| Ford Five Hundred | |
| Manufacturer: | Ford |
| Production: | July 12, 2004–April 12, 2007 |
| Model Years: | 2005–2007 |
| Assembly: | United States: Chicago, Illinois (Chicago Assembly) |
| Designer: | George Bucher (2001)[1] [2] J Mays[3] Jan Vulcan, Chief Engineer |
| Class: | Full-size car |
| Body Style: | 4-door sedan |
| Layout: | Transverse, FF layout / F4 layout |
| Platform: | Ford D3 platform |
| Related: | Mercury Montego, Ford Freestyle Mercury Sable (fifth generation) Ford Taurus (fifth generation) Ford Taurus (sixth generation) Ford Taurus X Ford Flex Lincoln MKS, Lincoln MKT Volvo S80 Volvo S60 Volvo V70 Volvo XC70 Volvo XC90 |
| Engine: | 3.0 L Duratec 30 V6 |
| Transmission: | ZF Batavia CFT30 CVT 6-speed Aisin F21 automatic |
| Wheelbase: | 112.90NaN0 |
| Length: | 200.70NaN0[4] |
| Width: | 74.50NaN0 |
| Height: | 61.50NaN0 |
| Predecessor: | Ford Taurus (fourth generation) Ford Crown Victoria |
| Successor: | Ford Taurus (fifth generation) |
The Ford Five Hundred is a four-door, five-passenger, front-engine, front- or all-wheel drive, full-size, high-roof sedan[5] manufactured and marketed in North America by Ford in a single generation for model years 2005-2007. It was a direct byproduct of Ford's 1999 acquisition of Volvo Cars; a strong market shift in automotive tastes away from sedans to minivans and SUV/CUVs - and a concerted effort by Ford to rethink the traditional sedan/wagon formula.[6]
Presented as a single concept drawing[7] at the 2002 New York Auto Show, the Five Hundred was formally presented in production form at the 2004 North American International Auto Show along with its co-developed platform-mates, the Mercury Montego and the crossover Ford Freestyle - the so called Chicago D3's, for the plant where they were manufactured (Chicago Assembly) and the platform they shared, the D3 platform, a revised variant of Volvo's P2 platform.
Ford chose to continue its fourth generation Taurus, critical to the company's fleet sales, and overlap that production with the new sedan, using the Five Hundred nameplate and emphasizing its optional all-wheel drive and continuously variable transmission, extensive safety features, large interior volume and high H-point seating, the latter marketed as Command View seating.
Internally designated the D258 model, the Five Hundred was styled by George Bucher, Chief Designer,[1] [8] under the direction of Ford Vice President of Design, J Mays[9] the latter who gave the Five Hundred its name,[10] recalling the "500" suffix Ford had used to designate a model's top trim level, as with the Galaxie "500".
The Five Hundred's 203hp engine and conservative styling became points of criticism, and sales fell markedly short of company projections - requiring substantive discounts by its second model year.[11] The Five Hundred was swiftly facelifted and given a new nameplate for model years 2008-2009 - as the fifth generation Ford Taurus.
Having entered production on July 12, 2004[12] and gone on sale in September 2004, the Five Hundred reached 65% of its projected annual sales of 120,000 - or total domestic sales of 241,000 over three model years. The Five Hundred nameplate continued in use outside North America.
As part of the 1999 acquisition of Volvo Cars and its addition to Premier Automotive Group, Ford Motor Company expanded on its vehicle safety technology capabilities and began development of a 4th generation (D186) Taurus replacement.[13] [14]
In 2000, Ford presented the Prodigy concept, a 72MPG diesel-electric hybrid designed as part of the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles. The Prodigy influenced the exterior styling of the Five Hundred as well as the horizontal "three-bar" grille which subsequently became a Ford styling theme.
