Introduction
The Freestar was a minivan built by Ford for just 4 years. Even though it had a really short lifespan, the minivan was actually built between three different generations under a few different names with the last one being called the Freestar. Since its discontinuation Ford didn’t really have a suitable minivan for the US market. Well, more than a decade after it was discontinued it seems a 4th version might be on its way. So far Ford has been quiet about it but rumors and inside sources did give us quite a bit of information on the car. For starters, it seems that a Ford minivan is definitely going to happen as the minivans are starting to sell better each year and Ford doesn’t have a true minivan out there.
In detail
The new Freestar would allow Ford to become competitive and it will likely become one of Ford’s better built vehicles as minivans are currently among the best built cars on the market. All of its future rivals use front wheel drive platforms so it is safe to assume the rumored 2018 Ford Freestar will do too.
source:motortrend.com
This is likely going to be built on Ford’s highly modular CD4 architecture which also underpins the Fusion. The Freestar is likely going to be over 200 inches long, 70 inches tall and it should have a wheelbase longer than 120 inches. These alone should allow Ford to offer a great amount of interior space and trunk space while also remaining in the same size class as their rivals.
2018 Ford Freestar design
Unfortunately Ford doesn’t really have a suitable car to base their 2018 Freestar. Even so, it is safe to assume the car won’t be identical to their smaller MPVs which has been rumored a few times in the past. Instead, expect the 2018 Ford Freestar to get a brand new look, more similar to Ford’s crossover range than current small cars. In the front we expect a rather muscular design with a more vertical front end than on its rivals.
source:motortrend.com
Also, the minivan’s back is likely going to boast a roof spoiler, a wide-opening tailgate as well as a boxier look than most expect. This rather unusual design should be the feature that will allow Ford to get noticed in a class where there are already a bit too many cars available on sale.
The interior
There is no word on the design of the dashboard. Even so, it is safe to assume the 2018 Ford Freestar will have quite a few things in common with the Edge or the upcoming Explorer. Expect it to boast a really minimalist dashboard design, a digital instrument cluster, a large infotainment screen as well as a minimal amount of buttons. As standard it will come with 3 rows of seats with seating for up to 8 passengers.
source:motortrend.com
The car is likely going to offer more room than some of its rivals thanks to a really modular interior. The materials will definitely be better than on Ford’s older cars while the seating position is expected to be much lower than some of its rivals in order to offer a sportier driving position.
2018 Ford Freestar Under the hood
The base model of the Freestar is expected to come equipped with a 3.3 liter naturally aspirated V6. This is a new engine in Ford’s roster and it seems it should be good for close to 300 horsepower and 270 lb-ft of torque. The engine would be considerably more efficient than that of its predecessor and with the help of a lighter body it should make the Freestar one of the faster minivans around. A more powerful 2.7 liter V6 with north of 310 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque is also a real possibility but this would require a standard all wheel drive system which may not even be available on the Freestar.
Ford Freestar Video
