January 1st 2007

“The Five Hundred feels like a dark horse that’s not appreciated to its fullest until it's driven,”

By Steve Purdy Shunpiker Productions

You've seen the ads. The new Ford Five Hundred smoothly navigates its way down a city street, eerily lit by spotty streetlights, dodging other cars sliding all around. Stability is the message - with tag line something about "the road ahead." In one context stability could be synonymous with stodginess, but stable handling is an essential element even for a Mom and Pop sedan these days. Let's take a closer look

Pricing begins at $22,795 for the basic SE front-wheel drive and tops out with a well-equipped all-wheel-drive Limited at $28,720. My test car, with the $595 Safety Package and $250 reverse sensing system, stickered out at $24,145. The list of standard features reads like most others these days; AC, AM/FM stereo with in-dash CD, console, armrest and lots of cup holders, power mirrors, power locks, power one-touch windows, rear window defroster, remote keyless entry, 6-way power seats, cruise control, tilt steering column, CVT transmission and 17-inch painted-aluminum wheels.

Ford is ahead of the curve in crash protection and earned the coveted NHTSA 5-Star crash test rating. The energy from a frontal impact is somehow magically dissuaded from encroaching on the passenger compartment and it meets a 2008 standard that will require the restraint system to automatically adjust to the front-seat passenger. Rear crashworthiness, too, is designed to meet future, not just current, standards. Bravo Ford!

According to Gerry Miles, NEMPA President, “Explorer’s new suspension setup gives it a totally new feel and ride that impressed everyone who drove it.” He adds, “Ford found a way to raise the bar along with the increased competition to the market segment that it arguably created and defined with the first Explorer.”

Warrantee is not overly generous at 3-year/36,000 mile bumper-to-bumper. Safety systems are covered for 5 years and 50,000 miles and corrosion (defined as perforation) is covered for 5 years with unlimited mileage.