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2004 Ford Freestar
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| Interior Fortitude |
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| Updated |
Jun 10, 2004 22:37:42 |
| Rating |
 207 ( -29 -14% ) | | Author | Brian Chee |
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Description:
2004 Ford Freestar
Interior Fortitude
Writer's Notes
Test Vehicle
2004 Ford Freestar
MSRP: $21,385
The Freestar is available in five trim levels: Freestar S, SE, SES, SEL and Limited.
Showroom appeal:
Not high on the excitement scale
Asphalt Rating:
Bigger engine, more torque
Plus:
Interior improvements
Minus:
Exterior look
The front seats are strong and comfortable; command of the road is excellent, thanks to a well-thought seating position and large windows all the way around.
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Used to be that minivans were all about substance and never about style. No one bought one to look good; to do so would be akin to buying a refrigerator for the cool black paint. Sure, it looks good. But where are you going to put the eggs?
Then a few enterprising automakers figured out how to make a minivan with substance and style, and families everywhere scratched their heads and thought: "hmmm. I don't have to live with a box in order to get convenience and space?
It's true. Unless, perhaps, you're shopping for a 2004 Ford Freestar. Then you're pretty much going to get an unexciting minivan exterior wrapped around a very good interior. The Freestar neither gives you the sensation of freedom, or the feeling of stardom. And everybody wants to be a star, even though we all know that what counts most is our interior fortitude.
That's what the Freestar's got. Interior fortitude, much improved over the dated Windstar and better than most in the class. Innovations include a Safety Canopy side curtain air bag system with rollover sensor, offering protection for all three rows of seating in side impact collisions and rollovers.
That's what the Freestar's got. Interior fortitude, much improved over the dated Windstar and better than most in the class. Innovations include a Safety Canopy side curtain air bag system with rollover sensor, offering protection for all three rows of seating in side impact collisions and rollovers. There's also a Tailgate Bench SeatTM feature, which folds flat into the floor and disappears without removing the head restraints.
The front seats are strong and comfortable; command of the road is excellent, thanks to a well-thought seating position and large windows all the way around. Instrument panels and controls are nicely finished and easy to use - especially nice are the chrome ringlets around the gauges. Not too sure what could be stored in the center dash compartment - seems very shallow, with an indention deep and wide enough for small papers, a notepad or a cell phone. Beyond the front, the Freestar loses some sheen. The 2nd row back seats are comfortable enough, and legroom is sufficient, but the third row could only ever be used for little people. Getting in and out of the back is difficult, and legroom is an issue. I found the back seat folding mechanism to be a little bothersome when putting back into place, within the context of being able to do it with one hand. Folding the seat down into the back, however, was very easy and may well be the best mechanism in the class. According to Ford, the company tripled its investment in interior design and development, and for the Freestar, the result is a comfortable, strong and well-crafted interior. You can even flip the third row seat to face rearward, and have a picnic - or stare at trailing motorists - though that is certainly not recommended.
Those motorists may get even when you have to change lanes. On the road, the Freestar drives like most minivans - soft, with little feel of the road at your fingertips. Braking is superb, thanks to larger brakes, though acceleration from a standing start seems problematic. According to Ford, the Freestar's standard 3.9-liter V-6 is one of the top engines in the minivan class, and the 4.2-liter is one of the largest.
Perhaps I drove a dud. When changing lanes behind a stalled vehicle, I indicated my intent to slide over, checked the mirrors, hit the gas for a quick jump into the next lane and…waited. The expected jump was more like a nervous fast walk. At speed, however, the Freestar performs very nicely, with smooth power and nice control, thanks to that engine and an improved four-speed automatic transmission.
But back to that style thing. The Freestar may well have trouble competing on looks in a class that includes at least two redesigned and feature-heavy opponents, the Toyota Sienna and the Nissan Quest. And while the view from the inside is comfortable and commanding, its walk-up impression may eventually have people walking away.
---Story by Brian Chee |
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