[Rex Raider]

Ford Motor Company is launching the Year of the Car by introducing six new car and crossover models in 2004. One of the five that will wear the Blue Oval badge is the most significant all-new sedan the industry has seen since the 1980s – the Ford Five Hundred.

The Five Hundred represents no less than the reinvention of the family car. It is a four-door sedan that boasts many of the advantages associated with sport utility vehicles and crossovers, including cargo capability, versatility, command-of-road seating and all-weather confidence.

FULL STORY HERE

 

[nsap]

I have to admit, that is kind of a cool car....

 

[Innotech]

I dig it
Finally American cars are proving their worth. We will see how htis and the cobalt do in sales. I hope they break records. ford and GM/Chevy have done commendable efforts on these latest automobiles and they deserve to sell in huge #s

 

[usa1]

The article mentions a speed auto in the car. Is this the same one Ford and GM were jointly developing? I thought that tranny was still a couple of years away.

Car looks nice. A little too plain for me, but very Audi/Passat like.

Anyone know what GM cars are going to get the 6 speed?

Mark

 

[cvp33]

Nice Passat, now where's the 500? Dash offers conclusive proof that Ford still can't build a dash worth a damn. Where did that wood come from, a formica tree?!*Design VP (laughing) says to underlings* - "Whew boys you had me going for a second, now show me the real car."

 

[tgagneguam]

Nice, but this is a double or triple hit, not a homerun (a la the first generation Taurus)... This will sell reasonably well, IMO. I've looked at and test driven several generations of Camry's, and I continue to be underwhelmed. Although the Five Hundred (and Montego) will not dethrone the Camry in sales, it should thankfully cause some insomnia for Toyota engineers.

 

[3eb]

as much of a rip off of the passat as it is, and as much as i like passats...i'm not crazy about this. it looks pleasant enough but doesn't look like an overly new model. i get vibes of a passat bred with an old taurus with just a pinch of crown vic.

 

[Mr_Pringle]

Wow- I used to be worried about this car... I was afraid that it was going to be a big deal-- it may be, but certainly not what I feared. This is the Crown Vic reborn. The car is better than the Vic in all respects (except for price, I'm sure) but still not overly impressive, IMO. Wasn't the interior in the FiveHundred supposed to floor us? I am unmoved.

 

[Ghrankenstein]

I think the interior is quite nice. Cream colors and woodgrain give it a rich, elegant look, and that will be a definite strength of the car. I'll repeat myself in saying that nice interior like this one make sales much easier to close on the first day. It's way better than oval shapes and weirdly angled seams.

I hate to sound like such a "negative nancy," but the styling doesn't do it for me either. Instead of "Passat," though, the car says "Phaeton" in a way that should have "select VW Dealerships" (those that run commercials with British spokespeople to represent their German cars) worrying about what all that extra money buys other than real wood and Farfregneugen ("Drivey von Goodness").

Your friend,

Ghrankenstein

 

[Ming]

The styling is less modern and more dowdy than I had expected. It could pass for a Crown Victoria from some angles and even the interior kinda has a Vic look to it.

I dunno, it looks more like a marriage of a Crown Vic and 1990's large Acura, and less like the Audi TT styling of the concept.

 

[parakleets]

I don't think that Camrys, Accords, Passats, or Impalas are very exciting (looking) cars, but they have seemed to capture the attention of the mid-size sedan market. The 500 is similarly transparent. It does look very well crafted, and its design has a certain upscale (Audi/VW/Acura) minimalism and precision to it. The elevated seating position is very well disguised, with the design of the profile. The interior (as with other recent Fords) is a great step forward. Compare this with the inside of a Taurus or Crown Vicky. While wood-grain, and tan would not be my choice, the shapes, fit and finish, and minimal seams and gaps add to a quality look. Overall, it is very evocative of what a love child between a Passat and a Toyota Avalon would look like. Hopefully, it will drive like a Passat, and have the quality of an Avalon. Thank God, that it is not retro! The Mustang already looks old, to me.

 

[greazy]

AWD. That's nice.

j

 

[chadbarb99]

I'll wait for the RWD Impala, 500 is okay but not all that impressing.

 

[ehaase]

Originally posted by chadbarb99@Jan 4 2004, 02:11 AM
I'll wait for the RWD Impala, 500 is okay but not all that impressing.

You will probably be waiting until 2009 for that RWD Impala.

