Drove A 2008 Limited

[BPM]

I had the chance to test drive a 2008 Limited yesterday, and thought I'd share a few notes.

1. The 20" wheels provide a stiffer ride - not too stiff, not too loose. It was very comfortable. She also corners better
   
2. With the 20" wheels, the car sits a tad lower. It was parked next to an '07 and the '07 was higher.
   
3. The center stack console is much improved. The Limited does away with the horizontal lines.
   
4. The top of the center stack is indeed black and I hardly noticed any glare.
   
5. Sync is very cool. It found my phone and I made a call very easily.
   
6. Only bummer about Sync: the display is the same, not-very-exciting green digital display. I was hoping the display would change to the two-line display that's in the Lincoln models. I remember seeing a demo somewhere.
   
7. Sync had issues with my iPod - it kept "indexing" and eventually did not take my voice commands. I'll probably have to spend more time with it.
   
8. Power liftgate is neat, although not necessary for me. It even beeps before it closes to warn you.
   
9. I drove it during the day, so I didn't get to see what color the instrument panel was. Anyone?
   

I think waiting for the 2008 was a wise decision for me. I will likely purchase a Limited FWD in Creme Brulee. Just waiting until there are some good incentives and good finance rates.

 

I recommend you try a 2008 if you were waiting for Sync and the Limited package. Now, if I could only find $30,000 lyin' around here somewhere...

Edited October 13, 2007 by BPM

[npggirl]

I had the chance to test drive a 2008 Limited yesterday, and thought I'd share a few notes.

1. The 20" wheels provide a stiffer ride - not too stiff, not too loose. It was very comfortable. She also corners better
   
2. With the 20" wheels, the car sits a tad lower. It was parked next to an '07 and the '07 was higher.
   
3. The center stack console is much improved. The Limited does away with the horizontal lines.
   
4. The top of the center stack is indeed black and I hardly noticed any glare.
   
5. Sync is very cool. It found my phone and I made a call very easily.
   
6. Only bummer about Sync: the display is the same, not-very-exciting green digital display. I was hoping the display would change to the two-line display that's in the Lincoln models. I remember seeing a demo somewhere.
   
7. Sync had issues with my iPod - it kept "indexing" and eventually did not take my voice commands. I'll probably have to spend more time with it.
   
8. Power liftgate is neat, although not necessary for me. It even beeps before it closes to warn you.
   
9. I drove it during the day, so I didn't get to see what color the instrument panel was. Anyone?
   

I think waiting for the 2008 was a wise decision for me. I will likely purchase a Limited FWD in Creme Brulee. Just waiting until there are some good incentives and good finance rates.

 

I recommend you try a 2008 if you were waiting for Sync and the Limited package. Now, if I could only find $30,000 lyin' around here somewhere...

 

 

Hi there. I am so glad you gave us some info...

I am surprised that the 08 sites lower with 0's. I was assuming a higher vehicle. Wonder why it is a lil lower?

And you had issues with the Ipod and SYNC? Hmmm, as you said, maybe a lil more time with it, and it could be figured out.

Power liftgate beeps? Awesome!

And I would also love to know what color the instrument panel is also....

 

Thanks for the info

[superford]

[*]Sync had issues with my iPod - it kept "indexing" and eventually did not take my voice commands. I'll probably have to spend more time with it.

 

Sync has to "index" or I guess sortof "learn" all of the music on your ipod before it can be accessed using the voice commands and radio and steering wheel buttons. depending on how many songs you have, this may take a few seconds or a few minutes. if you were trying to select songs that hadn't been indexed yet, this could explain the issue. maybe you just needed to wait for the indexing process to complete.

 

here is an excerpt from www.syncmyride.com

 

"Note: Sync will immediately begin indexing the contents of your media player on the Sync unit. This will enable you to access the contents with your steering wheel and radio control buttons. The indexing process happens quickly, but if you have thousands of songs on your player the process may take several minutes. Sync will begin playing music before it completes indexing the player."

[superford]

I am surprised that the 08 sites lower with 0's. I was assuming a higher vehicle. Wonder why it is a lil lower?

 

I'm not sure if it's accurate, but it has been reported here on other posts that the 20" wheels come included with a "sport tuned" suspension package.

 

this might explain the slightly lowered ride height?

 

later,

chris

[BPM]

And I would also love to know what color the instrument panel is also....

 

Thanks for the info

 

You're welcome. Where's RayoVac and the Vapor Silver!! Turn on your lights, Ray! Tell us what's goin on inside the cockpit!

 

Sync has to "index" or I guess sortof "learn" all of the music on your ipod before it can be accessed using the voice commands and radio and steering wheel buttons. depending on how many songs you have, this may take a few seconds or a few minutes. if you were trying to select songs that hadn't been indexed yet, this could explain the issue. maybe you just needed to wait for the indexing process to complete.

 

here is an excerpt from www.syncmyride.com

 

"Note: Sync will immediately begin indexing the contents of your media player on the Sync unit. This will enable you to access the contents with your steering wheel and radio control buttons. The indexing process happens quickly, but if you have thousands of songs on your player the process may take several minutes. Sync will begin playing music before it completes indexing the player."

