2005 Ford Freestyle SEL

Following terrific success of its new 2004 F-150 pickups, Ford has been telling everyone who will listen that 2005 is its "Year of the Car," and has backed that up with fall introductions of its all-new Ford Five Hundred and Mercury Montego sedans and a hot retro-look new Mustang. Now comes this equally all-new and hugely significant Freestyle.

Completing the crossover equation is sport-sedan-style dynamics, thanks to "Volvo-inspired" architecture.

Not exactly a car, Freestyle is a car-based "crossover." Crossover? Think of it as the legitimate love child of a family sedan and an SUV. Toyota is credited with inventing the category by dropping a wagon-like body on its front-drive Camry platform to create the Lexus RX 300, which was superceded for 2004 by the larger RX 330. Most others have followed.


But Freestyle one-ups most in several ways, especially at the price. For one, it's a brilliant job of packaging a lot of people and cargo space into a maneuverable, modest-sized body. Three-row seating is standard, with actual adult-size room in the way back. Typical crossover competitors either don't offer third-row seats or charge extra for them, and few have back-row room suitable for grown-ups.


"Freestyle blends the looks of an SUV, the versatility of a minivan and the confidence of an all-wheel-drive sedan," says Ford. "Freestyle is the crossover done right," adds Group Vice President, Product Creation, Phil Martens. "We didn't try to adapt an existing minivan or sport-utility platform. Freestyle is built from the ground up as a crossover with class-leading spaciousness, seven-passenger comfort, versatility and all-wheel-drive capability."


Freestyle, like Five Hundred and Montego, sits on a sophisticated Volvo-derived platform (Ford owns Volvo as part of its Premier Automotive Group) with available AWD and state-of-the-art safety technology. Its 3.0-liter DOHC 24-valve aluminum V-6-which meets very tough Federal Tier II, Bin 5 and California LEV II standards for low-emission vehicles-is far from the most powerful in class at 203 hp and 207 lb.-ft. of torque, but its smooth CVT (continuously variable transmission) makes it both livelier and more fuel-efficient than it would be with a conventional automatic. Because the CVT lets the engine seek its most efficient rpm, you'll hear it race ahead of vehicle speed during brisk acceleration, but it's usually transparent as it goes about its work with no shifts interrupting the power flow.