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Ulysses Ang Photos By Ulysses Ang |
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It’s roughly 400 miles from Dearborn to Chicago; that’s an awful big number especially if it’s my first time driving on an Interstate. Even if I’ve survived dodging dingy Jeepneys in Manila, it’s a different matter outrunning 18-wheeler Mack trucks running at 80 mph. It was baptism by fire, and I had to do it in a Ford (drum roll, please) Freestar minivan. Before we get to the highway bit, let’s talk product. The Freestar is Ford’s challenger to the Dodge Caravan and Honda Odyssey. However, unlike its competitors, the Freestar was never about the availability of different configurations or even mechanical refinement. It was, and still is, all about passenger safety. The Freestar Limited that I had is probably the only minivan to offer eight airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist, four-wheel disc brakes, traction control, self-sealing tires, tire pressure monitors and reverse sensors all as standard equipment. It was, redesigned from the Windstar, on which it’s based, to offer better crash and rollover safety. That said, at least I had a bit of confidence on taking Dodge Rams head-on. As mentioned, the Freestar isn’t the most powerful minivan in the US market. Still, the Limited variant’s standard 4.2-liter OHV V6 had enough grunt to push the 1,950-kilogram seven-seater with considerable ease. Since the engine’s a close brother of the power plant found in the Explorer Sport Trac, it behaves remarkably the same. The crank-up, induction and even throttle behavior induced feelings of déjà vu. That said, the Freestar has to rely on an autobox with one gear less. Since it’s made for the school run, I didn’t expect flat-out cornering or a blistering quarter-mile figure. Still, it still amazed me with its safe and predictable behavior despite having all-season, Uniroyal Nailpaw self-sealing tires. There’s a bit of body roll, but nothing that would encourage kids to take the school bus. The standard traction control kept me in check more than once as there’s 202 bhp still being channeled through the front tires. |
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