That was thus far under expectations that Ford briefly thought of dropping the Freestyle after simply three model years. Taurus, too, appeared more and more passé as the brand new century progressed, the fundamental 1995 design being left to soldier on while the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry enticed buyers with three clear-sheet makeovers. J Mays had succeeded Jack Telnack as Ford design chief in 1997, and Mays had helped form the Passat in his earlier job at VW/Audi. Some critics blamed tepid purchaser response on me-too styling, citing a close resemblance with the six-12 months-previous Volkswagen Passat. Enthusiasts liked it, but the SVT Focus wouldn’t be round lengthy, departing after 2004. One motive was that Ford needed to freshen its small car to keep up purchaser curiosity. Airbags and seatbelt pretensioners were improved according to growing purchaser demand for safety features. No-price antilock brakes were laudable, as was first-time availability of front facet airbags except on the worth-leading Customary. Optional “passive safety” pluses have been front torso facet airbags, plus curtain facet airbags that deployed from the ceiling above the side windows. The outcome was a refocused 2005 lineup with extra orthodox styling in and out, plus extra aggressive “value” pricing. Recliners devour less house but are the best worth addition to the room.
The tall body also provided a extra pure seating posture front and rear, plus vast trunk area. Open shelves may also work in the area beneath a stairway. It was certainly onerous to miss with its daring three-bar grille, a signature destined for future Ford cars (plus an early Five Hundred facelift) and a dim nod to 1966 Galaxies. Such intense competition and a more knowledgeable public made “new or die” imperative even within the household automobile subject, yet Ford had staked its future extra on new trucks than new vehicles. Their future appears bright, and ours seems to be a lot more colorful. The sportiest of the lot was a brand new ZX4 ST sedan, which was no SVT but had significance for its commonplace engine: a brand new 2.3-liter twincam four-cylinder that rated Partial Zero Emissions Automobile status (PZEV) beneath the ultratight emissions limits of California and 4 northeastern states. Though stickers had inevitably risen over time, the Crown Vic still supplied rather a lot of excellent old-fashioned American metal for the cash at around $24,000-$30,000. However the attention-grabbing SHO was canceled for lack of curiosity, and other Tauruses changed hardly at throughout the subsequent six seasons.