, that really separates these two people movers.

The Ford steers better through the slalom than its trucky design implies, with a precise and quick response to inputs that makes weaving around the cones an almost point-and-shoot process. One tester even said of it: [The Freestyle] doesnt have as much delay in the steering as I would have expected for this class of vehicle. In fact, steering response is pretty exceptional for a box like this.

freestylegal · June 2005

Congrats on your new car! I got mine in Jan/05 but have put 15k on it. I, too, had/have a transient rattle coming somewhere in the area you describe. It still comes and goes--no explanation.
The reverse sensor will go off when I back out of my driveway on occasion--even a hump/high crowned road can do that. Now that I've gotten used to having it, I wouldn't want to do without. It's pretty sensitive but wonderful feature, I think. I have a FWD and have been a little disappointed in the mileage--around 21 MPG or so on the freeway, but I do tend to drive somewhat over the speed limit (well, everyone else is, too!). I traded in my 2003 Expedition on the Freestyle, so in comparison to the mileage on that beast, I'm okay with it.
Enjoy! :shades:

webbcam · June 2005

I just got my DrawTite 2 inch receiver hitch yesterday and installed it this morning. They estimated it would take 50 minutes (perhaps true with a hoist). With the help of my teenage son our installation took about 90 minutes. No drilling although the muffler bracket holder needs to be shortened (hacksaw) slightly. It looks good with only the receiver itself visible under the bumper fascia, also the exhaust pipe is lowered about 1/2 inch but that does change "looks" of the back end.

regards,

Webbcam

ANT14 · June 2005

http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=21044&make_id=trust

explorerx4 · June 2005

gal... try out some higher tire pressures. sounds like you drive a lot, so try up a pound at a time, first in the front. see if there is an improvement. there is a point, based on my tire gauge, that the ride doesn't get too harsh, but can get at least an extra mpg in my v8 explorer, just from the change in front tire pressure.

tim156 · June 2005

I'm a little surprised I haven't seen many Freestyles. Since I purchased mine in March, I have seen maybe five around Minneapolis. I can only believe that buyers are a little skeptical of the CVT, because as we all know, it's a great car. I'm curious about total sales numbers for the Freestyle. Does anyone know what the numbers are, or where to find them. I searched Blue Oval News and Google without much luck finding hard numbers for regional, national or continental sales.

After posting this message I found some numbers after going a little deeper in Blue Oval News. May 2005 sales: 6084, May 2005 CYTD: 28,677. I'm still wondering where they all are.

indybell · June 2005

I have seen five in Bloomington, IN (pop. 70,000 without IU students, 100K with). On one occasion, I saw two other black Ltds on the same side of town and within a half hour of each other. (I'm also driving a black Ltd.)

I've also seen two Fivehundreds in Bloomington. They seem more scarce than Freestyles.

pnewby · June 2005

Turned on the tube this morning and saw a Freestyle nameplate on the news show. I was wondering what was up, and then heard a long report about the '
Freestyle being the best rated SUV among all brands in the rollover testing. This validates one of the main reasons I went for the Freestyle- Safety. It was nice to hear something good about an American brand for a change. Noticed a Honda and a Subaru in the 4 star range, no Toys though. :shades:

nitromax · June 2005

It has been suggested by some posters here that they will not buy a Freestyle because it doesn't have stability control.

Maybe this latest NHTSA report will ease their mind as to whether they really need a Freestyle with S.C. or not.

northlakes · June 2005

Tim156, I am across town from you and have seen maybe a half dozen in the last month. More on surface streets than freeways, but have been pleased with the sightings. They must be hiding over here in the Batcave. I have also seen three or four 500s lately. :shades:

lillybeme · June 2005

My Freestyle has shut down, totally died a few times when I am stopped or making a turn. When we took it in...they could not find a problem...we are taking it in again
next week...anyone else have a similar problem?

northlakes · June 2005

Hi. This is from post# 3058 on this board. It may help. Good luck!
*******************************************
March 7, 2005
Dearborn, Michigan. Ford Motor Company told dealers that 2005 Ford Freestyle vehicles with the 3.0L 4-valve engine and the continuously variable transmission (CVT) may exhibit intermittent drivability concerns on deceleration and/or during turning maneuvers.

To solve this drivability concern, Ford will reprogram the powertrain control module (PCM).

