The Ford Freestyle is a crossover utility vehicle that was sold by Ford from 2005 to 2009. Largely marketed as the successor to the Ford Taurus station wagon, the Freestyle was the CUV counterpart of the

Ford Five Hundred The Ford Five Hundred is a full-size four-door, five-passenger, front-engine front- or all-wheel drive, high-roof sedan manufactured in Chicago and marketed in North America and Mexico by Ford in a single generation for model years 2005–2007. ...

and Mercury Montego four-door sedans. Sharing the Ford D3 platform with the Five Hundred and Montego, the Freestyle was produced with both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive configurations and six- or seven-passenger seating. Following the return of the

Ford Taurus The Ford Taurus is an automobile that was manufactured and marketed by the Ford Motor Company in the United States from 1985 to 2019. From 1985 to 2009, Ford marketed the Taurus alongside its rebadged variant, the Mercury Sable. Four generati ...

for the 2008 model year, the Freestyle underwent a mid-cycle revision and was renamed the Ford Taurus X, marketed in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, as well as

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

and the

U.S. territories Territories of the United States are sub-national administrative divisions and dependent territories overseen by the federal government of the United States. The American territories differ from the U.S. states and Indian reservations in th ...

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

U.S. Virgin Islands The United States Virgin Islands, officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and a territory of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located ...

, and

Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...

. Following the 2009 model year, the Taurus X was withdrawn. From the 2009 model year, the larger

Ford Flex The Ford Flex is a full-size crossover SUV manufactured and marketed by Ford over a single generation from 2009–2019, as the successor to the Ford Taurus X. The Flex was introduced in 2005 as a concept vehicle based on the Ford D4 chassis ar ...

has served as the three-row Ford CUV/wagon. From 2005 to 2009, the Freestyle/Taurus X was assembled at Chicago Assembly (

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

); the final vehicle was produced on February 27, 2009.

Background

The Freestyle was previewed at the 2003 Detroit Auto Show with the Freestyle FX Concept before entering production for the 2005 model year. The FX concept featured a unique rear end design that could be converted from a wagon into a pickup truck or sedan, but this feature never made it onto the production version. The vehicle was originally going to be called the Ford CrossTrainer, but had been renamed the Freestyle by the time the concept was released, due to Ford adopting an ill-fated naming scheme in which all Ford-branded passenger cars except the

Mustang The mustang is a free-roaming horse of the Western United States, descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish conquistadors. Mustangs are often referred to as wild horses, but because they are descended from once-domesticate ...

and Thunderbird would have a name start with the letter "F". Although its body and chassis was used to produce the Mercury Meta One concept vehicle, no Lincoln-Mercury version of the Freestyle ever reached production.

Design overview

For the Freestyle/Taurus X, Ford used its Volvo-derived D3 platform architecture. Sharing a common platform with the

and Mercury Montego, all four vehicles were derived from the Volvo P2 platform used for the first-generation Volvo S80 and Volvo XC90. To accommodate production costs for Ford and durability concerns for North American roads, many revisions were made to the platform, making the final vehicles significantly different. Design-wise, the car itself bore several visual resemblances to the Australian market Ford Territory, especially in the rear third of the car. Power came from a 3.0 L (181 cu in) Duratec V6, with an output of at 5750 rpm.
auto123.com The Freestyle, along with the Five Hundred, Mercury Montego, and the Ford Escape Hybrid, were the first American Ford vehicles to use a

continuously variable transmission A continuously variable transmission (CVT) is an automated Transmission (mechanical device), transmission that can change through a continuous range of gear ratios, typically resulting in better fuel economy in gasoline applications. This contr ...

(CVT). The Freestyle, Five Hundred and Montego used a chain-type CVT, while the Escape Hybrid used a CVT transaxle that utilized a planetary gearset controlled by the electric generator, similar to the Toyota Prius. All Freestyles were equipped with the CVT, but only

all-wheel drive An all-wheel drive vehicle (AWD vehicle) is one with a powertrain capable of providing power to all its wheels, whether full-time or on-demand. Types The most common forms of all-wheel drive are: ;1x1 : All unicycles Reflects one axle with ...

(AWD) Five Hundred and Montego models used the CVT (FWD versions used an Aisin F21++ six-speed automatic). 55% of buyers selected the Haldex Traction-equipped

model rather than the expected 40%.

Model history

Ford Freestyle (2005–2007)

Introduced as a 2005 model largely in place of the Ford Taurus station wagon, the Freestyle was marketed as a crossover utility vehicle, a new market segment at the time. As with the Ford Five Hundred/Mercury Montego, the Freestyle was available with front-wheel drive as standard with all-wheel drive as an option; the CVT of the all-wheel drive Five Hundred was the sole transmission on the Freestyle. The 203hp 3.0L Duratec V6 was the standard engine. In contrast to a Taurus station wagon, the Freestyle featured forward-facing third-row seating (similar to the Ford Explorer and Ford Expedition). Although designed with ground clearance between a sedan and a small SUV, the Freestyle featured what Ford marketed as ''Command Seating,'' featuring a higher

H-point The H-point (or hip-point) is the theoretical, relative location of an occupant's hip: specifically the pivot point between the torso and upper leg portions of the body—as used in vehicle design, automotive design and vehicle regulation as w ...

