CometFlash

Damn! I hope not. I usually drive a good 5 years on my stock tires every time I buy a new 4x4 F-150. That's at least 10-12k miles a year x5. 30k... that'd suck.

Wow, had no idea. I bet a lot of people with no money or who just don't care or say they can't find the time; would never do any repairs at all unless the vehicle became impossible to drive without doing a specific repair. Sounds dangerous to leave it up to everyone like that, but who am I to know what's best; that's why I stay out of politics altogther. What happens if someone from FL or GA drives up to say, MA? Are they allowed to drive around without having an Inspection Sticker?

Isn't that, then. Thought it was worth a shot. No idea what the issue could be then, sorry.

LOL :hysterical: How come no inspections? Seems odd to not have any required checkups, especially for safety reasons.

This might sound obvious, but have you always controlled your heat and AC manually? Maybe you just turned on your EATC system and didn't realize it?

FYI: The 4 Year/50k complimentary coverage plan for all Lincoln vehicles... nope, not on the MKZ Hybrid. Just like Ford with their Fusion Hybrid, every offer has the little asterisk saying *does not include Lincoln MKZ Hybrid / *does not include Ford Fusion Hybrid. So that benefit is null & void if it was a decision making factor for anyone. Personally it doesn't bother me, but I'm the type of person who will buy a new vehicle rather than deal with auto problems.

Just for reference's sake, the fog's on my 2009 Platinum F-150 absolutely stink. What's really strange, is that the fogs on my 1997 XLT, 1998 Lariat and 2004 Lariat F-150's were all fantastic! This is the first time they have had the round fogs on the F-150, perhaps it has something to do with that? All I know is, they are completely useless on a 52k truck. Doesn't surprise me to hear Ford has messed them up on their other vehicles either. Headlights are great, though.

Agreed. And you know, from what I've been hearing it shouldn't be too long before we start hearing/seeing more about the all-new 2013 FFH/MKZH. Sounds like it'll hit sometime in early 2012. And, not that there was any doubt, from the few spy shots recently it looks like the hybrid will be back; along with the regular gas versions obviously. Perhaps they will differentiate the two vehicles more with the new one, although I'm sure they will still be visually close to each other as they'll basically be the same vehicle platform and body structure, as always. But maybe they'll add more tech stuff to the Lincoln version building it from the ground-up this time. Then again, from every report I read, they say the two vehicles right now both feel like different vehicles once you get in and drive them, even though they look almost the same. I haven't driven either one, but even without driving them there's just no other choice for me when it comes time to buy a hybrid. The escape is butt ugly and doesn't get as good MPG. And that's it, unless you leave Ford Motor Company, which just ain't happening. Too much good luck with all my Ford's over my lifetime. Everything else just sucked. I even had a cadillac once, and it was easily the worst piece of dung I ever owned. FoMoCo all the way. Now, let's see. FFH, or MKZH... :P

Agreed. That is exactly how your side-view's should be set up. I can't imagine anyone setting them to see behind them - that's what the rear-view mirror is for. I've always been able to see anyone on either side of me in my side-view's, no problem and never need to look around or starin my neck at all. The BLIS system is only interesting to me because of the feature where it beeps or blinks or whatever when someone may be coming behind you when you are trying to back out of a parking spot where you have poor visibility. On occasion I have encountered people with their side-view's set to mimic the rear-view, and I've always explained to them how they are supposed to be set, but for some reason the vast majority of people in this very odd situation refuse to drive with them set correctly, they seem to think that they need to be able to see who's behind them in 3 different mirror's. :banghead: Who the heck cares who's behind you while you're driving anyways? Let's hope that as kids are trained to drive they are taught the correct way to set their mirror's, so they don't get in the habit of being accident-prone just because they refuse to set their side-view's properly.

It's too bad they don't have customizable displays. In fact, they could make some easy cash if they made you buy diff. upgrade packs for it. Flower blossoms, birds in the branches, guinea pigs running around... :headspin: It's like I've been saying about Sync. They should have different voice packs to buy. You could have anything from KITT from the old Knight Rider show to the voice of the computer from Star Trek: The Next Generation, or anything in between. That'd be cool. Imagine having Arnold Shwarzenegger telling you to turn right ahead: "Turn here! Do it! DO IT NOW!!"

Nice. How do you like the Red Candy? If I get a MKZH I'll go White Platinum Tri-Coat, but if I go FFH I'm considering between Red Candy or White Platinum. I have the White Sand Tri-Coat on my Platinum F-150 and really like it. Worreid I might get tired of red, but it looks really sharp on the Fusion body style, gives it a more sporty appearance which is nice considering there is no choice for better rims on the FFH.

