With the Club Wagon Chateau, the delivery-van comparisons only apply to its shape and size. The drive we experienced in our test vehicle was a realm away from any old-era van crudeness. It was simply a comfortable big-van drive-as nice as you can get from a vehicle of this size.Certainly, the 5.8-liter V8 engine helped deliver a sense of smoothness. Because the acceleration was steady but not at all spectacular, we think the available 7.5-liter V8 would be a wise alternative for the Chateau. On the expressway, passing was breezy and, blessedly, quiet-even as we drove by 18-wheelers.
Ride and suspension were reassuring, although all it took was a wintertime drive on icy roads to remind us that vans aren't ideal snow-and-ice machines. There just wasn't enough weight on those rear wheels. But that was a minor van complaint compared with the exceptional comfort this ride offered. There was no bounce, no jarring, no boat-over-the-waves effect that too many vans historically have produced. The ride was a dream.
At first, our test van's standard antilock braking system seemed to grab, but it ultimately proved to be steady and predictable. Same for the electronic four-speed automatic transmission, which had an efficient gear ratio and a convenient overdrive setting at the end of the shift column. There was no reaching for a button on the dash, and no concern that overdrive would need to be monitored if we were towing a boat or trailer-it was defeated at about the 60-mph mark. All in all, an appreciated engineering touch.
Steering and maneuverability were a cinch with the Club Wagon Chateau, crisper, even, than on many cars. Making 30-degree turns at 55 mph was effortless, and cruise-control fanatics will like the way Ford's engineers have built a streamlined, at-your-fingertips system into the steering wheel.
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