It will offer AWD.
It has a CVT tranny.
A 6-speed auto is option
Standard 17-inch aluminum wheels (18-inch aluminum wheels with Pirelli Tires standard on Limited)
21 cubic feet of trunk space offers maximum flexibility. We were able to pack eight full-size golf bags in this spacious trunk!
Eight cup/bottle holders.


Now our family has owned 2 Taurus's years ago. One L and one SHO (both POS that broke down everytime they had to take me to school). This 500 seems like a great vehicle. Interior looks great.

Exterior, HELLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOO, looks like a 7 year old Passat.

This car also adds to my theory that luxury cars are now more than options and features. It's about fit and finish, dealer service, quality of materials, it's going to have to be in the DETAILS.

 

front (has the mondeo front to me)

 

rear. Now u might be saying "Sick, why so excited about a Ford"? Good question. This car will be sold to MASSES, millions of customers. It seems pretty damn solid and luxurious, like the Honda Accord (another car blending entry level luxury and features well). Now if I (we) are gonna dump 50k into a new GS or LS or whatever, what additional features and points will these new cars have to justify the price.

Looking at the Acura thread, seems people think they have the same features, it's an even or better car. Even the new Kias and Hyandai's are crossing the line of luxury/entry-level luxury.
Looking at the performance side, you got 25k WRXs, EVO RSs, Altima 3.5s, Maximas providing solid and even exceptional performance and speed for the price.

With BMW, and Benz going downmarket (hatchback, upcoming 2 series) Acura downmarket (TSX, RSX) and the USED car lots of luxury cars looking better and better......




There has NEVER been a better time to be a car owner/driver.

 

Ya'll know I am a interior junkie. I look at panel gaps like hooters at the strip club. Looks like the best interior of any new Ford sedan.

 

Mike, that's a nice breakdown of the brand new Ford model. The 6-spd auto transmission is a great step-up for the car; most new cars like the LS430 and the 745 intro'ed it into their models. Do you happen to know the specs of the engine? The front stance very much reminds me of the '01-'03 LS430 (as far as the headlights and fog lights):



I absolutely love the interior... the wood trim and the supple leather seating Have no complaints whatsoever about it. I can see myself test-driving this car when it hits the showrooms

 

Dammit, I just got my 03 Taurus, so i have to wait 2-3 more years for this one!!! Damn company policies on the vehicle benefit!

The car is cool, but the faux wood is borderline offensive!!!

 

Let me go look. I hope they have gotten past the 200hp mark.....

 

yeah man, my 03 is slower than the 99 that I had

Also I hope they added some refinement to the drivetrain, I know that it is not a Lexus or BMW, but my current car (and the 99) were so coarse in engine operation, and my 95 Honda Accord was very smooth. When you drive the current model, it just feels like your driving a transportation appliance, instead of a decent automobile!

 

The excellent point has been made that it seems all cars are meeting at a common place and no more does luxury mean anything else except a highered price.

Now, mind you, I'd much rather have a Lexus then a Ford, but the luxury companies need to make and do more to have them reflect the price they bring.

-Anthony

 

The Five Hundred looks alright, but to me, it's still a domestic . Only time will tell if this will suceed.

 

FYI, it was styled by the same guy who did the current A6. Hence the Audi/VW resemblance. Stylists are being *****d-out between companies like never before, so this kind of thing is inevitable.

 

So the Taurus has been around since the 80's and many say the shape of it has stemmed the curvy and round shapes present in almost evey car nowadays. It was styling genius for ts time, much like the first generation SC. Now my question is, why do away with the entire Taurus name if its been proved to be so successful. It has 5 star crash rating, is a much loved family sedan, and I think that completely throwing out the Taurus image is gonna hurt Ford rather tahn help it. I like the Five Hundred (does the name have any significance at all?) and the styling is not bad but it doesn't seem to be filling the same niche as the Taurus is currently. It looks much more luxurious and high tech, and if thats the case I worry about the people in the Taurus price range who will be losing a very well known, reputable car.

James

 

Good post, Mike. This looks like a good move by Ford. In my trip this week to Florida my wife and I had a Taurus from Budget. What a piece of crap. I'd given the Taurus a better rating the other few times I'd rented one but on this one, when we used the power windows the glass made a variable scraping perhaps indicating the window wasn't consistently curved and was rubbing now and then somewhere. It was pathetic. The transmission was awful. The engine was ok and the highway ride was fine though. The interior ergonomics were worse than awful. Radio had separate and identically sized AM, FM, CD, EJ, and other buttons - it was very confusing. I'm glad my wife's new Ford F-150 truck has such a nice interior - I think Ford is finally realizing what they need to do!

 

Sorry to say but imo that's one fugly car... I guess this is Ford Australia's equivalent...


2003/4 Ford Falcon

 

I agree.

I think domestic car makers are losing their heads.

Ford's move is no different from Cadillac's dropping its "Eldorado", "DeVille", and "SeVille" name plates, which glorified Cadillac in its golden days.

Jon