The Ford Freestar is based on the old Windstar, and looks it. The only obvious differences are the hood, grille, headlamps, front fenders, and rear liftgate.Freestar sticks with traditional, mainstream minivan styling. Freestar does have one odd, distinguishing feature: The front side windows drop below the inside portion of the door trim which, say the Freestar's designers, remains at a comfortable arm-rest height. The SES model offers a sporty new liftgate spoiler for 2005.
All Freestars come with dual sliding side doors with child-proof locks. Power operation, a convenience much appreciated while running through the rain with armloads of groceries, is standard on Limited and available on SEL ($900). A power-folding rear liftgate is also available.