First anniversary review.

[Ric]

We have had our FFH for one year, 9000 miles. Now for the review, some may not like it. We loaded the car with every option. The MSRP was $37,090 plus tax, license, etc. Of course we did not pay the MSRP. First, our lifetime average is 38.6 mpg. We like the car for it's nice ride, quietness and handling. We have had it in the shop twelve (12) times in the last year. Either for recalls or problems. Many of the issues we had would not have happened if Ford monitored it's dealerships. Most have been resolved.

* MPG is not as advertised. (We get 38.6 lifetime - honestly)

* No daytime running lights. (unless a fleet vehicle)

* Trunk lid does not open high enough. (bump your head)

* Cruise control has to be turned on manually each time the car is started.

* Auto headlamps do not come on soon enough.

* Seats are spongy. (for a heavier person 200+)

* My Ford Touch sucks. (Very complicated)

* Navigation voice control sucks.

* Unless you buy the titanium version, the taillights do not flow to the trunk area.

* Trade-in value is low.

To sum it up: We will not buy another FFH, or recommend it. We will keep it for another year or so, that's it.

On a scale of 1 - 10, we give it a 5.

 

 

 

[wmpwi]

Sorry to hear you're not happy w/ yours. I've found we have some areas of commonality, but regret isn't one of them yet. I had a shade of 10K when I got whacked. I didn't have every option, rather I opted for just Nav, remote start, and the rear cam. Hate sun / moon roofs, don't need the help w/ the parking (though some would disagree) and wanted the tech / computer interface I always ended up building into previous vehicles.

 

I agree, MPG was not as advertised, but after the fuel module upgrade, I was seeing a considerable improvement. Can't quantify it as I never got to put it through a comprehensive test, but I was seeing an average of 5 mpg over you're experience.

 

Daytime running lights, honestly I don't remember, but that would have been nice.

 

I'm only 5,11 and it was never an issue for me, but the trunk should open all the way and never come into play such that you hit anything.

 

I have no opinion as to why the cruise should be on vs not, but I'd rather have control over what comes on automatically. It should be a setting.

 

My seats were not spongy and I'm unfortunately well over 200 unless you're into some metric thing.

 

My Ford Touch . . . you were too kind. Sucks would be an improvement. Anyone having any experience w/ car computers and related interfaces wretch when when having to use MFT/SNYC

 

Navigation voice control (see above) however I've had the 2014 for a couple of days now and the improvement is significant.

 

The trade-in value may be low, but having just totaled one, I can tell you the salvage value is amazing.

 

Did I mention that MFT/SNYC really sucks.

 

Still, I'm sorry you had the bad experience. Anyone that pays that kind of money for a vehicle deserves far better then you got and be able to enjoy an amazing ride.

 

 

 

We have had our FFH for one year, 9000 miles. Now for the review, some may not like it. We loaded the car with every option. The MSRP was $37,090 plus tax, license, etc. Of course we did not pay the MSRP. First, our lifetime average is 38.6 mpg. We like the car for it's nice ride, quietness and handling. We have had it in the shop twelve (12) times in the last year. Either for recalls or problems. Many of the issues we had would not have happened if Ford monitored it's dealerships. Most have been resolved.

* MPG is not as advertised. (We get 38.6 lifetime - honestly)

* No daytime running lights. (unless a fleet vehicle)

* Trunk lid does not open high enough. (bump your head)

* Cruise control has to be turned on manually each time the car is started.

* Auto headlamps do not come on soon enough.

* Seats are spongy. (for a heavier person 200+)

* My Ford Touch sucks. (Very complicated)

* Navigation voice control sucks.

* Unless you buy the titanium version, the taillights do not flow to the trunk area.

* Trade-in value is low.

To sum it up: We will not buy another FFH, or recommend it. We will keep it for another year or so, that's it.

On a scale of 1 - 10, we give it a 5.

 

 

 

 

[Toz]

I don't have my car yet so I can't comment on many of the issues you have had, but I have never owned a car that the cruise control didn't have to be turned on every time I started the car. Are there cars where the cruise is always on?