Noted for its minimalist exterior styling, the "strong graphic simplicity"[15] of its interior design, tall interior cabin, high H-point seating and prominent greenhouse recalling the Volkswagen Passat (1997–2005) and Audi A6 (1997–2004), the Five Hundred was designed by George Bucher, Chief Designer,[1] [2] under the direction of Ford Vice President of Design, J Mays, who'd previously designed both the Passat and Audi while with the Volkswagen Group.[3] Ford vice president Phil Martens noted that at a time when the industry was trying to design car-based crossovers, the Five Hundred was the first crossover-based car.[16]
The Five Hundred uses the Ford D3 platform shared with the Mercury Montego and Ford Freestyle. An evolution of the Volvo P2 platform (used in the Volvo S80), the D3 platform marked the shift to front-wheel drive in full-size Ford sedans; an electro-hydraulic Haldex all-wheel drive system (based on that used on the Volvo S80 and XC90) was optional in all versions of the Five Hundred or Mercury Montego.
In addition to adapting the P2 platform and its Haldex AWD to the Five Hundred, Volvo engineers incorporated numerous Volvo safety innovations. Front seats sit on a hydroformed cross-car steel beam between the B-pillars (directly below an identical beam above the B-pillars), complemented by reinforced roof crossmember - marketed by Ford as SPACE architecture (Side Protection and Cabin Enhancement), an adaptation of Volvo's Side Impact Protection System (SIPS), channeling impact forces around the passenger compartment. Front frame rails were redesigned to better absorb impact forces. Volvo co-engineered the collapsible steering column and roof-mounted airbags.[17] With standard dual front airbags, the Five Hundred was available with an optional safety package that included both side airbags and curtain airbags. The Five Hundred received both a five-star rating for front- and side-impact performance in government testing, as well as a "Best Pick" rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for frontal crash performance.[18]
Incorporating independent suspensions front and rear, the Five hundred used MacPherson strut front suspension and a multi-link rear axle with coilover shocks - along with front and rear stabilizer bars and four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes (12.5-inch front, 13-inch rear).
The Five Hundred/Mercury Montego was powered by a single engine, shared with the Ford Taurus: a 203 hp 3.0L Duratec V6, paired with a 6-speed Aisin automatic transmission (for front-wheel drive versions) or a ZF CVT (for AWD), the latter a first for a US domestic automaker.[17]
A distinguishing feature of the Five Hundred is its 61.5" overall height - over 5 inches taller than the Ford Taurus marketed alongside it. The high-roof design allowed an elevated H-point (hip point).[19] As with the first-generation Ford Focus, the seats of the Five Hundred were positioned relatively high off the floor, providing an upright seating position for improved visibility, access, egress and driver confidence. The rear seat was positioned higher than the front seats. 60/40 folding rear seat supplemented the 21 cubic foot trunk (larger than the Lincoln Town Car). With the option of a folding front passenger seat, a Five Hundred was able to carry objects up to ten feet long inside the vehicle.
While visibility was one factor behind the higher seating position, safety was another. Derived from the Volvo Side Impact Protection System (SIPS), seating sat atop a cross-car steel beam underneath the front seats.
George Bucher, Ford's chief designer said "it was a challenge to sculpt a Ford-styled body around a Volvo chassis, and added that designers used what he calls plainer surfaces with taut lines to give the car a modern look without losing its passenger-car proportions."[20]
At introduction, Ford marketed the Five Hundred in three graduating trim levels: SE, SEL, and Limited. An all wheel drive system was available across the range, and included self-leveling shocks. Base prices start at US$22,795 for a front-wheel drive SE and range to US$28,495 for an all-wheel drive Limited. Interior trim featured a new hydrographic system for simulated metal mesh on the SE trim and burled wood on SEL and Limited.[21] All models received a 36,000 mile, three year warranty.
