Decisions, Decisions

[ituhata]

So I'm currently leasing my 2015 Edge with the 2.0L EB and FWD, and that lease ends in December. I saw Ford released the new 2019 ST and it kinda got me worried about what I should do when my lease runs up or sooner, and I wanted to pick your brains.

 

I really like my current Edge, with a few exceptions. One really annoying thing about it is the throttle response from a dead stop. It's made pulling out in traffic a touchy situation since you either gamble and time traffic just right with pre-accelerating and getting the torque to kick in at the right moment or you wait forever to make sure you got plenty of clearance. So the throttle response is one complaint, but then as soon as the torque does kick in, being a FWD vehicle, well, it wants to send me into the ditch on the other side of the road. This is also an issue with passing, throttle lag isn't really there, but passing torque always seems to put too much power into the steering wheels right as i'm turning the wheel to go around.

 

Since it's a lease I wanted to go ahead and upgrade anyway and get AWD to solve that problem, and hey, since I was at it, I wanted to go back to a V6 so I've been eyeing the Sport model heavily. I want to get out of leasing this time around tho, so I'm basically going to be financing a really expensive car.

 

While the options I want are purely up to me, I wanted to get a general consensus from the community on a few things.

 

• I don't really like the look of the new ST and I really dislike the new shifter, but I do want the extra HP, the new transmission, and all the new tech. I suppose I could get used to the look but I'd really rather not have a car that screams to be pulled over. I'm also curious what the new price tag is going to be for the 2019 and being new, I doubt there will be many offers to move them off the showroom. However, this is one option I am looking at.
• I love love LOVE the look of the current model Sport.This car to me is elegant and a bit of a sleeper. I doesn't scream "hey look at me, i am fast, pull me over". However, I would have preferred chrome over blacked out anything, and I really wish Ford had left a package that favored a chrome grill over the blacked out one. I can keep the somewhat chrome looking 20" rims. I also would have preferred an interior with light colored leather over black. I think I would be more than happy with the 315HP as long as the AWD keeps the tires from chirping too much under moderate acceleration, and as long as I can get as many features available out the door. Maybe by the end of the year dealers will be desperate to get rid of these and I can snag a well equipped sport at a discount rate. This is currently my favorite option.
• I am a little worried about the future, and saddling myself with a hefty finance payment for 6, 7 or 8 years might be a little dangerous. I might prefer to get as many options as I can in a 2018 or 2019 2.0 liter model with AWD for a better price than I can get with the sport or ST. As far as performance goes, I've been researching simple modifications and it seems I can get pretty close to the 2.7L's stock 315HP with a lot less money. Of course, now we're talking about possibly voiding warranties and doing damage to an engine that wasn't intended to be pushed as hard. I'm also a novice at this stuff, and I'm not really a fan of cheesy looking addons that can be seen in the interior of the car or dangling around inside the hood.
• Finally, I may just keep my current lease. It has low miles and I know it very well over the two years we've been together. Again, I would be looking at beefing up the engine with aftermarket parts. I think I would really really be happy if I could get rid of the throttle lag, the HP my car gives is more than I've ever had in my life and at the end of the day it's honestly enough for me. However I kinda read these throttle fixing mods just do things to trick the computer by sending false readings, and I'm not really a fan of that. Also I'd be down for a tune but I kinda worry putting any more torque to the pavement on a FWD car that's kinda squirrely while accelerating with any steering input is just asking for trouble.

 

So those are my options, I'd love to see some debate over what is the best option, as well as ask some of the 2015 2.0 era owners how it drives with AWD. If you've driven both, is it noticeably slower than the FWD version? I drove an AWD 3.5L V6 and that thing felt sluggish as heck compared to my SUV. I just wonder how much extra weight it puts on or if it even makes a difference. Knowing the 2.0L with AWD was just as quick as mine might help me lean towards that option. I'd also like to ask if any of you 2.0L owners with have done tunes or bought products like JMS pedalmax or boostmax have to say about the handling characteristics with the extra HP. Knowing a little more about it might help me keep my current car.

 

I think that's all I had. Thanks for reading and thanks in advance for your answers!

 

Mods, I hope this is in the right place, I couldn't decide where it needed to be. If I need to move it please let me know where I need to post it so I can copy the text before you delete it, or if you can move it for me that'd be great!

 

o/

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

I think your post will resonate with MANY people. It did with me anyway LOL. I did not like the publicity photos of the ST, it does look much better in person, including the paint scheme.

 

TBH, the only reason not to keep the 2.0 FWD is the lack of tuning options. I know a tuner who could do it, but he is very short on time That would be one reason to go the 3.5 or the 2.7 route in the current gen lineup. Tuning will take care of those moments of hesitation that we so dread! AWD is nice to have for sure but the PTU/RDU do need regular servicing unlike what Ford proposes as "lifetime". The power in the 3.5 has a different hp/tq curve, and it does not have the tq off the line that the EBs do, but is it stouter in the long run? I believe so. If you haul cargo or tow quite a bit, the 3.5 is the best way to go, followed by the 2.7.

