It's an opening inside vehicle that allow for air pressure to escape, upon opening/closing the doors.
Example, my house is so air tight, when I open the front door, I hear the windows in the foyer flex from the air pressure. Same situation in the cars. The nickname "fartboxes" allow for the pressure to dissipate to the exterior.
* What vehicles you thought Freestyle was far better than? Worse than? * What driving sensation you had? For example, "Reminded me of..." * Other things you may think of?
is probably a great choice for a lot of people, but it's a lot longer than an explorer and can't hold any more passengers. i doubt the 3.0 can stand up to a 4.6 with 4 people, plus 4 bicycles out back, plus the cargo coffin on the top, with the dual air running. obviously, i think my explorer is a great vehicle. the freestyle looks like a good alternative to an escape, for those who need more space (wife drives an escape).
2024 Ford F-150 STX, 2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
Agreed, but we were asked to compare it to vehicles we have driven. The ONLY other thing remotely like it I have driven is an Explorer (and a few Chrysler minivans on occasion), thus my post above...
i'm not trying to give you a hard time, but what year explorer? how much did you drive it? compare to what? it's nothing like a minivan. ride is not as 'smooth', but it handles the more extreme situations a lot better.
2024 Ford F-150 STX, 2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
2002. Over 3000 miles. And driving impressions are a matter of opinion.
Now, on the other hand, the Freestyle I have driven less than two miles! Enough to know that I much prefer the Five Hundred, with which I was mightily impressed.
Then again, as I have said numerous times here, I am a *CAR* person, not a crossover, SUV or truck person. So why am I here, you might ask? And fairly so. To learn as much as I can about the Five Hundred, the Freestyle's cousin. That's why!
There's quite a bit of room between th shifter in park and the climate controls, at least 4 to 5 inches, so it shouldn't be a problem unless someone has very large finger and hands and very stiff wrists. Overall the control layout and visibility of the Freestyle and Five Hundred are among the best I've seen, and my only real complaints are that the front footwells are a bit narrow, though no worse than almost any other FWD car's and better than most in this regard and that the fuel filler door is on the right side ( I can never convince my passenger to fill up for me at the self serve;) ). Neither of these is a major issue
The Freestyle is MUCHO quieter than the Chrysler minivans. Rode better, too. It was only by comparison to the Five Hundred that it suffered, and then only in ride and a wee bit in steering/handling...
Hard to believe that... Must drive it to believe it...
How much quieter could it be? As much as a luxury car? Lincoln's Navigator is a very quiet vehicle. I would like to compare the quietness between the 2. The Navigator shows that if Ford really wants, then...
" in this regard and that the fuel filler door is on the right side ( I can never convince my passenger to fill up for me at the self serve;) )"
Actually there's a good reason for having it on the passenger side. Have you had a vehicle that has had it on the driver's side, and you park next to the pump and open your door, there's a huge chance you'll hit the pumps, or worse, those concrete pillars.
While having it on the passenger side, there's less chances a passenger will open up and "WHAM" against the above mentioned.
"How much quieter could it be?"
It's a very muted, quiet ride. Think Town Car in quietness, and don't be surprised if some in the media compare it closely to Lexus, in quietness.
Well, you're right about hitting the concrete platforms the pumps are mounted on, but you're also a Floridian, and don't have to worry about standing outside the car to pump gas in -10 weather. The less time it takes the better;) Which side the fuel filler is mounted on is really no big deal and would certainly have zero influence on a purchase decision, but I have gottten use to having it on the driver's side and if I should purchase a new Freestyle or Five Hundred, which is likely with well over 100,000 pot-holed and over salted Detroit miles on a 13 year old Crown Vic, I know that for the first couple months I'll be pulling up to the pumps on the wrong side.
Well, ANT, I've driven both, the Town Car & Chrysler minivans. I think Chrysler minivan is quieter inside than Town Car. Especially regarding the engine noise. The Town Cars engine is really noisy when pressing the gas a little hard! Otherwise it is very quiet.
