In this video, we’re going to discuss the 2005-2007 Ford Five Hundred. Utilizing the D3 platform, the Ford Five Hundred was intended to replace the Taurus. The Ford Five Hundred was powered by a 3.0-liter V6. Buyers could choose front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. The Ford Five Hundred was large, spacious and practical. The Ford Five Hundred got a refresh for 2008, but it was renamed the “Taurus” and got a host of new upgrades.
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The BA Falcon /Fairmont might have been a better car
I was working for a Ford-Mercury dealer when the Five Hundred came out. The car was met with zero interest from our rural customer base, who (if craving a big sedan) would go for Crown Vic and Grand Marquis for their relative plushness and isolation. Funny how we all love that higher "H-point" seating position nowadays, as SUVs and crossovers are the best sellers. But that raised seating position felt out of place with sedan packaging, and served as another turnoff.
Great show. I never owned one, but I always thought the styling was lack luster, though the overall shape was appealing. Quite a paradigm. Never realized how big it was, and they did a great job hiding its roots. Whenever I glanced one on the road, I first thought it was a Passat turn thought Ford must've been sharing a platform with VW. Where they could've helped the project out was with a halo AWD "SHO" version. Instead, people could only aspire to underperforming mediocrity.
Ford did a fantastic job of alienating its loyal Taurus customers and fan base, after X-ing the iconic nameplate for “five hundred.” Add to that the bulbous styling and continued lackadaisical powertrains, and by the time the Taurus was reintroduced- the majority of Taurus owners had already jumped ship to other manufacturers- mainly Japanese imports. Didn’t help that the 2010- models were far too heavy and sloppy feeling, to compete even against the domestic rivals in Daimler Chrysler and GM. Anyway, another great vid! Always look forward to the new ones.
Best car Ford put out in the 2000s. Mine made it to 385k without no problems. Smooth ride and good transmission
You're doing a good job young man! Its hard to believe that cars like the 500 is 20 years old!
Seems like yesterday.
In one video you talked about the 1979 Ford Ranchero being based off the Ford LTD II. We owned a beautiful black Brougham 78 with a white vinyl top. My grandfather had a beige 1977 Cougar XR7 with rust colored vinyl top and my uncle had a 79 Ford Thunderbird. All gold colored.
The 1977-1979 LTD II, the Mercury Cougar XR7 and the Ford Thunderbird were the exact same cars.
Even the dashboards were exact copys. If you ever drive one its like a flying mattress that you can steer with a finger!
Enjoying the videos. I'm 50 and grew up in a garage with my uncle. Reminds me of all the cars we fixed and drove.
I sent my cuzzin the video
My cuzzin use to own one of these and she had to get rid of it because of the transmission could you make a video about the pontiac Aztek
I honestly always liked the car, and thought it was decently handsome, if not the boldest design. But of course, everyone downplayed it for the Dodge charger and Chrysler 300 because those cars were not only more extreme looking, but also had more extreme performance with their optional HEMI V8 engines, as well as being on rear wheel drive architecture. Nonetheless, if you are going for comfort over sporty aesthetics, I still think the 500 / Taurus is a better choice, because those cars are extremely comfortable and roomy on the inside
Ford initially intended to replace its aging full-sized Crown Victoria sedan. However, the Crown was still successful despite declining sales overall and eliminating options later in its run. For 2007, Ford sold over 60k Crown Vics whilst moving only about 35k units of the newer, more technologically advanced Five Hundred. Ford shouldn't have gone with their unwise naming scheme when this car debuted, trying to have all vehicle names starting with the letter F. They should've gone with the name that brought them success in the midsized segment, Taurus.