First Glance
"I'm thinking about comparing the Five Hundred to the 1986 Taurus. You remember how revolutionary that car was?"
My friend and fellow car nut Dan nodded. We were talking about my upcoming review of the Ford Five Hundred.
"The '86 Taurus was incredibly advanced, particularly for an American car," I continued, "and in many ways so is the Five Hundred. Look all the advanced technology, like the continuously variable transmission, electronic all-wheel-drive, and airbags galore. Granted, it's designed off a Volvo platform. Ford owns Volvo, I think you knew that, and it's about time Ford really started to take advantage of that. But the Five Hundred is unmistakably American. The back seat is big. The trunk is huge, bigger than the Crown Victoria's. The only thing that's not revolutionary is the styling. Ford has been burned pretty badly by the radically-styled cars, and it shows. The Five Hundred is too conservative for me. I mean, did they have to use so much chrome?"
"You're a Californian," said Dan. "You said before you think the Five Hundred's going to be a big hit in the heartland, but you have to remember that the heartland starts about 100 miles inland of the coast."
In the Driver's Seat
"I happen to like the styling," Dan said. "But what I really like is that the car is so tall. Cars have been getting lower and lower, and I'm tired of it. Maybe I'm getting too old to bend, but I'm glad to see this trend of taller cars like the Chrysler 300, Dodge Magnum and the Five Hundred."
"It is pretty big and blocky," I said. "Makes it a bit tough to park, but the top-of-the-line Limited I tested had a back-up assist system that beeps at you just as you're about to back into something. Other than that, the car is easy to see out of and the side view mirrors are huge. I found it really comfortable. The seats are heated, but the heaters have timers and turn themselves off. I can't figure that one out, I mean it's not like you'll forget the seat heater is on. And the stereo and climate control have too many buttons. Too distracting when you're trying to drive. Most Fords have that problem. Twice I tried to turn on the hazard lights and wound up turning off the traction control instead."
"I saw one at the Ford dealer," said Dan, "and it had dials for the A/C."
"That's the manual A/C, only available on the entry-level SE model," I explained. "The SEL and Limited get climate control."
On the Road
Dan leaned back in his chair. "I've been reading all these reviews saying the Five Hundred is too slow. But I was behind one yesterday. It took off from a stop sign and I could barely keep up!"
"I don't know why so many journalists are complaining," I said. "Maybe the 0-60 times aren't great. I didn't time it. But in real-world driving it's fantastic. It's that continuously variable transmission that does it. The CVT feels like a stepless automatic. Acceleration is so smooth it's eerie. The cool part is that the CVT will allow the engine to run at a steady speed while the car accelerates. If you push midway down on the accelerator, the engine speeds up to about 3,200 RPM, where the mid-range power is, and stays there. Floor it and the engine runs midway between the torque and horsepower peaks for the best acceleration."
"So why does everyone say it's slow?"
I thought about this for a while. "Maybe it's the numbers," I said. "203 horsepower doesn't sound like enough for a 3800 lb. car. And with a traditional automatic it's not. But with the CVT, it's possible to get full power out of the engine at any time and any speed. Not even a stick-shift can do that. Traditional automatics need an extra margin of power, but the CVT doesn't."
Journey's End
"So how many stars is this thing going to get?" Dan asked.
"Four," I said. "The technology is magnificent. The CVT is the automatic of the future. By the way, Ford's CVT is designed by ZF. Smart move, outsourcing such a complex transmission to the Germans. The Five Hundred is a nice car to drive. It handles competently, and the all-wheel-drive system is great. Even with all the rain we've been getting, this thing was as sure-footed as a mountain goat. Mechanically, this is one of Ford's best cars.
"So why not five stars?" Dan asked. "Styling?"
"Nah," I said. "Unless the styling is truly hideous or impacts driveability, it doesn't affect my rating much. Though I do wish Ford had been a bit more daring. No, the problems are traditional Ford sins, like the overly complex stereo and climate controls. I'm concerned about build quality. And the Five Hundred doesn't have the excitement factor of a true five-star car. Besides, you know how stingy I am with stars. Four is pretty good, and I think this thing's going to be a big seller."
"So bottom line," Dan asked, "Would you buy one?"
"No," I answered, "but I'm not the target audience. You are. I recommend you buy one, Dan... mainly so I can borrow it."
