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Someday perhaps, when we reach a Star Trek utopian universe. But we're a few Klingon wars away from achieving that goal...

I'll do anything as long as I can make the screen dimmer at night without having to dim the whole cluster, especially when it's in CarPlay mode

While my explorer is at the dealership getting fixed, I was given a 2020 Ford Escape SE as a loaner vehicle. Today was my first day with the vehicle. Exterior - nothing stands out about the exterior. This vehicle seems to blend in more than most vehicles, especially in the magnetic color. The front still hasn’t grown on me. It looks dated, like it should have come out in 2013 with the fusion redesign. My biggest complaint is the wheels. It came with the 17” wheels which look very basic, almost to the detriment of the vehicle. Better wheels would definitely make this vehicle look better. Also they look really small and don’t fill the wheel wells very well. Interior - just like the exterior, there is nothing special about the interior. It’s the details that make or break an interior, and for the escape, the details were lacking. The first thing I noticed was how cheap the gauge cluster looked (it came with the analog gauges, not the digital screen). its just one piece of flat plastic for all the gauges.theres nothing separating the different gauges from each other. I think the previous gen gauge cluster looks more upscale with each gauge having its own section and chrome trim. Many people don’t like the tablet style screen but I don’t mind it and I actually like it’s implementation here. It’s higher up so it’s easier to see and it’s much closer to the driver than the previous escape so it’s easier to reach. everything below the screen needs some work though. The design just doesn’t flow very well. Where the center console and dash meet seems especially cheap. I was excited to test out the rear seat legroom since such a big deal was made about it. I adjusted the front seat to where I would sit, and then got in the back seat to see how much room I had. I’m 6’1”, and with the back seat all the way back, my knees were still touching the front seat. The back of the front seats are concave so there is extra room for your knees. If my knees were touching each other, they would fit in that area without touching the front seat, but that’s just not a comfortable way to sit. I’m not sure how they fit all those basketball players back there when they first showed the escape. They must have had some really short people sitting in the front. It is more legroom than the previous model. If I had to guess, I’d say it had slightly more room in the back than a fusion. Drive and Handling - this escape came with the 1.5L 3 cylinder engine. The first thing I noticed when I started driving the car was how loud it was, and not in a good way. The engine sound fills the cabin under normal acceleration and gets really loud if you step on it. It feels like there is zero sound deadening material on this car. I was actually surprised by the performance of the engine though. I expected it’d be a dog, but the acceleration was decent. I never got it over 55 so I can’t say how it doesn’t at highway speeds. ride height is pretty low. It feels much lower than the previous gen escape, but still slightly higher than a car. If I had to guess, maybe it’s about the same as a Subaru? The lower ride height does seem to help handling though. It felt more nimble than my current escape. Final Verdict - I didn’t like the exterior design beforehand, but I had hoped the rest of the package would redeem the escape. While I liked a few things, unfortunately the negatives outweighed the positives. The MSRP for this vehicle was around 29k. I wouldn’t even consider it at that price (who pays MSRP though) Honestly, it feels like ford kinda cheapened out on this car. $23-24k seems like where this vehicle should be priced in the SE trim.

it’s funny you said January 6th because that is the day the dealer told me ford would have the part lol.

I dunno. I think Ford's rationale for the F-600 makes a lot of sense: Form factor. I think the new Chevy MDs have the same issue that the last GM MDs had: The truck is just too big, physically, for lighter duty applications. From that standpoint, I think Ford's going in the opposite direction: They've beefed up a F-550, which has more of a conventional pickup cab/engine compartment/frame, so you get 22k GVWR from a pickup, basically.

I'm curious how Ford's MD sales break down---how many are sales to new vs. existing customers, how many are sold via bidding process, and to what extent Ford is interested in chasing individual sales. I mean, it's obvious on the retail side that Ford is going to spend millions in order to sell cars one at a time to individual households, but what's their budget to reach a guy who buys a new MD every eight years or so? And, even at that, what's the most effective way of communicating with these customers? Is it via media, or is it good ol' fashioned networking? I have a suspicion that Ford dealers' commercial sales reps stay in their jobs for quite a while and develop long-term relationships with their counterparts at larger businesses. If that's the case, it might be more effective to have some sales rep pay for a meal & talk up the 7.3 with a good customer than running ads in a trade magazine?

Even Al Gore?

I’m still responsible for the accident, vehicle damages and injuries for belted occupants. Just don’t hold me responsible for your death - that’s on you for not wearing a seatbelt that would have saved your life. It’s called contributory negligence - look it up.

