2005 Ford Freestyle SEL AWD Road Test

Headroom and legroom are exceptional in all three rows of seats. Third-row seating is easily accessed by folding and tumbling

Perhaps the niftiest aspect of the Freestyle's seating arrangement is the split third row seats. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, American Auto Press)

the second-row buckets forward. If maximum passenger accommodation is important to buyers, the Freestyle is available with a three-position second-row seat in place of the sporty second-row buckets and console configuration.

But perhaps the niftiest aspect of the Freestyle's seating arrangement is the split third row perches. I am sure many hours of mechanical engineering and toil went into designing a mechanism that allows each half of the third row seat to perform a double backflip of sorts, transforming each half into a flat load floor.

The various seating and payload options give rise to exceptional versatility, but that's only part of the owner satisfaction

The various seating and payload options give rise to exceptional versatility. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, American Auto Press)

equation. The driving experience is often what sells a vehicle and generates brand loyalty. The Freestyle presents a mixed bag of goods in this regard.

Powering it is a 3.0-liter Duratec DOHC V6, capable of spinning out 203 horsepower and 207 pound-feet of torque. These are not impressive figures for an all-wheel drive vehicle weighing in at 4,112 pounds and outstretching many midsize SUVs. However, Ford claims that the Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) maximizes the efficiency of its engine's output, boosting the effective horsepower to 250 or so.