For most of my life, I’ve been a fan of Ford Vehicles. My first car was a Ford Taurus. As of recently it seems that Ford truly has no idea what their doing.. Considering this blog is a place for me to jot down my personal opinion, I’ve decided to create a list of what I think their doing wrong..
Halogen Headlamps
I think we are at the point where everyone knows Halogen Headlamps are at the bottom of the line when it comes to headlamps. I fully understand putting a cheaper light on a cheaper vehicle such as the Focus or other small cheap cars, But when it comes to Premium vehicles they really need to step up their game..
The Explorer on ALL trim levels includes LED headlamps for Low Beam and Fog lamps. But the thing I fully do not understand is why they are still doing Halogen for the high beam! Not only does it look stupid and ugly to even think about using High Beams, It makes no sense at all. Why isnt the High beam either HID or another LED?
The Expedition which is the biggest, and most premium vehicle Ford makes, Does not come with LED nor HID headlamps until you get to the very top of the line trim level. The “limited” trim has always been known as one of the more premium trims, It includes awesome features such as Power Running Boards, Leather Seats, and the fully featured Sync 3 system, but still this car has Halogen Headlamps and Halogen Fog Lamps.
I will be so glad when IIHS begins enforcing these standards more strongly, so that Ford can never win a top Safety pick without meeting those standards.
In my 2015 Chrysler 300, HID headlamps and LED Fog Lamps are a standard feature.. I’m not a fan of how the High beans operate (The High and Low beam are the same bulb, with a shutter to lower or raise that beam) but its still better than having a Halogen high beam..
Start/Stop
Ford enforces their new Start/Stop technology in almost every one of their vehicles, Especially their premium line. Even the most expensive, Nearly $100,000.00 Lincoln Line has standard, Non removable Start/Stop. Sure, You can press the button to disable it each and every single time you get in the car.. Which i find extremely annoying, and not needed.. But you can’t even custom design your own vehicle to NOT include the useless feature.
Even if they claim that start stop saves on fuel mileage, I’m not the least interested in it. Its inconvenient, Non Natural to a vehicles operation, and in the long run all its going to do is wear out your starter and other major functions the vehicles prematurely causing more maintenance.
i4… Mustang?
Mustangs have always been known as their sports car line, and although they have, and still do offer a v6 Mustang option, I fully get the point behind that. Not everyone can afford the big V8 GT, but still love the sporty design of the Mustang. But a i4 Mustang makes Zero Sense to me.. I4 has literally NO power at all, Even when they slap a few turbos on it and call it a “ecoboost” its still nothing compared to a v6, and nowhere near a v8.
Turbos
Honestly, I LOVE turbos. When i first drove a F150 Ecoboost I was so impressed with the power, and overall performance with the truck. It truly does feel like a v6 Turbo has as much if not more power than a v8… But Ford believes in this too strongly, Phasing out all v8 options in some of their vehicles such as the Expedition. Not everyone wants a turbo, And Personally I’ve found that when I have a turbo, I’m too eager to step on the gas to hear it spool up, Which causes me to get WORSE gas mileage than the V8 would.
And as I mentioned above, a i4 turbo is a complete waste of a turbo..
But the biggest problem with turbos is the Maintenance. Although Ford does not really clearly push the whole Premium fuel on everyone, When you run a turbo you are NOT suppose to run the basic regular unleaded. Premium fuel is a total must when you have a turbo. It helps keep your exhaust system cleaner burning, and smoother operating. Premium fuel is going to ensure a longer life on your engine (at least for turbos)… but that adds a bigger cost to fuel, So what are we really saving?
Long term, Turbos are known to grenade around 80k-120k Miles. Sure you can buy more turbos, but that’s going to raise your maintenance cost, and lower your life expectancy of your engine.
With that in mind, I do fully intend (as least for now) to replace my current car with a Expedition Platinum in a few years.. Its a nice big vehicle, And it has the Ford Quality behind it.. I want something big enough to do anything i want with, without fully going truck. The expedition has the towing capacity of a truck, The luxury (at least in the platinum trim) of a luxury car, and the room of a large vehicle which is something I am looking for being I am 6′ 5″.
Comment below your opinion on Ford, and how the recent changes they’ve made affects your opinion of purchasing from them in the future. I really hope that in 3 years time the Expedition gets better rather than worse.. Otherwise I might have to shop elsewhere.
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