Gigantic Excursion, riding on the chassis of Ford's Super Duty truck, draws from gasoline V8 and V10 engines or a direct-injection Power Stroke diesel V8 to generate massive strength and over-the-top pulling power. Excursion has a cabin that carries three rows seating as many as nine adults.
Trims for the 2005 line up as base XLS, XLT, Eddie Bauer and Limited. Ford's Triton 5.4-liter V8 is the standard plant with 255 hp. A 6.8-liter Triton V10 -- stock for Eddie Bauer and Limited 4WD but optional on other models -- hits 310 hp.

Ford's 6.0-liter Power Stroke diesel, pumping 325 hp and 560 lb.-ft. of torque, is also available. A new face marks the 2005 Excursion with revised grille and bumpers plus a new design for headlamps. Optional gear for all issues extends to heated telescoping trailer tow mirrors with integrated clearance lights, turn signals and heat elements, or adjustable pedals at the driver's post.

After only a year on the market, Ford's big minivan shows new shades for clear coat metallic body paint -- such as Arizona Beige, Matador Red or Dark Shadow Grey. As the replacement for Windstar, Freestar is a big minivan, cast on a chassis with the wheelbase stretching for ten feet and an overall vehicle length of more than 16 feet. These dimensions forge a long, broad and tall passenger compartment with ample room for three rows of seats to hold as many as seven passengers.

The cabin has a pair of buckets on the first row, a second row with either a bench for three or twin buckets plus the third-row folding bench for two. Safety equipment includes Ford's Personal Safety System, with a Safety Canopy of curtain-style side air bags optional. Freestar is equipped with a front transverse-mounted V6 engine tied to a FWD system. There are two V6 options. Standard is a 3.9-liter V6 with a rating of 193 hp. For Freestar's two top trim levels, a 4.2-liter V6 makes 202 hp with a four-speed automatic transaxle. The five trims list as base Freestar plus LX, LX Sport, SE and Limited.

Ford's new five-door crossover wagon goes by the tag of Freestyle. It blends the rugged look of an SUV with the versatile cabin structure of a minivan and the sure-footed handling of a sporty sedan with optional AWD grip. Structural components and primary mechanical hardware come off a platform designed by Volvo of Sweden. The innovative cabin design brings a score of different configurations for seats and cargo space. There's room for six or seven adults on three tiers of seats with buckets up front and a backbench folding flat into the floor.

Seats on the second row work as either a bench with seatback split or reclining captain's chairs with optional floor tracks to vary the legroom. Trims run up from the base SE and a deluxe SEL to luxurious Limited with perforated leather upholstery and wood grain lining the dash center stack. For power Freestyle stokes Ford's dual-cam 3.0-liter V6 producing 203 hp with a CVT from ZF-Batavia. The AWD device operates in FWD mode unless on-board wheel sensors detect slippage and the smart device diverts some of the engine's power to turn the rear wheels.

Read our Review: Ford Freestyle

Ford's mid-size SUV, consistently ranked as the best-selling sport-utility in the world, comes to the 2005 line in 20 different configurations with multiple choices for powertrain, traction mode and trim. There are rear-wheel-drive (RWD) and four-wheel-drive (4WD) Explorer versions and trim designations of XLS, XLS Sport, XLT, XLT Sport, luxurious Eddie Bauer and elite Limited. Standard safety equipment on all models for 2005 increases with ABS and Ford's AdvanceTrac with Roll Stability Control computer-linked anti-skid equipment. Explorer puts a fold-flat seat in the third row for seven-person capacity on all editions. Explorer's standard engine, a 4.0-liter single-cam V6, delivers 210 hp through to a five-speed manual transmission or five-speed automatic. An optional 4.6-liter V8 in single-cam design rises to 239 hp.

This crossover vehicle rides on the chassis of Ford's Ranger truck but gets the four-door cabin of Explorer and works as both a truck and SUV. It looks like Explorer from prow to the back of the second side door, but then the wagon's enclosed cargo compartment gives way to a sawed-off pickup bed. That back box, crafted from sheet-molded composite plastic, extends for 50 inches. Inside, four full-size doors make entry easy from any seat, and the seat system has two front buckets and a backbench that splits and folds to form a cargo area.

The Sport Trac draws power from Explorer's single-cam 4.0-liter V6 with 205 hp through a five-speed automatic. Optional 4WD traction is offered with a dashboard switch to shift easily from RWD to 4WD high gear or into four-wheel low for off-road travel. Four trims mark Sport Trac for 2005 with XLS, XLT, XLT Premium and the Adrenalin series. The latter brings a 510-watt Pioneer Ultimate Audio System with nine speakers plus a six-disc CD player with MP3 capability. A power moonroof is optional now on XLT, XLT Premium and Adrenalin.

Ford's full-size sport-utility wagon gains muscle in 2005 due to a 5.4-liter Triton V8 engine from the F-150 pickup. It produces 300 hp plus huge torque ratings to raise the towing capacity as high as 8,900 pounds with an optional payload-towing package. A total of six trims apply to Expedition with XLS, XLT, XLT Sport, the off-road NBX package and Eddie Bauer plus a new top-of-the-line Limited series.

Expedition's vast cabin has room for as many as nine riders and comes with a third-row bench that collapses flat into the cargo floor for a slick disappearing act with optional push-button PowerFold motivation. Disc brakes for all wheels tie to ABS with brake assist (BA), and Ford's curtain-style side air bag system is available. The optional multi-phase Control Trac 4WD device has a control knob on the dashboard for dialing up a driving mode, from rear two-wheel traction to four-wheel high and low or automatic AWD. Another option - AdvanceTrac with Roll Stability Control - brings electronic traction control that can selectively brake a spinning wheel while also rerouting torque to an opposing wheel with traction.