Best Cash-Back Finds: 12.07.07

Sifting through sales, incentives and various offers from car companies can be almost a full-time job for shoppers — and it is a full-time gig for some Cars.com staffers. We maintain a list of the Top 10 Cash-Back Offers here and a list of every available incentive here to help thrifty car shoppers. 

However, those charts aren’t helpful if you’re not sure about the cars on them. Is it OK to get the 2007 with a rebate and not the 2008? Could a car with a $4,000 cash-back offer be any good? The editors at Cars.com look at all the incentives and let you know which vehicles they recommend. These cars may not have the biggest rebates thrown on the hood, but our recommendations take into account our experiences driving the cars, along with some other factors, including safety and ownership costs. 

2007 Ford Edge

• MSRP: $25,320
• Cash back: $2,500
• Percent off MSRP: 9.87%
• Expires: 1/2/08
• 5-Year Ownership Costs
• Why it makes the cut: This is a classic example of a model where not much has changed for the new model year, besides the availability of that cool Sync feature we recently tested. If you don’t care about that, there are plenty of 2007 Edges left on dealer lots. The SUV has a lot of style and a healthy V-6 engine standard along with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's Top Safety Pick award. We’re not big fans of the interior fit and finish, but there’s a lot of utility here for the money.

Ford Announces Sync Strategy, Price

Ford’s new Microsoft Sync in-car entertainment and communication system has a price tag, and it’s not that bad. For $395, buyers will be able to add the option onto selected Ford and Mercury vehicles and it will be standard equipment on Lincoln models.

Besides Lincolns, higher-end trims of Ford and Mercury vehicles will eventually come with Sync standard. The first models to get Sync will be the 2008 Ford Focus, Fusion, Taurus, Taurus X, Edge, Explorer and Sport Trac, and the Lincoln MKX and MKZ. Sync should start becoming available on those models before the end of the year. 

Sync has Bluetooth capability and integrates peripherals like MP3 players into the system using voice recognition software. That means you can surf through your iPod’s playlists with voice commands. It also will read text messages from your phone aloud, even translating abbreviations like LOL. Plus it’s multilingual for English, French and Spanish speakers. Check out the video below for Ford’s promotional take on the new technology.

And on a personal note, as a Zune owner, I’m excited to finally see a press photo with something other than an iPod in it.

Fantasy Ford Lineup

It’s a few days before the NFL Draft, baseball season is in full swing and plenty of people are sitting at their desks “working” on mock drafts or setting their fantasy team’s lineup. So, why can’t we do that with our friends in the auto industry? In an article in the Detroit News today, analysts (How do you become an analyst, anyway? Is there an analyst school or something?) talked about how old Ford’s lineup is and how they don’t see much in the pipeline.

All the brands Ford owns — Volvo, Land Rover, Mazda and even Jaguar — have bright future lineups. But Ford itself, along with its siblings Mercury and Lincoln, has a bleak outlook. The only future vehicles we know about are the Flex crossover, which isn’t coming until late 2008, and a new Mustang sometime in 2009. That’s it. Otherwise, we’re looking at the renamed Taurus and Taurus X and the freshened-up Focus and Escape. The only bright spots are the Fusion and Edge. So what does Ford need to develop to turn things around? We give our fantasy ideas below; leave your thoughts in the comments.

Hot Deals: New Mazda CX-9, Ford Edge Get Incentives

Most people think of incentives as a way for dealers to get unpopular cars off their lots. Now, automakers are trying to get brand-new models into early adopters’ hands using some attractive financing offers and bonus cash.

The Mazda CX-9 is a large crossover that seats seven yet looks like a sporty SUV. It starts at $29,035 and easily goes up to $40,000 with options. Mazda is offering a lease deal for 39 months with $2,000 down and payments of $349.

Ford will begin offering $500 on the base, SE trim level of the new Ford Edge crossover, even though the vehicle is seeing brisk sales.

[Crossing Over to CX-9, Autoweek — Ford Offers First Rebates on New Edge Crossover, The Detroit News]

Related:
2007 Mazda CX-9 Cars.com Review
2007 Ford Edge Cars.com Review

IIHS Names Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX Top Safety Picks

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety named the new Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX SUVs Top Safety Picks, the group’s highest award. To get the nod, both SUVs had to earn the top rating of Good for frontal, side- and rear-impact crash tests. The Edge is already seeing brisk sales and adding such a highly regarded safety rating will certainly help future sales.

