They did, however, have the means and outright courage to bring along the Honda Odyssey, what has been the benchmark for minivan ride and handling since its inception. Again, it was a fairly stripped version up against two extremely well equipped and one similarly laid out Freestar, but at least the Honda had traction control. The difference off the line in slippery conditions - what looked to be heavy duty black plastic sheets with soapy water strewn on - was dramatic. Where the Odyssey intermittently spun its wheels in search for traction amid short bursts of forward motion, the Freestar slowly walked away without any fuss at all; absolutely in control every step of the way. Yes, all traction control is not created equal.

Although the track was short, the Freestar performed comparable, and maybe slightly better than the Dodge Caravan and Honda Odyssey. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

Under way the Freestar was extremely agile, at least as much as I could tell through what was one of the shortest autocross courses I've ever tested a vehicle on. At a reasonably quick pace it negotiated a right hand sweeping curve with little body roll, a little understeer dialed in for safety's sake. The course included a quick lane change as well, of which the Freestar executed with sedan like agility, very impressive. Was it miles more maneuverable than the Caravan or Odyssey? Not really. It seemed more stable than the Caravan, a vehicle very long in its life cycle, but the equally old Odyssey was as wonderfully nimble as ever. The important detail here is the Freestar was comparable, and maybe slightly better than these two benchmark vans - an impressive feat for Ford.

How would the Freestar compare against newer competitors such as the Nissan Quest or Toyota Sienna? (Photo: Ford Motor Company)

But as I mentioned in the last paragraph, the comparison vans were old, both due to be replaced next year. It would have been more interesting to me, having just spent a reasonable amount of time with Nissan's new Quest and Toyota's Sienna, to pitch the all-new Freestar against tougher competition. From experience, I believe the Quest remains the best handling minivan on the market.