Ford: 500 news
#165
Instructor
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Harrisburg, PA
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That new front is hideous. The rest of the car has been improved nicely, especially the engine, but I can't get over that front. The old one, though boring, was much easier on the eyes.
#166
Photography Nerd
I have a 2006 Ford 500 SEL for a week while my TSX is in getting a new rear bumper, and I have to say this is one shitty car.
The first thing I noticed was how small this car is on the inside. It's a big car, but with the driver's seat all the way back I am beyond uncomfortable driving it. My knees rest against the dash and I barely have enough room between the steering wheel and my leg to make a complete turn. I have cramps after making my typical 1-hour drive to and from work. It's so small, it's actually unsafe. I'm sure if I had a crash, I wouldn't walk again.
The steering is hilariously bad. It's so disconnected from the road, turning the wheel is really more like making a suggestion than a command. It might turn, it might not, the car decides, not you. I've been doing exactly the speed limit or below and leaving double the distance between the car in front of me that I normally do because I have no confidence I'd be able to avoid a collision.
The brakes are spongy, then grabby. They probably stop short enough, but with very little feel along the way. In stop & go traffic the brakes are very grabby. Combined with the floaty suspension, it's a little like driving a water bed.
Power is lacking, but I wasn't expecting a V10 under the hood. What is unacceptable though is the horrendous mileage. According to the trip computer, in the 23,000KM this car has been on the road, it has averaged only 14.5L/100KM (16.2MPG)! By comparison, in the 89,000km I've had my TSX, I've averaged 9.2L/100KM (25.5MPG).
So with those major things out of the way, the minor annoyances also add up. For one, the stereo sounds like someone left a walkman running in the back seat. Second, they don't give you any way of opening the trunk from the outside of the car. Third, the auto headlights don't work. They turned off twice at night on my ride home today. Lastly, they used sound effects for the turn signal! It sounds like playing Frogger whenever I make a turn.
I can't possibly imagine laying down any amount of money for this car. If I could pick one up for $5,000, I think I'd buy something else.
The first thing I noticed was how small this car is on the inside. It's a big car, but with the driver's seat all the way back I am beyond uncomfortable driving it. My knees rest against the dash and I barely have enough room between the steering wheel and my leg to make a complete turn. I have cramps after making my typical 1-hour drive to and from work. It's so small, it's actually unsafe. I'm sure if I had a crash, I wouldn't walk again.
The steering is hilariously bad. It's so disconnected from the road, turning the wheel is really more like making a suggestion than a command. It might turn, it might not, the car decides, not you. I've been doing exactly the speed limit or below and leaving double the distance between the car in front of me that I normally do because I have no confidence I'd be able to avoid a collision.
The brakes are spongy, then grabby. They probably stop short enough, but with very little feel along the way. In stop & go traffic the brakes are very grabby. Combined with the floaty suspension, it's a little like driving a water bed.
Power is lacking, but I wasn't expecting a V10 under the hood. What is unacceptable though is the horrendous mileage. According to the trip computer, in the 23,000KM this car has been on the road, it has averaged only 14.5L/100KM (16.2MPG)! By comparison, in the 89,000km I've had my TSX, I've averaged 9.2L/100KM (25.5MPG).
So with those major things out of the way, the minor annoyances also add up. For one, the stereo sounds like someone left a walkman running in the back seat. Second, they don't give you any way of opening the trunk from the outside of the car. Third, the auto headlights don't work. They turned off twice at night on my ride home today. Lastly, they used sound effects for the turn signal! It sounds like playing Frogger whenever I make a turn.
I can't possibly imagine laying down any amount of money for this car. If I could pick one up for $5,000, I think I'd buy something else.
#169
Suzuka Master
Here's a comparison of how the 500 stacks up against the TSX:
Unless you have unusually wide hips or very long legs the extra head and shoulder room in the 500 should make it feel like a larger car.
http://www.edmunds.com/apps/nvc/edmu...op=3&tab=specs
Comparison
EPA Mileage Estimates
City
Fuel Tank Capacity
Fuel Type
Length
Interior
Front Headroom
Rear Hip Room
Five Hundred
TSX
EPA Mileage Estimates
City
19 mpg.
22 mpg.
Highway 26 mpg.
31 mpg.
Range in Miles Five Hundred
TSX
City 380 mi.
376 mi.
Highway 520 mi.
530 mi.
Fuel Data Fuel Tank Capacity
20 gal.
17.1 gal
.Fuel Type
regular unleaded
premium unleaded
Exterior Five Hundred TSXLength
200.7 in
183.4 in.
