A pair of 2008's on the lot

[cmoses]

I called my local Ford dealer today to see if they had received the new brochures. They said they had arrived, so I decided to swing by on my lunch hour and pick one up. I saw the salesperson I have talked to once before and asked him if he had any 08's scheduled to arrive. He said he heard they had received two in and was planning on calling me once he had verified this. He checked inventory and they had indeed received two. A Black Limited and a Silver Vapor SEL. The Limited was loaded (he said they usually bring in the first of any new model fully decked out, to put in the show room and show off all the features.

 

We went out on the lot and found the Black Limited first. It was easy to spot as it had the 20" wheels and the chrome belt line, wow those two things alone made it stick out from all the rest. He was right it was fully loaded, the only two options that it didn't have were the DVD, because of the Vista roof and the tow package. It had the SYNC, the NAV/Audiophile, the interior package (red & black leather), the power lift gate and the rear cargo management system. It was beautiful, it had not been cleaned yet and it was an overcast day in Austin and it still looked amazing. The wheels were nice, ete catching, distinct, but not to over the top. I wasn't sure I was going to like the chrome belt line, but it looked really good on the black. I was very impressed with the power lift gate, easy to operate from the remote, the switch on the back of the hatch or the switch inside the car. A simple push of any of these buttons and it would beep twice and then proceed to open or close. This was the first time I was seeing the appearence package in person with the charcoal and red leather with red stitching. I thougt it was very nice looking, dramatic but not to much. I also noticed that there was a door sill protector on the front passenger doors of the Limited. It was a black piece of plastic that had a metal insert with the word EDGE engraved in it. It ran about 70% of the door width and looked very nice with the black exterior. Is this something new? It was not on the rear passenger doors.

 

I also looked at the Vapor Silver SEL. It was nicely appointed, 18" chrome wheels, Sync, charcoal interior, audiophile and Vista roof. I was surprised how dark it looked. It reminded me more of a Pewter than a Silver. It was overcast, so I would like to see it in the sun to get a full impression. I noticed that the chrome belt line did not stand out as much on the silver as it had on the black. It had the Charcoal interior and it was the first time I had seen it as well. All the 2007's they had were either Camel or Stone. I was really impressed by the dark leather and the contrasting stitching, a very elegant look. There was a salesman putting the Sync through it paces when I looked at it. He said he had been one of the two sales people that they had sent to train and get certified on Sync. He said it was working well, but was not as easy to navigate around in because it didn't have the NAV and touch screen.

 

After seeing the two vehicles today it has helped as well as made my decisions harder. It have decided that I definitely want the 20" wheels and the power lift gate. I have not decided on the interior, when I saw the charcoal leather with the red inserts and stitching I thought that was what I wanted. Then I saw the charcoal with the contrasting stitching and was equally impressed. I think the red accents is a more sporty look but the the all charcoal is more sophisticaed looking. I am also torn with my color choice now. Having had silver for my last two cars I thought this would be a easy decision, but this is a different silver for sure. My next closest dealer is supposed to have received a Dark Ink Blue one, another color I am interested in and plan to see. So I am still contemplating this decision as well.

 

I just wanted to share my experiences today with everyone here. Let me know if you have any questions. I hope to be making some decisions soon, but my guess is that I am going to have to order it from the factory no matter what I decide.

 

Clayton