Ford's last USDM station wagon was just winging it

"Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available" (whoistheleader2) 04/23/2020 at 11:43 • Filed to: ford, freestyle, fusion, five-hundred

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Yes, that bad pun was aimed squarely at the Ford Freestyle. And the Ford Five Hundred it was based on. But what happened?

A recent conversation with !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! centered around the confusing global lineup of Ford in the late 2000s, which led to this discovery. Specifically, we were discussing the strange m ix of globalized cars Ford has sold and which ones had similar but entirely separate models based on which side of the pond you lived on.

The last generation Ford Fusion was also sold as the Ford Mondeo overseas. However, those nameplates had been attached to very similar cars in the past that were nevertheless separate models. The only difference on the present generation is the addition of a wagon body style in Europe.

But the Mondeo is so much more than a globalized Fusion. It has been produced continually since 1993 as a large family saloon or wagon and formed a cornerstone of Ford’s lineup for the better part of three decades now.

So if the Mondeo used to always be separate, what was the US equivalent?

Glad you asked. The Taurus was Ford’s front wheel drive large family car from 1986 to 2005 , when the naming nomenclature for that role got confusing.

People who grew up in the back of a Taurus wagon didn’t want one when they got old enough to drive, so a name change, it was hoped, would reinvigorate sales and attract a new generation to the practical family car.

So Ford renamed their large front wheel drive sedan the Five Hundred spelled out instead of using numbers. The world collectively rolled its eyes and forgot it existed when it debuted in 2005 . The Five Hundred was not nearly as strong a seller as its predecessors , probably not helped by the frumpy appearance of the new car. It had a remarkably tall and upright greenhouse, giving it an appearance of practicality that the buying public was moving away from; the peak of the SUV craze prior to the recession of 2008 was not a good time to debut essentially a granny car.

However, this unsuccessful attempt at reviving the Taurus only for it to become even more associated with empty nesters and old folks did bring about Ford’s last US market station wagon to date. The Ford Freestyle was based off the Five Hundred chassis and architecture, marking the last hurrah for the wagon at the blue oval.

Ford didn’t even have the dignity to sell it as a wagon, instead thinly disguising it as an SUV by tacking on plastic cladding and giving it big wheels. But even this active lifestyle vehicle couldn’t get around its association as an old folks car. It arguably looked even frumpier than the sedan and the SUV ruse wouldn’t fool a child. Most of its target audience bought Explorers anyways, so its main competitor was a fellow Ford. Not a good strategy.

So this is the end. Ford quit making wagons after the failed Five Hundred/Freestyle platform and its hollow marketing gimmicks.

They did continue making a Taurus equivalent, however. The Fusion continued the naming scheme beginning with F and was a sales success. The Fusion came out in 2006 with an overlap of two years between the two similarly sized sedans. No wagon variant was offered. A comprehensive facelift in 2010 was much more extensive than usual, bringing significant structural changes along with new bodywork, interior bits, and powertrain changes.

My brother owns a last year 2012 and the build and material quality is remarkably poor. It’s a good looking and practical sedan, but it has not held up well with age. In particular, the interior plastics have suffered unacceptable levels of UV degradation .

The Ford Taurus nameplate was revived for the 2013 model year and was greeted with enthusiasm. Sales to police departments also picked up, helping the overall profitability despite the market for large sedans shrinking substantially.

Fortunately, 2016 heralded the all new Fusion that doubled as the European Mondeo. This, as was mentioned earlier, was offered with a wagon body style but never in North America.

So, we are at the end of the confused history that birthed the Freestyle. Ford’s hollow marketing and disinterested design in the late 2000s really blemished the reputation of the cars to follow, forcing them into a strained relationship with their naming scheme. Ford’s last USDM wagon really wasn’t very good, but it deserves recognition as such. Nevertheless, the Blue Oval has since made much better wagon never destined for our shores.

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/23/2020 at 11:49

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“Nevertheless, the INSERT EVERY BRAND HERE has since made much better wagon never destined for our shores.”

