I’ve always been a fan of the Freestyle, which will now be called the “Taurus X.” That’s “X” as in crossover, not “X” as in radical leader who was making a clean break from the American part of his heritage. Because the Taurus X is no more radical than the Freestyle was. Aside from that X, I’m having a hard time thinking of the Freestyle as a Taurus.

What about the other changes? The much more powerful new 3.5 is good. The replacement of the CVT with a six-speed automatic, also good. As are standard stability control (not available at all before) and curtain airbags.

Less good: virtually nothing has been done to improve the exterior appearance, unless you’re a fan of Ford’s new three-bar grille. The lower front fascia reminds me of a weak chin even more now than it did before, it’s far too rounded. The new Eddie Bauer trim includes champagne cladding and big chrome wheels, neither of which looks good on the car. The combined affect is just too much, just as it was on the 2006 Explorer. Maybe others like the new bling, but I prefer the cleaner, understated appearance of a few years ago. Thankfully, the Limited will again be monotone; the wheelbase is too short to pull off any of the two-tone schemes. Recommendation for a future bold move: make monotone standard.

The biggest question mark: how will the new electric power steering affect steering feel and handling? I look forward to finding out.