[hybridbear]

I don't have my car yet so I can't comment on many of the issues you have had, but I have never owned a car that the cruise control didn't have to be turned on every time I started the car. Are there cars where the cruise is always on?

Our 2006 Honda Accord Hybrid had a button that would stay depressed when the CC was on. Thus our CC was always on. It wasn't a rocker switch like in the FFH. The Honda was the only car I've even seen between cars I've owned and once my parents had growing up that had this type of button for the CC where it stayed on.

 

We have had our FFH for one year, 9000 miles. Now for the review, some may not like it. We loaded the car with every option. The MSRP was $37,090 plus tax, license, etc. Of course we did not pay the MSRP. First, our lifetime average is 38.6 mpg. We like the car for it's nice ride, quietness and handling. We have had it in the shop twelve (12) times in the last year. Either for recalls or problems. Many of the issues we had would not have happened if Ford monitored it's dealerships. Most have been resolved.

* MPG is not as advertised. (We get 38.6 lifetime - honestly)

* No daytime running lights. (unless a fleet vehicle)

* Trunk lid does not open high enough. (bump your head)

* Cruise control has to be turned on manually each time the car is started.

* Auto headlamps do not come on soon enough.

* Seats are spongy. (for a heavier person 200+)

* My Ford Touch sucks. (Very complicated)

* Navigation voice control sucks.

* Unless you buy the titanium version, the taillights do not flow to the trunk area.

* Trade-in value is low.

To sum it up: We will not buy another FFH, or recommend it. We will keep it for another year or so, that's it.

On a scale of 1 - 10, we give it a 5.

I agree with you about the lack of DRLs, the low sensitivity of the auto headlamps and the trunk lid. However, I don't consider those factors to be enough to make me dislike the car. I'm surprised you find the seats to be spongy. I love the seats. I'm 6'3 and currently about 235 lbs. I have been losing weight in the year we've owned our FFH and weigh 45 lbs less now than I did in December 2012 when we bought it. And my goal is to lose another 25-30 lbs in the next year. I've always found the seats to be very comfortable. The most comfortable car I've even sat in. It ties or is slightly better than our 2003 Saab 9-5 which was previously the most comfortable car in the world IMHO.

 

I'm sorry to hear that you're unhappy with the car. We have also had a lot of issues and trips to the dealer. See this post for a breakdown of what they've cost us. I've found MFT to be amazing in my limited experience with it when around my parents' C-Max Energi. It is far superior to the Entune system from Toyota that's in my wife's Prius.

[acdii]

A competent dealer can turn the DRL's on. Non issue really. Finding a competent dealer, THERE is your problem. :) Agree on the trunk lids, I am only 5'8 and bang my head on it. I dont use the voice control, but the one time I did for the nav it worked ok. One thing I did though with all my Fords with Sync is trained it to my speech pattern, helps greatly with the voice commands.

 

MFT is a LOT better now with the 3.6 than it was with the 3.5. Have not had any glitches in either the Fusion or Flex. Still wish they would get Applink working!!!!!

[jeff_h]

* MPG is not as advertised. (We get 38.6 lifetime - honestly) - mine is more than EPA, but so many variables go into this and weather/terrain are huge factors. However plenty of EPA discussion elsewhere already.

 

* No daytime running lights. (unless a fleet vehicle) - like acdii said, apparently a good deal can turn these on. Personally I don't want them, but also discussion of that topic elsewhere already.

 

* Trunk lid does not open high enough. (bump your head) - sacrifice due to the 'bumperless' rear end? Yeah would have been good to have that designed differently somehow.

 

* Cruise control has to be turned on manually each time the car is started. - I can't think of a recent vehicle of mine that did default to the 'on' position, though someone above did note one. I think I did have one where there was a click-setting on the turn signal stalk, but that one was 20 years ago and I thought the modern steering wheel switches defaulted to 'off' but OK.

 

* Auto headlamps do not come on soon enough. - I have never used these once, too much of a control freak to let something else decide when I want to turn the lights on.` But the wife loves it and hasn't mentioned them not activating soon enough.

 

* Seats are spongy. (for a heavier person 200+) - this is how they are in the SE and I love them that way... wife has the Titanium and the seats are a bit stiffer, she likes that type better and I like the squishy (so thankfull it worked out). I guess they need to develop a 'sleep number bed' type seat (maybe some cars already do?), but until then preferences will always differ.