 

As far as money issues, buying vehicles coming offlease is probably the best investment. You don't take the hit up front, there is usually a bit of factory warranty remaining (meaning you can get extended warranty a bit cheaper), and not so many miles as to wonder what you have gotten yourself into.

[lildisco]

Have you tried shifting into Sport Mode for quicker take off situations? I do it all the time & it quickens the throttle response & shifting. The 'lag' you describe is purely tuning. Also, there's plenty of power with out mashing the gas pedal to the floor. Try sport mode & 50% to 75% throttle. I bet you'll be impressed. It's very hard to get out of the habit of mashing the gas to pull out of a merge or pulling out into traffic situations, but if you do change a little on how you drive, things work out much better for you.

 

Also the current sport is twin turbo'd so there could also be a bit of 'lag' as well from certain takeoff situations, but once the awd kicks in (which is nearly all the time) it should straightened itself out, same goes for the 2.0 awd.

[akirby]

Why not get a used Sport or 3.5L?

[ituhata]

AWD is nice to have for sure but the PTU/RDU do need regular servicing unlike what Ford proposes as "lifetime".

 

I've read up on the PTU issues, I've even seen MacT's video regarding it. I accept the failures of Ford on this design and would be prepared to properly maintain the PTU either by paying a mechanic to do it or getting the proper tools to take care of it myself.

 

As far as money issues, buying vehicles coming offlease is probably the best investment. You don't take the hit up front, there is usually a bit of factory warranty remaining (meaning you can get extended warranty a bit cheaper), and not so many miles as to wonder what you have gotten yourself into.

 

Why not get a used Sport or 3.5L?

 

I'm not real keen on the idea of picking up a used vehicle. I've had bad experiences with used cars in the past, but putting that all aside, I just prefer to know how my new vehicle was treated beforehand. You can see a service record easily enough, but it's hard to tell just how hard a car was driven for however many tens of thousands of miles before they traded it in. Personally there is a series of S turns going up and downhill that leads to my house, and everyday I drive it as hard as I care to push it, being its a residential road. I put alot of load on the shocks and springs and the engine does a fair amount of work holding gears while I fall down the hill. It's nothing too bad, it probably holds 3500-4000 rpms, but it holds it what seems like forever, probably 10..15....20 seconds, before it finally shifts again. That's actually another complaint I have about the edge, the shifting habits of this particular transmission are very strange, and for me, uncomfortable.

 

So when I turn this in though, the next guy's not gonna know how hard I worked the suspension or how long I let this engine hold moderately highrevs. I'm a bit older and not really all that flashy, so I think I am not unreasonable in worrying how the last guy drove an edge, especially if I'm considering the sport model.

 

As far as the 3.5L goes. I drove it the other day and I am not a fan. I prefer more torque up-front for the quicker acceleration over the top-end the 3.5 might offer with the extra 30 HP. It just seemed really sluggish compared to what I've gotten used to. For me it's either going to be another 2.0L engine or the 2.7L.

 

Have you tried shifting into Sport Mode for quicker take off situations? I do it all the time & it quickens the throttle response & shifting. The 'lag' you describe is purely tuning. Also, there's plenty of power with out mashing the gas pedal to the floor. Try sport mode & 50% to 75% throttle.

 

This is how I drive all day every day. I haven't used D since I discovered sport mode a few months after owning it. And it really doesnt pay to mash the gas on this one, the throttle response is delayed either way and I've always felt like mashing the pedal just chokes smaller engines, so I always ease into it. Even easing into it it's just really annoying to have virtually no power at all and to crawl out in front of vehicles, then to suddenly have a metric fuckton of torque while you've got the wheel turned 45 degrees. On the plus side I've gotten pretty good at straightening that wheel in a hurry.

 

EDIT: I should add after watching MacT's video I was curious if he stopped at 2016 because of when he made it, or if there has been a fundamental design change on the AWD PTU going to the 2017 model?

Edited February 27, 2018 by ituhata

[TheWizard]

Why not try installing a JMS PedalMAX or BoostMAX to fix the throttle response issue? There is essentially no turbo lag with the Ecoboost engine but there is tuning in the throttle-by-wire that makes it seem like there is. The Ford programming is designed to smooth (read "reduce") throttle response unless you really put your foot in it as an effort to reduce fuel consumption (every little bit counts when you're up against CAFE standards). The JMS device plugs in to the throttle-by-wire connector at the accelerator pedal and remaps the throttle response to get rid of that lag that is often blamed on turbo lag. The $300 cost would be a lot less than a new vehicle and it's completely reversible by simply unplugging the device when your lease is up.

