How do you guys like the Edge? Other than the advantage of downsizing - goods/bads?!

 

i love them but i dont have the funds to get one .. but i test drove a few of them and loved it . once biz picks back up i might get one

 

there have been a ton of them popping up around here, Ford definately stepped it up with those and the Fusion.. if we didn't have the Expedition, we would've picked one up.. I'd even trade the Expedition in on one, but don't want to lose my ass..

funny that people equate SUV's to kid haulers, I like to be able to go places with friends and not EVERYONE have to drive because everyone has 2 seaters...

as to the towing, the 85 used weighed around 3000lbs alone, trailer was steel so probably close if not over 1000lbs.. unles you're getting an aluminum trailer, you're going to exceed it.. but nice ride though!

 

I personally would never try to tow a car trailer with anything that small. Not that it couldnt pull it,.. that isnt the issue. The issue would be the weight transfer and ability to stop.

I've had my 21' car trailer since 1996 and have tried pulling it with several vehicles. When empty my S10 blazer pulled and stopped it fine. But with my old 84 Camaro on it,.. forget it. The ass end sagged so bad,.. had to back the car to the end of the trailer to center the weight because the trailer was dancing too much at anything over 40 mph. I had a 84 chevy 2500 with a 305 that pulled anything I put on the trailer nicely. My 93 Ford F250 with 7.3 diesel was my best. Hardly knew it was back there when cruising. Brakes could have been a little better,.. but 17 - 20 mpg towing 3100lb Mustang couldnt be beat.

If your looking for a tow vehicle,.. I strongly recommend at least a 3/4 ton truck. A 1/2 will carry it fine if the car is centered on the trailer right,.. but wont stop the same as a 3/4 or 1 ton truck will. (I borrow my father inlaws E150 van to tow mine now) If the tow hauler is too light,.. you risk doing what I call the dance of death. It wont happen till at speed,.. and happens so quickly. The rear feels like its swaying from side to side,.. and suddenly your in a slide and the trailer just pushes you when you try to stop,. end result is usually a jackknife with damage to both the trailer and your hauler. This happened to a friend of mine who tried to tow an RX7 on a car trailer with a 99 V8 Dakota. Just not enough truck. I was in it with him when it happened.

I have nothing against the Edge,.. looks really nice. But I wouldnt try to tow anything more then a riding mower with that.

Hurst

 

Well the car's going to be fairly light, I don't know how light - but it's got tubular everything, zero interior, zero harness, skinnies, aluminum everything (except the cage)...

As for a trailer, I don't own one (yet), but when I do buy when, I'd like to get an aluminum dove tail...

Having said that - I've pulled Frankie w/my lil 6-banger Silverado since day one (and towed many other things: several landscaping rigs, a roofing rig [this one was cutting it close], etc) and never had any problems. Obviously, the truck isn't "ideal" to pull - but it gets the job done.

Just seems to me like that Edge pulling a nearly empty Fox Coupe would be fine

 

Your silverado was a truck. It had a full frame and real brakes. The edge is a Fusion with a taller body on it.

And a light mustang is 2700 lbs. Any trailer that can safely tow it will weigh at the least 5-600 lbs (and that's for a mega expensive aluminum trailer, and thats still probably too light of an estimate). So you're at 3200 lbs before you add a cooler, tools, grill, spares or anything else.

I rode to BMP a coulpe of years ago with BM$ in his half ton 4x4 Ford with 5.4 towing his car on an open trailer. That thing was STRUGGLING to get out into traffic. And that was a full size truck, about 6 feet longer than the edge, with much more of a driveline. You will kill an edge trying to pull a car on a trailer, or worse, kill yourself. Please consider something meant to tow.

 

I dont drive it very ofter, maybe once evey couple months. I bought her the Expedition and didnt think I was going to be able to get her out of it. We went to look at new vehicles, and shes was looking at the XL Exp's and surburbans, I was like damn I thought we were looking to downsize. I knew it wasnt going to be easy. We drove most of the affordable COer's out there and drove the Edge once they hit the dealers and she loved it. We bought one that day.

As far as towing, I would pull my ski with it and thats about it. Its hard to need a tow vehicle and want gas mileage, that a delima Im dealing w/ right now. Im probly going to trade the 150 in on a gas sipper and buy an older tow vehicle. It would b cheaper for me to pay insurance on it and not drive it than what Im spending on gas to drive my tow vehicle daily.

 

Ultimately a diesel will get the best fuel economy towing,.. particularly an older Ford with 7.3 and manual tranny,.. or 2001 - 05 Dodge with manual tranny. I've owned the Ford,.. and talked with several guys with the Dodge. Usually 15 - 17mpg towing a light car and 19 - 22 mpg empty.

As for gas trucks,.. 3/4 and 1 tons will not get you very good economy. No matter what gear and tranny you set it up with. But having talked with a few people who own 1/2 ton GMC and Chevy's 03 - 07 with either the 4.8 and the 5.3 2wd trucks are getting 20 - 22 highway and 13 - 14 towing a light car. Thats not too bad. Ford 4.6 and 5.4 trucks wont get more then 8 - 10 towing. My father inlaws MarkIII E150 conversion van with 5.4 gets 17 mpg empty on a good day highway. 8 - 9 mpg when I tow my car to the track.

I have trailer brakes and the van is not exactly ideal pulling my trailer. But I'm like you,.. I dont have anything else at the moment,.. and still debating on what exactly to get. I want something with enough power to pull it,.. but not going to kill me at the pump. Bio diesel with a vegi system seems to be the cheapest,.. but who wants to pump and filter grease traps every week for fuel?

New diesel trucks are so taxed with emissions crap,.. they arent getting any better economy then gas trucks.

What to do?

Hurst

 

in my 6.0 diesel 06 f250 with auto i get 16 mpg pulling my work trailer thats heavery than my stang on a trailer . 22 mpg no trailer bad ass truck . my 01 5.4 f150 gets 6 mpg pulling a trailer and 11 mpg with out a trailer.

 

my 97 F150 4x4 with a PI 5.4 gets about 10 when i borrowed a buddy's tailer an towed the stang. But it is also geared. It only gets about 12 on the interstate @ 60.