2008 Five Hundred Job 1

[range]

2008 Five Hundred Job One 4/16/07

 

2008 Freestyle 06/04/07

[Edgey]

2008 Five Hundred Job One 4/16/07

 

2008 Freestyle 06/04/07

 

Why is the Freestyle so much later? I assume the Montego also starts 4/16/07?

[napoleon]

Theyre also adding a lincoln to the Chicago assembly line.

[akirby]

Theyre also adding a lincoln to the Chicago assembly line.

 

In June 07???

[Surgen]

Theyre also adding a lincoln to the Chicago assembly line.

 

This is how rumours get started..... No Lincoln in Chicago in 2007.

[RichardJensen]

This is how rumours get started..... No Lincoln in Chicago in 2007.

But there will be a Lincoln in Chicago in 2008. That's where the MKS is being built.

[rkisler]

Theyre also adding a lincoln to the Chicago assembly line.

 

I suspect this might be the reason.

 

My understanding is Chicago is a plant that is flexible and it is geared toward modular production.

 

Modular production keeps the space in the assembly plant to a minimum. This is good and bad. The good is that floor space is limited and labor/overhead is minimized. The bad is that floor space is limited which can limit model complexity.

 

I believe that the plant was designed to be flexible among 3 body styles (500, Montego, Freestyle). The fixturing was made with a fourth position to accomodate smooth model changeover. The gap in the job1 timing might indicate that "something is going on".

 

If you are planning to do a Lincoln in 2008, and you are going through a model changeover, now is the time to prepare the production tooling to incorporate the additional model so it can be launched smoothly. If my assumption is right, Ford has a couple of options. First, cancel or move the Freestyle to keep the model count to three. Or, add the Lincoln as a fourth model and incur less smooth model changeovers which is what I suspect is happening.

 

This does not mean that the Lincoln is coming in 2007 calendar year.

[Edgey]

I wonder if this means production of the Freestyle will be suspended for two months after the shutdown. Conventional wisdom would assume that they would need to prepare for the new model production in one big factory refit prior to the sedan dates, and then phase in the new Freestyle while the factory is running. That is unless, the Freestyle goes down a different assembly line, but that doesn't sound very flexible.

 

While we are on the topic of Ford's peculiar handling of the Freestyle, I wonder if the cancellation of the Mercury variant has anything to do with Fairlane. Perhaps Mercury is getting a version of that? Perhaps the Freestyle will be phased out and they have cancelled plans for an extensive uprdate? Speculation is fun!

 

Once the Fairlane was greenlighted, it seems Ford's plans for Freestyle changed. We haven't even seen a test mule that wasn't a Mercury. It's all a little peculiar.

Edited November 6, 2006 by Edgey

[range]

Montego Job 1 is the same date as the 500.

[Blue oval Fan 3]

I wonder if this means production of the Freestyle will be suspended for two months after the shutdown. Conventional wisdom would assume that they would need to prepare for the new model production in one big factory refit prior to the sedan dates, and then phase in the new Freestyle while the factory is running. That is unless, the Freestyle goes down a different assembly line, but that doesn't sound very flexible.

 

While we are on the topic of Ford's peculiar handling of the Freestyle, I wonder if the cancellation of the Mercury variant has anything to do with Fairlane. Perhaps Mercury is getting a version of that? Perhaps the Freestyle will be phased out and they have cancelled plans for an extensive uprdate? Speculation is fun!

 

Once the Fairlane was greenlighted, it seems Ford's plans for Freestyle changed. We haven't even seen a test mule that wasn't a Mercury. It's all a little peculiar.

 

 

 

New to the Forum.