, to increase driver visibility and ease of entry and exit. The Freestyle was nominated for the '' North American Truck of the Year'' award for 2005 (placing second behind the Ford Escape Hybrid).

Ford Taurus X (2008–2009)

In 2007, shortly after becoming CEO of Ford Motor Company, Alan Mulally called for a revision of the Ford and Mercury model ranges, saying that the shift towards Ford nameplates starting with the letter "F" was forgettable to consumers. He reinstated of the Ford Taurus nameplate for, displacing the sedan's ''Five Hundred'' nameplate for a mid-cycle refresh for model year 2008 and adopting the ''Taurus X'' nameplate, superseding the ''Freestyle'' nameplate. The change was announced shortly after its unveiling at the 2007 Chicago Auto Show for the 2008 production model. The Taurus X received a flush-mounted three-bar horizontal chrome grille, and matching the Explorer, the Taurus X introduced an outdoors-themed Eddie Bauer trim level. As with the Freestyle, the lower body and wheel well trim on Eddie Bauer and SEL trim levels were painted in a contrasting color (as with all Ford SUVs); Limited trim models received a monochromatic treatment. As with its sedan counterpart, the Taurus X featured a major powertrain update over its predecessor. The 203hp 3.0L V6 was replaced by an all-new 3.5L Duratec 35 V6 engine, raising output to 263hp. The ZF-Batavia CVT was replaced by an all-new Ford/GM 6-speed automatic transmission, while all-wheel drive remained an option. To increase its functionality, the Taurus X featured new power options, including a power-operated rear liftgate and power-folding second-row seats. Although the renaming of the Taurus sedan would improve its sales over the Five Hundred, the renaming of the Freestyle to the Taurus X would have the opposite effect, leading to a major decrease in sales. During its production, the Taurus X was partially affected by the automotive industry crisis of 2008–10. Although more fuel-efficient than SUVs such as the V8-engined Ford Expedition and Ford Explorer, full-size crossovers such as the Taurus X were avoided in favor of smaller crossovers and sedans. In 2009, the

was introduced as the replacement for the discontinued Ford Freestar/Mercury Monterey. The Taurus X was discontinued for the 2009 model year, with the Flex unofficially serving as its replacement.

Trim levels

The 2005-2007 Ford Freestyle, and the 2008-2009 Ford Taurus X, were offered in several different trim levels: The base SE trim level, only offered on the Freestyle between 2005 and 2006, was the "base" trim level, and offered the following features as standard equipment: a 3.0L "DuraTec" V6 engine, a CVT transmission (Freestyle only) or a 6 speed automatic transmission (Taurus X only), seventeen-inch alloy wheels and tires, an A/M-F/M stereo with a single-disc CD player and a four-speaker audio system, manual front and rear air conditioning with front controls, cloth seating surfaces, power windows, power door locks, keyless entry, an aluminum interior trim piece, black door handles and side mirrors, and matte gray lower body trim. The SEL was the mid-level trim level between 2005 and 2006, and the base trim level from 2007 until 2009. It added the following options to the base SE trim level: a 3.5L "DuraTec" V6 engine (2008 and 2009 Taurus X only), a six-speed automatic transmission (2008 and 2009 Taurus X only), sport-styled seventeen-inch alloy wheels, a security system, an A/M-F/M stereo with a single-disc CD/MP3 player and an auxiliary audio input jack, dual-zone automatic air conditioning with rear controls, a power front driver's seat, a woodgrain interior trim piece, and either Gray Metallic or Arizona Beige Metallic lower body trim. The Limited was the top-of-the-line trim level from 2005 until 2009. It added the following options to the mid-level SEL trim level: dual front heated power seats, leather-trimmed first and second-row seating surfaces (the third-row bench seat was vinyl-trimmed), an A/M-F/M stereo with a six-disc, in-dash CD/MP3 changer (later with an auxiliary audio input jack and Ford SYNC) and a premium "Audiophile" seven-speaker audio system with rear-mounted subwoofer and external amplifier, satellite radio, color-keyed exterior door handles and side mirrors, and color-keyed lower body trim. The Eddie Bauer Edition, only offered on the Taurus X between 2008 and 2009, was the "luxury" trim level, and added the following options to the base SEL trim level: an A/M-F/M stereo with a single-disc CD/MP3 player and an auxiliary audio input jack with Ford SYNC, satellite radio, two-tone leather-trimmed first and second-row seating surfaces (the third-row bench seat was vinyl-trimmed), dual heated power front seats, color-keyed door handles, and Arizona Beige Metallic or Ingot Silver Metallic lower body trim.

Other versions

Since 2005, the Freestyle nameplate has been used as an off-road styling trim for the EcoSport and the Ka in Latin America, the latter also sold as the Ford Freestyle in India and as the Ford Figo Freestyle in South Africa.

Sales (United States)

References

2011 Ford Explorer: First Photos of New Car-Based Ford Explorer

External links

Ford Vehicles.com Official Website
{{Ford vehicles X Crossover sport utility vehicles All-wheel-drive vehicles Front-wheel-drive vehicles Ford D3 platform Cars introduced in 2004 Cars discontinued in 2009 Motor vehicles manufactured in the United States Partial zero-emissions vehicles