I read that it’s an ‘‘intelegent’’ awd system always armed and ready. No 4 wheels locked or low range selection.
To read any Ford owner’s manual go to http://www.owner.ford.com , mouse over ‘‘vehicle basics’’, click on ‘‘owner’s manuals’’ select any year and model, it will download and you can scroll and read and even print.
I was a salesperson and district sales manager, not in the auto field. In defense of auto salesman many are very short timers in the auto business. Turnover is high and the training for a new salesperson is a few computer courses and watching “seasoned” salespeople. Many dealers now move the customer to a “closer” or manager if the initial salesperson gets a customer to the point where a buyer is getting serious about a specific vehicle. They do this because a newer salesperson could botch the sale as it nears the critical stages.
In addition you have a bunch of different new cars to know, and used cars are even more varied in facts and features. Then, many salespeople really aren’t car “guys” at all. They are just folks with people skills who can talk easily with customers. General car knowledge isn’t a big criteria for a hiring dealership. Therefore a customer who is a car “guy” and knows a lot about the specific kind of vehicle they want will find big holes in the knowledge of many salespeople.
The question in really one of honesty. A really knowledgeable salesperson could be honest or dishonest, and the same for the sales person who is car clueless. I am more concerned with whether I am dealing with a decent honest person, or a shifty dishonest one. Most of my experiences with car salespeople showed them to be good folks in the main with a few sharks mixed in. Same as the general population, no better, no worse.
We’ve al had our frustrating moments with car salesmen. One of mine was at a car show when I was interested in a rear drive Olds and wanted a split front bench seat; this was optional in those days, and often only available in high end models. The salesman did not know and there was no sales literature in the booth.
I proceded to the Honda booth, since an Accord would also meet my needs. The Honda salesman explained exactly which Olds models had split front seats and how much they cost!!! He then said that ALL hondas had split front seats since that was the only way they came.
Since the company was paying for the car and wanted to stay “domestic”, they ended up getting me a high end Olds with a split bench seat.
Honda sales soon surpassed Olds sales, and the rest, as they say, is history.
"there’s one at the Rockingham Mall in Salem"
That’s the one.
So...what did this salesman say when asked how Traction Control works? He said, "Oh, when you push that button, it makes the car heavier".
I remembered that one. It’s a classic.
It’s the EXACT point I was trying to make. If the salesman doesn’t know he answer he’ll make something up so he doesn’t look stupid. But in this case it backfired. But I have to wonder how many people actually said…“Oh I thought it was something like that.”
Smarter? Who said that? More informed, you betcha. We dealt with Ford, Mazda, and Hyundai sales people recently. The Ford guy only knew a few canned facts that he trotted out on cue. I had done my research (and read car mags for decades) but had questions about how that particular Focus was equipped. I didn’t expect him to know every car on the lot in detail, but it quickly became clear that all he knew was the number of trim levels and to push “Titanium…” The rest he made up. The Hyundai guy was honest about the model being new and mostly unfamiliar to him. When he didn’t know he went and asked his boss. A bit slow, but they made the sale. The Mazda guy was a veteran and sharp, though probably helped by the Mazda3 having been around a few years. He knew it well. So they aren’t all ignorant. Just way too many.