http://www.fordvehicles.com/cars/fivehundred/

This new vehicle, since its introduction, has generated a lot of controversy in the auto press in general. Two features, especially, have received numerous comments......power level and styling. I personally had a rather favorable view of both this car and the similiar wagon-body Freestyle when I first saw them, but have not commented on it in detail until I had a chance to examine the car in detail and drive it.......although I did say publically in CL that I felt the efficient CVT transmission on AWD models would help counteract a low power level. Do I STILL feel that way? Read on.

I recently received a request from a well-respected CL member to review this car and promised him one this weekend....so here you are, plus any other CL members who are interested in it. In addition, I was quite interested in the car myself, not necessarily as a purchase but to see how well the domestic companies have come up with an AWD passenger car that can compete with the Subaru Legacys and Outbacks I think so highly of. As you will shortly see.......Ford IMO has done well indeed.

Model Reviewed: 2006 Ford Five Hundered Limited AWD

Drivetrain: 3.0L Duratec V6, 203 HP, 207 ft.-lbs. torque, CVT ( Continuously-Variable Transmission), Volvo-derived Haldex AWD system

Base Price: $28,030
MSRP: $29,255

Color: Merlot Metallic, Beige, woodtone-trimmed, leather interior


PLUSSES:

Bargain for the price....lots of equipment with the Limited trim.

Good interior fit and finish....much better than the typical domestic-nameplate car.

Solid-feeling hardware, switchgear, and trim....with one exception.

Heavy, solid-feeling and sounding doors.

PLENTY of trunk space....one of the largest in the buisness.

Good ride-handling combination...reasonably smooth ride with little body lean in turns.

Firm-feel in the power steering....not overboosted like in many other domestics.

Smooth CVT transmission...but takes getting used to.

Seamless AWD system

Good brakes with only a slightly spongy-feel pedal.

Electrically-adjustable pedals.

Classy, attractive paint colors.

Handsome, wood-trimmed dash and well-designed, easy-to-read white gauges.

Quiet at cruise in spite of rather aggressive foul-weather tires.

Plenty of back-seat leg room even for people my size and the the front seats back.

Dual rear-seat on-and-off reading lights....an unusual touch


MINUSES

Engine power level marginal for the car even with the efficient CVT.

CVT durability questionable in the long run...and Ford's warranty is only 3 years.

No locking gas cap or filler door.

Poorly-designed wiper arm and radio antenna.

Base versions of the car rather cheap-looking inside.

Slippery, rather non-supportive leather bucket seats.

Unimpressive paint job........typical for domestic-nameplate vehicles.

Thick leather stiching on inside of steering wheel somewhat uncomfortable to grasp.

Ultra-lightweight-aluminum hood.........this seems to be getting more and more common with both domestics and imports.

OK.....the first impression of this car, as you walk up to it, is that of a somewhat oversize last-generation VW Passat. The car's general styling is rather muted but handsome, IMO, and, while not really anything to write home about, the car's looks outside, in most cases, will turn neither heads or stomachs. This is not a car to buy if you want to attract attention..........except from people interested in a good bargain. The rather conservative exterior styling, fortunately, translates into a lot of interior room and LOT of trunk space. This car will hold anything, within reason of course, that you want to take on vacation with you.....but it will probably be taxed in the mountains ( more on this later ). If you need even more space inside to carry things, consider the wagon-liftback Freestyle.

The second impression, when you look at the sticker price and see what you get inside, is that ( as I mentioned before ) of a pretty good bargain. Not only did the 29K sticker of the car I drove include the CVT and an AWD system, but it included a nice thick polished wood-tone strip across the whole dash, ( Limited and SEL versions ), heated front seats with a dual-memory system, electrically-adjustable foot pedals, a power sunroof, push-button key-pad keyless enytry for the doors, dual-zone climate-control, CD changer, dual push-button rear-seat reading / map lights, a well-designed, WELL-feeling brushed-metal-trim console and shifter, ( and without that idiotic ziz-zag shift pattern so common on today's vehicles) , electrochromatic mirror, and many other features. And, unlike so much of its GM, Chrysler, ( and even other Ford ) competition, this car uses generally high-quality materials and switchgear inside.The glove box door felt solid and closed solidly. All of the switches except for the cheap-feeling headlight switch....a round, rotary, dash-mount switch typical of domestics... operated smoothly and slickly. I was pleased with almost everything inside except for the too-slippery, unsupportive leather bucket seats and the stitching on the leather-wrapped wheel that was too thick and uncomfortable. Folks....... inside, this car is a BARGAIN.

