| Ford Aerostar |
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The Ford Aerostar was Ford's first Minivan , and was introduced as a 1986 model in summer 1985. Although introduced to compete with the Front-wheel Drive Dodge Caravan / Plymouth Voyager twins, it was a Rear-wheel Drive minivan, like the Chevrolet Astro and Toyota Wonder Wagon . Early models were available with Ford's 2.3 L ''Lima'' I4 engine, which at 100 hp was grossly underpowered for a van that could carry up to seven passengers and luggage. Available as an upgrade initially was Ford's also-underpowered 115 horsepower 2.8 L '' Cologne '' V6 . Later models came with either the 145 horsepower corporate 3.0 L ''Vulcan'' V6 found in the Taurus and Ranger, or (starting in 1990) a 155 horsepower version of the Explorer/Ranger's 4.0 L ''Cologne'' V6. The Aerostar was '' Motor Trend '' magazine's Truck Of The Year for 1990.1 The Aerostar differed from other minivans of its time, because instead of being built on a car platform, it was built on a truck platform. This design was developed because the designers in Ford's truck office were unfamiliar and uncomfortable with unibody construction, and essentially designed a frame into the unibody (this construction was also used on the Chevrolet / GMC G-Series vans and the second generation Jeep Cherokee ). The Aerodynamic styling was similar to the Ford Taurus , which was introduced at the same time. A commercial ad stated that the Aerostar's front nose resembled the NASA Space Shuttle ; Ford often compared the Aerostar to the Space Shuttle in its advertising. Models ranged from the base (and most popular) XL to the luxury XLT. In some years an Eddie Bauer model was available, which had all XLT features and was only available with a tan interior and a tan exterior two-tone available with other select colors. One usually overlooked feature of the Eddie Bauer package is that the middle and rear bench seats would fold out flat converting the two bench seats into a bed, though some Eddie Bauer Aerostars were equipped with a pair of bucket seats instead of the middle bench seat. Also, a "Sport" option was an aesthetic upgrade to XL or XLT models and included a front air dam, running boards with an "AEROSTAR" logo, two-tone paint (usually with silver as the accent color) including the bumpers painted in the accent color (instead of dark grey like other models), and "Sport" badging. Major options included rear air, an extended length model in 1988-on, E4WD (see below), etc. Most models included rear-seat controls for the audio and rear climate control if so equipped. Most models also came equipped with A/C, intermittent wipers, rear wiper, rear defogger, and so forth. In 1994, built-in child safety seats were made part of the middle bench seat. Rear-wheel ABS was standard in most years, as was the case with most Ford trucks. 4-wheel ABS was not an option, curiously enough. The Aerostar was a Rear-wheel Drive vehicle, unlike the Chrysler Minivans . This compromised interior space somewhat (although providing a level load floor unlike the deep-well like design of a front-wheel drive minivan) but provided superior towing ability as well as increased traction when loaded. However, for those requiring more traction, Ford provided it. Starting in 1990 and on through 1997, an electronically controlled all-wheel drive option was available on any trim level. This was a different system than other four-wheel-drive Ford vehicles in that the system engaged when it detected rear wheel spin, powering the front wheels automatically with no driver input requried. Unlike most four-wheel-drive vehicles the system used on the Aerostar is more precisely described as "All Wheel Drive". It is distinctly different from traditional four-wheel-drive systems and other modern-day versions. The difference is that the Aerostar's unique Dana TC28 transfercase employs a true center differential, though this center-differential is regulated by an electronically controlled electro-magnetic clutch, this means that all four wheels are essentially powered at all times. All four-wheel-drive (called "E4WD" by Ford, standing for Electronic 4 Wheel Drive) Aerostars used the 4.0 L ''Cologne'' V6 rated at 160 hp. The Aerostar was available with either a 5-speed manual (which was discontinued in 1995) or the 4-speed ''A4LD'' automatic. For 1996, both the 4-speed ''4R44E'' (3.0 Engine) and 4-speed automatic ''4R55E'' (4.0 engine) transmissions became available, replacing the A4LD. For 1997 the 5R55E was standard for the 4.0 engine. Since the Aerostar used truck parts (the brake rotors, axle bearings, wheels, etc. were all interchangeable with the Ford Ranger , Bronco II , and Explorer ), essentially any interchangeable truck option for power and suspension was available. Many Aerostar owners upgraded to 15- or 16-inch wheels from an Explorer or Ranger. One noted difference is that the Aerostar had a 3-link coil spring rear suspension with a live axle, similar to the Ford Crown Victoria and Fox-body Mustang . Two different 5-speed manual transmissions were used, both of which were shared with other Ford and Mazda truck products. The earlier unit used from 1985-1987 is the Toyo-Koygo (Mazda) transmission known as the TK-5. This unit was designed and built by Toyo-Koygo. The later transmission, used from 1988-95 is the Mazda M5OD-R1 . It was designed by Ford, but built by Mazda and shares a similarity to (but not interchangeability with) the Ford/Mazda M5OD-R2 transmission used in the fullsize Ford F-series and Ford Bronco trucks. GALLERY |
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