The Freestar seats seven passengers: two in front, two in the second row and three in the third row. The second row comes standard with a bench seat. Captain's chairs, standard on the SEL and Limited, slide horizontally on rails. They also fold and tumble forward like those on the Ford Explorer and Expedition for easy access to the third row or extra cargo space.

While the Windstar had a bulky removable third-row seat, the Freestar has a third-row seat that folds into a well behind the seat, creating a flat floor like that in the Honda Odyssey, Toyota Sienna, and Nissan Quest. Ford's fold-flat seat may well be best in class in terms of operation. By pulling straps numbered in sequence with numbers 1, 2 and 3 clearly noted, the seat drops easily into the wheel.

Another plus is that Ford designed third-row head restraints that push deeper into the seat so they don't require removal to fold the seat, as other minivans do. The third-row seat can be dropped backwards to create seating for tailgate parties.

With the third-row seat in place for passengers, the well behind it has about 25 cubic feet of cargo space, an extremely handy spot for groceries. No more melons rolling about. The cargo volume expands to 135 cubic feet when the third-row seat is folded and second-row seats are removed (possible but clumsy for one person).

The downside of Ford's third-row seat, however, is its short height compared with the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna. As a result, even people with relatively normal length legs will feel like their knees sit too high. The seats works fine for small children.

Seat comfort throughout the Freestar, as was the case with the Windstar, is not exceptional. The second-row captain's chairs seems too narrow. The driver's seat also seems designed for a slim person.

Storage space is abundant throughout the Freestar. It includes bins in the rear sliding doors for books and toys. Front doors have double map pockets, one above the other. On the dash is a covered storage compartment for small items like cell phones. The drivers' seat on the Limited model has a kangaroo pouch at the front of the cushion.

The Freestar has numerous cupholders, including front door holders for 20-ounce bottles. Some of the beverage holders, particularly those in the far back are awkwardly positioned, however. Well positioned and well built are sturdy cupholders that fold down from the sides of the second-row captain's chairs. If kicked, as they likely will be, they snap back into storage against the seats.