Adjustable brake and accelerator pedals are a good safety feature for anyone under 5' 6", Ford believes, so it makes particurly good sense to put them on one of the vehicles most driven by women -- a minivan.
So the 2000 Windstar will be the first minivan to offer adjustable pedals when they become optionally available in the spring of next year.
Such pedals are a safety item because sometimes a short person has to sit close to the steering wheel to reach the pedals, and sitting too close to the steering wheel may not be the best place to be if the airbag deploys.
Windstar's pedals will move forward 10 cm, which should make it easier for most of the shorter drivers to get a comfortable and safe position vis a vis the steering wheel.
"The new adjustable pedals allow drivers to find exactly the right position, with the right reach to the pedals," says Mary Ellen Heyde, Windstar vehicle line director. Also coming next spring is a rear-seat entertainment system that includes a video cassette player and a video monitor with a 6.4-inch LCD screen that flips up from the center console for viewing from the backseat. The console also contains jacks for video game use.