Nice. :) That's what I've seen in car reviews and such as well. It's a big thing for me. My 1996 and 1997 F-150's were whisper quiet which I loved, but my 2004 and 2009 F-150's have had way too many interior noises. It's as if Ford went backwards on NVH for their pickup trucks. Drives me crazy.

Thanks! That's the kind of real-world info I've been looking for. Leaning more 'n more towards the MKZH every day. Will place an order for FFH or MKZH in March so I can have her before my wedding in June. Unless the new Focus really wow's me, but it's somewhat expensive in it's own right and I don't think it will get nearly as good CITY mpg, which is what I want.

It's true. Financial advisors will always recommend keeping an automobile for a minimum of 10 years to get the maximum financial value out of it before it's makes financial sense to get another one because of age, wear & tear, mechanical repairs after 10+ years, etc. But the fact he is considering an MKZH after having an FFH for such a short time must say something for the appeal and quality of this vehicle. Reminds me of myself, as I've owned 4 brand-new loaded F-150's since 1996. Just love that vehicle. But now that I'm buying a home it's time to go from fun to fiscal, meaning an MKZH or FFH within the next 6 months. Good to hear people like them so much they'd consider another over something else. :) EDIT: I did find a couple reviews recently re: THX II audio system, and they both said it sounded phenomenal! Unfortunately, still haven't found any real-world reviews of how the Adaptive HID's are compared to standard headlamps.

I've been trying to decide whether to buy an FFH or MKZH myself. Also was interested to see trade values, as I NEVER see any FFH's traded-in, just gas versions. And I mean ZERO, I've been looking for months now. So I went to KBB.com figuring that the value would be very high since no one is trading them in. Surprise, a fully-loaded FFH (502A, RMST,etc) that sells for just over 30k/31k, is only worth about 20k at trade. So figure a good 10k trade loss at the minimum. As far as "Is the MKZH worth the added cost?" Well, that's a great question; one I have been going back and forth on the past few months. Some of the cool stuff the MKZH has that FFH doesn't: * Adaptive HID's * LED tails * THX II audio system * A/C seats * BridgeofWeir leather * Bright Chrome rims Depends how much these items mean to each person. To some, they may certainly not be enough to justify the added expensive between the two vehicles. I've also done extensive searching online for info on these vehicles over the past 3 months. From what I can gather, even though they share the same architecure, the MKZH has different programming that makes it drive quite a bit differently than the FFH. It's supposedly a lot more refined, more tuned for luxury and refinement than for speed or hadnling like the FFH leans more towards. Supposedly the difference between how the two drive and handle is fairly significant because of this, which surprised a lot of testers (who gave kudos to Ford for being able to achieve this with just programming alone). There is also a lot of mention in how Ford did an even greater job in the MKZH to reduce any type of noise, vibration and harshness. Talk of it being "tomb-like in it's quietness". Speaking of noise, it has the THX II audio system, though I haven't been able to find any info on that in terms of how it sounds, real-world experience compared to standard radio, etc. Any differences in appearance or color choices is purely subjective and will vary greatly between individuals. Personally I do think the MKZH looks like a more expensive vehicle, although the tail lamps being so large could take some getting used to. What I would like to hear is how much of a difference, if any, the adaptive HID's make. I have searched high and low but cannot find any reviews of how these work, and if they are worth the cost or not. And I've looked at like a hundred or more reviwes and road tests of both of them, but it's as if the HID's don't exist in anyone's view or thoughts. Very sad. :( Worthe the 10-12k difference? I'm still undecided at this point, although the sound issue alone makes me lean toward the MKZH just because I absolutely despise any squeeks or rattles in my vehicle. Even my Platinum F-150 has them, and it stickered at $52k. Can you believe that? It be true. No more noise! That's BIG for me, but like I said, to each his own to what's important. Maybe some current owners on this forum can give better insights to some of the questions you have that I couldn't, simply because I don't own one...yet. My data is all just from months and months of extensive research online.

1. I've owned a '97, '98, '04 and '09 F-150, and my fiance owns an '07 Edge. All of these vehicles have excessive brake dust on the front wheels. It's seems it's a typical problem with all Ford vehicles after 15+ years of this. Does the FFH and/or MKZH have excessive brake dust on the front wheels as well? 2. Any issues with Noise/Vibration/Harshness on the FFH/MKZH? Both my '04 Lariat and '09 Platinum have developed interior noises fairly quickly after purchase. My 2004 was particularly bad for creeks, rattles, squeeks, etc. How does everyone feel about their hybrids, especially where they must be very quiet when only the battery is powering the car. Any noises would be amplified tenfold and probably drive me crazy. The Platinum supposedly has all types of extra noise cancelling stuff like laminated windshield, special carpet and roof material, etc. Yet it still has enough random noises to frustrate me to no end. I want my vehicle QUIET inside. Thanks everyone!

Ahh, good question. Would be cool if you could.

