MikeFreas
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- June 23, 2011
- Messages
- 301
- Reaction score
- 1
- City, State
- VA Beach VA
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 2012
It’s been a long road but I finally picked up my X today and like promised I’m doing a review of the vehicle.
If you want details read below. So far I absolutely love the X and all of the features. I came close to canceling my order a few times because of the negative stuff on the MFT and other issues but I’m glad (so far) I didn’t.
The vehicle is a 12 limited 302A, AWD, dual sunroof’s, tow package, DVD players and roof rails. Basically it has everything on it but the mud flaps.
I arrived at the dealer about 3 this afternoon and the X was cleaned and ready for me. After some initial paperwork and insurance stuff I actually got to take a look at it for any issues.
I inspected all the problem areas I’ve read about such as the A pillar covers and the bubbly paint in the roof rack channel. The A pillar covers were fastened solid or so it seems and the paint is perfect. The roof rack channels had the uneven paint as some have described. I have to say that Ford could do themselves a favor and fix this as it looks bad and causes questions. I’m going to keep a eye on it for sure.
The salesman did a quick overview of the sync system before our test drive. Until I requested to take the car around the block I don’t think he had any intention of taking it for a drive before I signed the bottom line.
The test drive was short and with the radio off so I could hear any rattles and listen for the A pillar noise. Everything worked great except the MFT, more on that below.
Ok, here is the breakdown of stuff so far.
MFT- The system rebooted during my test drive after I requested the salesman use the Nav system to show me how it works. During the reboot, which lasted less than a minute, the AC and radio still worked and I had volume control of the stereo. When the system quit working and we sat in silence for about 15 seconds I said to him “it looks like the system just rebooted” to which he replied “yup”. I guess he wasn’t going to point out that the screen went completely blank and wasn’t working like I wouldn’t catch that. After I purchased the vehicle I wanted to tax the system as much as I could to really see how it did. I entered a route in the Nav system, started on my way, then started using the sync system allot. A few times it was slow to acknowledge the steering wheel button push but it did work the entire time I drove around yesterday. For someone like me who is a tech person and has done allot of research the system isn’t that confusing to use. If you aren’t that type of person it’s going to take a bit longer to be able to use all of the features for sure as it’s not nearly as intuitive as Apple products. I make the comment about the intuitiveness of Apple stuff because a recent YouTube video shows a toddler who is not even one using a iPad and understanding how to change pages and such. Still, the system did and does work as advertised but can be a bit slow at times. Overall grade B+.
NAV-With all of the bashing on the forums about this system I expected the worst from it. I will say that the screen has ALLOT if information on it and that’s confusing at first. I entered the address of our new house and it took me there without issue. It took some time for me to get use to how it alerts you to your next turn because it’s a bit different than the Garmin Nuvi I just sold. Like I said, there is a bit to much information displayed on the screen during use, maybe there is a way to change that in the settings? Anyway, I didn’t have any problem with the system what so ever last night and even found a restaurant near my house. I’m not saying it’s as good as Garmin by any means but once again it worked just fine. Overall grade A-
Overall ride/handling-To say the X is quiet would be a big understatement. For the last four months I’ve been driving a Hyndui Tuscon in Germany and it’s a night and day difference. Being 6’7” I was worried I wouldn’t have enough legroom but that’s not the case. I actually set the seat a few inches forward from the most aft position which is something I haven’t been able to do since we owned a Dodge Ram 1500. Being I like to have thigh support I have the seat tilted back, which helps with the legroom. The driver’s armrest is at the perfect distance for a guy as big as me but I can see how it would be awkward for someone smaller, which is about 99% of the rest of the population. I’m starting to wonder if they didn’t move the seats inboard to centerline to help in the side impact ratting?
Power-I haven’t had the chance to really test the acceleration yet but then again I haven’t needed to. During my highway trip yesterday I had plenty of umpf to get merged into traffic. I didn’t expect to get a hotrod so I guess I’m satisfied with the performance unlike some who believe it’s not a real SUV unless it has 8 cylinders regardless if they need it or not. I’m a huge gear head and love fast cars but the X just isn’t that and I knew that going in. The car has plenty of power for me.
