And the silicone hose that runs from the MAF housing to the turbo inlet tore. Hooray! Now I get to put the stock box back on and hope the manufacturer replaces the hose.
Edit: Not torn, just shaken loose after a year and a half.
Anyone own a Ford Edge or Escape and want to post their impressions? I am on the fence trying to decided which I want.
I rented a 2010 Ford Escape last year for nearly a month, and there were two of us that drove it. It was not the high end package, but to be honest, Iām not sure that would have made it better. It was not a hybrid model, so I have no idea how the performance or package interior would differ on those. The 2011 model supposedly did not change much.
My impressions were that itās trying to be a miserly alternative to an SUV, versus a more sporty or one of the more useful crossovers. It was underpowered, shifted strangely, and although looking like it had room, could not haul that much in the back. I guess if you are looking for a compact SUV, it might fit your bill, but I got neither the cool feeling from a sportier crossover like a Murano, nor the roomy and powerful feeling of a full sized SUV.
To sum up how we felt about it, by the end of the month both of us wanted to āescapeā out of the thing.
Have you considered a Nissan Rogue?
I completely fail to understand the appeal of these mini-SUV or crossover vehicles. They seem to offer all the disadvantages of a large vehicle without actually having any of the advantages. In terms of seating four and tootling around town with groceries a sedan is going to get better mileage and have better performance every time.
The crossovers have potentially better inclement weather handling (somewhat debatable, but at the very least they often have AWD and are higher), they can usually seat 5 comfortably, and theyāre usually as easy to park as a car.
My Mazda 5 (compact wagon) is basically a car, but I can seat 6, which is great, and I can carry a lot more stuff than with a sedan (pets, furniture, bicycles, etc.)
Sedans are ideal people movers, but if you find yourself toting āstuffā a lot, then something with a hatchback is nice.
I like the Mazda5, but not crossovers. Iād get one of these before a crossover
Caddie (CTS version for mega-extra-extra)
Acura
BMW
You Mazda 5 types happy with the vehicle? Itās on my short list of models for the incoming car hunt. Basically Iāve got that, the Fit, the Cube, the Mazda 3, and maybe a Jetta wagon or a Scion if I can find one that I like at a decent price. Really trying to stay sub-$20k, though.
I really like my Mazda 5. Just be forewarned that it looks like a wagon but it really, really canāt carry people AND stuff simultaneously. Itās all seating, so if you need space for luggage or something, expect to fold down the two rear seats.
That said, I got a great price on it from Enterprised Used Car Sales and itās been rock solid. And was super cheap for being only like 12 months old.
If you have kids and carpool to school or anywhere else, youāll completely understand their purpose. Seating for 5, ample trunk space for backpacks and a comfortable drive for me. The fact that my CX-7 zoom zooms is a plus.
I guess the other thing that makes it seem like a reasonable solution is that our other vehicle is a Suburbanā¦
Donāt do it.
I am in agreement, although the added capability of AWD or 4WD is nice to have in certain instances, but a sedan or wagon that also has that would win in my book.
Understand that there is some strange hold on the American public to have a large car, if for no other reason than it seems āsafe and roomy,ā when in fact, sometimes it is neither. They also usually have a better cool factor than a minivan when it comes to toting kids around, and in -some- models, they actually are roomy and have plenty of extra hauling room, with very easy access for loading.
American families needed a family tote car, and as station wagon sales waned, and minivans getting bad opinions based on looks, the SUV was born as the alternative. They are everywhere. The crossover is simply the āitās time to tighten our belt, gas is expensive,ā alternative to this huge car craze that many Americans are in.
Thanks for the summary, I test drove one and am on the fence, I really like the ride height ( over my current Mazda 3).
I donāt like the front end of the Nissan Rogue :(
I may just end up getting a Edge. It drove well and looks nice, but I am still worried about reliability on Fords.
On the subject of Fords: My 02 Focus SVT hasnāt been a disaster, but neither is it what Iād call the picture of reliability.
You might want to test drive the hybrid. I kind of wonder what the better gas mileage and drivetrain would do to the car.
We were hauling around a ton of gear in the one that was rented, and I think a bigger SUV would have worked, though obviously suffered from worse gas mileage. Itās possible that the shifting issue when we drove was caused by the amount of weight in the car. Keep that in mind though if you are looking to pull a boat or trailer.
You shouldnāt worry if you believe JD Power. Ford is right up there with Honda for reliability. Anecdotally, Iāve had two Fords in the last 12 years (both Focus models) and have had to replace a fuel filter once, and had one recall repair. Iāve burned through multiple sets of tires and one set of brakes with my SVT, but Iām going to go with ādrives too fastā as the cause of that particular problem.
I doubt reliability is a serious issue with almost any new car. The horror stories are Internet-driven, as in youāre guaranteed to find communities of people who will tell you how terrible it is to own PRODUCT X, making it appear to be the least reliable thing in existence. People who have even the smallest issues tend to overstate them online, and and they do it frequently.
I had no problem fitting my two kids in the back of a BMW 3 series and putting groceries or backpacks in the trunk. Just never had a space concern.
Sedans are wonderful for you, but larger vehicles CAN make sense for others even if they donāt for you. Yes, Americans are/were infatuated with huge vehicles and being king of the road, and pride replaced common sense when people ditched their practical station wagons and minivans for more heroic looking SUVs. Soccer moms didnāt want to be soccer moms and felt that getting an SUV showed they were still awesome, independent and outdoorsy people that just HAPPENED to have kids. Men didnāt want to drive minivans for fear of being emasculated by the image, but an SUV is all RAWWWR I ARE TOUGH!!! and just happens to tote kids.
Sure, we get all that, but all that said, SOME people still find utility for larger vehicles. I have a minivan because, get this, I have THREE kids and sometimes have more than one adult riding with me when I have kids in the car GO FIGURE WEIRD HUH?
And then other people have two kids and, say, a dog or two that they like to take with them. Sedans donāt work so great there.
Or they have surfboards, bicycles, soccer gear, skis. Or they go to IKEA, Home Depot etc. frequently. Or they buy groceries once a week and would like room for their two kids and 10 bags of groceries.
There are plenty of valid reasons to have something that isnāt a sedan.
I have a minivan too. Itās great for when a sedan doesnāt cut it cargo wise. Big shopping trips, family vacations, etc. Iām well aware of the value of larger vehicles for some purposes, but that doesnāt really excuse the ācrossoverā mini SUVs. Those add little in the way of usable space beyond a conventional sedan but add a lot of the disadvantages of a larger vehicle. There seems to be little justification for them aside from the obvious Americanism of buying a big vehicle because itās cool to buy a big vehicle.
Yeah, a small crossover like an Outback has significantly more cargo space than a sedan without being monster-sized. It also has AWD which is nice.
ā¦which is why Iām considering one for my next car. Basically I want something with extra cargo space and AWD (my other car has neither of those), but I donāt want something too big. I think the new Honda Crosstour would work too but AWD is only available on the top end version, and that starts at about $37k.