Trading in a Escape Hybrid, thinking about an Edge Limited

[strungmind]

Hello everyone,

 

I currently have a 2006 Ford Escape Hybrid, just about fully loaded, that I'm thinking about trading in for a Ford Edge Limited, and was hoping that you great guys and gals can give me your opinions on if I'm looking at it for the right or wrong reasons, and if their is anything else that I should consider based on my criteria.

 

First of, I'm looking to get rid of my 2006 Escape Hybrid mainly because my warranty expired mid 2011 (based on mileage, not years), and all I can think about is how much more expensive it is going to be if I wait for major hybrid parts to go out on my car vs trading it in now for a nicer, not hybrid car with a brand new warranty.

 

Not only the warranty issue, but the past couple of years I've been very unhappy with my car. The interior trim on my particular car seems to have been made very cheaply. Almost a year after purchasing, I've had problems with doors seals constantly falling off no matter what I did, latches becoming way too loose or way to stiff, and you would swear that I never washed my hands and spent all of time in the car rubbing the buttons, because all of the text and other things have become seriously smudged and discolored. My first car was a ol' used 1996 police interceptor Crown Victoria, and the interior was of much better quality. After looking at Fords for awhile, both new and old, I feel that they had serious hiccups in the quality of materials in various years and models seeming to be from 2001sh to 2008sh, varying depending on the models. I had to buy a vehicle for my fiance on an emergency basis since her old beater car finally died, and by instinct, I went to a reputable used car dealer and started looking at the Fords. I ended up purchasing her a 2009 Ford Focus, and was very impressed by the quality interior compared to mine.

 

Now on the Edge, the first time I was drawn to the Edge, it was from the tech community, taking a look at the My Ford Touch technology. I admittedly can be a bleeding edge technology type of person, but in a car it both intrigues me but scares me knowing how buggy new tech can be. I have read through this forums and others enough to know what I'm getting myself into regarding the MFT technology (although I still have a couple of questions), but I want to get some other opinions on whether I'm going with the right fit for me and if their are alternatives to the Edge I should check out.

 

Things that really impress me about the Edge and why I'm considering:

• I test drove a friends rental and it definately felt smoother and more spacious than my Escape
  
• My Ford Touch Technology
  
• Better quality interior
  
• My Key technology (ok, I don't have much use for this as I don't have any children anywhere near driving age, but I like the concept itself)
  
• GPS integrations with phone contacts and google maps (My Escape has the optional GPS console, but at $300 to update to newer Nav CD's, and having to swiitch CD's when going to another state right next to mine, I end up just using my phone's GPS)
  
• Back up camera
  

 

Things that scare me about the Edge

• So many electronics, so much more to go wrong and fix
  
• Will a good new warranty cover everything
  
• I live in the Chicago suburbs, and work in the city, is it big enough to transport what I need (cu sq ft is good, but the shape of it seems sometimes awkward to work with)
  
• Is it going to be a high target for theft (I don't live or work in cruddy areas, but their close enough that things have happened from traffic nearby)
  
• Finding a good dealership since it seems people either get really lucky and not much time at a dealership or spending every other week there
  

 

That being said, is their anybody reading this that lives in the Chicago region that can recommend a good dealership, the one I bought my Escape from was awesome but unfortunately didn't make it through the economic downturn. If not, I guess I'm going to have to stick with just the reviews from Edmund's and Yelp, and my most local Ford dealership I refuse to deal with because it is so awful, and I know some of the others around me are a matter of rolling the dice on customer service. Also, I'm not a haggler, and for a good reason, I usually end up making what many I could have saved on haggling by being a good customer for a good dealership (and in turn getting great offers and customer service), but since I'm starting with a new dealership it may end up being my only point of contact, do most people find it worth to haggle a bit?

 

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this, and I look forward to reading your responses!

[wlepse]

Things that really impress me about the Edge and why I'm considering:

• I test drove a friends rental and it definately felt smoother and more spacious than my Escape
  
• My Ford Touch Technology
  
• Better quality interior
  
• My Key technology (ok, I don't have much use for this as I don't have any children anywhere near driving age, but I like the concept itself)
  
• GPS integrations with phone contacts and google maps (My Escape has the optional GPS console, but at $300 to update to newer Nav CD's, and having to swiitch CD's when going to another state right next to mine, I end up just using my phone's GPS)
  
• Back up camera
  

 

Things that scare me about the Edge

• So many electronics, so much more to go wrong and fix
  
• Will a good new warranty cover everything
  
• I live in the Chicago suburbs, and work in the city, is it big enough to transport what I need (cu sq ft is good, but the shape of it seems sometimes awkward to work with)
  
• Is it going to be a high target for theft (I don't live or work in cruddy areas, but their close enough that things have happened from traffic nearby)
  
• Finding a good dealership since it seems people either get really lucky and not much time at a dealership or spending every other week there
  

 

For a CUV of its size I do think it rides very smooth and is really quiet, can't really complain there. We may eventually install some sport springs just because the country roads here really bring out the body roll.

