Ford Freestyle

Production period:	2004 to 2007
Class :	SUV
Body versions :	station wagon
Engines:	Gasoline : 3.0 liters (151 kW)
Length:	5075-5083 mm
Width:	1890 mm
Height:	1670-1732 mm
Wheelbase :	2870 mm
Curb weight :	1796 kg

The Ford Freestyle  was a crossover SUV introduced in the fall of 2004 by the Ford Motor Company.

History

The Ford Freestyle In the Ford model range, replaced the Taurus station wagon and was positioned from the model year 2007 between Edge and Explorer .This was offered in the US, Canada , South Korea , Puerto Rico , the Virgin Islands and Guam . The freestyle was introduced in early 2003 at the Detroit Auto Show as a concept vehicle.

Due to poor sales, production was discontinued in spring 2007. Successor was in mid-2007, the Taurus X . The vehicle built on the Ford D3 platform such as the Ford Five Hundred , the Mercury Montego and various Volvo models, such as the XC90 . The freestyle was mounted in Ford's Chicago Assembly. With the same platform, however, Volvo XC90 and Freestyle differ significantly. Like many other SUVs and vans, the freestyle has three rows of seats with room for seven passengers and offers, like the successor Taurus X, a raised seating position.

The Freestyle was along with his former sister model Five Hundred and the Escape Hybrid, one of the first US vehicles using a CVT transmission . To the surprise of Ford, 55% of buyers opted for the model versions with four-wheel drive equipped with a Haldex clutch . It was initially assumed a sales share of 40%. However, the overall sales figures were still below the forecasts at Ford, although these increased monthly. Some buyers chose the freestyle instead of the Ford bestseller Explorer . Many buyers criticized its high fuel consumption.The freestyle was second behind the Escape Hybrid in 2005 in the Car of the Year in the USA .

Ford thought it was due to the initially poor sales figures, the D3 platform-based freestyle after only two model years to reinstate. A Mercury with the internal name Meta-One on the same platform and a similar styling should replace the original model from 2008 onwards.However, the plans for the Mercury Meta-One were dropped again, and at the Chicago Auto Show in February 2007, a revised Freestyle was instead introduced. This had a new grille, had a new drive  and a new name: Ford Taurus X .