akirby

Good point. I actually bought 2 3-way switches and wired them up on the worktable and used a voltmeter to figure out how they worked. Now I can wire it up any way I need to - power in one switch, load out the other, power and load at the same switch, power at the fixture, etc. etc. Drove me crazy until I figured it out.

That isn't an opinion, it's an incorrect statement. Adaptive LED headlamps, fully retractable glass roof, push button shifter, better quality materials and better sound deadening, Lincoln Ride Control, heated and cooled seats, THX Audio, 4 yr/50K b2b warranty, free maintenance, heated rear seats, automatic sun shades, etc. etc. etc. That is not "very little". If he just said "I prefer the Fusion even though it has less equipment" then that would be an opinion. And another thing: I *just* used this yesterday driving back to Atlanta from Birmingham. The prompt says "By Category or By Name" to which I answered "By Name". Worked perfectly. He said "Name" not "By Name". And this is the reason MFT gets maligned so much - users can't follow simple directions.

Fits in a normal box as you can see by the picture. I guess I never paid attention to them since they look the same as the single pole switches.

But it sounds like that's what Ford thinks consumers will buy - 1000 lbs payload and 3000 lbs towing. It has to be small to meet the fuel economy improvements.

Hadn't thought about a switch for a 220V line with 2 hot legs - how did that work? Do they make 220V switches with 2 legs or did you have to rig something up?

Because Energis and Hybrids have separate EPA ratings. If Ford sold too many Titaniums they'd have to use the heavier Titaniums with larger wheels and stickier tires for the EPA tests for ALL regular Fusions.

1K miles - just did a 180 mile trip from Atlanta to Birmingham and back. Temp 45. Speed was between 60-75. Averaged 31 mpg. Not bad for those speeds and E-10 winter blend fuel without being fully broken in. I could have probably gotten 33 at 55 mph.

POTW!

The nice thing for me is my salesman knows me (purchased 6 vehicles from him so far) and knows I have access to X plan through my employer. So when I call about a vehicle we never even discuss price. I already know the X plan price for whatever I'm interested in. It simply becomes a question of availability - ordering vs. buying off the lot vs. a dealer trade. Much much easier.

I still think they're limiting Titaniums on purpose for CAFE purposes.

Excuse me while I go delete my earlier post.

X plan is meant to provide Ford's business partners and employee friends and family with good no haggle pricing protected from excess dealer fees and tricks. In exchange for the lower fixed pricing the dealer gets a spiff check from Ford for each sale. X plan used to be below the actual dealer invoice. Now it's about $150 or so above dealer invoice. The net sale price for the dealer after the spiff check is around $600 over invoice give or take. Ford cracked down on pins because employees and dealers in the past have been caught selling PINs. The rules state that the employee must know the person (it is called Friends and Family after all). Ford doesn't want people profiting from the PINs themselves.

Why?

Why post it at all?

That's a good point.

But they did the same thing with the Focus and Escape Titaniums which don't have a Lincoln counterpart.

As well they should be. This is a huge fiasco for Ford and Lincoln and they know it. But in the end it would be far more damaging to ship customers defective vehicles. If they love the vehicle they'll quickly forget the long wait.

I like it!

That's not a bad idea. Ford is caught between a rock and a hard place here. If they don't maximize their EPA results then they risk losing out to the competition who is doing that. OTOH by doing that they risk alienating buyers who can't get the same mpg in normal driving. Lowering the advertised EPA results for everyone to account for winter conditions (fuel and temp) and less than perfect driving style would at least make it a level playing field for everyone. That wouldn't have to change the tests or CAFE - only the adjustments they already make for the window stickers.

I'm saying that limiting Titaniums to black interiors doesn't save any money because they offer Dune on the SE so they have to stock all the various colors. If black was the ONLY color offered then the factory would only have to stock black parts, not black and dune parts. There is no other reasonable explanation for limiting titanium trims to black. At least none that I've been able to come up with. I've even asked Ford employees and they don't know either.

Every vehicle Ford produces is ordered by a dealer. Most are for dealer stock but if a dealer has a customer that wants something specific then they place a retail order. The only difference is retail orders get built first. You just have to find a dealer willing to do the order for you. The website doesn't do anything for you and the only thing you get from Edmunds is the invoice prices so you know how much to negotiate. Call another dealer and ask for the sales MANAGER (not just a sales person). Tell them what kind of vehicle you want to order and see if they'll work with you. I've never heard of one that would not do that. You either find one in stock somewhere or find a dealer willing to order what you want. Either way you negotiate the price exactly the same as if you were buying it off the lot. One note - the Edmunds or KBB invoice prices do not include the advertising charge which is a legitimate cost that the dealer has to pay. If you take the Edmunds or KBB price and add $500 you'll be pretty close to the actual Ford invoice price. Anywhere from that price to $1000 over is a relatively good deal (minus any rebates or other incentives offered by Ford).

You can't shoot us - we're not armed!

I don't know all the rules but I know they look at the weight of each model and the take rate on the options and they are required to test the most common version. Maybe they allow the mfr to do separate tests on different models or maybe they were forced to do that on the Camry because of the option package take rate or weight. It's really complicated and manufacturers do strange things to maximize results while staying in compliance.

But they already build other models with dune interior so not offering it on Titaniums won't save Ford anything in production or inventory costs. And I wasn't talking about the Titanium Hybrid specifically - I was referring to all Titaniums. Also one reason they might want to limit hybrid sales in general is lack of components (batteries, ecvts, etc.). It's a complicated balance between production capability, CAFE compliance and consumer demand.

Ineligible Products for X-Plan Partner Recognition • Fiesta S (100A) • Focus Electric • Mustang Boss 302 • 2013 Mustang Shelby GT500 • F-150 SVT Raptor • F-550 and above • Stripped Chassis • E-450