Size-The car is big that’s for sure. In my seating position the hood looks like the deck of a aircraft carrier. Seriously. I guess you could say that’s a bad thing but I never felt like I was driving my Grandmothers Lincoln Town Car. It’s going to take getting use to seeing that much sheet metal when looking out but I’ll get use to it.
Gagets-This thing has more buttons than the bridge of the Star Ship Enterprise with the MFT taking the prize for sure. I’m still finding my way around most of the features but I have a good grasp of most of it.
BLISS-I honestly can’t say I’d recommend buying this car without BLISS as I don’t see how it’s possible to see out of that blind spot in the back while driving at highway speeds. Maybe I’m being a bit critical of the D pillar size but without BLISS I’m not so sure I’d feel safe driving it everyday. That being said the system works extremely well and I love it.
Adaptive Cruise Control-This is about the coolest thing since sliced bread. I drove in rush hour traffic without having to use the gas or break. A few times, when traffic really slowed down, the system had to apply more than moderate brake pressure but it keeps the set distance perfectly. Amazing feature that I can’t live without now.
Active Park Assist-Again, it works just like Ford said it does. It’s the strangest thing watching the car park itself and I’m sure it’s going to freak the wife out. I’m not sure how much I’ll use it but it’s cool. Remember how cool talking cars that came out in the 80’s were? Look how far we have come.
Stereo-I’ve been a stereo person all my life and installed for two years. I can honestly say the Sony system is one of the best factory systems I’ve ever heard. Sure there is room for improvement but it sounds damn good the way it is. I still haven’t programed any of the presets and I’m having trouble finding stations on the satellite, as the channel pamphlet isn’t up to date. I had better be able to get Opie and Anthony today.
Dealer Experience-Over all I’m happy with my dealings with them. I will caution everyone to be careful and READ the contract before you sign the bottom line. I told my salesman that I didn’t want their extended warranty as it’s twice the cost of Zeigler Ford when I arrived yesterday. I also told him several weeks ago I didn’t want it after they refused to match Zeigler’s price. Anyway, when I sat down with the finance manager and was presented with the big final contract what do you think was in the bottom line? Yup, their 2300 dollar extended warranty. I can’t say I believe it was a accident it was in there. I had them change it. During that process he asked why I wasn’t buying it and I told them “because it’s twice the cost of Zeigler Ford”! They also sat me down with a attractive woman who was the “warranty” person? She want on and on about protecting my investment a conversation that lasted a good 15 minutes. I assumed she was talking about the factory warranty but in the end I was presented with a sheet of paper with the cost of “undercarriage, paint and leather protection” of 1800 bucks! Seriously! It was a bit irritating they did this as I told the salesman I didn’t want it weeks ago. I know for sure this is a ploy to squeeze more money out of you being all excited to drive your new car off the lot you don’t think straight sometimes. After I was done with her the salesman took the paperwork and I noticed he looked at the blue paper very closely and for a long time. I assume he was looking to see if I bought the snake oil or not. Now that I think back his attitude changed a bit after that which bothers me a bit. Buy the rust proofing if you must but know it’s just about 100% profit for the dealer as is the extended warranty. The combination of those two, had I purchased them, would have been almost 4k in extra profit and commission for the salesman.
I posted a few weeks ago that I would review my dealer experience from the viewpoint of a new MFT customer, one who had no prior exposure of the system or how it works. That being said there is no way they spent enough time going over the system operation or vehicle features. I will caveat that statement by saying that I know this car and it’s features already so maybe he cut the demo short because I gave that impression. He did say to call him anytime I had questions but I’m not sure that would be enough for anyone else but me. Again, this was my experience and I would hope they would spend more time going over the features of the vehicle with someone who isn’t a car or tech person.