 

I suppose I was extremely impatient, as it was only a test drive. I have thousands of songs on my iPod. Perhaps if I get one for a longer period I'll play with it more.

[cmoses]

Great info, thanks for your thoughts and impressions. What color was the one you saw? Hopefully one of the new colors, is so what was your thoughts on it? What color interior did it have? Is there a button on the tailgate to activate the power lift gate (closing), or does it always have to be done from the remote?

 

I keep checking and neither of my local Ford dealers have received the 08's yet. They act like they aren't even coming, probably a ploy to get me to buy a 07. But I want the 20" wheels and the SYNC.

 

As far as the 08 sitting lower, there could be a couple of reasons. A bigger wheel means that the ratio for the tire is smaller to keep a similar size. Because this is not always exact, the 20" wheel and tire may have a slightly smaller diameter than the 18" wheel and tire. My guess though is that they have tightened up the suspension. There are a number of ways to do this, different leaf springs, different metal compound, different shocks. Anyone of these could cause a small difference in the overall height. Lowering the body and tightening up the suspension would also help in braking, which I know was a issue with the 07's. This would cause the vehicle to have less nose dive (front end dip) when breaking and keep the weight more evenly distributed.

 

Clayton

[npggirl]

You're welcome. Where's RayoVac and the Vapor Silver!! Turn on your lights, Ray! Tell us what's goin on inside the cockpit!

 

I suppose I was extremely impatient, as it was only a test drive. I have thousands of songs on my iPod. Perhaps if I get one for a longer period I'll play with it more.

 

You're welcome. Where's RayoVac and the Vapor Silver!! Turn on your lights, Ray! Tell us what's goin on inside the cockpit!

 

Exactly...where is he when we need him? Bet he's out driving that new vehicle! lol

Edited October 13, 2007 by npggirl

[BPM]

Great info, thanks for your thoughts and impressions. What color was the one you saw? Hopefully one of the new colors, is so what was your thoughts on it? What color interior did it have? Is there a button on the tailgate to activate the power lift gate (closing), or does it always have to be done from the remote?

 

The color was the vapor silver, so I didn't take any photos since we've seen one on this site in detail already. Had the all black leather interior. I didn't think I'd like the silver until I got up close to it. Now I think I have to consider silver as well.

 

As far as I remember, when pressing the tailgate button in the handle, the door does assist you, but don't quote me about closing it because I'm not exactly sure. I think the dealer actually did it, not me. The liftgate thing is cool, but in my opinion, the hardware used to raise and lower it that's inside the "trunk" area is not at all attractive. It sticks out and looks bulky. To each their own, though.

Edited October 13, 2007 by BPM

[tspindle]

The color was the vapor silver, so I didn't take any photos since we've seen one on this site in detail already. Had the all black leather interior. I didn't think I'd like the silver until I got up close to it. Now I think I have to consider silver as well.

 

As far as I remember, when pressing the tailgate button in the handle, the door does assist you, but don't quote me about closing it because I'm not exactly sure. I think the dealer actually did it, not me. The liftgate thing is cool, but in my opinion, the hardware used to raise and lower it that's inside the "trunk" area is not at all attractive. It sticks out and looks bulky. To each their own, though.

 

The door opener will work if you touch the open button on the outside of the lifgate. To close it, hit the button just inside the liftgate. It beeps pauses then automatically closes. The power liftgate is great in the rain/snow or if you have physical issues reaching up -- I do.

 

I've been playing with the Sync. I use a simple thumb drive ~ 500 songs. I can get Sync to voice respond to playing "playlists" that I set up on my laptop and copied to the thumbdrive. Fun.

[cobra7]

For those of you who are wondering about the dashboard back-lighting in the 08 Edge, I have been checking out a new 08 at my dealer this past week. The dash backlighting is your standard Ford green, just like last year's Edge. I really wish they'd do away with the green backlighting. It just seems cheap to me. I wish they would put the ice blue backlighting in the Edge like they did in the 08 Escape and like the Lincolns have. That would be much more modern looking and appropriate in the Edge.

 

I drove an Edge at dusk and found it a bit difficult to read the speedometer. I even checked to make sure the backlighting was turned up all the way, and it was. Still hard to read.

 

One thing i forgot to check was whether or not the steering wheel controls are backlit. Does anyone know about this? I'm assuming they are as they are on my 04 Freestar, so it would be a vast oversight if they weren't on a vehicle like the Edge.

 

I'll probably order an 08 Edge Limited this week. The Sync seemed cool, although the dealership staff had no idea what they were doing with it. They fumbled around with it for 5 or 10 minutes and finally I just said "move aside" and had my phone setup and making a call by voice command in a minute or two. The system seems great in concept, but I'm curious to see how it really turns out in execution. I fear that the initial release of Sync will be bug-ridden (it is a Microsoft product after all - look at Vista for goodness sake!), which would turn out to be frustrating. Good thing is that updates to the Sync system software are free and (supposedly) easily obtained and installed.

 

One thing that seems evident with Sync is that it is best paired with the navigation stereo with the touch screen. The nav stereo displays much more information and makes interfacing with the Sync system much easier and more satisfying. I don't really need nav, but I might get it just to have the screen and integration with the Sync system.