Anybody own a Ford Freestyle?

[EllenFrasier]

I guess they don't make them anymore, but it is one of the SUV's I am considering buying. The Vibe, what I did have, is still on the list as well as some other SUV's. I just don't like the feel of a Sedan anymore, so I'm looking for an SUV or wagon of some kind.
If you own a Ford Freestyle, what do you like or not like about it?

 

[ProudMommyof2]

I love my Freestyle and I got rid of a Volvo Wagon to get it!

It drives like a dream and for me the biggest plus is that it has a true 3rd row. I have sat back there myself without remotely feeling cramped!

Any specific questions- ask away!

 

[EllenFrasier]

I love my Freestyle and I got rid of a Volvo Wagon to get it!

It drives like a dream and for me the biggest plus is that it has a true 3rd row. I have sat back there myself without remotely feeling cramped!

Any specific questions- ask away!

Thanks! Does it get any kind of gas mileage worth talking about? I don't drive on the highway much, just local roads mostly 30 - 45 mph. I want to win Dh over with some figures, help me!

Also, does it drive like a car or drive like a truck? I might go test drive one tonight or this weekend. My sister used to own a Jeep Liberty and as safe as she might have felt in there, it drove like a truck. Felt all the bumps on the road.

 

[CarolAnnB]

We have had ours for about 3 years. The 3rd seat is great, you can actually sit 2 people back there. We have the bucket seats in the 2nd row so it is very easy to get to the 3rd seat. The mileage is not the greatest, it is much better than the Ford Explorer we owned before this, but not as good as the Hyundai Tucson which is our 2nd car. I think it drives more like a car than the Explorer did but to me it has more blind spots. Tons of cargo room when you put the 3rd seat down, the 2nd seats also fold flat if you need even more room. It is great as our "family" car. For commuting I find it cheaper to drive the Hyundai.

 

[ProudMommyof2]

I think it drives like a car- very comfy!!

Gas mileage is 20-21 miles per gallon. I do a pretty equal split of highway/round town driving.

Mine has AWD and was driven in a blizzard last year and cut through it like it was nothing!!

 

[3boymthr]

I love my Freestyle. I get about 23 mpg on mostly local roads. I get about 28 mpg when I drive on the highway to my MIL - OTH - DH gets about 23 on the highway so with this car at least the MPG has a lot to do with your driving style. DH likes to floor it anytime he passes anyone. I have the front wheel drive - not the AWD. The good thing about this car is it is roomy enough to hold a full load of groceries in the trunk area. My only wish is that I had gotten the split fold down rear seats.

 

[EllenFrasier]

We have had ours for about 3 years. The 3rd seat is great, you can actually sit 2 people back there. We have the bucket seats in the 2nd row so it is very easy to get to the 3rd seat. The mileage is not the greatest, it is much better than the Ford Explorer we owned before this, but not as good as the Hyundai Tucson which is our 2nd car. I think it drives more like a car than the Explorer did but to me it has more blind spots. Tons of cargo room when you put the 3rd seat down, the 2nd seats also fold flat if you need even more room. It is great as our "family" car. For commuting I find it cheaper to drive the Hyundai.

I actually was looking at Hyundai's too - but it was the Santa Fe, is that smaller than the Tucson? I don't need a great big vehicle as we do have a minivan for when we all go somewhere together.

 

[horseshowmom]

The Ford Freestyle is now the Taurus X (and I think they just stopped making them). The Taurus X was the middle level of the Crossovers (the Edge was the bottom with the Flex being the top).

When I got ready to purchase another car, I saw a Taurus X on a lot and didn't know what it was, but I quickly fell in love with it. It's basically an upgraded version of the Freestyle. I get about 25 mpg.

I did a search on autotrader.com and cars.com. I wanted one that was still under warranty and had less than 15,000 miles. I narrowed down what I wanted to one in Georgia, one in Missouri, and one in Texas (lots of pictures to make sure there were no dings or scratches with a guarantee of such by the dealer - only looked at vehicles at dealerships).

When I narrowed it down to the 3, I told the salesmen to quote me their best price including shipping - that there would be no negotiation, I wanted their best price. I wound up getting the cheapest price for the best car (the one in Missouri). It's an Eddie Bauer edition loaded and with a moonroof. (When I let the other salesmen know what I had settled on, the Texas guy suddenly decided he could come down some more - too bad, too late.) I got a GREAT deal, and I love this car!

The car was delivered and I loved it even more than online. I've had to have a couple of things worked on, but the warranty handled it all.

 

[HHSTigerFan]

Best car we have ever had, have a 2005 Limited, actually makes me sad knowing it has about 86K miles on it and within a year we will replace it, car is just awesome, can't believe Ford stopped making them.

 

[horseshowmom]

Best car we have ever had, have a 2005 Limited, actually makes me sad knowing it has about 86K miles on it and within a year we will replace it, car is just awesome, can't believe Ford stopped making them.

I feel the same way. I would buy another one in a heartbeat when I'm done with this one.

 

[Jen_in_NH]

I think it drives like a car- very comfy!!

Gas mileage is 20-21 miles per gallon. I do a pretty equal split of highway/round town driving.

Mine has AWD and was driven in a blizzard last year and cut through it like it was nothing!!

Same here

I do like mine - it's comfortable, has enough space for everyone and all our stuff. I'm not sure if I'll get another one when this one gets replaced. Not because I don't like it, but I'd like to get something with better gas mileage.

 

[padawans]

Love it .Best car we have ever had. 5 years 60,000 miles not one problem ever. Drives great, lots of room, and great gas mileage. I would buy another one in a heartbeat.

 

[CarolAnnB]

I actually was looking at Hyundai's too - but it was the Santa Fe, is that smaller than the Tucson? I don't need a great big vehicle as we do have a minivan for when we all go somewhere together.

The Tucson is a little smaller than the Santa Fe. I think the Tucson is a tight squeeze in the backseat if you have 3 back there. Cargo space is definitely a lot smaller than the Freestyle with the 3rd seat down.

 

[brandylouwho]

We had a Freestyle Limited (2005 I think) and I really liked it. It was AWD and I liked driving it, I called it the tank (it felt heavy and safe on the snowy Wisconsin roads). We choose it over the Volvo XC70.

The driver's seat fit short little me as well as my large hubby comfortably. The third row was better for kids or short people. My grandma and I would fit alright, the men of the family did not fit as well. Access to that 3rd row isn't as nice as it is in a minivan though.

Plenty of cargo space (often used by our 140lb dog plus our luggage).

Mileage was not so great. In the city we were only averaging like 15 mph, I was excited to get 20 mph on the highway. So, when the lease was up (around the time gas was pretty high) we got rid of it.

Replaced it with a Mazda 5, and while that car was alright (cheaper price & better on gas mileage)--the Freestyle was way more comfy, especially for my husband.

Ford rebranded them as the Taurus X after a few years and stopped making them a year or so ago.