Owners who experience intermittent drivability concerns with their Freestyle should consult their Ford or Lincoln-Mercury to have the above mentioned service performed. :shades:

northlakes · June 2005

To add to your point, most don't realize that most stability control does not attempt to prevent rollovers, it tries to minimize skidding. To my knowledge, only the Stabilitrac on the Ford Explorer tries to sense and compensate for possible rollover conditions. The Freestyle senses a possible rollover condition, but at present, only uses the info to activate the side air curtains. Many stability controls also slow the vehicle's responses to driver inputs (steering, brakes).

When you think rollover, think center of gravity. It is more than that, but that is what the engineers are designing around. The Freestyle's is lower than SUVs' (it is a crossover), and higher than a car. It's NHTSA rating reflects this well. :shades:

ANT14 · June 2005

Tthat would be AdvanceTrac, and yes with RSC "Roll Stability Control", it does minimize the potential for a vehicle to flip over. Keyword, "minimize".... There will always be an accident where such help wouldn't have worked any which way.

Now as for Anti-Skid systems in general, the majroity will serve as a nanny to aid the vehicle from spinning out of it's intended path. Keyword...."Aid"... As stated before, there will always be an accident that was unavoidable.

I myself prevent AWD since your able to drive out of harms way, ans stick to the ground and continue on your maneuver, rather than have "Anti-skid" come in and cut off power, and applied certain brakes. Anti-Skids works and kicks in provided there's no grip, or low grip levels to get you out of the situation, provided you ad least have some sort of grip (at some point it'll completely cut engine power if your on a sheet of ice). Whereas, AWD will kick in and give you that grip x 4....

Although misconception some people here is "Oh it needs to have Anti-skid system if not it's not good enough"...then shut their mind off and don't listen to other venues, such as AWD which does more.

northlakes · June 2005

Thanks for the refresher. All of the function names seem to mush together after a while. :shades:

Back to the NHTSA rollover tests, the Wall Street Journal said today, "Still, stability-control gear isn't a magic bullet, since rollover risk stems from many factors, including whether or not a vehicle has a high center of gravity. In fact, the two top-performing SUVs in the latest tests - two versions of the Ford Freestyle - don't have stability control yet still outperform other vehicles." - Laura Meckler

nitromax · June 2005

I don't even think a lot of people even consider skid control when they are thinking about stability control. I think all they care about is preventing roll overs and for that, they feel that they need stability control.

And now that the Freestyle has taken top honors in the anti roll-over category, perhaps people will stop insisting on it needing stability control.

cmuniz · June 2005

One of the reasons that people are asking for it is that car reviewers in magazines, etc are telling people they should have it in their vehicles as the latest safety device. One of the problems with those systems is that they will eventually shut down the vehicle if it encouters conditions it doesn't like, like snowy roads. That's why most, if not all, have a switch to turn it off.

jschreiber · June 2005

well I agree-live in Twin Cities and only have seen a few
up to 8000 on AWD SE model--has been terrific knock on wood and passengers also comment on smoothness and comfort of seats. Mileage has improved dramitcally (for all of you with mileage complaints) after 5000 miles--getting 23.5 mpg mixed hiway and stop and go (I-394 so you know what I mean). Not bad for large AWD station wagon.

bluetrane · June 2005

I think a lot of people are in the dark about what the various safety mechanisms do. Stability control uses the vehicle's ABS to control power to individual wheels. When the vehicle's computer senses a sudden deviation from what it perceives as the driver's intended course, an individual wheel can be braked to keep the car on line. This has the effect of reducing understeer and oversteer and can keep the vehicle from sudden yaws on slick surfaces. This is all without driver input and ">link titleobviously much faster than a human being can react. The effect is noticable - enthusiast drivers often complain that stability control acts as a "nanny" and prevents drivers from intentional oversteer and the like. The technology is increasingly common an will eventually be everywhere (when was the last time you bought a car without ABS or airbags?)

Stability control works as advertised - a NHTSA study from last fall showed a 30% reduction in single vehicle accidents among cars and a whopping 63% reduction in single vehicle crashes in SUVs equipped with the technology:

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/regrev/evaluate/809790.html

Note that this has nothing to do with rollover resistance or airbags or any other safety measure - this is about accident avoidance.

In my opinion, the lack of stability control on the Freestyle is glaring and is the one thing holding me back from getting one. The lack is especially glaring as Ford has a perfectly good stability control system it could have used, and that Ford otherwise seems to have gone out of their way to engineer a safe family vehicle. Wake up, Ford! At least include ESC as an option - I would gladly pay extra for its inclusion, and the lack of it may cost you a sale (from me at least).<a href="

nitromax · June 2005

If the roads are slick (from snow) then I will most likely be driving in my "snow mode" as most people usually do. And the last thing I want a vehicle doing is braking in snow when I'm going around a corner.

