rcrose

Our country could save no telling how much fuel daily by putting an end to drive up windows in fast food restaurants. At the more popular places here, we have lines of cars extending from the street, all the way around the building, to the window. The wait can be 10 or 15 minutes and all those cars are for the most part, sitting there idling away, getting zero mpg. Another thing we are doing that makes no sense is trying to solve our fuel problem with ethanol. I understand that corn is more valuable as a foodstuff than as a raw material for fuel. Ranchers are having to sell off their beef herds because corn-based feed is too expensive. In addition, many farmers are now growing corn for fuel production, causing shortages in other grains. In addition, someone here on the Edge Forum mentioned that fuel containing ethanol yields a decrease of 10-15 mpg. To top it all off, it requires more energy to produce ethanol than than it provides as a fuel. Go figure...

Our Edge seems to be having the low-speed shift glitch with increasing frequency. Has anyone taken the problem up with their dealership and seen any improvement or is it just characteristic of the beast?

I haven't experienced this but on the subject of transmissions, we were driving at highway speed last Sunday and had to slow down for a bad wreck. We were going about 5 mph and the transmission felt like it shifted, rather roughly, a couple of times, although our speed wasn't changing appreciably. Please indulge my deviation from the original thread.

Thanks for your input. Those who have them seem happy with the Ford floor mats and I think I'll go with them and the OEM cargo liner. I like dealing with the local parts department unless their prices are totally out of line. When I picked up the bumper protector that they'd special ordered for me I was taken aback at how thin the package was and probably would have declined the thing if it had been an in-stock item. Your cleanliness fetish wouldn't work here in West Texas, particularly in the Spring when we have dust storms. My biggest complaint this time of year is dead grass which sticks to plastic due to static electricity from our low humidity. Of course, in the overall scheme of things, stuff like this is of little consequence, so I think I'll quit griping. Take care and thanks again.

Hey, whatever works. Now that you mention it, I don't need one, either. I am curious what you think of the Ford Cargo Mat. Recently, someone said that they were happy with their floor mats but the Cargo Mat was a little flimsy. On the plus side, it is supposed to fit well. What do you think?

I'm basically satisfied with the one you bought but I do have a problem with the fact that if you install it with the guide system it comes with (as I did), there is a strip unprotected between the appliqué and the bumper's edge. Because of this, I still avoid placing anything on the bumper. I am in a band and used to set instrument cases on the bumper of our Durango before sliding them in the back. No, I don't want the Durango back. The after-market protector mentioned above appears to extend to the bumper's edge and it's additional thickness would work better for my purposes. Considering what it consists of, the Ford protector also seems a little pricey but what's done is done.

From an October post by TSPAD: I found a great product for the Edge and MKX rear bumper. This item is called a Bumper Saver. It is made of a black rubberized compound, looks like the bumper pad found on a Explorer, is easy to install and only cost me $29.95. This item is so nice that I am considering distributing the item. If anyone is interested shoot me an email and I will forward a photo. If you are interested please call my office (914) 633-1550 and ask for Josephine.

You can find out quite a bit about this issue from page 1 of this thread. I bought the OEM protector and while I'm not dissatisfied, it really is little more than an appliqué. Here is a link that shows one which is considerably thicker and more what most SUVs come with. http://aslauto.com/bumper.htm It still only protects the top surface but it might do what you want. See what you think.

That's unfortunate. I bought the Ford rear bumper protector and was not overly impressed with it's thickness even though it does provide protection. The Web sites for online purchasing have photos but they really don't give enough detail to accurately see what you're getting. Based on what you're saying, I might end up getting Ford floor mats and somebody else's cargo mat. My wife and I are in a bagpipe band and we have our drum cases and other junk back there which won't be all that heavy. Still, I would like what ever I buy to be fairly substantial.

