• The 1987 Ford Aerostar went the distance.highway image by pmphoto from Fotolia.com
  
  In Ford's words, the 1987 Aerostar van was intended "to do more." Ford Motor Company's first introduction into the minivan market was in the summer of 1985, and was available as a passenger van and a cargo van. Both the driver and the cargo were considered in the 1987 model design. The front bucket seats were designed for the comfort of the driver and the computer-aided design of the instrument panel gave the driver easy access to the controls. The cargo space was the largest offered to date.
  
  

Cargo Space

• The large, sliding side door of the cargo area was great for loading or unloading in very confined places. The easy-opening lift-gate in the rear provided access that was 56.5 inches wide by 45.1 inches high, with no step to interfere with loading or unloading. The cargo area was a flat load floor and it had 140.3 cubic feet available for cargo. Standard equipment included a rear polypropylene floor liner to protect the floor from cargo scratches.
  
  

1,200 Pound Payload

• The Aerostar 420A and 422A had a 1,200-pound payload capacity as standard equipment. As an option, a 1,620-pound payload capacity was available. Also the standard equipment on the 420A included a 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine, five-speed manual overdrive transmission, power front disc/rear drum brakes, power rack-and-pinion steering, light argent grille, color-coordinated bumpers, liftgate window, dual foldaway mirrors, tri-color wraparound tail lamps, argent style steel wheels, low-back vinyl bucket seats, color-keyed safety belts with comfort regulators, front compartment charcoal carpeting, driver/passenger sun visors, black rear polypropylene floor liner, color-keyed vinyl door trim panels, driver's door courtesy light switch, electronic AM radio with clock, day/night rearview mirror, and front dome lamp. The available options on the 420A Aerostar van were a 3.0-liter V-6 engine, sliding side door and opposite body side windows, tinted glass, interval wipers, black outside swingaway mirrors and speed control/tilt steering wheel. The 422A Aerostar cargo van had all the same standard equipment as the 420A, but with more available options, such as a heated rear-window defroster, wiper/washer and high altitude emission system.
  
  

1,620 Pound Payload

• The 1,620-pound payload capacity was standard on the Aerostar 424A, 426A and 430A packages. The Aerostar XL 428A also had the 1,620-pound payload package as standard equipment. The 424A standard offering was upgraded to a 3.0-liter V-6 engine. The 426A was equipped identically to the 424A, with the exception of adding Convenience Group lighting and a speed control/tilt steering wheel. The Aerostar XL cargo van standard features included a 3.0-liter V-6 engine, five-speed manual overdrive transmission, power rack-and-pinion steering, painted side/lift-gate pinstripes, two-tone accents on lower body side, reclining Captain's Chairs with inboard armrests, leather-wrapped steering wheel, electronic AM./FM stereo radio with clock, tinted glass, interval wipers, light group, fixed lift-gate window and speed control/tilt steering wheel.
  
  

2,040 Pound Payload

• The most robust of the packages, the 2,040-pound payload, was not standard on any Aerostar cargo van. It was only available as an option on the 424A, 426A, and 430A. In addition, it was offered as an option on the Aerostar XL 428A package.