Rain slickened roads have never...ever....been a problem with traction. If you lose traction on a rain slickened road then you're going WAY too fast.

So that leaves stability control to handle roll-overs....and we already know how the freestyle is in that category.

Sure, I guess Ford could have added another feature to the vehicle to appease the masses. I guess they figured that a family station wagon wasn't going to be making turns at 3 G's or doing an rally races.

brian211 · June 2005

Been reading your freestyle posts. I'm considering buying one. Also on my list is the Jeep Cherokee, Nissan Pathfinder, Toyota 4Runner, Subaru Legacy. Each has red flags for me. Also considering MazdaFordMercury, Tribute EscortMariner and Mazda6i sport wagon. If you looked at any of these vehicles, what made you choose Freestyle? Would you do it again? Read a review of Freestyle saying that it being underpowered can be down right dangerous trying to excellorate to freeway speed from an onramp. And also concerns about the transmission. Does anybody have any comments to help me make a final decision? Was gonna wait till new engine is available, but looks like a few years off. Thankyou.

nitromax · June 2005

Read a review of Freestyle saying that it being underpowered can be down right dangerous trying to excellorate to freeway speed from an onramp. And also concerns about the transmission. Does anybody have any comments to help me make a final decision? Was gonna wait till new engine is available, but looks like a few years off. Thankyou.

The specs say it does 0-60 in about 8.5 seconds. That's not considered slow. In fact, that time is probably faster than about 50 percent of the cars/trucks/minvans being sold today.

I can't comment on the CVT becasue that is a question mark in my book also. I do know that it is based on a proven design and that it is designed and built by a reputable manufacturer. So far, most of the complaints I have heard are from people that have needed the reprogramming done on the CVT.

Have you driven one yet? That will be your best bet.

kjnorman · June 2005

I have found this to be a perception thing. Yes the Freestyle can feel slow when entering a freeway, but note the word "Feel". One thing I had to reprogram to is the fact that the car is so smooth in its excelleration and that as the engine revs do not change much is feels like you are going nowhere fast. However, just look at the speedo and you soon realize that this car car pick up speed in a hurry if you want it to.

Our car is driven mostly by my wife, but of the times I have driven it, I have no worry about merging into fast traffic. No, its not a BMW M5

, but its not slow either.

If you are on the fence over buying one, I would suggest that you take it out on an extended drive and try this out yourself.

bobnu75 · June 2005

I bought a Freestyle on June 10 (so far, so good) and yesterday received a bonus cash offer from Ford for $500 if I take delivery between 6/1 and 8/1. I haven't called the dealer yet but does anyone know if I could get this retroactively?

428cj · June 2005

Brian, the Freestyle is not underpowered. The smooth CVT, without going through gears, provides an illusion. Also,you are sitting higher than a sedan so it seems slower than closer-to-ground vehicles.

The problem is with the bias of the automotive press. They simply do not like American built cars. When the restyled Cougar came out in 1998 (built in Wixom, Michigan), I knew it was a perfect vehicle for my daughter to drive -- side air bags, the CD changer was in the trunk to avoid new driver distraction, 17" wheels and four-wheel disk brakes and a rear window wiper.

I was on a flight with a member of the automotive press sitting next to me (he had a logo shirt on.) I was reading his magazine's review about the Cougar. He was a very chatty fellow and commented on the article and I said to him "and they even rated it very good when they never say anything good about American cars -- it must be truly superior." The journalist shut up and would not talk to me the rest of the flight.

My daughter still has the car. It was voted the "Best Car Ownned By A Girl" in her senior High School class awards and carried her through four years of college and into her first job. It still runs good and the Rio Red paint shines like new.