But if the Freestyle are as quiet, it will be a winner for sure. Many people choose import brands for the quietness and refined feel.
" and don't have to worry about standing outside the car to pump gas in -10 weather. "
That's true, but do you have pumps that have that auto-latch, where you can click it a few ticks and it continues to pump for you ? On the few that have them here, we usually use it whenever there's heavy rains with winds.
"The Town Cars engine is really noisy when pressing the gas a little hard! "
It's the plastic manifold intake that causes that noise, but in the 500/Freestyle it'll be somewhat a bit more muted than that though. A refined sound.
Hey, when my new merlot red Freestyle LTD gets here in a few weeks (hopefully), ya'll can go for a ride with me... if you promise to jump out and fill up your side with gas!!!!
I must have it bad... I loaded the Freestyle wallpaper from the ford website, so now I can look at it when I sign on. My husband is getting cold feet because he thinks he won't get what his four year old Impala with low mileage is worth -- but I'm working on him. Anyone need a loaded 2000 Impala with under 30,000 miles on it?
You could do as a dude in Alaska. He had an old beyond-junk Subaru. He placed it on e-bay. He named every rust spot and bent part, like "villain" fenders. As a result, the auction had 100,000s of hits. The winner bought it for thousands above Edmunds' TMV. And he/she lives in California.
I drove the Pacifica on a business trip. My boss had a blast. I couldn't drive it without fumbling a control! The emergency brake, or the lights, or something. I could barely see through the back window. It was a nightmare.
We both had major problems understanding how to flip the second row seats.
As he said, it's great I spent $30 on the rental upgrade, than $30,000 on a car I would hate.
Driving-wise it was OK.
I bet Freebie will beat it, based on your feedback.
BTW, could anyone compare Freebie to a Windstar/Freestar?
Selling the Impala on EBay? Hmmmmm. Why not. Question for all of you who have been lucky enough to drive the Freestyle... Can we talk about comfort? Do you remember how the seats felt? How comfortable were they for things like back support and position of all the controls, etc? Did it feel like an "old shoe"? (i.e., you go to the shoe store and slip on a pair, and feel like you could run a marathon in them?) How about the console and other storage? Did you poke around a bit while you were inside? It's so hard to tell from a picture!!!!
My van has the fuel filler on the driver's side; my wagon has it on the passenger's.
I prefer it on the driver's side, but I wouldn't mind it on the passenger side so much if all cars were just consistent.
Most cars do have a little arrow or triangle on the gauge to remind you which side it's on but most of the time I forget to look until I'm already at the pump.
I didn't have a problem viewing any of the controls including the climate controls, it might be different if you're shorter or taller, I'm about 6'2".
I haven't driven any recent Chrysler minivans but the Freestyle seemed eerily quiet and smooth even under hard acceleration, I really floored it and even when standing on the brakes from about 30-35 mph and goin over rumble strips while braking! Unfortunately I couldn't try it out on my favourite stretch of horrible road in Detroit -- John Kronk. The Ford guy who was sitting next to me when I tested the Five Hundred had the windows rolled down so I can't compare the quiet level of the two cars but I was impressed, even more by the lack of body roll or lean in very hard cornering.
We buy most of gas at Costco because it is usually 10 to 15 cents cheaper than the other gas stations. The costco gas station is like 6 rows of pumps wide and you can only enter from 1 direction. So there are 6 lanes for right side gas fillers and 6 lanes for left side gas fillers. The majority of cars have the gas door on the left side side they either have to wait in line or go to to a pump for right side car and stretch the hose over the car to fill up. It is very nice going there with a ford car because of the right side gas filler.
Most cars have it on the left side, and is more convenient than right side if you fill it up yourself (self service).
And if you go to full service (as in NJ) you can have a better view of the pump to see the little running numbers how the gallons are filling up in your car and the price... And is easier to talk/pay for the gas guy...
