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Tobin's Total Access
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Although a little late to the crossover game, Ford's new sport-ute
will prove a worthy and fascinating competitor to Toyota's Highlander and the Honda Pilot. The Ford Freestyle FX concept is superb in design and exciting in functionality.
Its sharp angular lines and manageable size indicate that the Freestyle will not only look good
but it will retain plenty of performance perks as well. While the concept featured a trick retractable roof at the
rear, the production version will most likely stick with a more traditional enclosed roof design. A 3.0-liter Duratec V6 powered
the concept and it's expected that the production version will use the same powerplant along with available all wheel drive
and a continuously variable transmission.
Designed purely for the consumers needs, the Freestyle is a medium crossover with a carefully chosen package
and powertrain. This creation was Ford's answer to people who wanted SUV capability and minivan-like seating
but with sedan comfort. Riding on a 112.9-inch wheelbase, the Freestyle stretches over 199.8 inches of length, 73 inches of width and 64.9 inches
of height with a definite Ford family resemblance. Its grille is Ford's signature trapezoid shape framing a diamond pattern
mesh. The SEL and Limited grades get bright work and integral fog lamps; SEs receive a body-color grille surround. Rear styling
is straightforward yet attractive with a split hatch (or tailgate) and a large greenhouse that flows around from the end of
the C-pillars into the tailgate glass. That C-pillar junction is where Freestyle's roofline kicks up to provide extra headroom
for third seat passengers. Seventeen-inch aluminum wheels are standard ¾ painted seven-spoke on SEs, polished 15-spoke on
SELs ¾ while Limiteds get 18-inch, five-spoke bright alloys. Large flared wheel arches surround and accentuate all. No matter what wheels or model, there's but one powertrain, Ford's 3.0-liter Duratec V-6 mated to a ZF-Batavia continuously
variable transmission. The newly named, all-aluminum "Duratec 30" (200 horsepower/200 pound-feet of torque) has undergone
a raft of improvements, perhaps the most noteworthy being its federal Tier II, Bin 5 emissions level. That's equivalent to
California's LEV II standard and rates an 8 on the EPA's guide to green vehicles, where today's hybrids rate 9 or 10. Ford thinks the "second-generation CVT" provides two major advantages. First is its wider overall "ratio span" (the difference
between a transmission's highest and lowest gear ratios) of 6-to-1 vs. 4-to-1 in most four-speed automatics. This provides
both superior low-end acceleration and much lower revs at highway cruising speeds for better fuel economy. Plus no
matter your speed, a CVT is always searching for the optimal torque to deliver it. The CVT works especially well with the optional Haldex coupler all-wheel-drive system, the same one used on Volvo's XC
90. It's a pressure-based torque transfer system that measures wheel speed. Under normal conditions, it's 98 percent front-wheel
drive, but up to 40 percent of torque can be routed to the rear axle. "Through Volvo's leadership, we now have access to lightweight
and compact all-wheel-drive components that have proven their reliability beyond question," said Phil Kurrie of Ford's powertrain
subsystems. As good as all the above appears to be, it's the Freestyle's cabin that really grabs one's attention, both for
its packaging and its style. In either six- or seven-passenger configuration, theatre seating is featured in all three rows
along with a completely flat load floor that includes all but the driver's seat, thus allowing objects up to 9.5 feet long.
Lots of attention was paid to the H-point (the position of your hip in relation to the ground and the vehicle floor) in all
three rows. The idea is not to have to climb into the Freestyle, but just to sit down at a natural height without any awkward
seating angles. There's also lots of interior room, whether you're filling seats or space. Of the 154 cubic feet of interior volume, a
whopping 47.4 is behind the second row of seats. For second-row occupants those seats have four inches of travel, while the
third row (either a bench or 50/50 split) is truly adult size, really. While enjoying all that head-, shoulder- and legroom,
passengers can feel extremely safe, especially if the owner orders the optional, front side-impact airbags combined with Ford's
Safety Canopy that covers all three rows. Ford officials said they'd be available as "an attractively priced package." Attractive is the word for the Freestyle's interior, in both design and placement of switchgear, and color/fabric choices.
