The 2.3 duratec is way overcooled it seems like. In the winter I literally watch the temp guage start to fall at every red light.
The only reason I "warm" the truck up in the winter is for engine health. If I want the cab to heat up I HAVE to drive the thing probably 3-4 miles to get any meaningful amount of heat from the vents.
Definitely covering up the grille this winter.
Modern vehicles really only need to warm up for about 30 seconds before you drive off. (even older fuel injected vehicles). They warm up better when you're driving them, rather than sitting idling (and, from what I've read, it's actually bad for them (specifically for the cat) to idle for extended periods of time warming up.
The two cars I had with remote start I hit the start button just before I put my coat on, and only to get a little bit of heat blowing, and warm the interior - although the Fit idled really high (2500 rpm when it was first started cold), so I waited a few seconds for the rpms to drop under 1500 (didn't take long). It took me probably two minutes to put my coat, hat and gloves on, and walk out to the car, just for the record. The ONLY time I let it idle for an extended period of time was when I needed to scrape frost and ice off the windows, and only because the defroster helped to soften the ice or frost on the windshield. That's it.