theoldwizard

No, I just want a 7.3L with either the 535 and 53Q trailer tow package. The last exercise was to see if I could build it piece by piece.

I'm not sure what you mean by that statement. The on line "build your own" did not mention (or I could not find) the stand alone Trailer Brake Controller (52B). Power-folding, PowerTelescoping, Trailer Tow Mirrors are N/A on XL, but optional on XLT (54F). Same with Trailer TPMS (65A) and Trailer Camera (653).

I was spec'ing out an F250 for my son-in-law when I found that the 2 Trailer Tow packages (535 and 53Q) require the 6.7L diesel ! That certainly does not "show off" the new gasser's capability !

I still don't like the grill, or lack there of ! Which option package includes a black "grill" ?

"Death wobble" is NOT unique to F250/F350. It is seen in almost all 4WD drive vehicles with a solid axle ! It show up at speed above about 45 MPH, so mostly on the highway. You hit a small bump and suddenly the steering wheel and all of the steering system go into a violent oscillation. The vehicle still is going straight (more or less) and you do have some control. The only solution is hold on tight and take your foot off the accelerator and coast to a lower speed where it will stop. No one has ever pin pointed a cause or a solution. Tight (new) steering components help. A steering damper helps.

These all apply to a 2016 Edge. 1. Trunk lighting sucks 2. Both the A/C and heat work very well. That car gets heat faster than anything I have ever owned. 3. My wife and I both dislike leather/fake leather. We DID purchase and SEL with cloth seats. Very nice. Consider a something like Scothguard. 4. No foot activated or power lift gate. Maybe an important feature for people with very young children. 7. Coming up on 4 years. It has NOT been back to a dealer since the day we drove it off the lot. One of the big reasons for choosing the Edge was the adult sized rear seats and the large trunk and split fold down rear seats. I have had 3 average sized adults in the back for trips over 1 hour and have not had any complaints.

Well I know that MY fat a$$ would not be very comfortable in those seats for more than about 5 minutes !

If you bump the tire size, the rear wheel well clearance is so tight you can not use snow chains. Not a big deal for most, except if this is supposed to be an "off road" van capable of taking you to your favorite ski resort or cross country trail. When are they going to FINALLY put some rear seats in the Transit that ADULTS can sit in comfortably ? (E-Series Chateau)

I do not like the standard body colored grill.

The only reason Ford got back into Class 6 and 7 was they figured out a way to make some profit without too much investment. F53 and F59 always did okay. Building a Class 6 and 7 using existing engine and transmission was the key. I still can not understand why the F53 is getting the old 6R140 transmission. I am sure they are planning on stopping production, if they have not already.

Lithium is NOT the most expensive part of the battery. It is cobalt, which is much more scarce. Luckily, for the past 5 or 10 years, battery manufacturers have been adjusting the chemistry to lower the amount of cobalt in each battery.

Segue - Not sure if this is still true, but it was a couple of years ago. If you start your ford vehicle and the air bag light stays on, simply shut it off and start it again. If the light goes out this time, it is time to go battery shopping ! How can this be ? The voltage from the battery fluctuates while you are cranking. The "power supply" in the PCM can handle these fluctuations, but the power supply in the air bag module can not. The voltage inside the air bag module drops low enough that the computer restarts, but it has already set a "low voltage" code.

VW take over Ford ? Not likely. VW take over much/most/all of Ford of EU, likely.

It is an interesting move by Farley. First, it show the Ford family he is committed. The definitely gives him a log up for the CEO position. Second. let's say he bought it at $5 (probably less). If it hits $6, (likely before the end of the year) that is a 20% gain ! Not bad ROI ! People have forgotten, that money was going out the door like water before COVID-19 ! Besides the huge investments they were pouring into EV/hybrids they were also deep into two major real estate projects, rebuilding Dearborn R&E and rebuilding the Michigan Depot train station. I have not seen any recent cost projections but I am pretty sure the R&E project (which included TWO new computer centers off of the R&E campus) is going to be over $1B (and did NOT include a remodel of WHQ) and Michigan Depot will be close to $1B. I drove through R&E about 1 year ago (Village Road runs all the way from the Southield freeway service drive to Outer Drive). First, cooling ponds near the front of R&E are gone. Second, Village Road is not longer straight. They have added a couple of parking structures. BUT they have not started tearing down any of the major engineering building. My guess is that both of these project will be "back burner" for the next 3-5 years.

The biggest problem with oiled gauze air filters is that they get dirty/clog very quickly. They maybe "lifetime", but they require more frequent cleaning. As mentioned, they are known to cause MAF problems.

I applaud Ford's decision to team with GE/Airon to build this design. It is a much simpler design than others, meaning they can get into production faster.

I worked in Ford Engineering for 31 years. I have NEVER heard of a factory staying in operation while vehicle were shipped to another plant to be repaired. INSANITY !

That's what I do So I should pay for something that I am likely NEVER going to use ?

I might be interested in an Explorer if there was a 3rd row DELETE !

Yes, because the cash burn rated of TWO major construction projects while trying to engineer a whole fleet of hybrid and electric vehicles is just not sustainable.

I have been telling people for OVER A YEAR that the Ford dividend was unsustainable. If you bought below $7-$8, you will make your money back, bought it might take a couple of years. It is going to be interesting to see how Ford deals with some long term negative cash flow. I expect work on the Michigan Depot train station will slow to a halt over the next 3 months. Same with rebuilding the Research and Engineering Center. Thos two multi-year project were likely going to cost the company close to $2B !! They may keep skeleton crews on board to work on infrastructure.

I'm guessing you have 2 or 3 bench seats. Not the most comfortable for long trips and if you have a couple of high school football player in your brood you are not going to put more than 2 of them on that 3 person bench. Concur on the van being superior to a full sized SUV. When my daughter's family of 6 goes on vacation, they can barely fit their luggage in the back of their Expedition MAX.

I would not call a the old Chateau Club Wagon a "luxury" vehicle. It just had 4 DECENT (US) adult sized seats ! The aftermarket conversion vans are WAY MORE EXPENSIVE !

um...we sell a $hitload of Transit passenger vans....and now theres AWD.... Family of 6 or more going on a vacation. Expedition works, but a nice full sized passenger van would be better !

Internal to Ford, if you are not working directly on a EV or a Hybrid program, you are "chop liver" ! No career future. If you are working on a current model year program making sure it keeps cranking out product (i.e. lining up alternative tooling and nmanufacturing for Chinese plants) you are slightly above that level.