Ford Freestyle History
The birth of Ford Freestyle was in the distant 2005. Ford created the model in response to the needs of the ever changing car market. The Ford Freestyle is slightly bigger and taller successor of the Ford Taurus wagon. Ford changed the Taurus wagon to a full-size crossover SUV and thus the Freestyle was born in 2005. They made the Freestyle on the D3 platform, which is designed by Volvo. Volvo used this platform in their SUVs which are extremely famous for their safety. Before using the Volvo’s platform, Ford slightly changed its design, so that the production on their assembly lines is faster and smoother. Ford assembled the Freestyle in its factory in Chicago, Illinois.
2005-2007 First Generation Ford Freestyle
The new model that Ford introduced in 2005, mostly in place of the Taurus wagon, had slightly more ground clearance and could be equipped with a third row of seats. One of its distinct features is that the position of the front seats is higher and it’s called “command seating”. That seating position gives the driver better visibility of the road and easier entry and exit. The design of the car was traditional Ford style. It had a big grille and big headlights that were square. Ford did not integrate the turn signals in the headlights. It had the plastic fairings around the wheel wells for off-road protection. Suspension wise, the car was very stable and comfortable. It uses a fully independent suspension. For the front Ford installed MacPherson struts and for the rear, the Freestyle got multi-link rear axle. Ford powered the Freestyle with the 3.0L Duratec V6 gasoline engine that had a power output of 203hp. The gas mileage of the car was not horrible, but nothing to brag about.
Ford decided they would only use one transmission for this SUV. They installed the ZF-supplied CVT as standard with FWD and optional AWD. The system for the AWD was the famous Haldex system. That system automatically calculated how much power to transfer to each wheel based on a couple of sensors that determined when the wheel slipped. Ford designed the Freestyle’s interior with great taste. They included many features and options, but it never looked pretentious or bad. The interior of the car is very spacious. The Freestyle has captain’s seats but an option of the second row being a bench increased its capacity from 6 to 7 passengers. All the seats had quick folding system except the driver’s one. When the seats are folded, the SUV gains extreme cargo volume of nearly 2500 liters. That kind of cargo space is more than some sophisticated SUVs.
2008-2010 Mid cycle update of Ford Freestyle
In 2007, a new CEO of the Ford Motor Company was elected, and he revised some of Ford’s models. Most models with F starting names were renamed or discontinued. The Freestyle now bore a new name, the Taurus X. Some models saw an increase in sales with their renaming, but the opposite was true for the Freestyle. Also, the automotive crisis from 2008 to 2010 affected the Taurus X, and the sales went down. The Taurus X had updated design with new, more modern looks. Ford changed the front fascia of the car, but they did not remove the style of the Freestyle. Another major upgrade saw the power and drivetrain of the car. Ford now installed their new 3.5L V6 Duratec with a power output of 263hp mated to their 6-speed automatic transmission. Ford added several new features to increase the functionality of the car and its presence on the market. Some of these features include a power-operated rear trunk hood and a power-folding second-row seat. The Taurus X got discontinued in 2010.