Given the 2005 Ford Freestyle's meager 2,000-pound maximum tow rating, it's clear that this vehicle is designed to move people and not personal effects. In fact, Ford placed a high priority on occupant comfort, using a variety of computer technologies that enabled engineers to virtually sit in the seats and use the controls as a tall or short, fat or skinny, young or old, strong or weak person, and to ensure that the Freestyle would be effortless to live with for everyone. Even pregnancy suits, so realistic that they put pressure on engineers' bladders, were used in the quest for an easy-to-own vehicle. Upon sliding behind the wheel, which is simple since the hip-point (H-point) height of the seats makes entry effortless, it is clear that this attention to design detail has paid off. The front seats are soft yet supportive, wide and covered with a plush and durable cloth or optional leather, with a seating position that is tall and upright. Soft material coats the top of the door panels, making it a comfortable spot to rest an arm or elbow. Controls are designed for optimum ease of use by a variety of people. For example, two stalks are affixed to the steering column to control the lights and wipers, rather than the single stalk Ford has traditionally employed. Likewise, the stereo is designed around the use of the radio pre-set buttons, resulting in a simple, symmetrical layout that lacks only a tuning knob. The 2005 Ford Freestyle seats seven adults, though the two positions in the third row are good for little more than a cross-state jaunt if the occupants are six-feet or taller. Ford's claim that the Freestyle offers real leg and foot room for adults is accurate - this crossover's third-row is easily as comfortable as those in the smaller minivans on the market. Nonetheless, space is tight; trips with adults should be short despite the high, firm, but flat bench seat. Thanks to handy fold-and-flip second-row seats that can be operated with one hand, it's impressively easy to clamber into the rearmost seats of the Freestyle. Second-row seating is either a 60/40 split bench or individually reclining captain's chairs, the latter of which are mounted to tracks for fore and aft seat travel. Again, legroom is at a premium if tall people are occupying the front buckets, but the seats are firm, supportive, and sit high, affording excellent support and an impressive view out. Plus, foot room under the front chairs seems almost limitless. Be careful, however, when opening the rear doors. They can swing wide, and they have a sharp point where the door cuts in over the wheel well, which could easily ding the vehicle parked in the next space. Also, because the second-row seats are mounted well forward of the trailing edge of the rear door, entering and exiting in tight quarters is likely to require minor contortion for larger people. Regardless to which row of seats you've been assigned, the 2005 Ford Freestyle is a comfortable vehicle. We thoroughly enjoyed living with it for a week, so much so that we didn't really want to give it back, and that doesn't happen often.
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