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Writer's Notes
Test Vehicle:
2004 Ford Freestar
MSRP*: $26,930 - $33,630
* including destination charge
Showroom appeal:
Windstar plus redesigned interior and mechanicals
Plus:
Interior flexibility/functionality, safety features
Minus:
So-so gas mileage, interior finishing
The Competition:
Nissan Quest, Honda Odyssey, Kia Sedona, Dodge Caravan, Toyota Sienna
Your teenage son won't be borrowing the van to run at the local drag strip, but Freestar has good go for 'round town and highways, and you can tow up to 2,000 lb.
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Minivans don't get much media buzz these days, their sales thunder having been stolen first by SUV's and then by sport ute hybrids. But, drive through any mall parking lot and you'll be reminded that the minivan market in the U.S. is still big. An estimated 1,000,000 will roll out of showrooms and into driveways this year. That's why automakers continue to take the segment very seriously, even as they fly largely under PR radar.
Ford introduces a new minivan nameplate this year, with the roll-out of the 2004 Freestar. Freestar is not clean sheet new, it's largely based on Windstar. Dimensionally and stylistically, it shares a strong, family resemblance with the now former Ford. Sheet metal changes are mostly found forward of the windshield, where the grille, bumper and headlight assemblies have been reworked. As before, a conservative design, and mostly irrelevant to its customers. More than any other vehicle type that I can think of, minivan buyers do so from the inside out.
"Freestar offers more safety and security features than any of its competition, including Safety Canopy rollover curtain air bag system, a fail-safe cooling system, reverse sensing system, signal mirrors, adjustable pedals and self-sealing tires."
Freestar is offered in five trim levels (S, SE, SES, SEL and Limited), and upper end offerings like my SEL tester (MSRP $29,995) are fitted with dual captain's chairs, in place of a second row bench. Second cabin seating is comfortable and flexible and accessed by optional power sliding rear doors (standard on Limited). Also available is a rear seat DVD entertainment system with wireless headphones. The chairs have low-rise headrests that don't block the driver's rear vision, cup holders that pop-out of the sides, and they fold flat and tumble forward easily, for accessing the way-back. They can even be removed if you're so inclined, though you may need to recline after doing so (they weigh about 70 lbs. each). The standard third row bench is smart seating. When up, it holds two/three, and headrests again hunker down out of sight when not in use. And, when down, it's really down. Borrowing a page from other automakers, the back bench folds flush with the floor when not in use. It also does double duty, flipping 'round for use as a rear facing tailgate seat. The process of folding/unfolding the bench is simple, and its versatility offers lots of combinations for accommodating people and their belongings. Maximum storage capacity is a generous 134.8 cubic feet. It drops to 72.1 cubic feet behind the 2nd row seat, and 25.8 cu. ft. behind the third row. Swinging all the way around to front cabin, Freestar has a new look dash, and a lot of spots to hold all manner of carry-ons. A dash-top, covered change dish is joined by door pockets, back of seat pouches, pull out trays and a total of nine cup-holders sprinkled about the interior. An optional center console adds a deep, covered bin. In all, high-function living quarters whose only vice is that some of the plastic used inside looks and feels less refined than some of the competition.
Body-wise, Freestar looks much like Windstar, but underneath the skin, Ford has revamped the powertrains and chassis. The base engine - Ford's 3.9 liter V-6 - has been re-worked to provide more of its peak torque (245 lb. ft.) lower in the rev range, where it's most useful. The optional 4.2 liter V-6 (standard on SEL and Limited) rates 201 hp (@4,250 rpm) and 263 lb. ft. of torque (@3,500 rpm). The 4.2 engine, which Ford claims to be the largest in terms of displacement and torque in the minivan segment, figures to be the better bet of the two motors, in a vehicle that weighs 4,406 lb. (SEL) before you add passengers and cargo. It is EPA-rated at 16 mpg's city/22 highway. Your teenage son won't be borrowing the van to run at the local drag strip, but Freestar has good go for 'round town and highways, and you can tow up to 2,000 lb. (3,500 lb. capability due later in the model year).
Suspension too has been revisited, and the result of this, added soundproofing and an overall stiffened body-shell is a quieter minivan with improved road feel. A full scale, flat-footed on-ramp launch induces some hoarseness from the motor, but Freestar is otherwise notably calmer inside than Windstar.
One attribute that Ford expects to carry forward from Windstar is that van's stellar safety numbers. Windstar earned top scores for front and side impact protection from NHTSA. Freestar has not yet been tested. For 2004, Ford offers a side curtain airbag system for $695. The Safety Canopy includes a rollover sensor and coverage for all three rows of seats.
Working mostly beneath the skin, Ford has made Freestar a clear step up on the popular model that it replaced. It needs to be. Although minivans don't get the attention they once did, the segment is hotly contested, and the competition is plenty good.
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---Story and photos by Dan Lyons
photos © Dan Lyons 2003
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