[ituhata]

Why not try installing a JMS PedalMAX or BoostMAX to fix the throttle response issue? There is essentially no turbo lag with the Ecoboost engine but there is tuning in the throttle-by-wire that makes it seem like there is. The Ford programming is designed to smooth (read "reduce") throttle response unless you really put your foot in it as an effort to reduce fuel consumption (every little bit counts when you're up against CAFE standards). The JMS device plugs in to the throttle-by-wire connector at the accelerator pedal and remaps the throttle response to get rid of that lag that is often blamed on turbo lag. The $300 cost would be a lot less than a new vehicle and it's completely reversible by simply unplugging the device when your lease is up.

 

I don't really know anything about them and finding a general consensus on the internet is kind of hard. I actually have been on this forum before researching it and these guys were arguing about it: http://www.fordedgeforum.com/topic/22557-jms-pedalmax-g2-edge-sport/?do=findComment&comment=170295

 

I wish I knew how to tag people so I could ask for a little more detail. To me the PEDALMax sounds like all I really need, minor installation, but this Nick Halstead guy seems to think despite claims that a Ford technician would be able to tell this type of aftermarket product had been installed, and it would be my luck if something in the drivetrain were to go wrong that this would void my warranty and worse, since I am leasing. Really sounds like its not worth it in the end.

[TheWizard]

In this case, Nick was incorrect. The device goes between the pedal sensor and the rest of the system and adjusts the response curve to show that the pedal is being pressed harder or more quickly than it really is. The system can't see any discrepancy because it has no independent connection to the sensor to compare with - the only information it gets is through the device. It has no way to tell whether there is a human foot or a device doing it. Besides, warranty can only be denied for individual repairs that were caused by an aftermarket device. They can't completely void your warranty (except for "abuse" like racing) and they can't deny service for something that is unrelated (e.g. a water pump problem would have nothing to do with the accelerator). Certainly the tune that was being promoted in that thread would be much more obvious to the dealer.

 

However, if you're concerned, it would probably be a good idea to remove the device before taking the vehicle to the dealer for service - just so a tech doesn't see it plugged into the harness.

 

As I said in that thread, I removed mine because the throttle response was annoying when downshifting a stick shift so I know it improves throttle response from my own experience but I have no ties to the product or the company so I have no dog in the fight. I just thought you might like an inexpensive option.

[ituhata]

It was certainly something on my list of options I wanted to try. For $300 bucks solving half of my complaints with a car I am very happy with, and possibly solving other complaints because if I didn't have to guess when the power was kicking in, I could better handle steering torque, I think.

 

I can probably look this up on my own, but I hope JMS has like a 30 day return policy. It would be nice if I could try it out and if it does what I like, great, but if I wasn't happy with it I'd like to not have a $300 dollar paper weight.

 

Then after my my warranty had expired I would like to have gone for the BOOSTMax or I saw a really nice race chip? product that sounded nice. Would have put my car at 311HP as they advertised it. Kinda worried about the torque on that, but I understand the first 2.7L Sport had a FWD option? lol, I wonder how that thing handled...anyway, this part of the conversation is probably better suited for a technical or performance forum. :3

[ituhata]

I decided to try the pedalmax. I'll let y'all know what I think, lol.

[JOEHIO]

Did you ever consider looking at a certified pre-owned MKX? I'm on my 2nd MKX, had a '12, then a '16, with the 2.7 Ecoboost, which pumps out 335 bhp, and rides and handles like a dream. The Edge is sweet, but the MKX just gives so much more in comfort and features.

[enigma-2]

??^^^

[ituhata]

I finally had the opportunity to test-drive a sport today. There is a 100% chance that I am getting a sport or an ST.

 

I'll test out the pedalMAX, and if I like it I'll just use it for my sport whenever I get it. But that thing in "S" mode was a beast on it's own. I love it, now I just need to decide on a color and either get used to the look of the new ST or start thinking about how I can get as much money taken off the sticker price of a Sport when the time comes.

 

My final lease payment is on 12/30, and the dealer is telling me they'll pay the lease off 3 months early, so I have to sit and stew for another 6 months. ;__;

[ituhata]

Did you ever consider looking at a certified pre-owned MKX? I'm on my 2nd MKX, had a '12, then a '16, with the 2.7 Ecoboost, which pumps out 335 bhp, and rides and handles like a dream. The Edge is sweet, but the MKX just gives so much more in comfort and features.

 

I hadn't. I looked it up to be sure, but I definitely favor the look of the Ford over Lincoln. Just my personal preference. :3

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

Nice to see ya posting again!

Did you ever consider looking at a certified pre-owned MKX? I'm on my 2nd MKX, had a '12, then a '16, with the 2.7 Ecoboost, which pumps out 335 bhp, and rides and handles like a dream. The Edge is sweet, but the MKX just gives so much more in comfort and features.