On the MFT...it is a mixed bag. Sometimes it is great and I enjoy having it others I want to punch my dash. I truely hope the rewrite fixes things but if I were you and didn't have to get something now I would wait to see what people think first. I kind of wish we didn't buy the Edge when we did because the first few months really set the tone for what you think of the vehicle...at least for us.

My niece has an older Escape and while the Edge's interior is way better I still think Ford could have done better with the materials and a few of the fits. But to be honest this was probably done to help differentiate the MKX. I am just a little dissapointed because our 2001 Audi A4 has better materials and fit/finish and would have thought domestic manufacturers would have closed the gap to an older model by now.

My Key seems like a nice concept but our little guy just turned a year so I doubt we will still have this vehicle then.

GPS is OK. I am dissapointed we spent $750 for it since I find it to be less reliable than a stand alone unit. Not just because of the MFT issues but we have had complete freezes, others have had the same and had to have SD cards replaced. Problem is the freeze seems to happen in specific locations so you may never know you have the probem until you really need it. We have also had very poor routing which seem to vary based on direction of travel. But the biggest problem is the location seems to be off anywhere from 50-150 feet. This is probably and antenna issue but is very annoying.

Back up camera is nice but again tied to MFT so sometimes it works sometimes not.

 

On the electrical issues and concerns over repairs...I think this is very valid concern based on my limited experience with Ford. If we decide to keep the vehicle we will be purchasing a Premium Care plan online to cover the vehicle to 125k miles. We tend to keep our cars a while and I need to know they won't be a money pit for a while. Right now I don't have that confidence with the Ford. Audi's tend to have a reputation for needing a lot of repairs but so far this Edge has had 5x's the issues for the same mileage and I am not including MFT glitches in that. As a side note. since this warranty is offered by Ford it is the only one I would consider. You might be able to save a little with another company but with this economy I feel better putting my money in Ford than a small company.

[akirby]

Have you seen the new Escape?

[jeff_h]

Have you seen the new Escape?

 

That's true, I think the Escape got a re-design in the past couple years. My wife had an Escape Hybrid and now has an Edge, she likes the Edge better but her MPG has been cut in half, so be prepared for that if you make the switch -- I agree with Mr Kirby, maybe you should take a look at the latest Escape Hybrid and see what you think?

 

Good luck!

[strungmind]

Back up camera is nice but again tied to MFT so sometimes it works sometimes not.

 

I think that sentence says a lot to me even though I already came to that conclusion... the MFT system is what initially drew me into the Edge, but also what worries me the most, and something I'm going to have to think about the longest and hardest. Funny thing is, I have enough problems with the current in dash nav system on my escape hybrid, especially in colder whether, the screen will just seize up and and take awhile to get out of a white blank screen.

 

If we decide to keep the vehicle we will be purchasing a Premium Care plan online to cover the vehicle to 125k miles

I think I'm going to have to look into that before making the purchase, and seeing exactly what it will cover. Being a hybrid owner, I'm all to familiar with the horror stories of advanced electrical failures causing more repair money than it's worst (luckily I've dodged the bullet so far, knock on wood).

 

Have you seen the new Escape?

I took a look at Ford's website, haven't really seen the interior in person, I guess it's something I should take a look at when I go to the dealership. I just feel like if I'm going to upgrade to a newer car, I should have a change of scenery, and I do like the wider feel of the Edge over my current Escape. I took at look at the 2013 lineup, and chuckled a bit, it looks closer to the Edge than ever, and with almost all the same features.

 

Thanks to both wlepse and akirby for the tips and thoughts, hope to hear them keep coming!

[strungmind]

That's true, I think the Escape got a re-design in the past couple years. My wife had an Escape Hybrid and now has an Edge, she likes the Edge better but her MPG has been cut in half, so be prepared for that if you make the switch -- I agree with Mr Kirby, maybe you should take a look at the latest Escape Hybrid and see what you think?

 

Good luck!

 

Thanks! What year did she have? It's funny because when people see that I have an Escape Hybrid, and ask my MPG, they expect some crazy number, but in truth, it's been going downhill, this current winter in the midwest, which is only started to get to it's rough season today, has been averaging 20-23 mpg according to the computer, and when it hits single digits it's usually down to 18 mpg or so, and I'm not heavy footed either, I use to get about 30-33 mpgs fairly easily. So while I expect a huge drop, I can't see it being all that huge for me, but that's just my opinion, maybe I'll be in for a shocker if I decide to go with the edge.