I’m going to have to stop here as I’ve been typing for a hour. I’ll be driving all day today so I can post more and some pictures tonight if I get time. More to follow……
If you want details read below. So far I absolutely love the X and all of the features. I came close to canceling my order a few times because of the negative stuff on the MFT and other issues but I’m glad (so far) I didn’t.
The vehicle is a 12 limited 302A, AWD, dual sunroof’s, tow package, DVD players and roof rails. Basically it has everything on it but the mud flaps.
I arrived at the dealer about 3 this afternoon and the X was cleaned and ready for me. After some initial paperwork and insurance stuff I actually got to take a look at it for any issues.
I inspected all the problem areas I’ve read about such as the A pillar covers and the bubbly paint in the roof rack channel. The A pillar covers were fastened solid or so it seems and the paint is perfect. The roof rack channels had the uneven paint as some have described. I have to say that Ford could do themselves a favor and fix this as it looks bad and causes questions. I’m going to keep a eye on it for sure.
The salesman did a quick overview of the sync system before our test drive. Until I requested to take the car around the block I don’t think he had any intention of taking it for a drive before I signed the bottom line.
The test drive was short and with the radio off so I could hear any rattles and listen for the A pillar noise. Everything worked great except the MFT, more on that below.
Ok, here is the breakdown of stuff so far.
MFT- The system rebooted during my test drive after I requested the salesman use the Nav system to show me how it works. During the reboot, which lasted less than a minute, the AC and radio still worked and I had volume control of the stereo. When the system quit working and we sat in silence for about 15 seconds I said to him “it looks like the system just rebooted” to which he replied “yup”. I guess he wasn’t going to point out that the screen went completely blank and wasn’t working like I wouldn’t catch that. After I purchased the vehicle I wanted to tax the system as much as I could to really see how it did. I entered a route in the Nav system, started on my way, then started using the sync system allot. A few times it was slow to acknowledge the steering wheel button push but it did work the entire time I drove around yesterday. For someone like me who is a tech person and has done allot of research the system isn’t that confusing to use. If you aren’t that type of person it’s going to take a bit longer to be able to use all of the features for sure as it’s not nearly as intuitive as Apple products. I make the comment about the intuitiveness of Apple stuff because a recent YouTube video shows a toddler who is not even one using a iPad and understanding how to change pages and such. Still, the system did and does work as advertised but can be a bit slow at times. Overall grade B+.
NAV-With all of the bashing on the forums about this system I expected the worst from it. I will say that the screen has ALLOT if information on it and that’s confusing at first. I entered the address of our new house and it took me there without issue. It took some time for me to get use to how it alerts you to your next turn because it’s a bit different than the Garmin Nuvi I just sold. Like I said, there is a bit to much information displayed on the screen during use, maybe there is a way to change that in the settings? Anyway, I didn’t have any problem with the system what so ever last night and even found a restaurant near my house. I’m not saying it’s as good as Garmin by any means but once again it worked just fine. Overall grade A-
Overall ride/handling-To say the X is quiet would be a big understatement. For the last four months I’ve been driving a Hyndui Tuscon in Germany and it’s a night and day difference. Being 6’7” I was worried I wouldn’t have enough legroom but that’s not the case. I actually set the seat a few inches forward from the most aft position which is something I haven’t been able to do since we owned a Dodge Ram 1500. Being I like to have thigh support I have the seat tilted back, which helps with the legroom. The driver’s armrest is at the perfect distance for a guy as big as me but I can see how it would be awkward for someone smaller, which is about 99% of the rest of the population. I’m starting to wonder if they didn’t move the seats inboard to centerline to help in the side impact ratting?
Power-I haven’t had the chance to really test the acceleration yet but then again I haven’t needed to. During my highway trip yesterday I had plenty of umpf to get merged into traffic. I didn’t expect to get a hotrod so I guess I’m satisfied with the performance unlike some who believe it’s not a real SUV unless it has 8 cylinders regardless if they need it or not. I’m a huge gear head and love fast cars but the X just isn’t that and I knew that going in. The car has plenty of power for me.