MKZ 2011, Now that you've had yours for awhile now, any comments about what you like, or don't like, or wish it had? I'm very likely to purchase a Ford Hybrid within the next 3 months or so (will place an order for exactly what I want, as I always do with my F-150's). I'm just looking at the options between a loaded FFH and a loaded MKZH. The coolest thing the MKZH has that the FFH doesn't, is the HID's. Was wondering if you've noticed any difference in visibility at night compared to standard halogens. I believe they are also supposed to swivel a bit around turns and such, have you noticed any of that? Also, did you get the remote start? Any issues with that in relation to the MyKey system? Some people have had issues where the car/truck with Mykey will shut off as soon as you open driver's door; rather than staying on until you put in key and hit brake to drive away, as they really should operate. Anything else that the MKZH has that you really like or wish it had? Any info is good info before I make an order, probably sometime in late March (keeping my Platinum through the crappy winter weather, then will trade her in for new car with WAY better gas mileage than my gas-hog just before my wedding takes place so we can drive off in style). :shift: Obviously the MKZH is about 10k more expensive than the FFH, so I want to be sure the amenities are worth it, items such as the HID's and THX Sound System. The rest of the stuff is just fancy gloss like A/C seats, chrome wheels, Rear Camera, NAV, Sync, 10-way seats, etc that my truck had in spades, those things I already know how they hold up and how they work. Will be interested to hear how it drives during the winter weather as well once the snow & ice start flying. :headspin:

Exactly. I figured it was just like the F-150 after the first year of the new model - they made the rear headrests huge for some reason. Eneg, sorry I can't help you with your question, but I did try to explain what I thought the issue was, and I was correct. I think most members here probably have the 2010, thus they don't have the same problem and they don't know that the headrests have grown exponentially in just one years time. :drop:

:lol: That made me laugh! Nice. Looks like a few really good deals on some 2010's w/502A packages. Makes me wonder if I should search around for any 2010's left on the lots myself, see if I can't get a better deal on one of those rather than a 2011.

:P hehe. He asked you because the Fusion doesn't have HID's, only the MKZ. I'd be curious to know how well you like them as well. If you notice any difference between them compared to standard headlights, etc. I know the MKZ has air conditioned seats also, which the Fusion doesn't have. My F-150 has them, so I can tell everyone that they are nice, but honestly I usually turn mine off after 10 minutes or so as I get too cold. It's something I won't miss if I trade her in on a Fusion Hybrid. I would miss the heated seats living in the Northeast., luckily that's not an issue! But the HID's, LED tails, and chrome rims on the MKZ sure are nice, wish they had those on the FFH. Oh, welcome to the board! Be sure to let us know how & what you like about it when you get some more miles on her.

I may be able to help with the confusion, even though I don't own an FFH yet. I would hazard a guess that the rear headrests in the 2011 are significantly larger than those in the 2010 model, even though it's basically the same car. I say this because they did the same exact thing to the F-150. In 2009 the rear headrests were small and easy to remove. In 2010 Ford changed the rear headrests to these big huge hulkin' things that are next to impossible to get out because they are so big, and they take up a lot of visibility room as well. I'm guessing Ford decided to do this on the Fusion for 2011 as well. No idea why. Perhaps a saftey issue? Comfort? But if comfort, why sacrifice visibility (ie: safety) over comfort??? :doh: So I can understand exactly what the OP is speaking of; if this is indeed the case.

I think the company that makes the wiper shakers has videos, maybe youtube as well. I've never seen or heard of anyone ever getting them though, so no idea how they work in the real world.

Thanks everyone! Lots of good info, exactly what I was looking for. :beerchug: jd_olson, agreed. I love my F150, but since I only use her as a daily driver, not as an actual work truck, the MPG issue has been nagging at me more and more every year. Wish the '11 had MyFord Touch, but other than that, it sounds like I may go ahead and snag one soon since no one's had any issues in the winter driving I was concerned about, really the only thing holding me back at this point.

Looking at picking up a loaded 2011 Fusion Hybrid (502a, etc). The biggest item keeping me from making the leap is my concern over how will it perform during winter conditions in the northeast? It can get fairly brutal at times up here. But I'm tired of the dismal MPG in my '09 Platinum F-150. Even with the new EB engine for the F-150 in 2011, it won't get near the MPG of the Hybrid in city driving, which is 99% of my driving: 16 miles to work, and 16 from work, each day. At any rate, that is neither here nor there. What I'd like to hear is from any of you who have gone through a winter or two with your Hybrid Fusions. How does it handle? Any bad slippage issues? Get stuck? Can't make it up hilly areas? Etc? I'm so used to throwing my F-150 (owned 4 of them since 1996) into 4WD and have never had even the slightest hint of an issue getting stuck, sliding around, etc. Real-world winter driving impressions? :shift: Thanks!