Some of the fit-and-finish and quality on the exterior, too, is well-done, like the chrome and swivel-mechanism on the two outside mirrors, but the paint job could be better...it has the same low-gloss and orange-peel typical of so many other domestics. Fortunately, it offers some pretty nice colors to compensate. And, after cleaning the windshield, the passenger's-side wiper arm has to be carefully lowered by hand and tilted down to avoid hanging up on the radio-antenna mast....a poor design.

On the road, though, I did have some mixed feelings about the drivetrain. I have to revise some of my earlier statements in CL threads about the power level being OK with the CVT transmission. With the 203 HP V6, The CVT does deliver smooth but rather sluggish performance. This car will generally keep up with traffic, but you're not going to win any drag races. Fully loaded with passengers and luggage, I would not recommend it for mountain driving...it would be taxed going up steep hills. For the more level parts of the country, though, generally no problems...it would be a great car for all-around use, particularly in foul-weather. Still, though, I now have to agree with many of the rest of you....even with the CVT, Ford needs to seriously consider more power for the next-generation of this car when it is redesigned....or find a way to put more engine into this one.

Speaking of foul weather, the Volvo-derived Haldex AWD system, like the ones in Subarus, operates seamlessly. Virtually all of the time you are not even aware of its presence...there are no tugs or shakes in the steering wheel, even starting up from rest. Unfortunately it is not as simple mechanically as the Subaru system...the sideways-mount V6 and CVT requires a more complex set of transition gears than the Subarus do, with their straight-back engine output shaft.

This brings up another concern with the rather unconventional drivetrain in this car. Ford, like most domestic makes, has an El Cheapo 3 year / 36,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty. Despite's Ford's statements to the contrary, this transmission, as far as I can tell, is relatively new and untested in consumer hands in the long run. CVT transmissions, up to now, have been used with only very low-powered 3 and 4-cylinder vehicles. Ford (and Audi) are the first manufacturers to attempt to use it with a V6 in the 200 HP range. (even though, as previously noted, this V6 won't win any drag races). Ford advertising ( and the glowing rhetoric of the salespeople ) say that the metal drive belt , the traditional CVT weak point, has been tested to the point where it is expected to last the life of the vehicle. Still....I am not convinced. My opinion is that Ford should cover this potentially weak transmission part for longer than just 3 years, along with the rather complex AWD system.

Well, the transmission itself, as you would expect from a lack of stepped gears, operates very smoothly, but, compared to a conventional automatic, takes some getting used to. Press the gas pedal and the engine RPM jumps to a given pre-programmed range ( generally around 2800 RPM or so) and the transmission feels like it is slipping until the car's speed ( slowly ) catches up with the engine. If more power is desired, pull the well-designed and slick-feeling shift lever back into " L " and you DO feel the car shift down into a lower drive range and the RPM's jump up to about 3500 or so......I had to watch that I didn't exceed the 4000 RPM generally recommended for a new car. Still.....it was more noise than actual power.
The chassis and suspension ( also Volvo-derived ) are clearly a step above most Ford products. There was very little body lean on turns, even when cornering rather sharply, and the ride ( with 55-series Pirelli foul-weather tires ) was quite civilized in spite of this. You could feel and hear bumps as rather muted thuds and there was some, but not much, impact harshness. The good fit-and finish and quality of assembly translated into a lack of squeaks and rattles.....again, noticeably better than the typical domestic-nameplate car. The 4-wheel disc brakes with standard ABS operate well and have only a slight touch of sponginess in the pedal.

So......in a nutshell......this IMO is the best domestic AWD competition that the domestic car industry ( with Volvo's help ) has come up with yet to the Subaru Legacy and Outback.....and this car is larger inside and out than just about any Subaru. It offers a lot of features for the price, and good interior fit-and-finish. While noting that Ford needs to do a couple of things like give it a little more power, offer a longer drivetrain warranty, and refine just a couple of things in the otherwise well-done interior, I could easily live with this car as a daily driver, and for the more level-parts of the country where you don't have to deal with steep hills, I recommend this car.