Layout is basically horizontal, with large HVAC vents, just enough bright work, wood trim only around the center stack, and
12 large cupholders strategically placed throughout. 2005 Ford Freestyle |
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Odds are looking good that the Shelby Cobra will be back in all new form in the not too distant future. Forty years after
he first teamed up with Ford Motor Co., Shelby has renewed his relationship and the first product of that partnership took
a bow. Think of it as a "minimalist" muscle car, said Ford's director of design, J Mays, "No roof, no side glass, no radio
and, thank God, not a single cupholder." But the reborn roadster does boast a 6.4-liter V-10 that, in normally-aspirated trim,
puts out 605 horsepower and 501 lb-feet of torque through the car's 19-inch rear wheels. That's enough to launch it from 0-60
in under 10 seconds and deliver an ungoverned top speed of 190 mph. If that's not enough, a supercharger could "easily hit 700" hp, according to advanced product chief Chris Theodore. Like its crosstown competitors, Ford officials
insisted that their new supercar is "just a concept," but they didn't work very hard to convince the crowd. "We built the
Ford GT a year after we showed the concept," conceded Mays, and we built the Mustang a year after we showed you that concept.
You do the math. How much would a product Cobra add up to? Definitely less than the $139,000 Ford GT, and more likely in line
with the Dodge Viper, in the $80,000 to $90,000 range, it appears. In production, Ford would likely add roll-up windows and
a very basic, removable soft-top.
The Montego is the division's first all-new sedan in 25 years, notes General Marketing Manager John Fitzpatrick, and critical
"to stop people from migrating away" to other brands with newer products. Will people notice the Montego? That's a question many analysts are asking, and for good reason. Park the Montego and Five
Hundred side-by-side, and you'll have to take a second glance to be sure which is which. The Montego gets Mercury's waterfall,
satin-aluminum grille, a monochromatic exterior, high-intensity discharge headlamps, and LED taillamps, but the basic shapes
are otherwise identical. And then there's the whole "Mercury Following" that will keep this new piece of dynamite in the runnings. Mercury marketers expect the AWD option to be even more popular with Montego buyers than those opting for the Ford Five Hundred.
It should account for "about a third" of Montego sales, forecast manager Phil Kurrle.
The Lincoln Mark LT pickup, which will go on sale in early 2005, is built off the new F-Series truck and designed to look
related to Lincoln's pride and joy, the Navigator SUV. Pickup sales have climbed from 1.1 million to 2.3 million annual
sales in a decade. The LT has four doors, a full backseat and a 5.5-foot box. Loaded with leather, chrome, wood, electronics
and packing a 5.4 liter, Triton V-8 engine under the hood that produces 300 horsepower, and with an 8900-lb towing capacity,
Ford is hoping to keep the price tag low, though pricing won't be announced for another year. Rumors a few months ago that Lincoln is killing off the Aviator SUV launched in 2002 were premature. The Aviator, built off
the Ford Explorer truck chassis, is giving way by 2006 to an Aviator built off the Ford Futura car platform that is also the
underpinnings of the Mazda6. The more car-like ride is meant to better compete with Cadillac SRX, Lexus RX330 and Infiniti
FX45, and to distinguish it from the Explorer-based Mercury Mountaineer sold in the same dealerships as the Aviator. The show-car
has a 3.5-liter V-6 engine with a six-speed automatic transmission. Lincoln hasn't sold a sports car since it ceased production on the Mark VIII in 1998, but its considering a retro-inspired
convertible dubbed the Mark X concept. This Mark has a retractable glass-roofed hardtop, a feature not likely to make it into
a production car, but here's hoping. The car is built off the same platform as the Ford Thunderbird and Jaguar S-Type, and
has a 3.9-liter V-8 aluminum engine that generates 280 horsepower. The interior of the show car was done in lime green and
includes Corian (think kitchen counters) accents to go along with chrome and polished aluminum. A new Mark would help
to balance the return of the Continental sedan. Lincoln discontinued the Continental last year, but is expected to announce
the return of the next generation airport car this spring, perhaps at the New York auto show.
