2009 Ford Escape 6 speed AT

[GasSavers_XRinger]

I've been driving a stick for so long, I don't have a clue about ATs.

I've been looking to buy a Ford Escape
http://www.stonehamford.com/detail-2...s-3715452.html

And I'm wondering if this AT has a record of problems? Or is this model too new?

Thanks for any comments..

[GasSavers_XRinger]

Since no one has commented, I'll assume everything is fine and
go ahead and get a 2009 Escape with the 6sp AT and 2.5L ICE.

Took a test drive yesterday and the shifting was very nice.

[JanGeo]

The new 6-speed automatic is expected to yield a 1-mpg boost in city and highway fuel economy, though final EPA numbers are not yet available.

From Popular mechanics - you do know you are buying a gas guzzler right?

[Jay2TheRescue]

I'm right here with my brother in law (The guy that manages a Ford service dept). He says that he hasn't had any problems with them, with the exception of a stray one here or there will leak ATF from the cooler.

-Jay

[GasSavers_XRinger]

Not so sure it's really "a gas guzzler", it should do pretty well for it's size and weight.
At 60 mph, the 2.5L ICE turns a lot lower RPMs than my old 2.0L CRV.
The AT seems to get to 6th gear ASAP. And, it's pretty smooth too.




Neat little air-dam under the nose and some little mini-dams for each rear tire.

And, the tires are the same low-rolling-resistance tires they use on the 2009 Escape Hybrid..

Once I get the SG2 calibrated, we'll see what we got. Once it's broken in,
I'm hoping to see about 30 MPG with a 50:50 mix of highway and city.

It's academic anyways, since I only drive 1,000 to 2,000 miles a year.
That's not a lot of fuel. Since the summer of 1997 I've been going in for
fill ups about once a month.

I traded in the 1999 CRV with 35,540 miles on it.
That's 3,554 miles a year, or 296 miles a month (or 10 or 12 gallons of gas per month).

Now that I'm retired (2 years now), I'm driving a lot less. In the summer, I put on more bicycle miles..

[Jay2TheRescue]

Sounds like my grandfather. When he died he had a 2 year old car in the garage with only 2,200 miles on it. (I hope to someday get my hands on that car.) Enjoy the new car.

-Jay

[GasSavers_XRinger]

http://jalopnik.com/388001/ford-reve...pe-and-mariner

The new 6F35 AT seems pretty nice, but be sure to check your fluid level.
It uses Mercon LV (I read that LV means Low Viscosity) and getting
the right level turned out to be a little tricky for me.

Yesterday, I had only put about 147 miles on the car. It had 60, so the
total was 207 on the 6F35, when I decided it would be a good day to
check the levels per the manual.
After doing the warm-up and 3-second-wait shift changes, I found the level
was very low. It was down under the bottom indicator hole.
In the "Do Not Drive" zone.

I could not find any Mercon LV (made for Ford) and neither could my dealer.
When they went elsewhere and got some, my salesman sent
a couple of repair guys to my house..
They confirmed it was indeed really low. And then they over-filled it.
After they left, it was 1/2 to 3/4 inch over the top indicator hole.
Back in the Don't drive zone again.. "AT damage and shift problems likely".
(When it should have been down between the holes in the crosshatch).

So, I pumped out 23 of the 32 ounces they added to get the right level.
Since I had to pump, warm-up drive & check... Then repeat, it took a while.

It seems really strange that it only needed 9 oz to move the level up
from very low to the top of the crosshatch..

I plan to drive-n-check it a few times today. Just to be safe.
The guys did leave me with a fresh quart of Mercon LV, just in case.

[hi tech hillbilly]

a 2009 model anything has a trans dipstick? thats cool, my 05 explorer doesnt have one but i know how to check and service it anyway

EDIT: That looks exactly like a mini Explorer, and they look better than all previous models IMO. Nice car!

[GasSavers_XRinger]

It's a "forever filled" tranny, but I guess they got smart with this one and built in a stick tube.

I took a test drive today to warm it up for another reading.
It might have gotten a little too hot, since the level was a tad too high.

I've done a half-way calibration on my SG2 and today it showed 22 mpg city
and over 35 mpg on the highway.
Even if that's not right, it's pretty close. I think this thing might turn out
to be a nice little hypermiler.

[GasSavers_XRinger]

At least the highway speeds that I drive around here..






At 65 MPH, 2k is pretty good in my book.. Just loafing along.


The first two pics were shot on the way out, before the turn around,
at about 16 miles. The second two were on the way back.
65 was my max speed. (Still breaking in).