Out With the Old and In With the New

Whether the Crown Vic pulling up behind you is a taxi cab or a police cruiser, it's a sight that has become all too familiar. Now, with its long tenure tarnished by a worrisome number of fuel tank fires and law suits to match, time has come for a replacement.

At the front are the car's jeweled, halogen headlamps with built-in turn signals that wrap around the sides of the car, complementing the hood and fender lines. (Photo: Ford Motor Company of Canada)

The Five Hundred that most of us thought would soon replace it, but is now known to soldier on for at least another four years, is a very different machine. It's front-wheel or all-wheel drive, where the outgoing Ford is rear-wheel drive, and looks European where the Crown Victoria is about as American as a car ever was.

The Five Hundred features a now classic trapezoidal diamond-patterned Ford grille that gets trimmed in chrome on Limited models. The lower fascia has chrome accents with integral fog lamps on both the SEL and Limited series.

Offering best-in-class headroom in both front and back seats, the Five Hundred boasts an overall interior volume of 3,627 L (128.1 cubic feet). (Photo: Ford Motor Company of Canada)

At the front are the car's jeweled, halogen headlamps with built-in turn signals that wrap around each side of the car, complementing hood and fender lines.

Large, folding exterior side mirrors enhance visibility, and their chrome caps add to Five Hundred's highly polished look. Door handles match the color of the body. Side moldings are body-colored on the SE and Limited.

The Five Hundred offers best-in-class headroom in both the front seats, at 1,001 mm (39.4 inches) and rear at 980 mm (38.6 inches), while rear legroom is a class-leading 1,039 mm (40.9 inches) and overall interior volume factors in at 3,627 L (128.1 cubic feet).

The mid-size sedan segment still accounts for 18 percent of auto industry sales, about 3 million units in the United States, but "the traditional way of making a one-size fits all sedan will not work for the future," said Ben Poore, Car Group Marketing Manager, Ford Division.

The Five Hundred's trunk is cavernous, with a class-leading 595 liters (21 cubic feet), the equivalent of eight full-size golf club bags. (Photo: Ford Motor Company of Canada)

Ford has decided to re-attack the segment using successful lessons it learned in the SUV market, by providing the right size vehicle for the intended customers, with superb interior and exterior arrangements, Poore said.

The seating position in the Five Hundred is up to 102 mm (four inches) higher than other mid-size sedans, giving the vehicle a high H-point, like the Freestyle. The rear seats fold flat, as does the front passenger seat to provide additional storage space, but the trunk alone is class-leading at 595 liters (21 cubic feet), the equivalent of eight full-size golf club bags, which is 50 percent more room than most competing mid-size sedans.

The Ford Five Hundred's recessed storage bin atop the instrument panel is big enough to hold maps, a clipboard, cell phone or a calculator. (Photo: Ford Motor Company of Canada)

There is a recessed storage bin atop the instrument panel that is big enough to hold maps, a clipboard, cell phone or a calculator, Poore said. The center console bin is large enough to accommodate a purse, even a laptop computer, and has two 12-volt outlets.

An optional overhead console can provide a place to put sunglasses and garage door openers, and has a conversation mirror. The Five Hundred has an entry keypad, powered leather seats, reverse parking assist and moon roof, and one touch "up" front windows.

Optional safety equipment includes side airbags and the brand's Safety Canopy to offer occupants extra protection in the event of side impacts or rollover accidents.

The Five Hundred is equipped with the new Duratec 30 3.0-liter V6 engine that delivers 200 horsepower and 200 foot-pounds of torque. (Photo: Ford Motor Company of Canada)

The Five Hundred is equipped with Ford's new Duratec 30 3.0-liter V6 engine that delivers 200 horsepower and 200 foot-pounds of torque with less noise and vibration than previous V6s, said Kim Jackson, powertrain specialist. The engine is also designed to meet California Low Emissions Vehicle (LEV) II standards, which call for 55 percent less smog-forming pollutants than California Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV) rules.

But buyers can choose between getting a CVT, like in the Freestyle, or an all-new six-speed automatic transmission that offers a wider gear ratio span than competing sedans that have only four- or five-speed designs. That wider ratio, Ford anticipates, will result in the Five Hundred having better acceleration and fuel economy than its competitors.

The Four Hundred will be built at Ford's Chicago Assembly Plant alongside the Freestyle and Mercury Montego. (Photo: Ford Motor Company of Canada)

The sedan comes either with standard front-wheel drive or optional all-wheel drive, Jackson said. The all-wheel-drive system has a Volvo-built power transfer unit, similar to one on the Volvo XC70 wagon, which siphons off torque being sent to the two front wheels and delivers it to the drive shaft that leads to the rear wheels.

The Five Hundred has standard 17-inch wheels with P215/60R17 Continental tires, but 18-inch wheels and P225/55R18 Pirelli tires are standard on the SEL and Limited models.

The new sedan will be built at Ford's Chicago Assembly Plant alongside the Freestyle and Mercury Montego.

The Five Hundred is conservatively attractive and offers unsurpassed interior room; It will be a certain success. (Photo: Ford Motor Company of Canada)

In summation, the Five Hundred might not be the most forward thinking new model to surface this year, at least from a styling standpoint, but it's attractive in an inoffensive way, offers unsurpassed interior room and an even larger trunk than the outgoing Crown Victoria.

It will be a certain success, if only for the innumerable taxi cab companies and police forces that will no doubt place large orders as soon as it becomes available.

Preliminary Specifications:

• Price Range (estimated MSRP): $28,000 - $38,000
• Body Type: 4-sedan, unibody
• Layout: front engine, FWD (opt AWD)
• Engine: 200 hp, 200 lb-ft, 3.0-L 24-valve V6
• Transmission: CVT (continuously variable) or 6-speed automatic
• Brakes (front/rear): disc/disc, ABS
• Curb Weight: 1,730 kg (3,815 lbs)
• Seating Capacity: 5
• Cargo Volume (trunk): 595 L (21.0 cu ft)
• Dimensions (L/W/H/WB): 5,098 / 1,872 / 1,527 / 2,868 mm (200.7 / 73.7 / 60.1 / 112.9 inches)
• Fuel Economy (city/hwy): N/A
• Warranty (mo/km): 36/60,000 comprehensive - 60/100,000 powertrain
• Direct Competitors: Buick Allure, Chrysler 300 Series, Honda Accord, Mitsubishi Gallant, Nissan Altima / Maxima, Pontiac Grand Prix / Bonneville, Toyota Avalon, Volkswagen Passat
• Web Site: www.ford.ca

Note: Additional larger photos available in photo album.