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It's easy to forget that Detroit once ruled this roost with products like the Chevrolet Impala, Oldsmobile Cutlass and,
in the waning days of Detroit passenger cars, the Ford Taurus. When it emerged in 1986, the stylish and sophisticated sedan
set a new benchmark even Honda and Toyota struggled to meet. Ford's mid-size marvel spent years at the top of the U.S. sales
charts. In a sign of the times, Ford won't replace the Taurus, at least not with another car by that name, nor even with a single
new mid-size sedan. The market is fragmenting. Consumers want vehicles that reflect their precise needs and desires. So the
gap laid open will be filled with three separate products. There's the new Freestyle crossover, a slightly smaller-than-Taurus
four-door due out as the 2006 Ford Futura, and this year's Five Hundred sedan. Those who recall the concept car from which it borrows its name will find the 2005 Ford Five Hundred to be a very different
vehicle. It's a much more sedately (yet sophisticated and proud) styled sedan than the flashy show vehicle, reflective of
the conservative nature of the typical mid-size buyer. The sedan's exterior dimensions are just a bit larger than the Taurus. But the two sedans are in a separate league when
it comes to usable passenger and cargo space. The passenger compartment alone measures 128 cubic feet and though the new sedan
is a foot shorter than the big Crown Victoria, the Five Hundred boasts twice the rear knee room - more, in fact, than a Rolls-Royce
Phantom. To put that into human terms, a pro basketball player could sit in the back without having to do an impression of
a human pretzel. The trunk, meanwhile, is large enough to hold eight Tiger Woods-sized golf bags. Give a high-five to Ford for setting out a new design and an engineering philosophy you'll see spread across its lineup.
Start with the fact that you sit at least four inches higher in the new Ford than in conventional mid-size sedans. "We took a look at the attributes that make crossovers popular - like high-package 'command' seating - and sought to deliver
some of those qualities in a sedan," explains Phil Martens, director of North American vehicle development. "While the
industry tries to create new car-based crossovers, the Ford Five Hundred stands alone as the first crossover-based car." The Five Hundred even offers an optional all-wheel-drive system. This electro-hydraulic Haldex system was heavily influenced
by Ford's Swedish affiliate, Volvo. Buyers will have a choice of AWD or front-wheel-drive. All models will feature the 3.0-liter
Duratec V-6 which, in most applications, will be mated to a new continuously variable transmission. Once a technical oddity, the CVT is quickly becoming a popular choice, offered on everything from the Saturn VUE to Audi's
A6. Basically, the CVT eliminates the step gears found in conventional transmissions. When properly engineered, that
can improve ride comfort and boost mileage five percent or more. A six-speed automatic will also be offered for some
FWD versions of the Five Hundred. If bigger is better, more is a must. There are eight cupholders in this car, and countless little nooks and crannies for
storage. Also, there are some significant improvements in the sort of materials Ford is using - like a new hydrographic system
for applying wood appliqués - while the fit and finish is markedly upgraded, as well. In some cases, Ford is simply catching up with much-needed improvements, like trunk hinges that fold away, rather than
plunging into the cargo cavity, where they'll crush any luggage in the way. Numerous safety features include new, energy absorbing bumper beams and front crossmembers to help in side impacts. Stability
control is standard with AWD, optional on FWD models. Some features are optional, side airbags and side canopy airbags, to
name two of the most important.
The all-new 2004 Mercury Monterey is ready to compete in the growing luxury-van niche. The Monterey
will bring to the party a 4.2-liter V-6, a three-row side curtain airbag and other standard equipment like a flip-folding
third-row seat that folds flat. The Monterey is derived from the Ford Windstar, which also will add the folding third-row
seat when it is revamped into the all-new Ford Freestar.
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