The Ford Freestar is a minivan that was manufactured by the Ford Motor Company from 2004 until November 2006. It replaced the Ford Windstar for the 2004 model year. The name change accommodated Ford's strategy to rename all their cars to words beginning in F. The Freestar and its twin, the Mercury Monterey, were built in Oakville, Ontario, Canada.
The Freestar can accommodate up to seven passengers and features an electronically controlled 4-speed automatic transmission as part of the van's standard equipment. Five trim levels were available: base, SE, Sport, SEL, and Limited. In the United States, the Freestar was available with two different gasoline-powered V6 engines. The smaller 3.9 L (available only in the United States) develop a maximum power of 193 hp (144 kW) at 4500 rpm and 240 lb·ft (325 N·m) of torque at 3750 rpm, while the larger 4.2 L produces 201 hp (150 kW) at 4,250 rpm and 263 lb·ft (357 N·m) of torque at 3650 rpm. While the smaller engine came on the base model in the United States, the larger 4.2 L engine is standard on all models in Canada and Mexico.
The Freestar can accommodate up to seven passengers and features an electronically controlled 4-speed automatic transmission as part of the van's standard equipment. Five trim levels were available: base, SE, Sport, SEL, and Limited. In the United States, the Freestar was available with two different gasoline-powered V6 engines. The smaller 3.9 L (available only in the United States) develop a maximum power of 193 hp (144 kW) at 4500 rpm and 240 lb·ft (325 N·m) of torque at 3750 rpm, while the larger 4.2 L produces 201 hp (150 kW) at 4,250 rpm and 263 lb·ft (357 N·m) of torque at 3650 rpm. While the smaller engine came on the base model in the United States, the larger 4.2 L engine is standard on all models in Canada and Mexico.
Name change
The Freestar name change may have led to the van's early demise, and is perhaps a textbook example of how a name change can kill what was once a strong product line.[1] The Toronto Star cited one naming expert who called it the "Ford Fiasco.". Naseem Javed, president of ABC Namebank International predicted "It will cause confusion and chaos for consumers. Others called the scheme to rename Fords with a word starting with the letter F as "just foolish." Ford said that dealers suggested the idea, and that it fit the $600 million redesign of the Ford minivan. Joe Greenwell, vice-president of marketing and operations for parent Ford Motor Co. believed the new name would "stimulate interest in the product."
Mercury Monterey
The Mercury Monterey minivan was the Mercury version of the Freestar. It filled a gap in the Mercury lineup after production of the small Nissan Quest-based Villager ceased in 2002. Just like its Freestar twin, the Monterey offered seating for up to seven passengers. However, the Monterey offered more luxury options, and had the 4.2 L V6 engine as standard. Like the Freestar, sales of the Monterey minivan were very low as the design would prove uncompetitive against stronger entries from other automakers, as well as an overall decline in the minivan market. Only 567 Montereys were sold in August 2006. When production ended after a short run of 2007 models, only 1,354 were sold.[citation needed] The Oakville Assembly plant underwent retooling for the Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX crossover SUVs. The last Monterey rolled off the assembly line on August 25, 2006.
Final sale numbers for the Mercury Monterey after a three year run totaled 32,195
Final sale numbers for the Mercury Monterey after a three year run totaled 32,195
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