I wonder if there is any specific reason why Ford places the gas tank sometimes on the left side and sometimes on the right side.
All that is related to engineering, mainly weight distribution has a bit to do with it. Just like some vehicles have the battery on the right, some have it on the left.
What's going on at the plant? Anybody know how many units have been produced yet? Do they just pile them up on a big lot somewhere until they have enough? Any tentative date set for shipments yet? I sure would like to see a Freestyle, but I guess Arkansas isn't big enough to bring the traveling show through here!
My dealer has told me that our Freestyle would be built next week - all Canadian orders have been on hold (we ordered ours in mid June)- and American dealer deliveries would begin September 1.
Today I saw a Freestyle driving down Northwestern Highway here in Metro Detroit. It looked really nice. It was White and the cladding on the sides and bumbers were beige.
That is terrific news. Maybe it's time to put the Chevy up on the office bulletin board. Thanks, skrep! Also -- how cool to see one on the road jcat. Must have been a nice surprise.
From the ordering guide, it seems that you can't get cloth seating and a split 3rd row seat. Is this true? On the kelly blue book site, there options list allows this combination. Anyone have any details on this?
From the Ordering Guide: The third row is cloth, except on SEL/LTD leather upgrades (vinyl). What got my curiosity is that only LTD shows a 3rd row with split personality. I thought all (SE, SEL & LTD) had it.
ford.media.com website - Freestyle Overview press kit: "...The second-row seats fold down and then flip forward to provide easier access to the third row. The third-row seat folds, flips toward the rear of the car and stows in the cargo floor, creating a level load surface. Levers and straps are clearly labeled for intuitive operation of the folding rear seat, which is available as a full bench or 50/50 split. Second-row seating is available as captain's chairs or 60/40 split bench..." http://media.ford.com/products/presskit_display.cfm?pressitem_id=- - 3353&make_id=92&vehicle_id=1054
The only mutually exclusive options are: a) 6-seating w/2nd row console b) 7-seating w/2nd row 60/40 bench The picture above shows the 2nd row bench.
My suspicion is that the SE will not have the 3rd row split bench. Remains to be seen, and not the first time I'm wrong.
ANT14 indicated the production will ramp up to full speed. That's normal, as you want to catch glitches without a backlog of cars behind you. Those first cars will go to the Crash experts, etc. for official testing. Freestyle will get its expected five-star ratings from those guinea Freebies.
ANT14 also stated they'll pool them until they can send "X" number to their distributors/dealers.
Don't worry that Arkansas was left behind on the innovation drive. So was NYC.
I was hoping to buy a Freestyle up in Canada, but I recently asked the price, and was told the MSRP would be $37K for an SEL FWD with a safety package. Thats pretty steep considering I can get a minivan with similar features for about $25 or $26K right now. That's up to a $12K premium depending on what they would actually sell a Freestyle for. Unfortunately at that price, I think I will have to wait until the price settles down or buy something else.
I agree the price is somewhat steep but we have a mini van now and were looking for something else. We did not want to go head long into a SUV and thee seemed to fit in with what we wanted. Besides we felt at this price there were a lot of features we wanted. When pricing out a Freestyle (and forgetting about discounts for now) the prices were comparable. We shall see if we made the right decision. The only option we got on the Freestyle was the DVD player as it had everything else plus that we were looking for.
I'm with you. I was inches to get a Monterey in addition to the Windstar my wife drives. I then thought, we need something different. The Freestyle is it.
Freebie AWD will give us an advantage on snow. Also, it's more attractive than the minivan.
I agree with both of you. We don't really want a minivan and we don't want an SUV. The Freestyle is perfect.... except for the initial price! I've been following it for months and was hopeful when they talked about "right price" and mid market. It seems though, that it is starting out upper mid-market and it is priced more like an SUV. I suppose minivans are less expensive due to the volume, and supply and demand. The Freestyle is competative with the Pacifica and other vehicles that are sort of comparible, but they are all priced like more exclusive vehicles. I hope it comes down in price as I can see the Freestyle being the minivan of the future for many.