Width 74.5 in.
69.4 in.
Height 61.5 in.
57.3 in.
Weight 3815 lbs.
3356 lbs.
Wheel Base 112.9 in.
105.1 in.
Interior
Front Headroom
39.4 in.
37.8 in.
Rear Headroom 38.7 in.
37.3 in.
Front Shoulder Room 57.8 in.
55.4 in.
Rear Shoulder Room 57.6 in.
53.5 in.
Front Hip Room 53.7 in.
54.4 in
Rear Hip Room
53.7 in.
54.4 in.
Front Leg Room 41.3 in.
42.4 in.
Rear Leg Room 41.3 in.
34.2 in.
Maximum Luggage Capacity 21.2 cu.ft.
12.8 cu.ft
.
http://www.edmunds.com/apps/nvc/edmu...op=3&tab=specs
#170
Photography Nerd
Originally Posted by SpeedyV6
Here's a comparison of how the 500 stacks up against the TSX:
Unless you have unusually wide hips or very long legs the extra head and shoulder room in the 500 should make it feel like a larger car.
http://www.edmunds.com/apps/nvc/edmu...op=3&tab=specs
Unless you have unusually wide hips or very long legs the extra head and shoulder room in the 500 should make it feel like a larger car.
http://www.edmunds.com/apps/nvc/edmu...op=3&tab=specs
I'll take a picture tomorrow to show what I mean.
#172
Originally Posted by SpeedyV6
Unless you have unusually wide hips or very long legs the extra head and shoulder room in the 500 should make it feel like a larger car.
#173
Photography Nerd
I really think it would be OK if they just moved the pedals back 6" or so. They're almost directly below the steering wheel. If they were farther back, I could stretch out a bit and my knees wouldn't hit the dash.
#175
Suzuka Master
Originally Posted by S A CHO
If I'm not mistaken, weren't they available with adjustable pedals?
#178
Drifting
Though I have never been in a 500 I have seen that sort of thing with other fords. I fit in my mom's mini better than my grandma's crown vic. I hit my knees on the dash of the vic too.
#179
Photography Nerd
I was able to squeeze an inch or two by reclining a little and making sure my back is completely against the seat, but there's still less room than my TSX. It's crazy for a car this big. I should be swimming in room, not trying to compromise my seating position.
Trunk room and rear seat room is great, but those should all come after driver comfort.
Trunk room and rear seat room is great, but those should all come after driver comfort.
#181
Photography Nerd
Originally Posted by gavriil
The hip room lacking in the 500 may be due to the tunnel used for the AWD hardware, which the TSX lacks. No?
Hip room really isn't too much of an issue, it's just the leg (knee) room.
#182
99 TL, 06 E350
I'm sorry, but this day in age where all the automakers are making better than average looking cars. This car seems as though a designer from 1950's was on it.
#183
Suzuka Master
Ford To Resurrect Taurus Name As Five Hundred Replacement-Sources
DETROIT -(Dow Jones)- Just months after putting an end to the Taurus sedan, Ford Motor Co. (F) is getting set to resurrect the name of what was once the top-selling car in the U.S.
Company executives will announce Wednesday at the Chicago auto show that Ford's Five Hundred mid-size sedan, which was launched in 2004, will be renamed Taurus, according to multiple sources briefed on the company's plan.
Ford spokesman Jim Cain would neither confirm nor deny the move. He noted that Ford Chief Executive Alan Mulally has been a vocal advocate of the Taurus name and that many media outlets have speculated about the moniker's return to the marketplace.
"Taurus is a wonderful brand that's fondly remembered by a great many people and it's been fantastic to see so many reminders of that on blogs and other web sites," Cain said.
Ford, which is scrambling to recover from a $12.7 billion loss in 2006, sold nearly 7 million Tauruses during the two decades it was in production. The Taurus, which was the best-selling car in the U.S. for several years starting in the early 1990s, lost its standing in recent years as Asian competitors such as Toyota Motor Corp. (TM) and Honda Motor Co. (HMC) steadily improved their comparable entries. Lately the Taurus was mostly sold to rental car firms.
Mulally, who took the helm of Ford in October after a long career at Boeing Co. (BA), has said repeatedly that he does not understand why the company did not adequately invest in the Taurus. Last month, in an interview with the Detroit Free Press, Mulally hinted the auto maker may be considering reviving the Taurus name, but stopped short of giving a clear indication of confirming the move.
The Five Hundred, a larger car than the defunct Taurus, has met a cool reception since its launch.