 

* My Ford Touch sucks. (Very complicated) - took a little time to get used to, but then I got back in my old 2010 a couple weeks ago and it seemed like there were an awful lot of buttons to take in, so I guess I got used to MFT. I was not a big MFT fan until the Sync 3.6.2 update was done and that appeared to fix some annoying little glitches, so now I would definitely get MFT again.

 

* Navigation voice control sucks. - works OK with mine, but then again I think my use case is probably different as I mainly input street address and go from there, so my use of voice commands is more limited and thus maybe the frustration thus also limited.

 

* Unless you buy the titanium version, the taillights do not flow to the trunk area. - maybe a marketing measure to get customers to pay out more money for higher-end package? Or maybe they went cheap-charlie.

 

* Trade-in value is low. - have not looked and this, but is N/A for me as I drive a lot of miles and that kills any resale value anyway.

[B25Nut]

I have one question Ric: How many times have you been married?

[Ric]

Once, 35 years one woman :love_shower: What's your point?

Edited November 27, 2013 by Ric

[Texasota]

Ric, thanks for your post. As someone considering a FFH purchase I find your opinions and experiences just as useful and interesting as the ownership experiences that are on the other end of the spectrum.

 

I do have a question for you - if your FFH had been purchased without MFT and without the navigation system would your ownership experience have been more satisfying? Or would you still be looking to move to a different car a year from now? I’m interested in your thoughts as I am considering a FFH S which cannot be equipped with most of the tech options.

[Ric]

Texasota. I believe the MFT is pretty much standard. As far as the built in navigation: I would not order it again. We have a portable "Garmin" we use in one of our other cars. The Garmin is much more user friendly and works as well or better than Fords navigation. The Garmin cost us about $200 and can be used in any car. Fords built in navigation cost around a grand.

[Texasota]

I believe the MFT is pretty much standard. As far as the built in navigation: I would not order it again. We have a portable "Garmin" we use in one of our other cars. The Garmin is much more user friendly and works as well or better than Fords navigation. The Garmin cost us about $200 and can be used in any car. Fords built in navigation cost around a grand.

 

The MFT is not available on the FFH S and is optional on the FFH SE via the SE Technology Package. MFT is standard on the FFH Titanium. I also prefer a portable GPS that can be used in any vehicle, easily upgraded with new maps, and replaced whenever desired.

[Ric]

I did not know that.

[wmpwi]

 

The MFT is not available on the FFH S and is optional on the FFH SE via the SE Technology Package. MFT is standard on the FFH Titanium. I also prefer a portable GPS that can be used in any vehicle, easily upgraded with new maps, and replaced whenever desired.

I bought the Nav and have used portable stand alone systems (Gramin, TomTom, Mio), OEM built in systems, car computer integrated systems (Destinator, DeLorme, iGuidance) and to this day I've yet to find anything I like as well as my Android phone w/ Google maps. Maps are up to date as anything else on the market and the speech recognition is faster and more accurate then anything else I've seen. So yeah, I agree with the GPS issue.

[acdii]

I prefer the TomTom over the built in Nav, but having the built in has it's pluses, No cords in the way, no device in the window to be snatched, dont have to worry about hiding it when you stop somewhere, and when you need to go somewhere local, it is easy to just say where your going and it gives you the route.

 

The one thing none of the portable ones can do is have your direction to the next turn on the right screen on the dash, I am really starting to like that feature now that I have used the nav more often for work.

[Howie411]

I've looked at a lot of other car makers GPS systems and as much as I hate to admit it, Ford has one of the best. Most of the others I have seen look like they are from 5 years ago. They are mostly 2D and look like they have a whole 8 bit color. At least the Ford NAV has a 3D view option, 3D buildings and nicely integrated (love how the volume on the radio lowers when it speaks the next direction). If Ford would just implement some better Map upgrade process it would be almost perfect. $200 for a map upgrade almost once a year is total BS. My portable garmin cost $250 and has lifetime updates (coming from Navteq, same company Ford uses) and gets 4 updates a year for free.