What the Safari offers, in quantity, is room, more of it than any other minivan you can buy. There's seating space for eight adults - real move-around seating space, with ample legroom at every position. And the maximum cargo volume of 170.4 cu. ft. is substantially more than even the largest front-drive minivans. The Ford Windstar, for example, maxes out at 144 cu. ft. The Safari is a tad more spacious than Ford's rear-drive Aerostar.
Getting into all this space does have some drawbacks, though. The Safari sits rather high off the ground, and the climb into the front seats requires pulling yourself up and in, just like a full-size van.
Once there, you'll see a dashboard design that's showing its age. The instruments themselves are easily visible, but some controls are awkward. You have to peer around the steering-wheel to see the climate controls; the power-mirror switch is a long reach away on the upper instrument panel; and the power-window switches are mounted flush on the doors, making them hard to see and awkward to use.
Another drawback to the interior is the narrow front footwells. The front fenders intrude a bit, which limits the amount of space for your feet.
However, there are lots of storage bins, map pockets, cubby holes and other places to stash personal items, and there are plenty of cupholders. And, of course, there are several sound-system options.
The seats in our Safari SLT were very comfortable, and moving around inside was easy, with a wide walk-through space from the front seats to the middle row.
And it's all put together well. Our Safari was devoid of rattles and squeaks, its doors closed with a solid thunk, and it had the solid feel that goes with good engineering and assembly.
The thing we liked most about driving our Safari was the commanding view of the road and the passing scenery. The seating position is high and the windows are big, giving you the sense of being above traffic rather than in it. It's the same kind of feeling that has helped convert lots of Americans from cars to sport/utility vehicles.
The ride isn't as carlike as front-drive minivans, but it's not quite like a truck, either. The Safari is at its best cruising down the freeway - it's a great long-distance vehicle. The ride is smooth and comfortable, and it eats up long miles effortlessly. With its roominess, visibility and comfort/convenience extras, our Safari SLT seemed to us to be the best family vacation vehicle on the market.
This is no compact car; its dimensions aren't really any bigger than a midsize passenger car. For example, our Safari was only 5 in. wider than a new Chevy Lumina sedan, and it was more than 11 in. shorter.
Handling characteristics - whether on highway, mountain road or city street - are competent and predictable. Like any tall vehicle, it feels a little awkward if it's hurried through a corner, but that's not what it's designed for.
The power-assisted steering does a better than average job of letting you know where the front wheels are pointed, and the ratio of 3.1 turns of the wheel from extreme left to extreme right helps in maneuverability.
For drivers who want a little tighter sense of control, there's a new FE2 touring suspension package, with gas-charged shock absorbers, bigger tires and a rear stabilizer bar.
While we scored the Safari's ride and handling as generally good, this vehicle's real strength is its 4.3-liter V6 engine. Although it's not the quietest or smoothest of minivan engines, it really offers up the power. Even pulling heavy trailers up long grades in summer heat, it's an able performer. This engine gives the Safari the strongest, most capable powertrain of any minivan on the market. Period.