Thanks for your comments. Our Edge has a tan interior but I don't think the black mats would look badly with it. On the other hand, our dirt / sand in West Texas is light in color and would show more against black mats. We don't get much rain so the issue with water going under the Weathertechs wouldn't be much of a factor. There was a line of rubber mats on the thread and one of the few negatives about them seemed to be the smell although it wasn't mentioned how long the odor lingered after purchase. Anything will handle the occasional rainy day better than carpet.

Thanks. Please post your thoughts on the mat when it arrives.

Given the fact that there may be problems with some of the after-market mats, has anyone purchased the OEM mats and cargo liners from Ford? If so, are you happy with them?

You might consider the Edge. Our 2007 has a smooth, quiet ride and no wind noise at all. With the cross winds we experience in West Texas, we would certainly know about it if things didn't seal properly. The only quality issue we have found so far is that the front passenger side door is slightly misaligned with respect to the leading edge of the back door. We are running the standard size tires and the ride is far superior to our old Durango. You might have driven an MKX with problems.

We have a Sage and have gotten many compliments on the color. You're right, it's hard to nail down what the color is as it's constantly changing. Since I never thought I'd spend so much on a car and the color is somewhat pearlescent (is that a word?), I've named it the Pearl of Great Price.

I totally agree about the instrumentation light intensity. My first post on here dealt with that observation and some replying had the same low light and others were uncomfortably bright. It's compounded by the fact that the gauge faces are slightly dark which limits the contrast with the lettering. White would have been better.

I totally agree about the instrumentation light intensity. My first post on here dealt with that observation and some replying had the same low light and others were uncomfortably bright. It's compounded by the fact that the gauge faces are slightly dark which limits the contrast with the lettering. White would have been better.

You're right. Riding in quiet comfort, listening to good satellite radio programing, and seeing that you're getting 25+ MPG isn't half bad.

More interesting country. If you look up boring in the dictionary, it says "see Lamesa to Midland."

No Interstate this trip. We took kind of a back route through Carlsbad, up to Artesia, and over through Cloudcroft. Came back via Ruidoso and Roswell. Some of the Texas highways were posted at 75 at which it ran great but for some reason New Mexico is ridiculously slow with much of it 55 and 60. I pretty much held to the limit as I take care of computers in our Municipal Court and get to see some of the numbers speeding gets you these days. Not pretty!

Well, we just got back from our first long trip. We drove from Midland, TX to Alamogordo, NM and back, 778.2 miles and averaged 25.6 MPG. It actually hit 26.0 for a while until there were a bunch of stops and changes in the speed limit. There were no mechanical glitches and we really enjoyed having satellite radio for the first time. The seats are much more comfortable than those in our old Durango. So far, so good!

There is probably a dedicated fuse position for the accessory receptacles and it would involve moving or jumpering the wiring to a fuse that is controlled by the ignition switch. Years ago I installed two-way radios in vehicles and the fuse blocks were divided up that way. With the level of sophistication found in modern rides, you might not want to make such a modification. Your dealership might take a dim view of that so I'd get their input. Be careful and good luck.

Thanks for the info! It looks like they started with a control that produced one extreme and changed to one that gave the other. Maybe they'll come up with one that will go from too dim to too bright like it most cars have. Our old Durango's panel stayed lit all the time and the intensity dropped when headlights were turned on. That was nice around twilight and no, I don't want it back over my nit picking. The Edge is great!

With the control on maximum, the light level of the speedometer and tach are on the dim side of acceptable. I'm wondering if that is normal given that with most cars, you have to back it down because it's too bright. Just curious...

Thanks for your responses. If both of you are experiencing the same thing, it must be the nature of the beast. I don't think I'll be trying your sweet spot as in Texas they can give you up to 10 mph but there are some zealots out there that will you stop you for 5. I generally run 75 on the Interstates because if you don't, everyone will be passing and you become a major inconvenience for everyone. We like the EDGE very much. Traded a Hemi Durango in on it and the ride is smoother, the rear seat leg room is much better, and with mixed town and highway running 21.4 mpg, the economy looks great already.