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Remember that Chevy Traverse I bought for my Wife?


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She's owned it about a year now. It has been rock solid, but as per my wife...."Its just too damn big!" She liked it when she first got it, but over the past year she has noticed that the size of it is more of a detriment than a plus. Parking, backing into the garage, etc... has been a pain for her. Plus the gas mileage has been atrocious (15mpg).

 

So it looks like we are going to be replacing it.

 

She is finally willing to give up the third row in order to downsize (thank you). Number one on our list of things for her to test drive is the Edge with the Ecoboost 4.

 

So the saga begins anew. :headspin:

 

 

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Funny thing, my wife felt that the Edge was too big for hauling a single person back and forth to work, that's why we have the Escape. Also, the turbo 4 in the Escape does a better job of hauling our boat then the 6 cylinder Edge we had. Though she admits that the Edge was more comfortable for trips longer then 3 hours.

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I actually took a 2016 Edge Titanium with the 2.0L EB motor out for a test ride prior to buying my 2017 MKC with the 2.3L EB motor....the 2.0L EB was peppy indeed. She will not be disappointed at all. My prior car was a 2011 MKX with the 3.7L NA V6 and that was powerful in daily driving but I would get 17-18 MPG in daily commute driving in and around my suburban settings with no better than 23 MPG on the highway.....the MKC gets 21-22 in around town and 25-27 on the highway....and the 2.3L EB is snappy!!

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Funny thing, my wife felt that the Edge was too big for hauling a single person back and forth to work, that's why we have the Escape. Also, the turbo 4 in the Escape does a better job of hauling our boat then the 6 cylinder Edge we had. Though she admits that the Edge was more comfortable for trips longer then 3 hours.

 

We've got two kids, so she never goes anywhere by herself (poor thing).

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We've got #3 on the way and recently went car shopping for her. Goal was 20 mpg and lots of room. Looked at Explorer, Traverse, Impala, and Taurus. They were all about 52" wide in the back seat, which isn't quite wide enough for three car seats. Explorer and Traverse obviously have the third row, but it's a total pita to access a car seat back there and kills the cargo space when you use the seat. Pretty much the same deal with minivans unless you get the extended length ones, not to mention the horrible access to mechanicals on the minivans.

 

Looked hard at the Transit connect passenger wagon, but the wait to get one is ridiculous and I wasn't too enthused about a naturally aspirated 4 cylinder in a 7 seater. I have the 2.3 in my 2011 ranger and it's just barely enough with the manual trans. Add weight and a auto trans and it was just too much of a dog for her to drive daily. The new turbo diesel may alleviate that but who knows how long it will be until it finally gets here.

 

Finally, we ended up with a used Town Car. At 59" wide in the back seat, it's enough for three car seats in a row. On top of that the trunk is the size of a ranger bed lol. Gas mileage is great for what it is, averaging about 22 mpg in mixed rural/suburban driving thus far.

 

I know, rag me for being a member of the panther mafia and buying old used cars, but this car was an excellent solution for us.

Edited by Sevensecondsuv
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We've got #3 on the way and recently went car shopping for her. Goal was 20 mpg and lots of room. Looked at Explorer, Traverse, Impala, and Taurus. They were all about 52" wide in the back seat, which isn't quite wide enough for three car seats. Explorer and Traverse obviously have the third row, but it's a total pita to access a car seat back there and kills the cargo space when you use the seat. Pretty much the same deal with minivans unless you get the extended length ones, not to mention the horrible access to mechanicals on the minivans.

 

Looked hard at the Transit connect passenger wagon, but the wait to get one is ridiculous and I wasn't too enthused about a naturally aspirated 4 cylinder in a 7 seater. I have the 2.3 in my 2011 ranger and it's just barely enough with the manual trans. Add weight and a auto trans and it was just too much of a dog for her to drive daily. The new turbo diesel may alleviate that but who knows how long it will be until it finally gets here.

 

Finally, we ended up with a used Town Car. At 59" wide in the back seat, it's enough for three car seats in a row. On top of that the trunk is the size of a ranger bed lol. Gas mileage is great for what it is, averaging about 22 mpg in mixed rural/suburban driving thus far.

 

I know, rag me for being a member of the panther mafia and buying old used cars, but this car was an excellent solution for us.

.

Well, at least you didn't get a used CV Police Interceptor....

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The Edge is my favorite Ford SUV right now, especially with the 2.0LEB. It's fun to drive, quiet as a vault, and rock solid with comfortable seats and tons of space without the bulk. It might be worth waiting for the 2019 if you can since it's getting a visual refresh, standard LED headlights, and the new 8-Speed transmission...not that the current 6-speed isn't smooth and responsive. That CD4 platform is just outstanding, so much better than anything else under a Ford SUV right now. My Dad had a 2015 Edge SE and put 52,000 trouble-free miles on it before his lease concluded. He averaged about 27 MPG.

