Car-based SUV is a hit for Ford
The 2005 Ford Freestyle SUV -- not to be confused with the Ford Freestar, a minivan, but you have to wonder about the advice the company is getting on its product names -- is an unexpected hit.
Unexpected for Ford, anyway, which also makes you wonder about the advice it is getting on its product planning. Ford just announced that the company would be building fewer Five Hundred sedans and more Freestyle SUVs at the plant in Chicago where both are manufactured.
“The market’s surprise demand for the Freestyle is triggering the mix adjustment,” reported Automotive News. “We thought it was going to be the other way,” said Steve Lyons, Ford Division president.
Really? No one else did. The Five Hundred is a nice, roomy sedan, but Ford, and most every other car company, already has nice, roomy sedans. The Freestyle, mechanically identical to the Five Hundred except for the body, is a handsome, practical, seven-passenger SUV that rides and drives like a car. Ford doesn’t have that: All its SUVs except for the little Escape are truck-based, not car-based.
The car-based Freestyle not only fills a huge gap in the company lineup but does so with an exceptionally well-executed and attractively priced model.
The Freestyle is powered by the corporate 203-horsepower, 3.0-liter Duratec V-6, familiar from the Taurus. The transmission on the test Freestyle, a midlevel SEL model, was a CVT. That stands for “continuously variable transmission,” meaning it isn’t a four-, five- or six-speed transmission, but it has an infinite number of speeds. Ford also offers a conventional six-speed automatic. Both are superb, among the best offered anywhere. This is a revelation for Ford, where transmissions have been a weakness.
The V-6/CVT combination, if Ford is to be believed, is a low-maintenance combo. Aside from oil changes, there is no scheduled maintenance for the engine for 100,000 miles, and 60,000 miles for the CVT.
Though not quite built to luxury standards, the interior of the Freestyle SEL is very comfortable, with controls properly placed. Front and second-row seats are roomy, and the two fold-down seats in the third row are not bad, even for adults.
The ride is smooth, if a bit floaty. The transmission does all it can to maximize the available horsepower, but even Ford knows that the 3.0-liter V-6 is smaller than some customers will like.
The test vehicle was a front-driver with 203 horsepower. Although I may have wanted more horses, I never needed them.
The price for the SEL model starts at $26,345. With a rear DVD system, a sunroof, side air bags, leather upholstery and other options, the bottom line for the test car was $30,870. That’s getting an awful lot for the money.