bruneau1 · June 2005

I drove all those vehicles in my search. I must admit that I test drive a lot not only to find what i want, but also for entertainment. I know, get a life. In any case, I chose the Freestyle because it's so pleasant to get in and out of. I am comfortable in the seat, I like the looks, the price was good, I love the CVT, lots of flexible room, nice ride, good handling, steering, brakes. There are many other suv type vehicles that offer these things, but not in the same degree. It would be crazy to suggest that any vehicle would suit everybody. Mine is FWD and therefore a bit faster than AWD and makes less noise under heavy acceleration. It also gets better mileage. If you don't need AWD, avoid it. I paid $27,500 for a FWD Limited and bought a premium care extended warranty for $800. If i had to pay over $30,000 for a Freestyle, I might be looking at other vehicles. As far as power goes, mine never feels underpowered. Merging onto freeways is confident and drama free--- and smoooooth. No lurching dramatic downshifts as in the Magnum or Pacifica and others. If you are going to carry heavy loads most of the time and drive aggressively, your mileage will really suffer and your Freestyle will spend too much time in upper rpms. As far as CVT reliability, nobody knows for sure. All I know is that the CVT works great. Drive some of those vehicles over the same course, and know your priorities. Good luck..

stever · June 2005

Progress is being made on some fronts:

"Among the 2005 SUVs tested, the Ford Freestyle 4x4 was rated the best among the four-star vehicles with a 13-percent chance of rollover."

STUDY: Newer SUVs Are Less Prone to Rollovers (Inside Line)

Steve, Host

mmccloskey · June 2005

Greetings:

I recently completed changing the oil in my Freestyle and it was truly the easiest oil change I've ever done! I had just a bit over 3K miles and wanted to change the oil myself so I got the proper oil (5W20) filter (FL820S) and 15mm socket to remove the oil drain bolt. I also had to obtain a strap-type oil filter wrench to remove the original filter as the cap-type filter wrench I had didn't fit. I made sure I could get the filter off and then the drain bolt - no problems in either case. I did note that there was a white paint mark on the bottom part of the oil pan and drain bolt. I assume this was done to know that the first oil change did occur for those who might take their Freestyles to the dealer for the first change. Anyway, after all the oil drained out, I replaced the drain bolt and removed the old filter and put the new one on. After filling up with 6 qts I started up the engine and noted the oil light remained on for about 2 seconds. I finally ran through the setup and reset the oil life to 100%.

Changing the oil in any vehicle is not something I look forward to, but the ease of accessability of the filter and drain bolt made this oil change a breeze!

Regards -

M. J. McCloskey - AWD Limited - Titanium

ltdfwd2 · June 2005

I can't answer your question, but I am curious about the $500 bonus cash offer. Where do you live? Did you just receive it out of the blue or did you contact Ford on the internet or something? Or are you a member of the armed services? (for this we thank you, if you are!) I am waiting for my Freestyle to be delivered to the dealer and another $500 would be nice! Please advise.

Thansk, Brian

batjam · June 2005

I have approximately 1000 miles on my freestyle. i purchased it on may 28, 2005 and it has been to the dealership twice and i haven't even had it for 30 days. first, the drivers side airbag light continued to stay on. the second time, the wrench light came on. this means a throttle/transmission problem. it is at the dealership right now so i don't know what the outcome will be.....

brian211 · June 2005

Aside from reliablity, traction in snow is important. Anyone have experience last winter in snow? I live on long island work in queens have spent many a winter day where I've left my old monte carlo home and have taken mass transit only to find that on the way home no buses! Getting too old to walk 3 miles in the snow to get home. That's why I've been giving the jeep cherokee and subaru legacy much consideration. What type of awd has the freestyle? Is it like the escort, basically fwd until slippage is detected, or is it a more full time system? Also, I'm an electronics dummy. With all the gadgits and electronics on board, can I figure out how to use the darn thing? Anybody else from the new york area? Recommend a dealership? I'm across from a jeep, chrysler dodge mitsubishi dealer and wouldn't as them the time of day. Very interesting seeing the drama going on at a dealership. Sort of going in the kitchen of your favorite restaurant, you'd never eat there again. A lot of jeep buyers rue the day they bought from them. On the other hand many repeat customers. Hope I'm not giving the jeep short shrift because I'm too close. Again snow performance is important. Does the freestyle deliver close to a jeep? Better than pacifica?

preferbicycles · June 2005

IWe have an AWD SEL that we had for the last few storms this winter. The car handled very well in the snow and was able to make it up to the top of our driveway without any problem. The same cannot be said of our other cars, which often can not make it to the top, which is one reason we bought the AWD Freestyle. Of course we had just gotten the car so it had brand new tires, which makes a difference too. I doubt you would have any issues with snow performance except that the ground clearance isn't that high, so you are going to have some snowplowing going on in really deep snow, more so than in something like a Jeep. I tried driving it on about 8" of snow (before the plow guy showed up--my driveway is a 1/3 of a mile long) and had no problem.