I just traded my Lincon LS for a Freestyle. We had been looking for something with more room, drove a Lincon Aviator which we liked very much. Didn'tlike the milage. Before that we looked at a Explorer. milage again a deturrent. We had the LS at the dealer for service. nd walked accross the dealers lot and ran across the Freestyle, had never seen one, never heard of one, and no advertisements for a Freestyle. WHY? After a test drive loved it looks are great entrance and exit from the vehicle are just right. Huge amount of room. 3rd row seat is comfortable. This is a '06 AWD Limited. On the freeway i get 25-27 mpg at 65 mpn. Around town about 19- 20 mpg. something unatainable with Avaitor or Explorer. Chevy Taho. After getting the Freestyle i startrd looking for other Freestyle Owners on the internet. To my surprise there are several forums out there with many, many satisfied customers. I would like for someone to explain to me WHY FORD MOTOR CO. seemingly refuses to advertise or promote this great vehicle. I have read that some feel the 3.0 motor is weak. My Freestyle has no problem keeping up with anything it's size on the road. The ride is very comfortable for 6 persons. plenty of cargo space. All of this for a lot less than a Chevy Taho, Explorer, Avator. Maybe now we know why Ford is Having financial problems when they build a quality vehicle and hide it!!!!!!!!

Thanks, Blue Oval Fan 3 '06 Ford Freestyle, 1996 Mustang Cobra, 1997 F-250 pickup

[Mark B. Morrow]

New to the Forum.

I just traded my Lincon LS for a Freestyle. We had been looking for something with more room, drove a Lincon Aviator which we liked very much. Didn'tlike the milage. Before that we looked at a Explorer. milage again a deturrent. We had the LS at the dealer for service. nd walked accross the dealers lot and ran across the Freestyle, had never seen one, never heard of one, and no advertisements for a Freestyle. WHY? After a test drive loved it looks are great entrance and exit from the vehicle are just right. Huge amount of room. 3rd row seat is comfortable. This is a '06 AWD Limited. On the freeway i get 25-27 mpg at 65 mpn. Around town about 19- 20 mpg. something unatainable with Avaitor or Explorer. Chevy Taho. After getting the Freestyle i startrd looking for other Freestyle Owners on the internet. To my surprise there are several forums out there with many, many satisfied customers. I would like for someone to explain to me WHY FORD MOTOR CO. seemingly refuses to advertise or promote this great vehicle. I have read that some feel the 3.0 motor is weak. My Freestyle has no problem keeping up with anything it's size on the road. The ride is very comfortable for 6 persons. plenty of cargo space. All of this for a lot less than a Chevy Taho, Explorer, Avator. Maybe now we know why Ford is Having financial problems when they build a quality vehicle and hide it!!!!!!!!

Thanks, Blue Oval Fan 3 '06 Ford Freestyle, 1996 Mustang Cobra, 1997 F-250 pickup

 

 

Hi Blue Oval Fan 03;

It is great to hear you are happy with your Freestyle. I have been thinking about trading my Explorer for one. Just out of curiosity are you happy with the power? Do you have the CVT transmission?

[Blue oval Fan 3]

Hi Blue Oval Fan 03;

It is great to hear you are happy with your Freestyle. I have been thinking about trading my Explorer for one. Just out of curiosity are you happy with the power? Do you have the CVT transmission?

 

 

 

Absolutely satisfied, I thought the fuel shut off was 112mph. I got into a little race on the parkway with a Toyota 4x4 the Freestyle blew him off at 115 and felt like it would do more. The wife roused up and i had to slow down. The thing was rock steady for a 4100 lb vehicle. I like the feel very much. I have tested it out at the stop lights also. The CVT takes a second or two then it hooks up. Not likedumping the clutch on my Mustang but thats not what i wanted it for. I am totally satisfied with this vehicle. My Freestyle is Black with the tan leather interior. I have read that some oners of the light interior have problems with reflection of the dash in the windshield. This is no worse than anyother vehicle i have owned with a light interior. I put 18"American Racing Wheels on with the Perllies Crome tail pipe extensions. Tinted the door windows with the matching tint on the rear windows. I put a deflector wing on the rear, I have chrome door handles, billett grill on order. We are very happy with the Freestyle. Do not understand Ford at all.

[waymondospiff]

New to the Forum.

Welcome.