Ash78, voting early and often > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/23/2020 at 11:55

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Nice writeup! A couple things to add:

1. Don’t forget about the Contour/Mystique — that was LITERALLY the Mondeo over here. However, a midsize in the rest of the world nearly was a compact over here, so it was axed due to poor positioning. Stuck between the Escort and Taurus is not a good place to be.

2. The 500 was just ok...the Freestyle the same. But the Freestyle could have taken off better if the world accepted 3-row crossovers. It needed a better tranny and cooler design, but almost every day I look around at the hottest-selling segment and feel bad that cars like the Mercedes R-class, Chrysler Pacifica, and Ford Freestyle were too early for their own good. They didn’t have a segment to call home, so they had to wing it. And they all died.

facw > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/23/2020 at 11:58

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I’d call the Freestyle a CUV anyway. It’s certainly trying to be. Meanwhile, I think there’s a good argument to be made that the Flex was Ford’s last US wagon.

RallyWrench > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/23/2020 at 11:59

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“ People who grew up in the back of a Taurus wagon didn’t want one when they got old enough to drive,...”

Oh, they got one, though. I t was their hand-me-down first car. My high school parking lot was littered with battered   Taurii and the like.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Ash78, voting early and often 04/23/2020 at 12:00

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I didn’t want to complicate things with Mercury, but I forgot about the Contour. Thank you. Saying what cars are what segment gets complicated when a global car is positioned differently in different markets.

And yes, there were plenty of cars, the R Class and Pacifica in particular, that were way too early for their own good. The whole active lifestyle concept of the Freestyle was way too early to the game as well, but it still has somehow not aged well. It was just too dopey looking, I think, for anyone to want one.

Thisismydisplayname > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/23/2020 at 12:01

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What about the flex?  They just discontinued them this past year.

just-a-scratch > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/23/2020 at 12:01

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This is good Oppo. Thank you for the article.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/23/2020 at 12:03

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My friend had a joke in 2009 as the auto industry fell apart about Ford’s lineup. I can’t remember every detail, but it went something like this.

A man shows up at the Ford dealership to buy a new family car. The salesman comes out and asks what he’s looking for. Th e man says “Well I want a family car with a bit more elbow room than our old sedan, but better gas mileage than my truck .” So the salesman tells him to wait there and brings out the first vehicle. The man asks what it is and the salesman goes “Well sir, this is our brand new Ford Edge! It has a 3.5L V6, AWD, our latest SYNC connectivity technology, and is our newest crossover!” The man hems and haws for a minute and asks to see something else. So the salesman brings out the next vehicle. ANd the man seems.....confused. He goes “Excuse me, isn’t this the edge?” and the salesman goes “No sir, not at all! This is the brand new Taurus X! It has a 3.5L V6, AWD, our latest SYNC connectivity technology, and is our newest crossover! ” The man looks it over and thinks about it, and says he wants to see something different than the previous two. So the salesman goes off and comes back with something new. The man once again looks at it and goes “Are you ure these are different? This looks just like the other two!” the salesman gets a bit frustrated and goes “Sir, please! Don’t insult yourself by claiming this is the same vehicle as before! This is a Ford Flex, 100% different from the other two! It has a 3.5L V6, AWD, our latest SYNC connectivity technology, and is our newest crossover!”  

Ash78, voting early and often > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/23/2020 at 12:05

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It was just too dopey looking, I think, for anyone to want one.

I think for the time period, it at least fit the brand styling. IMO no worse than the first-gen Chevy Traverse and the like, considering those had the benefit of coming much later with more evolved styling.

The 500/Freestyle were based on the same platform as the Volvo XC90, IIRC.

ranwhenparked > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/23/2020 at 12:05

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The Five Hundred and Freestyle were renamed Taurus and Taurus X, respectively, for 2007, as Alan Mulally felt the name had good recognition. 

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Ash78, voting early and often 04/23/2020 at 12:07

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Wikipedia said S80, but that might be the same. The XC90 is one of the least pleasant cars to drive (in fwd) that I have ever driven, so this doesn’t give me a good impression of the Five Hundred.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > RallyWrench 04/23/2020 at 12:09

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Exactly. So they sure weren’t going to buy another when they got enough money for a new car.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > facw 04/23/2020 at 12:10

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You know, you might just be right. It was kind a hybrid in the same way the R Class was a wagon, but I might still call it a wagon. I may need to extensively modify this post after all, which is a good enough excuse for an afternoon repost.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > ranwhenparked 04/23/2020 at 12:11

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Oh yeah, I completely overlooked that name change.

