Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Options
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
Note: On the manual, you will see the "WIN" name, meaning Windstar, that hasn't been rectified yet in the printing, but if you scroll thru the pages, you will find it's really the Freestar information considering how the Instrument Panel, stereo, options, are configured/designed.
https://web.msslib2.dealerconnection.com/RightSite/getcontent/myf- - ile.pdf?DMW_OBJECTID=09000c58803a7ce8
There is a lot to like about the new Freestar over the current Windstar. However, there are many things I don't like, many things which I hoped so much to see an upgrade in the new Freestar, and many things which are even better on the Windstar. And let me explain a few of them.
What I like about the new Freestar:
Many new storage bins all over the vehicle, dual map pockets on each front door; on dashboard top; bottle holders, and more. Overhead console w/compass & outside temperature, as most other minivans have (in the Windstar it's on the message center, viewable for the driver only). Puddle lamps (if equipped). Revised engine, transmission, suspension & steering will give better feel, ride & handling, and reduce the noise (NVH). Steering-wheel audio controls. When Cruise is engaged an icon will appear like most other cars. And of course, the disappearing 3rd row seat, and good overall quality. And bigger 4-wheel disc brakes w/panic assist available. DVD entertainment system instead of the VHS system.
What I will miss from my Windstar:
The new Freestars dashboard really sucks IMHO. I hate everything, from gauges to controls of the climate & audio systems to the steering wheel & the steering-wheel-mounted controls. Although I guess those controls will be illuminated, a good thing over the Windstar, Ford changed the first time the cruise controls from the way it used to be for years, on the 2 sides of the steering wheel. Now it will have 3 tiny controls on 1 side only. The Windstar's gauges, in my opinion, was just beautiful, as I wrote somewhere else in Town hall. Large bright typefaces, evenly and clean designed speedo-tacho meter, and the high-beam icon in center of these 2. In the Freestar this icon is placed in the middle of the tachometer. So many icons all over in no order. This is not neat. Only one LCD for both, message center & odometer, while the Windstar has 2 extra on both sides of the gauges, so nice.
Also we will miss the separate controls of the rear quarter windows which is located on the drivers door in the Windstar, Instead it will have a single switch to control both rear windows simultaneously (as in GM minivans, which brought a lot of criticism in the auto media).
I also hate the analog clock, which should make a car 'luxury'... especially while they have no numbers on it, just dots instead of numbers. So if you want to know the time at-a-glance, you have no choice. It will take you at-lease 2-3 seconds to realize the time. Since this is offered only on the Limited model (and on Mercury Monterey), I guess if I'll go with Freestar I will not take the Limited.
Things which I hoped to see a change, but unfortunately will not change:
Overhead lamps in the front seats is placed behind the first-row seats in the Windstar, so it's hard to turn them on or off, especially while driving. No other minivan has this stupid design, nor Ford themselves have this design on their other vehicles. I was sure they will change it in the Freestar, but nope... they will not.
Better & bigger controls for the audio systems. In 'consumer guide' it says Windstar Audio controls are too busy. In consumer reports (at the Town car report, few months ago) also says that the audio controls (close to the one in the Windstar) is not smart designed, and has too many similar flat buttons.
Still no storage drawer under the front passenger seat; No wiper de-icer (now on Chrysler/Dodge, Kia, Toyota minivans, although I think Chrysler stopped to make them on '03 models); No DVD navigation system; Simple sound system w/6 speakers, while most other offers 8-9-10 speaker systems w/subwoofer. No driver's side outside auto dimming mirror. No rear-seat panel armrests, as Toyota, Honda, Chrysler/Dodge; Power seats are still 6-way, not 8-way, as most other have. Front passenger seat can't fold flat as the new Sienna; And of course we will not get power roll-down sliding door windows; AWD; Split rear folding seat; 2nd row seats folds down (new Nissan Quest), and just 201 hp with the updated 4.2L engine, and just a 4-speed transmission, not a 5-speed as Honda, Toyota, Kia, Mazda. No independent rear suspension. +++
I hope Ford is reading this. I'm not the best writer (English is NOT my primary language), but they will get the idea. It's a long post, but contains a lot of information. As you all know, a new minivan from Ford is due in 2006 or 2007, built on the Mazda6 platform. I hope 'til then, when Honda & GM and perhaps Chrysler will be out with a new minivan, Ford will combine all features together and build a wonderful minivan.
