Ford stays ahead of curve with Freestyle
This week, we’re behind the wheel of Ford’s all-new Freestyle, a cross between a station wagon, SUV, minivan and a sedan. Built on a Volvo platform, it incorporates the best of the Swedish brand’s world-renowned safety while offering seating for up to seven passengers.
With gasoline prices booming and owners of fuel-hungry SUVs re-thinking their purchase, Freestyle offers good gas mileage. Ford says to expect 19 mpg city and 24 mpg highway, which we feel is easily attainable if driven properly. You surely won’t get these numbers in a Ford Expedition.
Up front, we applaud Freestyle’s Volvo-inspired AWD technology, spacious interior, safety standards and overall good looks. I’m still not sure if the Freestyle is more a station wagon or an SUV, as the car seemed to change “looks” as my needs necessitated.
When it snowed, up the hills I went in “SUV” AWD security; when we needed a large food order, there was more than enough room in this “wagon”; when transportation of my son and his friends was needed, the “minivan’s” third seat came in handy.
Once inside, excellent visibility awaits driver and passenger. The second and third rows feature progressive 2-inch higher seating than the front seats, which we like. Cargo space is very good even with a load of passengers, thanks to a deep cargo well behind the third seat.
As for power, we’d like to see more. A 3.0-liter Duratec V-6 offers 203 horsepower, which is adequate until you load the Freestyle with cargo and passengers. However, don’t think the Freestyle is a slow poke. When combined with a “gas saving” fully automatic continuously variable transmission that is completely different from conventional transmissions, acceleration suffers a bit, but the engine works more efficiently. With two tons to pull, we’d like to see Ford up the power to at least 225. The challenge will be in maintaining the fairly good EPA numbers.
Our top-of-the-line Limited featured standard 18-inch wheels, leather, wood-grain trim, dual-zone automatic climate control, traction control, four-wheel disc ABS brakes, power front seats, front seat heaters, 50/50-split capability for the third-row bench, and a cargo net.
Options included a $995 entertainment center/theater, $695 safety package with air bags everywhere, $175 adjustable pedals, $250 reverse sensing, $595 auxiliary climate control, $115 garage door opener, and an $895 power moonroof. With $650 added for destination, the final tally came to $34,615 from a $30,245 base. Remember, this is the top-of-the-line Freestyle, with much lower priced models available.
Other important numbers include a wheelbase of 112.9 inches, 19 gallon fuel tank, 22.5 cubic-feet of cargo space behind the third seat, 4,112-pound curb weight and a maximum towing capacity of 2,000 pounds. On-road characteristics are excellent thanks to a fully independent suspension, resulting in a nimble, smooth and refined ride.
Because Volvo’s excellent safety record is built into every Freestyle, you’d be making a mistake not to drive one if you are shopping in this new market. Although we were a bit cool to Freestyle in the beginning, we liked it more and more as the week went on.
We’re rating the new Freestyle a solid nine on a scale of one to 10 for bringing to market perhaps the best “new” vehicle we’ve driven in a while. Ford is ahead of the curve with Freestyle, and we expect it to be a winner at Ford showrooms everywhere.
Likes: Innovative, ahead of the curve, Volvo safety built-in
Dislikes: Horsepower rating, too much interior plastic