 

[SteveWallace]

I REALLY hate fake wood!!!

 

[daveymcdave]

I like the 500. Yeah its a bit bland, but so are the top sellers in that market segment. Those quater windows in the back are the only thing that bothers me. And of course it looks like a VW, the guy that designed it used to work for them.

 

[tom]

I have been reading everyone's comments about Ford's New 500. All of you are clueless. What this domestic car means to the industry! This will be the first modern day (AMC Eagles don't count) AWD sedan with modern traction control, stability control and of course the standard ABS at a regular average Joe price for the masses. There is a large market segment of people like me who don't want an SUV in order to get AWD. We want a mid-sized (Accord sized) and/or large-sized (Avalon or LaSabre sized) SEDAN. Not a "crossover" pumped up wagon or a truck based SUV. I saw the new 2005 Subaru Legacy GT sedan and Outback sedan (affordable but still small). I also saw the new VW Passat 4-motion and the Audi A4,A6, A8 quattros, the A8 is perfect, so is the S500 Benz 4-matic, but who can afford them? GM needs an AWD LaSabre and AWD Impala SS. To sum it up for you GM lovers: What will GM produce to effectively compete with Ford's New 500??? I challenge anyone to respond with real knowledge about the serious subject of full sized domestic sedans with modern AWD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (OPEN YOUR EYES)!!!!!!!!!

 

[Hudson]

Originally posted by tom@Feb 3 2004, 03:34 PM
I have been reading everyone's comments about Ford's New 500. All of you are clueless. What this domestic car means to the industry! This will be the first modern day (AMC Eagles don't count) AWD sedan with modern traction control, stability control and of course the standard ABS at a regular average Joe price for the masses. There is a large market segment of people like me who don't want an SUV in order to get AWD. We want a mid-sized (Accord sized) and/or large-sized (Avalon or LaSabre sized) SEDAN. Not a "crossover" pumped up wagon or a truck based SUV. I saw the new 2005 Subaru Legacy GT sedan and Outback sedan (affordable but still small). I also saw the new VW Passat 4-motion and the Audi A4,A6, A8 quattros, the A8 is perfect, so is the S500 Benz 4-matic, but who can afford them? GM needs an AWD LaSabre and AWD Impala SS. To sum it up for you GM lovers: What will GM produce to effectively compete with Ford's New 500??? I challenge anyone to respond with real knowledge about the serious subject of full sized domestic sedans with modern AWD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (OPEN YOUR EYES)!!!!!!!!!

Tom:

Okay....discounting the Eagles (all five of them)...and discounting the DSM triplets (built in Normal, Illinois)...and the Subaru Legacy/Outbacks (built in Lafayette, Indiana)...and discounting the AWD Tempo...and discounting the Pontiac 6000 STE/SE AWD....

Yes...the Five Hundred would be the first American all-wheel drive car.

 

[tom]

Okay....discounting the Eagles (all five of them)...and discounting the DSM triplets (built in Normal, Illinois)...and the Subaru Legacy/Outbacks (built in Lafayette, Indiana)...and discounting the AWD Tempo...and discounting the Pontiac 6000 STE/SE AWD....

Hi Hudson,

Good point. with exception to Subaru, they were so forgetable, I forgot about them. Let me explain: I want to buy a new large domestic sedan with AWD, traction control, stability control, ABS and smart air bags everywhere. I prefer a GM product. I currently own a 96' Impala SS and a 94' Camaro Z28. My wife hates both cars. The former is too big and the latter is to small and both are awful in the snow. In fact, SNOW is what sparked this whole conversation. We have two children 3 yrs old and 10mths old, and need more room. She will not drive a minivan and I don't like SUV's. I do like the current Buick LaSabre and Park Ave Ultra. If they added the AWD, I would probably buy it. I also like Chrysler's new 300C, but it's not available with AWD yet. I did read that the Dodge Magnum (300C twin) will have the AWD, but in wagon form only.

The description of the Ford 500 sounds perfect for my wife and kids, I just don't care for Fords. Bad past experiences with them.

Do you have any knowledge of any NEW domestic large sedans coming from GM or Chrysler?

 

[T-Keith]

AWD is a sales gimic. People have driven in the winter with only two wheel drive for decades and still made it to work. I live in MN, so I know a bit about winter driving. With good tires and a competant driver AWD is pointless.

-T