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Showing content with the highest reputation on 12/28/2019 in all areas

  1. Or just put the digital screen in all models and call it a day lol.
    4 points
  2. 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.
    3 points
  3. I don't think you need to worry about emissions software on a full electric vehicle...
    2 points
  4. The Escape is a little low on appeal with its anonymous car-like styling and conspicuously inexpensive interior. But I kinda like the simplicity and utility of the Escape, it's well designed and engineered to maximize utility and economy. But it's hard to escape that this is the appliance car, the one car to fill a ton of customers as cheaply as possible. The SE is obviously not a great exemplar. I don't love what I'm hearing about the 1.5L from most reviewers, those Ford 3-Cylinder have never really won over many American customers. The 2.0L however is dynamite, coupled with that platform which is more dynamic than most. And then there is the Hybrid with AWD which is pretty stellar. The Escape does have a nicer instrument panel available, along with the only Ford NA vehicle to get a HUD. I do think it's a shame the Escape has essentially turned into something that is clearly not the SUV-imaged car it began life as. I can't help but think the Escape's brand equity is on thin ice.
    2 points
  5. Yes sir 02MustangGT, I think you are correct about that. Here is the instrument cluster on 2020 Nissan Versa SV.
    1 point
  6. How to trust a brand that has fraudulent emissions software? Who can not guarantee that the platform will not come rigged to damage the Ford and cause damage, bankrupt Ford and vw buy it next??
    1 point
  7. I am old school if i hear horns i steer right if i hear gravel i steer left?
    1 point
  8. Interesting. Around here they have a saying: "He's a Ph.D …. Poppa had a Dealership."
    1 point
  9. I think they are looking at the VW based EV the wrong way, Ford changed what was going to be the C-Max EV into the MME around two years ago, so the hunt was then in for an EV that suited that basic role much better so I’d be thinking a more cost effective EV that actually uses its VW heritage to get Ford Europe some walk up credibility for Euro buyers.
    1 point
  10. The 7.3L will be fine, and I doubt we will see much hesitation in it's acceptance. I think it will be hands down better than the 6.8L in all aspects, including durability. The 6.8L really didn't set the bar too high in heavier medium trucks and school buses......
    1 point
  11. Snooter- Assuming the 7.3 is about-6-8 grand less than a Power Stroke, have no fears- it will sell. There are plenty of operators that need a 33,000 lb GVW but don't run the mileage to pay out the premium through the fuel savings that the Power Stroke should provide. And with 330 HP (I think in 650/750 ) and about 470 lb ft of torque this engine will do the job. You may be right about hesitancy to invest in this engine until it gets some experience in the field but my bet is that cost savings up front will motivate a lot of buyers-unless of course ford gets greedy on pricing.
    1 point
  12. JP- Exactly- what did the chief engineer for the 7.3 say?..." a medium duty engine" The 6.8 did a good job. The 6.2 did a good job in the right application. The 7.3 is not a compromise that "will work" in a commercial application. It is a commercial engine.
    1 point
  13. Christ, that gauge cluster looks like something straight out of the '98 Escort I used to have. That's not a good thing for a $29k vehicle.
    1 point
  14. 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.
    1 point
  15. 1 point
  16. 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.
    1 point
  17. I do agree. But saying they are "abolishing" pollution is a stretch.
    1 point
  18. I can imagine a dystopian future where all cars are required to be connected to the always-connected road grid, where their location is GPS tracked and their driving habits monitored and recorded. Vehicles can only drive up to the speed limit of the road you are traveling. Local weather data dynamically adjusts and reduces max speed during foul weather. Cabin Camera and voice recorders record you as you're driving. Vehicles talk to insurance companies and won't start unless the vehicle has an active insurance subscription. The vehicle fingerprint scans you via the steering wheel and communicates to dmv to ensure you have a valid license. Max music volume will be limited and reduced like they do to portable music players in Europe. Car will not drive if seatbelt is unbuckled. Compromising safety systems Will be illegal, punishable by fine and loss off driving privilege.
    1 point
  19. Just put those six cylinders in a row. Problem solved!
    1 point
  20. 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.
    1 point
  21. Go to www.fullsizebronco.com for tech help. That is the number one source of info for fullsize broncos with TONS of knowledgable members.
    1 point
  22. Most Tesla owners rarely use a Supercharger, that is true. And with increasing range, charging stations are actually becoming LESS important. Ford's wisdom on this is sound, most people will never charge outside of the home and won't need to with this kind of battery range. The charging network is a false fear, it's not nearly as critical as people think. Weirdly people who don't have EVs still think in terms of fueling up, forgetting that they get to top off every night. If you could pump your gas at home, how often do you think you'll need a gas station? In my case, that would have meant only once in the past 10 years when I took a vacation to Mackinac. For others that may be different, but for a vast majority of people, once you get over 300 miles of range, you're going to be a statistical outlier, never mind that there is an existing and growing network for those instances. People will get over this FUD with time and experience. And again, the tech is evolving in this extended timeline, what's true today won't be tomorrow and Ford knows that.
    1 point
  23. Why is Ford spending time and money developing an EV truck using a last-century strategy of leaving the charging infrastructure to others? I’ve got news for Ford, GM has the same strategy and it isn’t working, and they have been building mass-market EVs since 2010. Despite what Ford says about updating the performance of its EV, which will not come for some time, according to Ford, Tesla has been doing that for years and until Ford actually does it, then it is just vaporware. FYI, Tesla has open-sourced many of its patents.
    1 point
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