 

The Escape on the other hand...awful. Fun to drive but they beat the hell out of you and feel like they are falling apart after a few thousand miles.

Edited by Assimilator
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We've got #3 on the way and recently went car shopping for her. Goal was 20 mpg and lots of room. Looked at Explorer, Traverse, Impala, and Taurus. They were all about 52" wide in the back seat, which isn't quite wide enough for three car seats. Explorer and Traverse obviously have the third row, but it's a total pita to access a car seat back there and kills the cargo space when you use the seat. Pretty much the same deal with minivans unless you get the extended length ones, not to mention the horrible access to mechanicals on the minivans.

 

Looked hard at the Transit connect passenger wagon, but the wait to get one is ridiculous and I wasn't too enthused about a naturally aspirated 4 cylinder in a 7 seater. I have the 2.3 in my 2011 ranger and it's just barely enough with the manual trans. Add weight and a auto trans and it was just too much of a dog for her to drive daily. The new turbo diesel may alleviate that but who knows how long it will be until it finally gets here.

 

Finally, we ended up with a used Town Car. At 59" wide in the back seat, it's enough for three car seats in a row. On top of that the trunk is the size of a ranger bed lol. Gas mileage is great for what it is, averaging about 22 mpg in mixed rural/suburban driving thus far.

 

I know, rag me for being a member of the panther mafia and buying old used cars, but this car was an excellent solution for us.

My son has a 5 yr old, 3 yr old and a 1 yr old. Their primary "family mover" is a 2010 Explorer with a 3rd row. He just bought his uncle's 2006 Gran Marquis as his second (4th) vehicle. All 3 car seats fit, but not much room to install dividers to reduce the "she's touching me" syndrome.

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My son has a 5 yr old, 3 yr old and a 1 yr old. Their primary "family mover" is a 2010 Explorer with a 3rd row. He just bought his uncle's 2006 Gran Marquis as his second (4th) vehicle. All 3 car seats fit, but not much room to install dividers to reduce the "she's touching me" syndrome.

Haha, there's always that consideration! Fortunately we have our Excursion for longer trips. It's just not sustainable feeding that V10 on a daily driver basis...

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She's owned it about a year now. It has been rock solid, but as per my wife...."Its just too damn big!" She liked it when she first got it, but over the past year she has noticed that the size of it is more of a detriment than a plus. Parking, backing into the garage, etc... has been a pain for her. Plus the gas mileage has been atrocious (15mpg).

 

So it looks like we are going to be replacing it.

 

She is finally willing to give up the third row in order to downsize (thank you). Number one on our list of things for her to test drive is the Edge with the Ecoboost 4.

 

So the saga begins anew. :headspin:

 

 

 

You're downsizing while I'm upsizing... My girlfriend has a 9 year old daughter which makes 3 between us. My faithful Fusion is finally being retired and a Flex is joining the fleet soon.

 

Happy car shopping, Anthony!

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Haha, there's always that consideration! Fortunately we have our Excursion for longer trips. It's just not sustainable feeding that V10 on a daily driver basis...

Preaching to the choir, brother. I've got a 2004 SD with the 6.8 with a 93 tune and I swapped it to 4.30 gears. People look at me like I'm from another world when I tell them I bought a Mustang GT as a daily driver "because it gets so much better fuel mileage" :D

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You're downsizing while I'm upsizing... My girlfriend has a 9 year old daughter which makes 3 between us. My faithful Fusion is finally being retired and a Flex is joining the fleet soon.

 

Happy car shopping, Anthony!

 

Sweet! kidmobiles unite! :)

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Yep, I got the 430 gears too. Man that thing will pull though.

Got a buddy with a '00 Excursion with the 7.3L. Several times we've pulled cars on our trailers together. I'm not going to say that I can out pull him....but he doesn't get away from me. My weakness is fuel mileage. I'll get 7.5-8.5 pulling an enclosed trailer with my Torino. He'll knock down 12-13.

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Pretty much my experience. I can coax 14 out of it if I really try. Average is more like 11.5-12. Towing kills it quickly. Never met a trailer it wouldn't cruise on the highway comfortably with though. Biggest I've towed is my Ford 445 loader tractor with filled tires, counterweight, and 80" bucket. Probably close to 11,000 lbs including the trailer. It wasn't engine limited by any means but that's the point at which you really wish you had a pickup with a 5th wheel and dual rear wheels.

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