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Ford Windstar Takes Top AAA Minivan Award

22 December 1998

Ford Windstar Takes Top AAA Minivan Award

    DEARBORN, Mich., Dec. 22 --  AAA today named the 1999 Ford
Windstar its "Best Minivan."  AAA evaluated 20 separate feature and
performance characteristics and factored in overall value in naming Windstar
the best minivan on the market.
    Redesigned for 1999, Windstar has a five-star safety rating from the
federal government for frontal crash safety for both the driver and passenger.
Windstar is also available with combination head/chest side air bags, the
first and only minivan to offer this feature.  In all, Windstar offers 40
standard safety features, including antilock brakes.  This was accomplished
while adding an available driver's side sliding door and offering optional
dual-power sliding doors allowing either door to be opened and closed at the
touch of a button.
    Windstar also offers a Reverse Sensing System.  This optional system warns
the driver of certain objects near the rear of the vehicle when backing up.
The system works using sonar.  The driver is alerted by a beeping sound that
increases in frequency until the object is less than 10 inches from the rear
bumper, when the tone becomes continuous.

    Moms Help Windstar Succeed
    Minivans are family vehicles, and Windstar was developed with the help of
more than 30 mothers who work on the Windstar product development team.
Having so many mothers on the team has given the 1999 Windstar features that
will build on its success, said Windstar Vehicle Line Director Mary Ellen
Heyde.  "The whole team has helped Ford deliver Windstar's promise of giving
customers a reliable, safe and secure driving experience," she added.
    "The double five-star rating is very important to me and all the other
engineers I work with," said Mary Bell, a product design engineer.  Safety is
important, but so are creature comforts designed specifically for the smallest
creatures in the household -- the kids.  As the 1999 Windstar was being
developed, families with children were regularly invited to test drive and
evaluate it to help develop family friendly features.  Some of the results:

    *  Sleeping Baby Lights.  This eliminates dome lights shining in a
sleeping baby's eyes.  Instead, footlights come on to provide interior
illumination.
    *  Conversation Mirror.  Allows the driver to watch children in the back
rows without losing sight of the road.
    *  Personal audio systems for back-seat passengers, with separate jacks
for kids to plug in their headphones and not disturb little ones or parents.
    *  Smart Locks, which keep locks from activating when the key is in the
ignition, preventing locking the keys inside the van.
    *  Storage bin under the radio that holds diapers.
    *  Largest minivan fuel tank, 26 gallons, for fewer trips to the gas
station for busy families.

    Environmentally Friendly
    Windstar is among the lowest-emitting vehicles on the road.  It meets
nationwide Low Emission Vehicle (LEV) standards, and the 3.8-liter V6 is
engineered to achieve Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV) standards.

    The Windstar Moms will be featured in new national television commercials,
set to begin airing in January.