Explorer XLT V-8 VS. Taurus LX Wagon VS. Windstar Lx - Passenger Seating - Road Test

Other Windstar benefits include an impressive 3500-pound towing capacity, a near 600-mile highway fuel range, and a plethora of cupholders and storage areas. On the down side, only the largest, least-cluttered garages will easily hold a Windstar, and it exhibits more body roll than the Taurus.

To get a better idea of how these three disparate vehicles compare, we focused on how they work in everyday life.

GarageabilityA few inches can make the difference between a vehicle fitting snugly in an always jam-packed suburban garage and it having to camp out every night on the mean streets. The Explorer fits in a much shallower and narrower garage than the others, but for wider, longer parking spaces with low overhangs, the Taurus is the choice.

The sport/utility is the shortest of the three, at a significant 11.1 inches less than the wagon. And the minivan, at 201.2 inches, is another 1.6 inches longer than the wagon; this small amount may be the difference between getting the garage door shut and having it stopped by the bumper.

While the manufacturer's data say the Explorer is the narrowest, that figure doesn't consider the outside rear-view mirrors. So, we pulled out our tape measure to determine the vehicles' widths at their widest points. Measured at the outside edge of its mirrors, the Taurus is the narrowest, with a half-inch edge over the Explorer and an 8.5-inch advantage over the Windstar; however, the outside mirrors on both the Explorer and the Windstar fold back, unlike those on the Taurus. In this configuration, the Explorer could fit through a pocket-size garage opening-if the driver was very good. While it admittedly would be awkward to fold in the mirrors every time you garaged the vehicle, it's possible to slip the Windstar into a 1.0-inch-narrower space than could accommodate the Taurus. However, the Taurus' considerably lower height may be a more significant dimension to many.

Beasts Of BurdenIt's no surprise that the Windstar is the cargomaster of this bunch. Remove its second- and third-row seats, and it will swallow a gargantuan 144 cubic feet of stuff. In this seats-out configuration, it can accommodate a box 48.5 inches wide, 91.0 inches long, and 39.0 inches tall. Neither of the other two comes within five inches of any those numbers. If you don't want to wrestle out the seats, the Windstar's second- and third-row seatbacks fold forward, allowing large items to sit on top.

With seven passengers, the Windstar can still hold 22.1 cubic feet of cargo. A Windstar disadvantage: With the first and second rows in use, the Explorer and Taurus offer seating for five, while the Windstar accommodates only four. Outside, the Windstar's roof-mounted luggage rack can carry 165 pounds, 65 pounds more than either the Explorer or Taurus can tote up top.

By comparison, when the Taurus' rear-facing third-row seat is occupied, all cargo has to go on the roof's luggage rack-or in the passengers' laps. Also, as its rated cargo capacity challenges that of the Explorer, that number becomes a bit misleading. Its function-follows-form rear opening (at 21 inches high) is considerably lower than the highest point of its headliner (33 inches). Thus, its ability to accept large items is severely limited.

The Explorer holds a handsome edge in towing capacity: a maximum of 6500 pounds compared with the Windstar's 3500 and the Taurus' 1750. To exploit the Explorer's edge, however, you'll need to fit an aftermarket trailer hitch; the standard bumper hitch is good for only 3500 pounds.