What minivans are going for prices that low, other than really stripped models? The only one I've seen at that price ~$20K US is a Kia Sedona. But a Freestyle is not really a minivan anyway, it sure doesn't drive like one.
I picked up brochures for the Five Hundred and Freestyle from the local dealer this week. They include performance numbers for each that, while neither are hot rods, indicate that both will be solid performers. 0-60 times in the mid sevens for Five Hundred, mid eights for Freestyle. The salesman told me that they had driven both last week as part of their introduction and delivery should begin in approximately 2-3 weeks.
Comments
Example, my house is so air tight, when I open the front door, I hear the windows in the foyer flex from the air pressure. Same situation in the cars. The nickname "fartboxes" allow for the pressure to dissipate to the exterior.
My old VW Bugs had them, but you still had to crank the window down a bit if you wanted to easily shut the door.
Getting rid of the helicopter noise will be good; people complain about that in many different discussions.
Steve, Host
The e-mail is faster than the webmaster.
Sam
The website has new pictures of Freebie, showing off some colors. What got my attention is to see several with 2nd row window tint. Cool!
For example, look at the T-Green SEL, and the Red Fire SE. Those are newly added.
* What vehicles you thought Freestyle was far better than? Worse than?
* What driving sensation you had? For example, "Reminded me of..."
* Other things you may think of?
I'm no cat, but curiosity is killing me!
Sam
compare to what?
it's nothing like a minivan. ride is not as 'smooth', but it handles the more extreme situations a lot better.
Now, on the other hand, the Freestyle I have driven less than two miles! Enough to know that I much prefer the Five Hundred, with which I was mightily impressed.
Then again, as I have said numerous times here, I am a *CAR* person, not a crossover, SUV or truck person. So why am I here, you might ask? And fairly so. To learn as much as I can about the Five Hundred, the Freestyle's cousin. That's why!
People asked for impressions. I gave them mine.
That is all!
Link: http://www.kbb.com/kb/ki.dll/kw.kc.ncb?kbb.AR;071517;AR051&71- 909;suv;t&6;Ford;2005%20Freestyle&M9M19A9;;M9M19&&- ;&&nyrnc
Johncillini... How is the Freestyles ride & quietness compared to a Chrysler minivan you drive occasional?
I drive a Chrysler minivan in my business, and I'm impressed with the smooth ride and noise level.
How much quieter could it be? As much as a luxury car? Lincoln's Navigator is a very quiet vehicle. I would like to compare the quietness between the 2. The Navigator shows that if Ford really wants, then...
Actually there's a good reason for having it on the passenger side. Have you had a vehicle that has had it on the driver's side, and you park next to the pump and open your door, there's a huge chance you'll hit the pumps, or worse, those concrete pillars.
While having it on the passenger side, there's less chances a passenger will open up and "WHAM" against the above mentioned.
"How much quieter could it be?"
It's a very muted, quiet ride. Think Town Car in quietness, and don't be surprised if some in the media compare it closely to Lexus, in quietness.
But if the Freestyle are as quiet, it will be a winner for sure. Many people choose import brands for the quietness and refined feel.
That's true, but do you have pumps that have that auto-latch, where you can click it a few ticks and it continues to pump for you ? On the few that have them here, we usually use it whenever there's heavy rains with winds.
"The Town Cars engine is really noisy when pressing the gas a little hard! "
It's the plastic manifold intake that causes that noise, but in the 500/Freestyle it'll be somewhat a bit more muted than that though. A refined sound.
I must have it bad... I loaded the Freestyle wallpaper from the ford website, so now I can look at it when I sign on. My husband is getting cold feet because he thinks he won't get what his four year old Impala with low mileage is worth -- but I'm working on him. Anyone need a loaded 2000 Impala with under 30,000 miles on it?