The Ford Fusion sedan was revamped slightly so it could be retested after earning a poor grade in side-impact tests without airbags and only Acceptable with optional side airbags. Now, the Fusion comes with standard side airbags which have been upgraded and the Fusion is now rated Good in side impact tests as well as frontal tests. Only a marginal rating in rear impacts kept it from being a Top Safety Pick.

Source: IIHS

Cars.com Review Wrap-Up

It’s been awhile since we posted a wrap-up of our recent expert car reviews from the Cars.com Research section. It must have been something to do with all those darn auto shows. Anyway, our staff wasn’t sitting on its laurels. Check out reviews of some of the newest vehicles on the market:

• 2007 Mercedes-Benz CL550
• 2007 Saab 9-7X
• 2007 Ford Expedition
• 2007 Lincoln Navigator
• 2007 Ford Edge

Ford Promotes Edge SUV with Free Video Podcast

Ford is jumping on the iTunes bandwagon with a new promotion called EdgeMusic Videocast, a feature meant to promote its new SUV by allowing users to download video podcasts for free. The first features music videos by modern rock acts Wolfmother, Gomez, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Cat Power. Each month there will be a new podcast with different artists, and they’ll be easily downloadable via iTunes or other podcast readers.

We’re not sure if this is the perfect tie-in — and all the songs seem so three-months-ago — but we give Ford credit for the attempt. Perhaps they can try to get some exclusive videos next time out.

Check out Ford’s EdgeMusic website for more details.

Ford's Plug-in Electric Hydrogen Hybrid Edge

We knew they had it. Perhaps it was a slip of the PR tongue at the Detroit auto show, but Ford said there was a Ford Edge SUV with a working version of the plug-in hydrogen hybrid powertrain shown in the radical Airstream Concept. Here it is.

Set to debut at this weekend’s Washington, D.C., Auto Show, the Edge hybrid has a hydrogen fuel cell that recharges a lithium ion battery pack, which is then used to power the electric motor. Speed tops out at 85 mph but the range is equivalent to 85 mpg if the car travels less than 50 miles per day between charging stops at home. Like the Chevrolet Volt concept we saw in Detroit, the Edge can plug into any regular electric outlet. 

Unlike the Volt, it does use an expensive — million dollar — hydrogen fuel cell instead of a small gasoline powered generator. Ford says it can easily swap out the fuel cell for a gas or diesel generator set-up as well, but either way the battery technology still isn’t up to speed for full production.

Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX Delayed

In an unexpected move, Ford is delaying the launch of its most anticipated model of the year, the Edge SUV, along with its Lincoln sibling, the MKX, by two weeks. The move is meant to give more time to ensure proper assembly and manufacturing of the all-new vehicles at the Canadian plant where they’re built. Dealers were expecting the two models to arrive by the end of this month; instead they’ll be waiting until mid-December for delivery.

There are two ways to look at the move. In the short run it hurts Ford, which is in need of more hot products; the Edge looks to be a strong seller, like the Fusion sedan. In the long run, taking time to tackle quality control before the product hits those influential first adapters — folks who always want to be the first on the block with the latest and greatest — who can make or break a new product is extremely important.

Hopefully, Ford fixes all it needs to fix and the Edge follows the Fusion’s route as a reliable product.

[Ford Pushes Back Edge, MKX launch, The Detroit News]

Related:
Consumer Reports Applauds New Vehicles From Ford and GM

Ford Dealers Learn How to Sell Edge

When the all-new Ford Edge crossover arrives at dealers next month, salesmen are going to have a new tool to help them sell the car. Because the Edge joins three other Ford SUVs and crossovers in similar price points — the Escape, Explorer and Freestyle — the company created a guide to help customers find the “right vehicle” for them. The Edge could, and probably will, cannibalize sales from Escape and Explorer, but Ford dealers seem to prefer to lose a sale to another Ford buyer, instead of another automaker.

From the announcement of the Edge last January and the subsequent news that Ford would sell the aging Escape compact SUV right alongside it, we’ve wondered: Who will buy the Escape when a shiny Edge is sitting right next to it? Dealers suggest they’ll order more four-cylinder Escapes and V-8 Explorers to complement the V-6-only Edge in the showroom. That makes some sense and spreads the sticker price gap a bit more realistically between those three cars. We don’t expect those shopping for a three-row Freestyle to cross-shop the Edge, no matter what the pricepoint. 

[Stealing Sales, AutoWeek]