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I grew up in
a household loyal to General Motors,
learning to drive my father’s Chevrolet,
Oldsmobile and GMC trucks. Maybe he was more
loyal to the salesman who lived down the
street, who moved from one GM brand to
another. He always took our cars in for
service and left us something new and shiny
to lust over.
Every three
years, just as the payments on the various
vehicles ended, a new “suggestion” arrived
and the haggling took place in the dooryard
at home instead of the dealership. My father
liked this arrangement so much, he bought me
my first car this way and handed the payment
book to me. But that’s another story.
Oddly, my
grandfather was a Ford man, always driving
full-size Galaxie 500s and LTD sedans. I can
still remember the distinct differences
between these brands; the big Ford steered,
shifted and rode significantly different
from my dad’s Chevy. If my grandfather only
knew how often I proffered the keys from his
suit-coat pocket and “road-tested” his cars.
These
thoughts come to mind as Ford fights to
regain lost market share in the automobile
side of the business with a new full-size
sedan that will remind many drivers of the
big sedans of our past. The new Five Hundred
represents a huge departure from previous
offerings from Ford, yet in some ways, it is
eerily similar to the big cars that many of
us grew up with. And that is meant in only a
positive light.
The Five
Hundred debuted last fall at the New England
Auto Show and made favorable impressions
with a critical press. A roomy package with
an elevated seating position, nice detailing
and clean lines, the Ford looked quite
appealing in the flattering lights of the
exhibition hall. Would the Five Hundred
cement those impressions once it hit the
road?
After seven
days in March with an all-wheel-drive
Limited model, the answer is an unequivocal
yes. This is a solid offering with no
glaring omissions and lots of positives.
Ford is
positioning the Five Hundred and the
Freestyle crossover wagon companion car in
the lineup where the Taurus used to reside.
With a much larger trunk and a roomier
interior, the Five will impress drivers who
like the Crown Victoria’s limousine-like
space but don’t need its exterior girth.
With most
Crown Vic sales headed for livery companies,
fleets and law enforcement, and Taurus
production slated to end this fall when a
new mid-size sedan based on the Mazda 6
platform debuts, Ford is counting on the
Five Hundred as its new bread-and-butter
sedan.
Pull out the
tape measure and the Five Hundred is a
little larger than a Chrysler 300 inside.
Both of these new sedans offer AWD options
and real adult accommodations, but that’s
where the similarities end.
The Chrysler
wears aggressive, look-at-me styling and
offers four different powerplants, including
two distinctive Hemi V-8s.
The Five
Hundred has the calm yet taut European lines
that are reminiscent of an Audi or VW Passat.
And the Ford features only one powerplant, a
3.0-liter Duratec V-6.
Don’t let
the conservative styling underwhelm you. In
real life, the Five Hundred has a
buttoned-down appeal that suggests strength
and confidence — characteristics owners will
embrace after enjoying the AWD sedan’s
impressive on-road performance.
While the
finely tuned aluminum Duratec motor won’t
propel you to many stoplight Grand Prix
victories, you will learn to appreciate the
subtle refinement that teamed this reliable
engine with the new fuel saving CVT
transmission. The Five easily outperforms
any Galaxies from our past and delivers the
kind of all-season traction and fuel economy
that makes those aforementioned Euro cars
quite popular.
From the
beginning, you’ll notice something quite
different about the Five Hundred when you
enter. You sit higher. Ford calls it Command
Seating. By raising the H-point (the height
of occupant’s hips) by four inches, the Ford
offers more legroom for everyone, better
visibility plus improved egress and ingress.
Not quite SUV tall, the Five’s taller
seating helps establish some of that driving
confidence by improving your awareness and
comfort level relative to other traffic.
While no
sedans truly do a great job facilitating
three across seating in the back seat, the
Five Hundred does an admirable job of
pulling the concept off. The spacious back
seat has plenty of leg and headroom. The
seatback splits and folds to expand the
humongous trunk (over 21 cubic feet or room
for eight bags of golf clubs according to
the packers at Ford) plus rear passengers
have a great view with seats that are also
mounted higher.
The Five
Hundred’s interior reflects the design cues
first exhibited in last year’s new F-150.
Wood trim and chrome accents work to
highlight and flatter the instruments and
controls in a neatly integrated dash that
looks upscale to the point of being more
ritzy than common. The Ford is only missing
a telescoping steering column, some more
open space on the console and satellite
radio, an option that will be remedied soon
after a recent agreement with Sirius
Satellite Radio.
If you like
fast, jackrabbit starts, the Five Hundred
will disappoint you. However, keep the
hammer down and the Ford marches from 0-60
mph faster than a Toyota Camry, Pontiac
Grand Prix or an Audi A4.
The
sophisticated CVT (continuously variable
transmission) and the Haldex
electro-hydraulic limited slip AWD hardware
(borrowed from Volvo) use the car’s computer
to produce maximum forward thrust with
minimal strain on the running gear. In other
words, Ford has programmed the controllers
and sensors just like Volvo, VW and Audi do
to reduce the forces that most harm your
drivetrain. The car isn’t a slouch, but by
offering limited power at initial
acceleration, there is reduced torque for
wheelspin and the driveshafts, differentials
and belts in the CVT incur reduced amounts
of wear and tear. As your speed increases
and the big 18-inch Pirellis establish
traction, the car gains momentum quickly and
demonstrates an above average mid-range
punch and a satisfying lunge forward when
you summon the engine room for some passing
zip. Adjust to this smarter, fuel-saving
engineering and you’ll be fine.
In the real
world, the Five Hundred achieved a best
mileage rating of 26.5 mpg, right at the EPA
estimates. Typical driving, okay, more
enthusiastic driving produced a daily
average of 22 mpg. The AWD system and the
innovative CVT performed flawlessly. You
don’t experience the usual transmission
kick-downs or the body motions up and down
as the powertrain does its job in the Five
Hundred. The ride is actually smoother for
everyone. All you have to do is ignore the
CVT’s emphasis of maximizing revs for
sustained periods, matching engine speed to
road speed. With foul weather traction that
would make a Subaru owner proud, you’ll
learn to adjust.
If there was
anything that could be a concern, it was the
chassis. How would the big Ford ride and
handle was one of the primary questions that
critics wanted answered.
Well, the
Taurus was never known for its adroit
handling. It was a capable sedan with a
modicum of on-road savvy, but it looked like
it had a trunk-load of sand and sometimes
handled like that.
The Five
Hundred’s fully independent suspension has
no such issues and delivers crisp responses
to your steering inputs and produces a
balanced ride that will please both
baby-boomers and their parents.
I like the
handsome eight-spoke wheels, the stylish yet
practical interior and the sure-footed feel
of the Ford’s AWD system. I like the hushed
ride and improved road manners plus the huge
trunk makes family travel a snap.
The Five
Hundred is a modern attempt at the
traditional American family car with none of
the shortcomings. Strong brakes, respectable
fuel economy and the AWD option, a component
that rivals such as Toyota Avalon, Chevy
Impala and Buick’s LeSabre and Lacrosse
don’t offer, give the Five Hundred an edge.
Ford is once
again building nice cars. |
