Going Rogue


Ford called me this morning! They had good news and bad news. The good news was they diagnosed the problem as my hybrid battery. The hybrid system on this truck came with an 8-year, 100,000 mile warranty to allay the fears of people like myself who are wary of new tech. It went into service in 2022 (even though it’s a 2021) and has 66,000 miles, so plenty of warranty left. 

The bad news? The battery is backordered, and it could be a month before they get one in. 

My truck has 430 hp, can do 0-60 in 5.3, 100 mph in the ¼ mi., and can tow more than 12,000 pounds. It has a 7.2 kw generator built-in that can power an entire house, or equipment like a welder, chopsaw and plasma cutter. It seats five full-size adults very comfortably. My rental car, a Nissan Rogue, can’t do any of those things. But since I’ve been in Tacoma, I haven’t done any of those things in my Ford, either. 


One thing the truck doesn’t do is fit easily into a small, strangely angled parking spot. That's something I attempt to do everyday in Tacoma. The Nissan Rogue does this without a second thought.

 

Mary also has a strong preference for the Rogue. She finds the truck to be ridiculously tall. I appreciated the ground clearance when the snow got deep on Skate Creek Road, but that was only once, and it wasn’t all that deep. Since we’ve left Missouri, Mary has been hesitant to jump into the back seat of the truck, frequently to the point of outright refusal. She just looks into the open door and waits for me to lift her in, which I do after I decide she’s not doing it on her own today. She is 13 years old, and this is about the only thing she has given up in her twilight years. But with the Rogue, she hops right in without batting an eye. I don’t know what the seat height difference is between the two, but it’s clearly enough to matter to her.


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