I agree about the clock on the dashboard, but it's mainly there as a focal point, decorate touch, more than functional. There's much attention being paid to the interior materials, fit and finish, and overall quality. And you will notice a balanced look in the way the items are arranged on the dashboard. Which is where the clock came in.
It's funny you mention the Instrument panel icons. I was mentioning that to a friend of mine, considering that her vehicle has some icons spread through-out the speedometer/tachometer as well (Saturn L300). What's worse, in her vehicle they stand out, because the lighted cut-outs are very visible at any time. You would think with all that corners on the IP's, they would have sectioned them specifically in a few sections, or have a row of them towards the bottom of the IP (remember older Volvo's). But there's reasons for this arrangement, and one of them has to do with studies of visual awareness and such.
The Taurus' IP is also being modified quite a bit as well for 2004, and loses some of those "icon corners" as well But this is an item that isn't a "make or break" deal for me. NOW RED intrumentation WOULD be, for me a, deal breaker.
There's only so much that was re-engineered for the Freestar, it's benefit is that it's Taurus based, and is using exsisting current Ford items/techonology, etc. Although being overhauled, the main aspects of the vehicle has stayed intact. So development/research money is saved in that case, and spent elsewhere (improved materials, structure, engines). This will buy time till the Mazda6 based minivan debuts in 3 years. Which will feature much of what the competition currently has. Unfortunatly this is a case where Ford is a bit late to the party (remember the 4th driver's rear passenger door-late to the party as well), now it's with the foldable 3rd row seats.
But it's a much more improved vehicle overall, and attention to reliability, quality, NVH was worked on.
Does anyone know the pricing for the new freestar? We are looking for a new minivan with the the third row side curtain airbags. From the media ford link , it seems like we will have to get a bunch of options in order to have the side airbags... does anyone know where I could find a price for the new freestar with those options? Thanks!!!
You can also look at it this way, it won't be less expensive than 2003, but would probably not be more than 10%-15% +/- over 2003 with the same stuff.
good luck....randy
"In the past few years, Ford has steadily improved the quality and refinement of its minivans through changes in design and manufacturing - and a fanatical attention to detail. Quality has already been improved by more than 20 percent, according to independent analysis, over previous model Ford minivans. For 2004, Ford has taken quality and refinement to a higher level with the all-new Freestar."
What do you think? Has quality really been improved? Looking at this site I'm surprised that many people are satisfied with their Windstar's:
http://autos.msn.com/userreviews/reviewlist.aspx?idmodel=10425&am- p;search=MostRecent&num=50&trim=All&lang=All
The Aerostar had a long lasting powertrain. We have in our business 3 Aerostars, '93 & '95 models. 2 are in the 190K range, and most things are fine (one of them has no A/C), and another one, has 209,000 miles! and still runs great, with ice-cold A/C. If the new Freestar will be the best Ford minivan, it should at least last this long :-)
The above link is for year 2003 models. but the year 2002 models, although not that good, is also much better than expected:
http://autos.msn.com/userreviews/reviewlist.aspx?idmodel=10193&am- p;search=MostRecent&num=50&trim=All&lang=All
I hope Ford learned a lesson, and will build good quality vehicles once for all!
Well, Windstar was the worst for both, reliability and satisfaction, both earned a fully black circle, which means very bad. But in 2003 Windstars, they reported just a 1/2 circle black for satisfaction, which is slightly better.
So I hope that the new Freestar should have AT LEAST average reliability & satisfaction.
