Ford Windstar
An aging matriarch
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By Richard J. Newman
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NITS: The captain's chairs in the second row are a popular and comfortable choice–but the cupholders disappear.
G-FORCES: The 200-horsepower, 3.8-liter V-6 engine has reasonable power, but for all the huffing you hear from under the hood you'd expect twice as much torque. Handling is squishy. The Windstar's high posture makes it feel like extra weight is sloshing around.
GIZMOLOGY: Radio and climate controls are basic. I wish I could say the same for the rear climate system, which I found confusing. At one point we had all gotten drenched during a downpour, and I wanted to blast warm air on my kids. But no matter where I turned the dial, all that came out of the rear vents was A/C. I never figured out why there's only one knob for both temperature and fan speed.
KID MARKS: As noted, the third-row seat is a clunker that doesn't fold into the floor, and must be fully removed if you want to utilize the whole rear area for cargo space. The seat does slide forward (to maximize storage area) and back (to maximize legroom), although even at its most expansive the third row is best occupied by kids. The optional power sliding side doors are controlled by buttons in the back seat–an irresistible attraction to kids, and a likely nuisance to parents. Otherwise, the Windstar has copious space, although a few more storage compartments wouldn't hurt.
HOT OR NOT? Not. It's a minivan, and a dowdy one at that.
ENVIROMETER: Rates 4 out of 10 on the EPA's emissions/air pollution scale (7 out of 10 for vehicles sold in California.) Mileage ranges from 17 mpg city to 23 mpg highway. Details: http://www.epa.gov/autoemissions/
E-FORD-Windstar-03.htm
CRASH COURSE: The Windstar earns 10 stars out of 10 on the government's frontal crash test, and eight out of 10 on the side-impact test. When equipped with optional side-impact air bags, the Windstar earns 10 stars on the side-impact test. Rollover resistance rating is four stars out of five. More info: http://www.nhtsa.gov/
NCAP/Cars/2003Vans.html
PRICE POINTS: Base prices range from $23,365 to $34,815. Price as tested: $36,245. (All prices include delivery fees.)
MORE INFO: http://www.fordvehicles.com/cars/
windstar/index.asp?bhcp=1
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Model year tested: 2003
The "Windstar Moms" have been earning their pay. These 40 or so parents who work on Ford's Windstar program drive their own kids around in the minivan and devise the kind of clever innovations that can only come from real-world testing, with cranky kids and stressed-out parents. On the '03 Windstar, for instance, there's a little overhead compartment that holds a travel pack of tissues, as critical as oil and gasoline during certain emergencies. Another fold-down gizmo is a "conversation mirror" aimed at the second row of seats, so that worried or adoring parents can see their kids without diverting the rear view mirror or constantly turning around.
But such niceties fail to conceal a central weakness: The Windstar is an aging design that is significantly out of date. Model year 2003 is the last iteration of the current Windstar platform, and the updates scheduled for the '04 model couldn't come soon enough. For starters, the third-row seat still doesn't fold flat into the floor, which, four years after Honda introduced the feature in the Odyssey, is becoming a prerequisite for minivans. You can get a hideaway third-row in an Explorer, because the SUV was redesigned for '02. But on Ford's family staple, the dated suspension still gets in the way. The optional DVD player is an awkward retrofit too. The base unit is lodged in between the front seats, which takes away the storage console that's essential in a family vehicle. That's the sort of arrangement that results when engineers cram modern features into an old design not meant to accommodate them.
The Windstar's road performance is another detractor. The six-cylinder engine is so noisy that at times I felt I was in the window seat, next to the engine, on a turboprop airplane. On curves, the Windstar has the top-heavy feel you expect when you look at the hunched-up body–the canted shape that forces you to hammer the brakes a lot just to feel like you're in control. Steering and ride were also rougher than I expected. This was my first time driving a Windstar, and I was surprised that so many families are willing to put up with a truck-like ride in a vehicle class that emphasizes comfort and gentility.
Of course there's one feature that might explain the Windstar's continued appeal: its longstanding, top-notch safety rating. For several years the Windstar has topped competitors in the government's crashworthiness tests. Other minivans are now catching up, and Ford is trying to keep the Windstar's edge with a bunch of sensors and other safety gear beyond most driver's technical ken, but important nonetheless. Antilock brakes are standard, which should be a given–especially among family vehicles–but still aren't on many models. And if you can live with the cumbersome third-row, which must be physically removed if you want all the room for storage, the Windstar is plenty comfortable for a family of seven. Just a little less so once Mom eases it out of the driveway.
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