After keeping an eye on the success of car based SUVs such as the Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, and the Nissan Murano, Ford felt that its truck based SUVs, the Explorer and the Expedition, was not going to cut it. Thus came the Freestyle to fill in the void for a car like SUV that combined the virtues of a minivan, wagon, and a sedan in one package. It was based on the Five Hundred sedan and offered decent performance and remarkable practicality. Despite its competence, the Freestyle sold less than what Ford expected. In late 2007-2008, the Freestyle was refreshed. It adopted a name change to Taurus X (The Five Hundred sedan also adopted a name change to Taurus), and gained a new powertrain as well fixing the issues of the Freestyle.
RNR Automotive Blog 