The ubiquitous minivan is frequently sold on consumer feel-good items such as the placement and size of cup holders, the presence of map pockets or the number of zones in which the climate control can be split. Ford’s 2000 Windstar does well on these creature comfort areas, but excels in safety and reliability – critical areas for the family-oriented minivan market segment.

I just spent a week driving the Windstar through a variety of street and weather conditions. This is the third minivan I’ve test driven in the last five months, and so far, is my favorite. I still haven’t driven the Honda Odyssey which has better all-around numbers, but the Windstar performs better than the Plymouth Grand Voyager and its Dodge Caravan twin. Since this was Dodge’s baby to begin with, that’s a hard statement to write, but Ford has done a terrific job with this van.

THE RIDE
Feel the acceleration. The Windstar has plenty of get-up-and-go. There’s a 3.8-liter V6 with 200 hp, more of both than the Odyssey or the Grand Caravan. This van has torque to spare with 240 foot pounds at 3600 rpm, again better than both vehicles. I found myself passing slower moving vehicles with just a tap on the responsive accelerator. There was always plenty of power left over to respond to changing road conditions.

I also found the ride itself to be smooth. The Windstar weighs a good 100 pounds more than the Grand Voyager, and although neither are in serious big SUV territory at just under 4000 pounds, they are solid. The Windstar’s wheelbase is bigger than I would have liked, at over 120 inches, contributing to a bigger-than-expected turning radius. Several times I found myself faced with the choice of making a three-point turn or doing some curb cutting. I knew that acceleration was there for some reason!

The Windstar’s critics have complained of the same top-heavy, swaying feeling I found in the Grand Voyager. I didn’t find much swaying at all, even when accelerating in curves. In fact, the biggest criticism I could find on the ride was that there is a small but significant blind spot just off the right rear bumper. Some jiggling with mirrors restricted from field of vision to other sides, but stopped me from driving several smaller cars off the road.

SAFETY
Let’s face it. Families buy minivans. And along with reliability, family buyers treasure safety above every other attribute. Airbags, including side airbags, are standard on this vehicle, but that only comprises a small portion of safety.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA or http://www.nhtsa.gov) is the agency responsible for crash-testing vehicles for the federal government. They gave the Windstar 5 stars out of a possible 5 for crash-worthiness.

A safety group run for the insurance industry, the Highway Loss Data Institute, found that the addition of the side air bags made the Windstar one of the safest passenger van in its 40 mph crash tests. The van finished third behind the Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey in their tests. This was actually a step down for the Windstar, which used to be rated as best in its class, but the Odyssey’s redesign catapulted the 2000 model over the Windstar. Still, these three vehicles were the only ones to receive HLDI’s overall “good” rating in their class.

Self-sealing tires and a reverse sensor system that alerts the driver when the rear bumper is within five feet of something are safety options that are well worth considering. Ford has packaged multiple options into several safety packages, so depending on what you want to put on your van, you might find it cheaper to buy a package than to add single options.

CREATURE COMFORTS
The very first thing I noticed when I settled into the driver’s seat was the ledge over the window well. It’s a perfect height for resting a driver’s arm (yes, I know you should drive with two hands on the wheel). These little things, like the aforementioned cup holders and map pockets, make a surprising amount of difference in overall consumer protection.

And speaking of the cup holders, the two recessed under the ashtray in the front were adjustable and fit different sized cups with a simple squeeze of the ratcheted plastic ring. I was very impressed with the interior lighting, which gave plenty of directed illumination at night without making it difficult to continue driving. Even the climate controls for the passengers in the rear two rows are illuminated at night – a nice feature that not every minivan shares.

The stereo was big and bold sounding with the requisite tuning and pseudo-equalizer buttons. I particularly liked the oversized radio station buttons.

The stems off the steering wheel were the only item that caused me concern. On the right side stem, the driver finds the gear shift lever with the overdrive button recessed into the tip. That’s simply annoying design, but the dangerous design is on the left side stem which controls turn signals and dual interval wiper systems. On more than one occasion, I signaled for a left turn only to unexpectedly spray the windshield with fluid and start the wipers. The turn signal control is a silly place to put a wiper button anyway. That said, the dual interval wipers are neat and do a tremendously good job in maintaining visibility through even heavy rain.

Interior visibility is terrific, however, thanks to a mini mirror that swings down between the driver and passenger seats in front. This is not intended as a rear-view mirror, but as a way to watch folks even in the back row. Parents with kids are going to love this feature because it doesn't detract at all from the rear-view mirror and is easily seen from either driver or passenger seat.

Finally, the killer comfort issue was found on the fourth door. Yes, the Windstar is available as a four door unit too, perfect for families who can enter on driver or passenger side. I also found that the bucket seats in the second row were nice and roomy while the third row bench seat easily folded down or was removed.

THE BOTTOM LINE
Auto dealers are still getting near sticker price for the Honda Odyssey, last year’s minivan darling. If price is a factor at all, I find that the Windstar stacks up very favorably against the Odyssey and now is the time to buy 2000 models since the 2001s are now in stock. Ford is also trying to move the 2000 units and has a $2500 customer cash offer out through October 31. That gets you 10% of the way there if you use the money down, and based on your trade, you might even be able to lower your payments if you mix $1000 cash back with a Ford Motor Credit APR offer.

Until I get a chance to drive the Odyssey, Ford’s Windstar has leaped to the top of my minivan list.