I do agree. But saying they are "abolishing" pollution is a stretch.

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I saw that and was considering it, but haven't had the time. Yet...downloading now, may try it today. Dealer upgrade of Sync doesn't normally come with updated maps. This upgrade looks to. Amen!

Then it wouldn't really be a variant now would it....

That's pretty much the opposite of what he just said. All he was saying is if your lack of responsibility contributes to your own death, you have to assume responsibility for it, not hold someone else responsible for it. So, basically, you shouldn't be required to wear a seatbelt or helmet, but if you die in a collision where that helmet or seatbelt could've saved your life, well, that's on you.

Nope.. Why risk it when you can have the dealer do it for free and not F it up lol.

Just put those six cylinders in a row. Problem solved!

It amazes me how people can twist things around in order to blame someone else. From what I read, their is no evidence the extender even failed or if it would have made a difference in the accident. Only questionable thing I see for Ford, is that they were supplying an abnormal amount of extenders to one dealer. Since they don’t cost the dealer anything, I would suspect Ford would want to know why they are Ordering so many. Probably in Ford’s eyes, these things don’t make any money why investigate something that’s free. This is a deep pocket issue for sure. Complete “follow the money” suit. Why not sue nissan for not making booster compatible seat belts or sue nissan because the juke isn’t as big as an armada. While your at it, sue the DOT for not putting up retractable bollards at red lights to stop red light runners. ( doesn’t say if it’s at a red light or not) Maybe sue the restaurant they ate at because if the food came out quicker they may have not been at that spot at that time. (Again just speculation, but showing how ridiculous this blame game gets) This is the society we live in. Only person that wins is attorney.

Oh yeah, surprise. I also like backup cameras and would have probably optioned one (looks like I have no choice now heh) when the Bronco comes out. I imagine it would be pretty useful on and off road. Unpopular opinion but mandating other people have airbags and wear seatbelts won't make society better, you're just helping stupid people survive and reproduce. Idiocracy anyone?? Protect yourself, make smart choices, and let the Neanderthals die off i say. Wooo, I am way too hung over for this serious of a debate! I'm going back to bed. Merry Christmas all!

Wait... What??? Do you seriously think electric starters wouldn't exist without government? I need you to clarify, because it sounds like your implying that without government regulations, no one would have desired the convenience of an electric starter. You seem to have an incredibly poor understanding of capitalism and the role of government in this country. I know it was just an example, but you need to realize how terrible that example was. Backup cameras existed before this regulation made them mandatory... Because they're an awesome invention that people love. The free market provided this, not the NHSTA. Many people desire safety and technology, and that demand drives innovation, not the government. If you want a backup camera, awesome! I'm certainly not going to stop you; Just don't force others to buy them and don't make cars more expensive for it

A V6 variant of the 7.3 with no bore or stroke changes would yield a engine size of just under 5.5 liters in size but the question would lead to if the architecture could handle the vibrations a V6 has that would call for a counter balance shaft to cancel out. Cost savings of dropping down to a V6 could be lost when attenuating the issues that would crop up as a result of lopping off 2 cylinders.

I am in the camp rear view cams are needed, personally would not buy a car without rear cam or BLIS...i dont like cafe or the epa mandates...want both gone..free market and consumer choice needs to dictate and not some commie in washington or my local university/school forcing that crap on vehicles

The gov't had nothing to do with switching from crank starting to electric starters; the free market did that all on its own. The same thing happened with backup cameras--those were around for years (and lots of people bought them) before someone decided to force them into all new cars.

Cool motive, still don't like the NHSTA. Seriously, how deep does this rabbit hole go? I'm tired of this never ending safety argument that only results in the government mandating more and more rules and technologies which increase vehicle cost and complexity with marginal safety gains. Seatbelts, backup cameras, automatic breaking, blah blah blah.... Thanks but no thanks. I'll take dangerous freedom over your "safe" authoritarianism all day ✌️

Yes, I have driven a car before; blind spots are a thing. Strange that despite the presence of such a danger...zone, no child has ever sat behind my car. What a stupid rule for something that maybe happens 100 times a year? If that. Honestly at this point, we're just upsetting natural selection. Cars have gotten along just fine without cameras for over a hundred years.

The weekly FDNB's (Fleet Distribution News Bulletin) are being updated to provide the 2020MY/2021MY scheduling and production timetables. The 2020/2021MY information should start to be available after the New Year's holiday.

Not happening, at least on this continent.