Shame there's very few RWD vans....
http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=15951
Unfortunately, the Freestar will be: (City/Highway)
* 3.9L Engine: 17/23
* 4.2L Engine: 16/22
Ooch... that hurts... Toyota Sienna is rated for 19/26 (although premium fuel is recommended for that mileage)...
This is another example of what I've mentioned in other forums/posts...When there's major weight gains on a vehicle, without no noticable size increases to justify it, then it's a hint that a new platform needs to be re-engineered. (like the Mustang) Luckily this is the last generation for this platform/engine. I look forward to 2007-ish then we'll see a highly competitive van from Ford.
I work for GE and we have a fixed pricing on the "X-Plan". So nothing yet as of today.
Good luck to you and the family....
Ralph
The trim stuff that was new this year is the fold down / reversable 3rd row seat, vinyl seats in the 3rd row until you get to SE then vinyl 3rd row with leather (why?), side safety air curtains and a couple of migrated colors, Arizona Beige and a medium blue. The LE gets an analog clock in the center of the dash to add civility. Late offerings are the trailer package, 17" wheels, and some kind of cargo handling package. The LE can opt out of leather. We didn't take the DVD system, which looked cool on the Merc Monterey website. We live in an area with a bunch of twists in the road, so I rather have my kids look out the window and hold onto their last meal. Been there, done that....yuk!
As soon as they tell me, I will let you know. I may try to hedge my bet with the Mercury dealer next door to Ford. If there is no obligation, then we can order there as well.
At Ford.media.com it states that only the Limited will offer this (non)feature (I hate the analog clock without numbers), as well the Mercury Monterey. But SE? Are you sure with that or your dealer just told you?
Randy
http://www.fleet.ford.com
Select the tab that is Products, then vehicle showroom, then passenger vans. When the chart comes up, you can move the cursor over the color swatches and the van changes colors (cool?). In the middle of the left side under trim, click on the "5 trim levels" and this will give some of the standard stuff.
Ford's minivan names have a tradition to be 8 characters, with the last 4 called 'star'. It all started up with the Aero-Star (perhaps because it was very roomy), and then changed over to the Wind-Star (probably because of the wind noise you notice in the Wind-Star driving on the highway). Now they're changing everything to start with the letter 'F', so it's changed again to Free-Star (probably because you can get them almost for FREE, with such kind of rebates and low financing).
So I have some additional ideas. Of course all names must be not more and not less than 8 characters, starting with an F letter, and ending with 'star', as I stated above.
Ford's minivans earned five stars in the government's crash tests, so Five-Star is a good name. They also earned 4 stars for side impact crash tests (without the side airbags), so Four-Star is next on the list.
If Ford will make it run fast enough (something which doesn't seem to happen with the current engine) the name is Fast-Star, Full-Star or Fine-Star. But if not, we will call it Fool-Star or Fail-Star. If it will be just average, call it Fair-Star.
Since the EPA mileage for the 4.2L is 16/22 (city/highway), we could call it Fuel-Star, or Feed-Star (b/c you feed a lot of gas). If you'll need to replace the fuses as much as the Windstars, call it Fuse-Star.
Or, we can go by features. It has a fold away third row seat? Call it Flat-Star, or Fold-Star.
And my last option will amaze you: FORD-STAR ! :-)
Do you have anything to add to this list? Of course I also have a few other names I don't want to mention them here..., and I hope we will never have to use them :-) LOL
Ralph
(BTW, if Ford has so much time to search for new names beginning with the F letter, then I have some time, too...)
GM will not make minivans anymore. They will make some SUV like van. They don't release any info, so I await some surprises. Maybe something similar to the Aztek ????? :<)
The Ford Freestar will be pretty behind all of the competition because of it's 200 hp engine. People will just keep on putting it behind because of that.
I don't expect to buy a minivan, because I won't need one. I just look at them and see which one is ahead. Right now, it looks like the Quest and Sienna are getting the big buzz. Chevy/Pontiac/Saturn which will be the last to get redesigned will have a whole lot to think about from here to the time for the release in fall 2004, when it is due to come out.