 

Thanks for your tip!

[delldell]

I had an 05 Escape that I sold when I got my 11 Edge. I had 0 problems in 120k miles with my Escape 3.0 L V6. it was a very good vehicle. I thought the interior was fine and some of the text started wearing off f few buttons, but what do you expect after 6 years. My SEL Edge gets slightly better mileage which I like since it is a bigger engine. It is a nicer vehicle, my only problem has been MFT, but I got the ESP which covers it, so I am not worried for 6 years 100k miles. I just want it to work right.

There will not be a hybrid version of the new Escape and it will have MFT. No 6 cylinder either, but I believe it will have the 4 ecoboost.

[jeff_h]

Thanks! What year did she have? It's funny because when people see that I have an Escape Hybrid, and ask my MPG, they expect some crazy number, but in truth, it's been going downhill, this current winter in the midwest, which is only started to get to it's rough season today, has been averaging 20-23 mpg according to the computer, and when it hits single digits it's usually down to 18 mpg or so, and I'm not heavy footed either, I use to get about 30-33 mpgs fairly easily. So while I expect a huge drop, I can't see it being all that huge for me, but that's just my opinion, maybe I'll be in for a shocker if I decide to go with the edge.

 

She had an 05 Escape Hybrid and for the 05-08(?) model years the interior was "basic" (the nice term) although some may call it "cheap" (maybe more accurate) -- I think it was the 09 or so model year where they upgraded the interior a bit? But I don't know, didn't keep up much with them. When she would drive it around town she would average 25 MPG, when I drove it I would average 29MPG but I always tried to drive as smoothly as possible. And you're right, when the temp goes way down so does the MPG!

[strungmind]

Thanks everybody for your input! It was extremely helpful to help gather all the opinions and thoughts. @delldell , I agree about expecting some wear and tear off a 6 yr old vehicle, just thought it was strange on mine that most of the area where the text was rubbing off was where I least touched it, but I suppose they assumed less contact, less protection needed there?

 

So, I drove an hour out to a dealership, spent about 6 hours there, looking, thinking, and asking alot of questions, and ended up driving home with a brand spanking new 2012 Ford Edge. After test driving it and playing around with it, I just couldn't resist, it felt better, rode better, and looked better (all in my opinion of course). What made this purchase even more special was that this was my first brand new car purchase (past two cars purchased used), so new that the car still had it's factory seat protection and all, by the time I finished the test drive it ended up having only 3.5 miles.

 

I'm going to create a new thread talking about my first impressions in the appropriate place, both good and bad, but hopefully a quick question can be answered, since I have to go back with head rest for my trade in car tomorrow, and it's an hour drive one way that I don't want to be making that often if I don't have to...

 

My Edge has the remote start, which we tested at the dealership, seems to work fine, however, after using it at home, I noticed something odd. When I turn the car on using the remote started, MFT doesn't start with it, the engine turns on, but the screen either stays black or white. In order to get MFT up and running, I have to press the engine button, which then turns MFT on, but turns the engine off. Then I have to press it again to turn it off, and then once again, turn it on (with the brake) to turn everything on at once. I have a buddy who says he has a relative who has the same situation, but with a different system on a different make, and that it's because the remote start is designed just to warm up/cool down the vehicle, but to me it seems like too many steps to be normal. I have yet to finish the manual or search the threads more, it's been a very long and busy day, and thought I would check here to know if I should have the dealership investigate more when going there (I may ask them about it anyway just to be sure). Thanks as always for all of your great replys!

[choff1138]

 

My Edge has the remote start, which we tested at the dealership, seems to work fine, however, after using it at home, I noticed something odd. When I turn the car on using the remote started, MFT doesn't start with it, the engine turns on, but the screen either stays black or white. In order to get MFT up and running, I have to press the engine button, which then turns MFT on, but turns the engine off. Then I have to press it again to turn it off, and then once again, turn it on (with the brake) to turn everything on at once. I have a buddy who says he has a relative who has the same situation, but with a different system on a different make, and that it's because the remote start is designed just to warm up/cool down the vehicle, but to me it seems like too many steps to be normal. I have yet to finish the manual or search the threads more, it's been a very long and busy day, and thought I would check here to know if I should have the dealership investigate more when going there (I may ask them about it anyway just to be sure). Thanks as always for all of your great replys!

 

 

Congrats - When you get in the car - press the brake then push the start and it will all start up. Enjoy

[rwolson]

First, congrats on the new car smell.

 

Second, remote start only starts the car's engine. When you push the start button in the car MFT and the dash bootup. I'm wondering if extending the engine run time may keep your engine running? See page 132 the Edge Owners manual or PDF.