The car runs as a front-wheel drive car until slippage is detected, and then roughly half the power can be transferred to the rear wheels. This kicks in very rapidly. You don't have to do anything, and if you are like me, you hardly notice it except that you don't have any problem moving. You also have traction control so that power is available at the wheels that actually have traction. It is a very nice system, and it just works without you needing to worry about it.

There are a lot of buttons, but they don't have a whole lot to do with driving the car, except cruise control. We got the Comfort Package and I think the climate controls could be designed better, although the climate control system seems to work well. I found resetting the oil life confusing too. But all in all I don't think that should keep you from enjoying the car.

Also, you should consider how you are going to use the car. A Freestyle is considerably larger than a Legacy or a Cherokee. I expect any of them will handle well in snow, but if you need the room in a Freestyle, you probably wouldn't want the others. On the other hand, you can get a Legacy (not all of them) which could get significantly better gas mileage than a Freestyle especially in the city.

brian211 · June 2005

A lot of cars, can only buy one. Was this close to buying the jeep. Reading the boards here scared the hell out of me. All kinds of engine, transmissions and drive train questions. I take it that you are all reasonably satisfied with the freestyle and would recommend it to others. I know subarus have a longer history and track record, but like the room the freestyle provides. Living on long island I would like the idea of awd. The pacifica feels like I'm sitting in a bathtub. The dodge and chrysler 300/magnums don't care for. Acura and infinity too much money. The freestyle looks like a good compromise. Just wish it had a few more horses and more transmission history!

mastylin · June 2005

Brian,

I purchased an AWD LTD in early March and we had several good snow storms within the first couple of weeks (Central Massachusetts). The AWD handled the snow wonderfully! We traded in a 2001 Legacy Outback and I feel there was no comparison in handling. The Subaru always felt like the back end was slipping or on the verge of slipping. We had 4 new tires put on last fall and it was a little better this winter, but the Freestyle definitely has better snow traction and handling.

Nancy

branty · June 2005

We purchased our LTD AWD last November and it proved to be an excellant performer very in snowy conditions. We had several dumps of snow in Toronto and we also went several times to our cottage through the winter - 2 hours north and lots of snow. I tried several times in snow to make the wheels slip but could not (good coarse tread on the Pirelli's). The Haldex AWD system used in the Freestyle is the same as that used by Volvo. You do not have to do anything with the system...it is always 'on' but normally drives the front wheels (all you have to do is drive). If there is any slippage with any of the wheels than the AWD kicks in. I found it to be very quick in response.
I have not had any problems with our Freestyle and would recommend it (have not driven the Jeep or Pacifica). The only way to tell for sure is to compare them in a test drive.

gogophers1 · June 2005

Another option to explore would be getting FWD and then popping for a set of snows. Not many people consider this option, which is really a shame for two reasons:

One, AWD/4WD is costly (not just the extra dough at purchase time and later in fueling costs, but also in terms of increased maintenance costs throughout the life of the vehicle). And then there are performance costs to having AWD/4WD on dry pavement (slower acceleration, more noise).

Second, winter tire "technology" has come a long, long way. Perhaps the best winter tire for heavy snow is Bridgestone's Blizzak, but I've been plenty happy up here in Minnesota running my car with Michelin Arctic Alpins from Thanksgiving to late March. Personally, I see no need for AWD since only half the year is winter - even up here. Having AWD is like wearing a parka all year long. Sure, it comes in handy on those cold days, but you're lugging it around EVERY day.

Perhaps fuel economy isn't a big concern for you, but on your list the Freestyle FWD would be the most fuel efficient of the lot with the exception of the Legacy. I wanted to get a Mazda 6 wagon at one time myself, but it's a bit of a gas hog for a midsizer. I know with my luck that if I bought one, gas would be $3.50/gallon the following week.

northlakes · June 2005

A small thing, but was driving next to a gold AWD LTD Freestyle today. It looked very nice shedding our rain du jour as it passed by. They are showing up more and more over here in St. Paul. :shades:

tim156 · June 2005

I also sighted another on Saturday in Mpls. NB at the Hwy 62/35W exchange. The Titanium Green SEL looked good as it sped by in the left lane. Everytime I encounter one we exchange a glance and a nod. It's good to know your part of a group of smart car buyers.

northlakes · June 2005

Coming back from lunch today, I spotted a silver AWD SEL Freestyle at work. A good day to be sure! :shades:

Ford Freestyle - Taurus X

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