Ford, I think is rushing it too much. They need to come out with a more powerful 240 hp V-6 for the Freestar and maybe a extra digit for the Monterey minivan.
I, too, am a little disappointed that the 4.2V6 only puts out 201hp. However, the 265 lb-ft of torque is impressive and usable. I would argue that the Ford's 265 lb-ft of torque is more useful than Toyota's 230hp.
However, we will all have to reserve judgement until we get a seat of the pants experience.
Update you with more info when I can
...just my opinion, not trying to be confrontational...
Ody......242lbs@4500rpm.(2003)
2003 Windstar......240lbs@3600rpm.
2004 Freestar......265lbs@3750rpm.
..just a note for the "curious"...
2002 Explorer V8....282lbs@4000rpm.
2002 Explorer V6....254lbs@3700rpm.
My 2002 Limited sure pulls a lot (V8).....
The Freestar's 4.2L has quite a bit of very usable torque down low, and that will help offset the weight gain.
This WILL be the last generation of these 3.8(now 3.9L and 4.2L) engines. The next generation of Ford minivans will be powered by the 3.5L V-6 Duratec coming out in a bit over a year from now in other Ford vehicles. That will be quite a major leap above the current 3.9L, 4.2L offerings.
As for the name game. Passenger cars will start with "F" names, while SUV's will stick with "E" names. With the Exception of the F-150 naturally. And then their "Heritage" vehicles will be Mustang, Tbird, GT Etc. Mercury's line will have "M" names as well throughout all vehicles.
http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=15895
ANT14: The Freestar will be about 150-200 Lbs. heavier than the Windstar, not more (like one heavy passenger...) so we WILL feel a difference in power with this engine. It seems that nobody even thinks about the 3.9L engine with just 193hp (down from 200 in the current 3.8L) with 248 Lb.-Ft of torque. This will be too slow for the Freestar.
(Ralph, svofan2: I didn't meant to say 'surprise', I meant to say 'upset'... of course I hate the Aztek more than you... just know that English is NOT my primary language...)
I just prefer to flash forward a few years, when the next generation of Ford minivans debut with the 3.5L and AWD.
This morning Todd Bryant Plant Manager for the Oakville Assembly Plant gave a speech regarding Oakville being the official home of the Freestar, where it'll be built and exported for up to 30 countries. The first few Freestars were rolling off the line, so plan to see them towards the mid/later part of next month at your local Ford Dealership.
Good morning everyone, thank you for being here. My name is Todd Bryant and I am the Plant Manager for the Oakville Assembly Plant.
http://www.canadiandriver.com/news/030827-3.htm
Note that they're calling this 'ALL-NEW' Freestar, 'ALL-NEW' van, etc... while it's not more than a revised Windstar... Perhaps this is one of the reasons of the name change games, because Freestar - I mean the name - is really ALL-NEW :-)
Many vehicles who offers 2 engine choices are usually a 4 cylinder or a 6. So there is a big difference in power & mileage. That's why they need to offer both, to give people choices. But if both engines are almost the same, I couldn't see any reason for giving this choice (except maybe for financial reasons, maybe the 3.9L is cheaper to produce for Ford).
I would recommend for Ford to drop the 3.9L engine. Perhaps this will happen next model year.
Same as the Taurus, it offers 2 V6's, yet the 3.0L Vulcan is used for fleet vehicles, while consumer's stick with the 3.0L Duratec.
Both the Vulcan 3.0L and Essex 3.9/4.2 engines are slated to be replaced in a few short years. This will be their last reincarnation...THANK GOD ! Put them to sleep already.
http://www.wieck.com/public/*2PV_057200
http://www.wieck.com/public/*2PV_057198
http://www.wieck.com/public/*2PV_057196
http://www.wieck.com/public/*2PV_057192
http://www.wieck.com/public/*2PV_057186
http://www.wieck.com/public/*2PV_057179
http://www.wieck.com/public/*2PV_057216