Ford Freestar

ford
Ford Freestar (2003-2006)
Freestar
Production period:	2003-2006
Class :	Van
Body versions :	Station wagon
Engines:	Petrol engines : 3.9–4.2 liters (144–150 kW)
Length:	5105 mm
Width:	1941-1946 mm
Height:	1748-1793 mm
Wheelbase :	3068 mm
Empty weight :	1939-1951 kg
Previous model	Ford Windstar
successor	Ford Flex

The Ford Freestar is a van that was manufactured by Ford Motor Company from August 2003 to November 2006. He replaced the Windstar .

The name change was in line with Ford's strategy of giving all models type names that begin with F. The Freestar and its sister model, the Mercury Monterey , were built in Oakville, Ontario .

history

The Freestar offered space for up to seven passengers and had a four-speed, electronically controlled automatic transmission as standard. There were five equipment lines: basic equipment (no designation), SE , Sport , SEL , and Limited .

In the USA, the Freestar was offered with two different gasoline-powered V6 engines: the smaller 3.9-liter engine developed an output of 144 kW at 4,500 rpm and a torque of 325 Nm at 3,750 rpm, while the larger 4, 2-liter engine delivered an output of 150 kW at 4,250 / min and achieved a torque of 357 Nm at 3,650 / min. The smaller engine was part of the basic equipment in the USA, the larger was the only available engine in Canada .

Mercury Monterey

Mercury
Mercury Monterey
Monterey
Production period:	2003-2006
Class :	Van
Body versions :	Station wagon
Engines:	Otto engine : 4.2 liters (150 kW)
Length:	5118 mm
Width:	1946 mm
Height:	1748 mm
Wheelbase :	3068 mm
Empty weight :

From 1950 to 1974 there was a large passenger car with this name, see also Mercury Monterey .

The Mercury Monterey was the Mercury version of the Ford Freestar. It filled the void in the model range left by the discontinuation of the Villager based on the Nissan Quest in 2002. Like its sister model, the Ford Freestar, the Monterey offered space for seven people. But it was offered in a more luxurious version, and the 4.2-liter engine was standard equipment.

As with the Freestar, sales of the Monterey were at a low level, as the construction did not prove to be competitive against offers from other manufacturers and the demand from Vans was already falling. In August 2006, only 567 copies of the Monterey were sold.

After only a short 2007 model year, during which 1,354 units had been sold, production was discontinued. The Oakville factory was converted to produce the Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX models . The last Monterey left the production lines on August 25, 2006. A total of 32,195 Monterey were sold over a three-year period.

The 2007 Mercury Monterey Luxus sold at $ 28,595 and the 2007 Ford Freestar Limited was $ 29,575.

Bad sales and early hiring

Freestar and Monterey were criticized for the poor quality of their interiors and for the simple overall equipment compared to the competition. From 2005 to 2006 sales of the Freestar fell by 20% and that of the Monterey by 40%. The last Freestar was built on November 17th, 2006.

Renaming the model from Windstar to Freestar (the second in nine years) may have contributed to its early replacement. Experts saw it as a textbook example that a name change can ruin a previously successful product. The Toronto Star quoted a product name expert who called it "Ford Fiasco". Naseem Javed , President of ABC Namebank International , foresaw: "There will be confusion and chaos for consumers."

Others called the idea of ​​giving all Ford vehicles type designations that begin with an F "simply stupid". Ford said the idea came from the dealers and would go with the $ 600 million redesign of the van. Joe Greenwell , vice president of marketing and production for parent company Ford Motor Co. , believed the new name would "increase interest in this product."

When the Windstar was introduced, it sold very well and forced Chrysler to offer an aerodynamically styled van as well. According to the Ford advertisement, the “completely new” Freestar was only a slightly revised version of the Windstar. It was still based on the Ford V platform from 1999. Mainly the front section, the dashboard and the center console as well as the position of the rear floor pan had been revised.

The most important innovation of the Freestar, a foldable third row of seats, was already available in the models of the competition, and so the Freestar came in last in many comparative tests. It was no longer competitive since the Japanese manufacturers had adopted the specifications of the leading Chrysler vans in this class with regard to the design and size of their vehicles. The early end of production of the Freestar was also due to financial problems at Ford, so that one was forced to discontinue the models Taurus , Thunderbird and the Ford GT as well. In addition, the new marketing strategy with F-type designations also proved to be unsuccessful, and the sedan originally called Five Hundred was later renamed again to Taurus .

The Freestar had the code A5 in the 5th and 6th digits of the chassis number .

recall

On January 18, 2012, the US traffic safety agency NHTSA announced a recall for model years 2004 and 2005. 205,900 vehicles (including Mercury Monterey) were affected because a component in the drive system could fail and the vehicle could be brought to an abrupt halt.

successor

The successor to the Freestar, the Ford Flex , was shown at the 2007 New York International Auto Show . The new car has been sold as a 2009 model since summer 2008. Since 2010 a Lincoln version has been offered under the name Lincoln MKT .

Countries where Freestar and Monterey were sold

• Canada
• United States
• Mexico
• Taiwan
• United Arab Emirates
• Saudi Arabia
• Kuwait
• Qatar
• Netherlands

Web links

Commons : Ford Freestar  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Assessment of the Ford Freestar Limited 2004 by CanadianDriver (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Ford plays name game with popular Windstar minivan ( Memento of the original from November 21, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
2. ↑ http://www.augsburger-allgemeine.de/wirtschaft/Ford-ruft-fast-halbe-Million-Autos-zurueck-id18269846.html
3. ↑ Ford puts the brakes on minivans  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.