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Ford Freestyle the crossover wagon drives like a nimble car
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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MUSKEGO, Wisc. -- Just beyond the suburban fringes of Milwaukee, we're following back roads in Racine County while skirting the lakes like Muskego, Fox and Wind which interrupt a prairie quilt of crop farms.
The vehicle we're steering over these county roads projects the two-box shape of a sport-utility wagon. It has a high stance and shows an elongated prow and a long and flat roofline, with a pair of doors on each flank and rows of windows wrapping around the squared-off tail.
In the cabin there's ample space for three rows of seats to haul as many as seven passengers.
And all of the chairs inside can flip and fold to make room for lots of cargo.
A frisky V6 engine mounts up front and directs all power to all of the wheels through a smart (meaning controlled electronically through a computer) all-wheel-drive (AWD) system.
Despite the boxy exterior styling and three rows of seats in the cabin, this particular vehicle is not just another tough-to-drive SUV stuffed onto the chassis of a pickup truck.
Instead, it rides on the rigid platform of a sport-tuned sedan developed by Volvo in Sweden.
As a result, it seems as precisely mannered and easy to drive as a tight European touring car.
But it comes together in America at Chicago Assembly Plant, the long-standing Ford factory where Ford's famed Model T was once built.
This new five-door wagon is called the Freestyle.
Ford classifies it as a crossover vehicle that blends the rugged look of a SUV with the versatile cabin structure of a minivan and the sure-footed handling of a sporty sedan with optional AWD grip.
The architecture for Freestyle originated with Volvo's variable-size P2 platform that underpins mid-size Volvos like the flagship S80 or S60 sedan plus V70 and XC70 wagons and the XC90 SUV.
Ford has adapted the P2 platform (while changing the name for the evolved structure to D3) for use in a number of upcoming vehicles for Ford, Mercury and Lincoln.
For Freestyle, the D3 architecture forges a stiff foundation for constructing the seven-passenger cabin and producing a nimble and easy-to-handle SUV.
Freestyle the crossover wagon has an impressively long wheelbase of 112.9 inches. The package stretches for 199.8 inches when measured from tip to tail, and it's 74.4 inches wide with the roof rising 68.2 inches tall.
Body styling shows a clean sculptured design with a long hood, high beltline and big wheels and tires as emphasized by flared wheel arches.
Doors run deep to make cabin entry and exit easy and seats are elevated so all riders sit erect and in a high-hiked position for comfort and keen visibility.
While the beltline is high, so too is the wrap of windows around the cabin so a driver in Freestyle has good sight lines with virtually no blind spots.
Ford's designers say the cabin was designed around the body sizes of intended occupants, with more than adequate room crafted for long legs and broad shoulders. As a result, the wagon earns best-in-class legroom for second and third tiers of seats.
It's the attention to personal space that makes Freestyle feel like a larger vehicle than the linear dimensions categorize it, and this perceived spaciousness means you don't mind spending time strapped in a seat.
Layout of the cabin pitches a pair of bucket seats up front divided by a multi-function console and followed by either a bench for three or two buckets, then a back bench for two.
Second-row seats fold on the seatback and tumble forward to make access easy to the third bench. The third-row, split into two separate seats, folds easily and forms a flat floor for the cargo bay.
Even the front passenger seatback folds flat.
Long items like a surfboard or skis may be loaded into the cabin and stretched from dashboard to tailgate on the right side, leaving left-side seats in place on three rows.
Issues of personal safety in the wagon are addressed with strong structural elements and energy-absorbing crush zones front and rear plus a variety of active and passive safety systems aboard.
All trim versions contain dual-stage frontal air bags for front riders with smart sensors in place to track the severity of a frontal crash along with the driver's seat position in proximity to the steering wheel and whether seat belts are being used.
Side-impact air bags for front seats and curtain-style air bags for front and back rows are offered optionally.
Equipment promoting active safety includes rack and pinion steering and four-wheel disc brakes tied to an anti-lock brake system (ABS) and traction control system (TCS).
Ford builds the Freestyle with either front-wheel-drive (FWD) or AWD traction.
The AWD device is a sophisticated electronically-controlled system developed by Haldex, a Swedish pioneer in AWD mechanisms. It's always engaged and operates in FWD mode unless on-board wheel sensors detect slippage of the front wheels. The smart device then can quickly divert some of the engine's power to turn the rear wheels and keep tires sticking on pavement, wet or dry.
For power, Freestyle stokes Ford's dual-cam Duratec 3.0-liter aluminum V6 engine. The plant produces 203 hp at 5750 rpm plus torque of 207 lb-ft at 4500 rpm.
It connects to a continuously variable transmission (CVT) by ZF-Batavia. The device approaches a manual shifter's fuel economy but delivers virtually undetectable shift transitions.
Trims for Freestyle consist of the well-equipped SE, deluxe SEL and top-flight Limited.
SE carries 17-inch aluminum wheels, a remote keyless entry, air conditioning, power controls for windows and door locks, six-way power for driver's seat and a stereo with CD deck. SEL adds foglamps and heated mirrors plus dual-zone climate controls, six-disc CD changer and a leather-wrapped steering wheel plus perimeter lighting. Limited rolls on 18-inch aluminum wheels and the cabin is dressed in leather with heated front seats and a premium audio package aboard.
MSRP figures for Freestyle begin around $25,000.
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| Vehicle Specifications: |
| 2005 FORD FREESTYLE Specs |
| Description: |
Mid-size crossover wagon |
| Model Options: |
Mid-size crossover wagon |
| Wheelbase: |
112.9 inches |
| Overall Length: |
199.8 inches |
| Engine Size: |
DOHC 3.0-L V6 |
| Transmission: |
CVT ZF-Batavia |
| Drive: |
FWD, AWD Haldex |
| Braking: |
FWD: Power 4-disc ABS/BA/EBD, AWD: Power 4-disc ABS/BA/EBD/TCS |
| Airbags: |
2 (front) plus opt. 2 (side) plus opt. 4 (side curtain) |
| Towing Capacity: |
2000 pounds |
| Gas Mileage: |
FWD: 20/27 mpg, AWD: 19/24 mpg |
| Price: |
SE FWD: $24,945, SE AWD: $26,645, SEL FWD: $26,345, SEL AWD: $28,045, LTD FWD: $28,545, LTD AWD: $30,245 |
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