I just traded my Lincon LS for a Freestyle. We had been looking for something with more room, drove a Lincon Aviator which we liked very much. Didn'tlike the milage. Before that we looked at a Explorer. milage again a deturrent. We had the LS at the dealer for service. nd walked accross the dealers lot and ran across the Freestyle, had never seen one, never heard of one, and no advertisements for a Freestyle. WHY? After a test drive loved it looks are great entrance and exit from the vehicle are just right. Huge amount of room. 3rd row seat is comfortable. This is a '06 AWD Limited. On the freeway i get 25-27 mpg at 65 mpn. Around town about 19- 20 mpg. something unatainable with Avaitor or Explorer. Chevy Taho. After getting the Freestyle i startrd looking for other Freestyle Owners on the internet. To my surprise there are several forums out there with many, many satisfied customers. I would like for someone to explain to me WHY FORD MOTOR CO. seemingly refuses to advertise or promote this great vehicle. I have read that some feel the 3.0 motor is weak. My Freestyle has no problem keeping up with anything it's size on the road. The ride is very comfortable for 6 persons. plenty of cargo space. All of this for a lot less than a Chevy Taho, Explorer, Avator. Maybe now we know why Ford is Having financial problems when they build a quality vehicle and hide it!!!!!!!!

I think your testimony is spot on. The Freestyle is a great vehicle. Minor things here and there need to be fixed but as it stands the Freestyle is an outstanding vehicle and a great value. Ford's marketing has been the Freestyle's Achilles' heel, I'm afraid. I also believe there was an institutional mindset to "protect Explorer." Unfortunately the serfs inside Ford decided that advertising the Freestyle's advantages over traditional SUVs could hurt the Explorer, so they shied away from talking about the Freestyle's excellent ride & handling and fuel economy.

 

In the end, the Explorer was hurt by rising fuel prices and shifting customer preferences and people flocked to competitors crossovers & sedans instead of into Ford's solution, the Freestyle. Because of the "protect Explorer" attitude the Freestyle lost sales and Ford lost sales. My biggest fear is that Ford will cancel the Freestyle at one point and say that the Freestyle was a failure, passing the buck on taking responsibility for killing off possibly the best vehicle in Ford's 2005 lineup. Even including the Mustang.

 

And one point, the D3s were supposed to launch with new powerplants. But they didn't (two years later, the Cyclone is finally ready.) and Ford knew the 3.0L was less than ideal. But the CVT works quite well with the revvy-Duratec easily keeping the engine in its sweet spot when needed. The downsides are the lack of low-end torque (a long-time Duratec 3.0 complaint) and the noisy operation at its top-end. But Ford was afraid (???) to advertise the advantages of the smaller engine (making lemonade, right?) and instead talked of everything but the fuel efficient nature of 3.0L Freestyle.

 

A huge opportunity lost for Ford. One could write a case study for business school text books from Ford's failures with the Freestyle: "what not to do." Such a shame.

 

Scott

[jasonj80]

Welcome.

 

I think your testimony is spot on. The Freestyle is a great vehicle. Minor things here and there need to be fixed but as it stands the Freestyle is an outstanding vehicle and a great value. Ford's marketing has been the Freestyle's Achilles' heel, I'm afraid. I also believe there was an institutional mindset to "protect Explorer." Unfortunately the serfs inside Ford decided that advertising the Freestyle's advantages over traditional SUVs could hurt the Explorer, so they shied away from talking about the Freestyle's excellent ride & handling and fuel economy.

 

In the end, the Explorer was hurt by rising fuel prices and shifting customer preferences and people flocked to competitors crossovers & sedans instead of into Ford's solution, the Freestyle. Because of the "protect Explorer" attitude the Freestyle lost sales and Ford lost sales. My biggest fear is that Ford will cancel the Freestyle at one point and say that the Freestyle was a failure, passing the buck on taking responsibility for killing off possibly the best vehicle in Ford's 2005 lineup. Even including the Mustang.