He placed it on e-bay. He named every rust spot and bent part, like "villain" fenders. As a result, the auction had 100,000s of hits. The winner bought it for thousands above Edmunds' TMV. And he/she lives in California.
Sam
We both had major problems understanding how to flip the second row seats.
As he said, it's great I spent $30 on the rental upgrade, than $30,000 on a car I would hate.
Driving-wise it was OK.
I bet Freebie will beat it, based on your feedback.
BTW, could anyone compare Freebie to a Windstar/Freestar?
Sam
Question for all of you who have been lucky enough to drive the Freestyle... Can we talk about comfort? Do you remember how the seats felt? How comfortable were they for things like back support and position of all the controls, etc? Did it feel like an "old shoe"? (i.e., you go to the shoe store and slip on a pair, and feel like you could run a marathon in them?)
How about the console and other storage? Did you poke around a bit while you were inside? It's so hard to tell from a picture!!!!
I prefer it on the driver's side, but I wouldn't mind it on the passenger side so much if all cars were just consistent.
Most cars do have a little arrow or triangle on the gauge to remind you which side it's on but most of the time I forget to look until I'm already at the pump.
Steve, Host
I haven't driven any recent Chrysler minivans but the Freestyle seemed eerily quiet and smooth even under hard acceleration, I really floored it and even when standing on the brakes from about 30-35 mph and goin over rumble strips while braking! Unfortunately I couldn't try it out on my favourite stretch of horrible road in Detroit -- John Kronk. The Ford guy who was sitting next to me when I tested the Five Hundred had the windows rolled down so I can't compare the quiet level of the two cars but I was impressed, even more by the lack of body roll or lean in very hard cornering.
Sam
Both my Hondas have the fuel door on the left.
And if you go to full service (as in NJ) you can have a better view of the pump to see the little running numbers how the gallons are filling up in your car and the price... And is easier to talk/pay for the gas guy...
I wonder if there is any specific reason why Ford places the gas tank sometimes on the left side and sometimes on the right side.
ANT ??
The third row is cloth, except on SEL/LTD leather upgrades (vinyl). What got my curiosity is that only LTD shows a 3rd row with split personality. I thought all (SE, SEL & LTD) had it.
From fordvehicles.com - Freestyle page:
Look for the "photos" tab. The first interior photo is an SEL with 3rd row split.
http://www.fordvehicles.com/freestyle/photogallery.asp?name=INTER- - IOR
ford.media.com website - Freestyle Overview press kit:
"...The second-row seats fold down and then flip forward to provide easier access to the third row. The third-row seat folds, flips toward the rear of the car and stows in the cargo floor, creating a level load surface. Levers and straps are clearly labeled for intuitive operation of the folding rear seat, which is available as a full bench or 50/50 split. Second-row seating is available as captain's chairs or 60/40 split bench..."
http://media.ford.com/products/presskit_display.cfm?pressitem_id=- - 3353&make_id=92&vehicle_id=1054
The only mutually exclusive options are:
a) 6-seating w/2nd row console
b) 7-seating w/2nd row 60/40 bench
The picture above shows the 2nd row bench.
My suspicion is that the SE will not have the 3rd row split bench. Remains to be seen, and not the first time I'm wrong.
Sam
ANT14 also stated they'll pool them until they can send "X" number to their distributors/dealers.
Don't worry that Arkansas was left behind on the innovation drive. So was NYC.
Sam
I'm with you. I was inches to get a Monterey in addition to the Windstar my wife drives. I then thought, we need something different. The Freestyle is it.
Freebie AWD will give us an advantage on snow. Also, it's more attractive than the minivan.
Sam
ANd certainly quicker than our current family wheels (a '99 Quest).
It wil be interesting to compare the Freestyle to the new '05 Odyssey, the current front runner for next family car.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.