Ash78, voting early and often > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/23/2020 at 12:16

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You’re right, S80 not XC90. I rode in (and drove) both the S80 and Five Hundred around that time and have nothing really nice to say about either. The Ford was designed by the same guy who did the A6, Passat, TT, and New Beetle. But the finished product was so cheaply made and loud in comparison with the Germans , it was almost painful.

In fact, that Ford era for Volvo really set back my impression of them permanently. The new Volvos are really nice, but now I don’t like them due to overreliance on touchscreens and the complex 4-cylinder engine arrangements.

/tangent

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Ash78, voting early and often 04/23/2020 at 12:18

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That S80 had some seriously comfortable seats, but was somehow exactly unremarkable. The XC90 just had a terrible chassis and was way way way way too heavy for its own good, especially in fwd. Ford ditching Volvo is what saved it; they might have ended up like Saab.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/23/2020 at 12:26

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The Freestyle was renamed Taurus X:

Which then became the Explorer after a mild refresh to the design (trust me, still fundamentally the same) :

Which has now moved onto a new platform:

ranwhenparked > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/23/2020 at 12:32

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It didn't help sales, but at least they acknowledged that they were essentially the same car 

Ash78, voting early and often > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/23/2020 at 12:47

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It was like Ford said “What defines Volvo” and they came up with:

1. Comfortable seats

2. TBD

The rest of it got phoned in.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/23/2020 at 12:50

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We very much had a Mondeo equivalent th at wasn’t a Taurus. It was called a Contour and it was a rebadged Mondeo.

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > facw 04/23/2020 at 12:52

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I’ve rode in a Freestyle. Definitely has command seating, moreso than the Flex. 

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Ash78, voting early and often 04/23/2020 at 12:53

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The turbo inline 5 is a great engine* and reasonably Swedish.

if it doesn’t have to lug over 5000 lbs thru the front wheels

oldmxer > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/23/2020 at 14:58

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Ford got VW’s head stylist to come and inject some life into their lineup. didn’t everyone wonder why Fords starting to look like big Jettas? my mother in law was ready to get another vehicle and based on what i had seen at the auto show i went to tell her about the Freestyle, i did a double take when i got there she already bought one. bottom line that was the best all around family vehicle i have ever been associated with in my many years of driving. if i could wave a magic wand and have any vehicle i might pick this

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > oldmxer 04/23/2020 at 15:07

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The Freestyle probably was a good family vehicle, but it just rung a little hollow for the average consumer, not really delivering as some sort of active lifestyle vehicle and being slightly worse than a traditional wagon. The weird name and frumpy appearance probably didn’t help, but I’m glad to see your MiL liked it. It sort of had the same downfall as the Honda Crosstour and to a lesser extent the Mercedes R Class.

I didn’t recognize your username so I clicked on it and noticed you had two posts to your personal blog. If you get posting privileges under the #clubopenings tab from a moderator, you can go here to move posts from the personal blog to Oppositelock for publishing.

oldmxer > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/23/2020 at 22:43

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thanks, I’ve been enjoying this site for years and decided to apply for posting privi le ges and made my first post. still not sure how this all works but noticed my post didn’t show up when I went back to see if it did and I didn’t see it. does this mean I can’t see my own or what? I got the help line and asked why my post didn’t show on the site and they told me it was post ed to my blog. but I don’t have any views or comments on my first two posts.

oldmxer > oldmxer 04/23/2020 at 23:07

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just looked on my profile page it says both were published, so I guess I’m good

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > oldmxer 04/23/2020 at 23:16

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Make sure to always reset the time and date at the top no more than a minute before posting or else it will post to the time the draft was created. It's a major problem for new posters to figure it out, so don't worry.

oldmxer > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/24/2020 at 13:30

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thanks for the help!