 

And one point, the D3s were supposed to launch with new powerplants. But they didn't (two years later, the Cyclone is finally ready.) and Ford knew the 3.0L was less than ideal. But the CVT works quite well with the revvy-Duratec easily keeping the engine in its sweet spot when needed. The downsides are the lack of low-end torque (a long-time Duratec 3.0 complaint) and the noisy operation at its top-end. But Ford was afraid (???) to advertise the advantages of the smaller engine (making lemonade, right?) and instead talked of everything but the fuel efficient nature of 3.0L Freestyle.

 

A huge opportunity lost for Ford. One could write a case study for business school text books from Ford's failures with the Freestyle: "what not to do." Such a shame.

 

Scott

 

The Dumbass name didn't help either, If they called it the 500 CUV people would have bought a few more of them, everyone thinks its the Ford minivan -- just by the name so the never go look at them.

[Mark B. Morrow]

Absolutely satisfied, I thought the fuel shut off was 112mph. I got into a little race on the parkway with a Toyota 4x4 the Freestyle blew him off at 115 and felt like it would do more. The wife roused up and i had to slow down. The thing was rock steady for a 4100 lb vehicle. I like the feel very much. I have tested it out at the stop lights also. The CVT takes a second or two then it hooks up. Not likedumping the clutch on my Mustang but thats not what i wanted it for. I am totally satisfied with this vehicle. My Freestyle is Black with the tan leather interior. I have read that some oners of the light interior have problems with reflection of the dash in the windshield. This is no worse than anyother vehicle i have owned with a light interior. I put 18"American Racing Wheels on with the Perllies Crome tail pipe extensions. Tinted the door windows with the matching tint on the rear windows. I put a deflector wing on the rear, I have chrome door handles, billett grill on order. We are very happy with the Freestyle. Do not understand Ford at all.

 

 

If you have a chance could you post some pictures? The wheels and grille sound very interesting. I do find the factory grille kind of dull. Are the wheels like the Bullitt style?

 

You must live somewhere with great roads to hit 115.

[Blue oval Fan 3]

I wonder if this means production of the Freestyle will be suspended for two months after the shutdown. Conventional wisdom would assume that they would need to prepare for the new model production in one big factory refit prior to the sedan dates, and then phase in the new Freestyle while the factory is running. That is unless, the Freestyle goes down a different assembly line, but that doesn't sound very flexible.

 

While we are on the topic of Ford's peculiar handling of the Freestyle, I wonder if the cancellation of the Mercury variant has anything to do with Fairlane. Perhaps Mercury is getting a version of that? Perhaps the Freestyle will be phased out and they have cancelled plans for an extensive uprdate? Speculation is fun!

 

Once the Fairlane was greenlighted, it seems Ford's plans for Freestyle changed. We haven't even seen a test mule that wasn't a Mercury. It's all a little peculiar.

 

 

If you have a chance could you post some pictures? The wheels and grille sound very interesting. I do find the factory grille kind of dull. Are the wheels like the Bullitt style?

 

You must live somewhere with great roads to hit 115.

 

 

Thanks Mark,

I will be glad to post some pics as it is right now. No the wheels are not Bullitt style. I will post more pics. as i get every thing on. I am in south central Ky. with about 90 miles of parkway avaliable, with very few curves to worry about. My anesthest friend has a '05 Vett and this is where we warmed it up at 158mph.

[Mark B. Morrow]

Thanks Mark,

I will be glad to post some pics as it is right now. No the wheels are not Bullitt style. I will post more pics. as i get every thing on. I am in south central Ky. with about 90 miles of parkway avaliable, with very few curves to worry about. My anesthest friend has a '05 Vett and this is where we warmed it up at 158mph.

 

So. KY is a beautiful part of the country. I drove my '64 Mustang from Pittsburgh to Nashville for the 40th Anniversary meet. We stayed over in Lexington on the way. I used to get down that way when I did products liability work to see a tire and wheel expert at UK. No roads like that in western PA lots of rollercoaster roads though. A different kind of fun.

[Misteredog]

We haven't even seen a test mule that wasn't a Mercury. It's all a little peculiar.

 

I have seen one white Freestyle with the a 3 bar chrome grill hiding behind the black mesh of a front end cover driving around in Dearborn. I couldn't tell if there was any change to the tail or interior though.