In 2006, sales of the Five Hundred fell 22% to 84,218 vehicles, or about half as many Tauruses as were sold in the last year of production. Sales of the Five Hundred were down 51% in January from a year earlier, at 3,526 vehicles.
Ford is doing a modest redesign on the Five Hundred for the 2008 model year, a move that the company hopes will help it reposition the car in the marketplace
The Five Hundred shares many of its parts and a common architecture with the Ford Freestyle crossover vehicle and the Mercury Montego sedan, all of which are built in Chicago.
A Ford dealer who asked not to be identified said the company has great " equity" in the Taurus name, but he is concerned the company has wasted the cachet by not having updated the Taurus in recent years. He worries that the Five Hundred may not be an adequate replacement for people who truly appreciated the Taurus.
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/...3_FORTUNE5.htm
Company executives will announce Wednesday at the Chicago auto show that Ford's Five Hundred mid-size sedan, which was launched in 2004, will be renamed Taurus, according to multiple sources briefed on the company's plan.
Ford spokesman Jim Cain would neither confirm nor deny the move. He noted that Ford Chief Executive Alan Mulally has been a vocal advocate of the Taurus name and that many media outlets have speculated about the moniker's return to the marketplace.
"Taurus is a wonderful brand that's fondly remembered by a great many people and it's been fantastic to see so many reminders of that on blogs and other web sites," Cain said.
Ford, which is scrambling to recover from a $12.7 billion loss in 2006, sold nearly 7 million Tauruses during the two decades it was in production. The Taurus, which was the best-selling car in the U.S. for several years starting in the early 1990s, lost its standing in recent years as Asian competitors such as Toyota Motor Corp. (TM) and Honda Motor Co. (HMC) steadily improved their comparable entries. Lately the Taurus was mostly sold to rental car firms.
Mulally, who took the helm of Ford in October after a long career at Boeing Co. (BA), has said repeatedly that he does not understand why the company did not adequately invest in the Taurus. Last month, in an interview with the Detroit Free Press, Mulally hinted the auto maker may be considering reviving the Taurus name, but stopped short of giving a clear indication of confirming the move.
The Five Hundred, a larger car than the defunct Taurus, has met a cool reception since its launch.
In 2006, sales of the Five Hundred fell 22% to 84,218 vehicles, or about half as many Tauruses as were sold in the last year of production. Sales of the Five Hundred were down 51% in January from a year earlier, at 3,526 vehicles.
Ford is doing a modest redesign on the Five Hundred for the 2008 model year, a move that the company hopes will help it reposition the car in the marketplace
The Five Hundred shares many of its parts and a common architecture with the Ford Freestyle crossover vehicle and the Mercury Montego sedan, all of which are built in Chicago.
A Ford dealer who asked not to be identified said the company has great " equity" in the Taurus name, but he is concerned the company has wasted the cachet by not having updated the Taurus in recent years. He worries that the Five Hundred may not be an adequate replacement for people who truly appreciated the Taurus.
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/...3_FORTUNE5.htm
#186
how handsome I am
what a joke. That car was nothing more than a rental queen when it was axed. It better get a fresh start and not be sold directly to Hertz or some shit if it wants to succeed again.
#188
Senior Moderator
....maybe Ford should just offer 'Taurus' badging as an accessory package to the Five Hundred.
#192
Senior Moderator
Oh yes, bring back the Taurus name, that will make the 500 sell better. LOL...
Ford needs to get its head out of its ass and really fix what's wrong. Hint: it's not the name of your products, it's the products themselves. Morons.
Ford needs to get its head out of its ass and really fix what's wrong. Hint: it's not the name of your products, it's the products themselves. Morons.
#194
Senior Moderator
Originally Posted by dom
I had to urban dictionary that one.
#195
Go Giants
I usually stay out of car talk....But who is the marketing genious who came up with this one?
#198
The sizzle in the Steak
The Taurus moniker WAS valuable...not IS.
Ford killed the Taurus by running it into the ground like alot of their products.
Hey Ford, if you make a great car, you can call it anything you want....and people will beat a path to your door.
Ford killed the Taurus by running it into the ground like alot of their products.
Hey Ford, if you make a great car, you can call it anything you want....and people will beat a path to your door.
#199
Mile High
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Chicago, IL
Age: 39
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Yeah the TAURUS nameplate was reputable in the late 80s early 90s. Since then as said above, its been driven into the ground. Most people wouldn't want to be driving a TAURUS because now days it just means a boring senior citizen car. FIVE HUNDRED sounds much better and less geriatric. I really don't think the name is the reason for slumping sales of the 500.