http://ca.autos.yahoo.com/p/1886/ford-i ... alexplorer


This baffles me. Freestyle was great for a certain niche market. Ford cans it after 3 years and rebrands it "Taurus X" with nothing new besides more power. Then they can that 2 years later and come out with this. The same fuel consumption, seating, and frame as the predecessors but they're calling it an Explorer. Am I the only one that thinks this is ridiculous? I know this is still a Freestyle but nobody told their marketing dept.

I saw it the other day too. Yes, it's back. Nearly identical underneath the hood and the drivtrain too. Good to know parts will be available for a long time. Great looking vehicle.

I still love my FS, but....

Supposedly it will be quasi off-road capable. My T/X manual specifically says not to take it off-road even though it is AWD.
But yes, its just a very refreshed T/X which is a refreshed freebie.
I've got my eye set on is a future purchase...... now if I can only come up with $45k for all of options i want! (hey, a guy can dream, can't he)

And as if further evidence was needed.. it will be built at the same assembly plant in Chicago where all Freestyle's and Taurus X's were built. This is really not much more than a cosmetic redesign of the X.. minus the third-row headroom the X had.

I'm sure it makes good business sense to bring back the Explorer name, but they should really be honest with folks about what this really is.

The 4-cylinder turbo version which will be coming out later in the year has me interested. Decent power, and much better economy. Downsides are it is only avail in FWD and has the same lousy towing capability as our freestyle. I can live with those, so maybe in a few years when we are ready to trade in the freestyle it may get a look. It doesn't hurt that my wife really likes the way it looks.

Back in January, in my post "New Explorer Coming", I made similar comparisons from the info available at the time. Suspicions confirmed, and recognized by all of you. Question: Do we have the right to wear a smirk ref. our faith in the 'Style/X design?

My thoughts exactly...it looks like an updated version of the Freestyle/TX and might just be our next vehicle as my wife hates the look of the Flex. It looks like there are too many SUV/CUV in Ford's line-up right now...when it shakes out which will go???

Why buy "New" , in 2 years the value will depreciate by 1/2 the retail price. I heard you lose $3-$5 thousand just as you drive off the lot at pickup when buying "New".

In most cases, I agree with you... Our current cars were both bought lightly used and for a lot less than a brand new one. Most likely any replacements will be bought used as well.

Oh, you lose probably more than that. Our sales tax rate here is 10%, so on a $45K vehicle, you're down the $4,500 in tax, plus the immediate depreciation of probably $5K (at the low end I think). Ouch. But people buy new cars all the time because the monthly payment is manageable.... such short sighted thinking...

Hey, I've bought 5 brand-new vehicles so I know what it's like, don't start bashing me

The other side of the coin is that by buying new, you know exactly how it has been maintained. You can also get EXACTLY the option / color set you want.

I ordered my T/X new, almost fully loaded with exactly the options I wanted (ok, so I couldn't get a 7 seater limited with power lift rear hatch, but thats a different story). I paid exactly "invoice" which is not so bad considering I ordered a '08 model, in November of '07.

i like the freestyle way better then the explorer

I for one am glad that Ford sees the value in keeping the Freestyle/Taurus X alive.
Those of us who have owned one or more, know what a great car it is.
Ford never marketed the Freestyle/X, so it never sold well.
With the Explorer name, Ford will be compelled to invest in an intensive marketing campaign.
I recently did a search for new vehicles that possessed all the virtues and options I currently have in my Freestyle and found that there is no other car out there that gets the mpg, AWD, seven passenger seating and comfort the Freestyle has for under $35000.
Ford currently doesn't have a model that I like. The Edge is uncomfortable and gets lousy mpg. The Flex is downright ugly outside, although the interior is very nice; again lousy mpg.
I decided to hang onto my 2007 Freestyle, buy an ESP and wait for the Explorer.

Well, looking at the bright side, there will be a vehicle very similar to the freestyle to manufactuer. Plus its all about buisness, Explorer and Mustangs are pretty much best known models from Ford and even though I wish they still made Freestyles, I think they are heading towards the right direction.

The Taurus is not far behind. The could have kept the Taurus X alive and put some of those ad $$s into promoting it.