Size-The car is big that’s for sure. In my seating position the hood looks like the deck of a aircraft carrier. Seriously. I guess you could say that’s a bad thing but I never felt like I was driving my Grandmothers Lincoln Town Car. It’s going to take getting use to seeing that much sheet metal when looking out but I’ll get use to it.
Gagets-This thing has more buttons than the bridge of the Star Ship Enterprise with the MFT taking the prize for sure. I’m still finding my way around most of the features but I have a good grasp of most of it.
BLISS-I honestly can’t say I’d recommend buying this car without BLISS as I don’t see how it’s possible to see out of that blind spot in the back while driving at highway speeds. Maybe I’m being a bit critical of the D pillar size but without BLISS I’m not so sure I’d feel safe driving it everyday. That being said the system works extremely well and I love it.
Adaptive Cruise Control-This is about the coolest thing since sliced bread. I drove in rush hour traffic without having to use the gas or break. A few times, when traffic really slowed down, the system had to apply more than moderate brake pressure but it keeps the set distance perfectly. Amazing feature that I can’t live without now.
Active Park Assist-Again, it works just like Ford said it does. It’s the strangest thing watching the car park itself and I’m sure it’s going to freak the wife out. I’m not sure how much I’ll use it but it’s cool. Remember how cool talking cars that came out in the 80’s were? Look how far we have come.
Stereo-I’ve been a stereo person all my life and installed for two years. I can honestly say the Sony system is one of the best factory systems I’ve ever heard. Sure there is room for improvement but it sounds damn good the way it is. I still haven’t programed any of the presets and I’m having trouble finding stations on the satellite, as the channel pamphlet isn’t up to date. I had better be able to get Opie and Anthony today.
Dealer Experience-Over all I’m happy with my dealings with them. I will caution everyone to be careful and READ the contract before you sign the bottom line. I told my salesman that I didn’t want their extended warranty as it’s twice the cost of Zeigler Ford when I arrived yesterday. I also told him several weeks ago I didn’t want it after they refused to match Zeigler’s price. Anyway, when I sat down with the finance manager and was presented with the big final contract what do you think was in the bottom line? Yup, their 2300 dollar extended warranty. I can’t say I believe it was a accident it was in there. I had them change it. During that process he asked why I wasn’t buying it and I told them “because it’s twice the cost of Zeigler Ford”! They also sat me down with a attractive woman who was the “warranty” person? She want on and on about protecting my investment a conversation that lasted a good 15 minutes. I assumed she was talking about the factory warranty but in the end I was presented with a sheet of paper with the cost of “undercarriage, paint and leather protection” of 1800 bucks! Seriously! It was a bit irritating they did this as I told the salesman I didn’t want it weeks ago. I know for sure this is a ploy to squeeze more money out of you being all excited to drive your new car off the lot you don’t think straight sometimes. After I was done with her the salesman took the paperwork and I noticed he looked at the blue paper very closely and for a long time. I assume he was looking to see if I bought the snake oil or not. Now that I think back his attitude changed a bit after that which bothers me a bit. Buy the rust proofing if you must but know it’s just about 100% profit for the dealer as is the extended warranty. The combination of those two, had I purchased them, would have been almost 4k in extra profit and commission for the salesman.
I posted a few weeks ago that I would review my dealer experience from the viewpoint of a new MFT customer, one who had no prior exposure of the system or how it works. That being said there is no way they spent enough time going over the system operation or vehicle features. I will caveat that statement by saying that I know this car and it’s features already so maybe he cut the demo short because I gave that impression. He did say to call him anytime I had questions but I’m not sure that would be enough for anyone else but me. Again, this was my experience and I would hope they would spend more time going over the features of the vehicle with someone who isn’t a car or tech person.
I’m going to have to stop here as I’ve been typing for a hour. I’ll be driving all day today so I can post more and some pictures tonight if I get time. More to follow……