MY 2005: 2005 Trim level equipment included:
SE - SE equipment included front-wheel drive; cloth upholstery; six way power driver's seat with manual lumbar; delayed accessory power; power remote trunk release; folding power mirrors; power locks; power windows with one-touch up/down driver's window; cruise control with steering wheel controls, black speedometer and tachometer,tilt collapsable steering column (aligned to the driver's size and safety-belt use, two power points, front overhead console with dome light, map lights and sunglasses holder; 17" painted alloy rims; AM/FM stereo with single-CD player; body color mirrors and handles; black front grille; simulated carbon fiber interior and console trim; floor mats front and rear, eight cupholders, sliding sunvisors with illuminated vanity mirrors, air conditioning with rotary controls; illuminated entry, second-row reading lights, 60/40 split-folding rear seatbacks, compact spare tire, anti-lock brakes, Ford's proprietary engine immobilizer key passive anti-theft technology, marketed as SecuriLock; post-crash alert system and fob-operated remote keyless entry augmented by a door-mounted keypad, marketed as Securicode, to enable tiered or time-restricted permissions, i.e., the code giving access to the vehicle but not its operation - and the code being easily changed to prevent subsequent vehicle access.
SE options included CVT transmission; chrome grille; traction control; and a "Safety and Security" package with front-seated mounted side air bags and two-row side curtain airbags; marketed as Safety Canopy - along with anti-theft perimeter alarm, heated side mirrors, and security approach lamps.
SEL - SEL equipment additionally included Message center with trip computer, vehicle information center and compass; electrochromic auto-dim rearview center rear view mirror; heated side mirrors; fog lamps; air-conditioning ducted to the rear of the front console, perimeter security alarm; automatic headlamps; automatic temp control; chrome grille; AM/FM stereo with 6-disc in dash CD player with MP3 capability and steering wheel audio controls, eight way power front seats with manual lumbar; two way power passenger seat; fold-down passenger seat, simulated wood interior dash and console trim and an auto-dimming rear view mirror.
SEL options included CVT transmission; rear parking sensors marketed as Reverse Sensing System; power moonroof; traction control; shirred (gathered) leather seats and a Safety package with side and two-row side curtain airbags.
Limited - The Limited trim level additionally included shirred (gathered) leather heated seats, two-position memory driver's seat and mirrors, four-way power passenger seat with manual lumbar, cream-colored gauges, analog clock, Audiophile sound system with a subwoofer and an AM/FM stereo with 6-disc in dash CD player and MP3 capability, chrome mirrors, and a trunk cargo net.
Limited trim options included CVT transmission; rear parking sensors marketed as Reverse Sensing System; power moonroof; and integrated Homelink transmitter.
MY 2006 updates: Ford offered the SE, SEL and Limited trim levels for 2006, with an optional navigation radio by Pioneer with Sirius Satellite Radio (Limited); power moonroof and leather seating newly optional on SE trim, optonal traction control (previously a no-cost, required option, FWD models) and a ceiling-mounted drop-down DVD monitor, marketed as the Family Entertainment System. A 2006 mid-year running change replaced the exterior mid-door side trim molding on all trim levels with a small sill molding at the bottom edge of the door - and added black mudguards at each wheel.
MY 2007 updates: For 2007, Ford discontinued the SE trim level. Both SEL and Limited trims manufactured after September 4, 2006 received two-row side curtain airbags, marketed as the Safety Canopy. Shirred (gathered) leather became optional on the SEL trim. The powertrain warranty was revised to 5 years / 60000miles. SEL option packages included a "Safety and Security" package (before September 2006) with side and two-row side curtain airbags, anti-theft perimeter alarm, heated side mirrors, and security approach lamps; "Convenience Package with 6-disc in-dash CD changer with MP3 capability, dual-zone electronic automatic temperature control, automatic headlamps, fog lamps and outside temperature display; "Interior Power" package with 8-way power driver’s seat and power-adjustable pedals; Chrome Package with 18-inch eight-spoke alloy wheels and a chrome trim mesh grille, and a 5-year / 60,000-mile powertrain warranty.
The Five Hundred was engineered with a quality control system known internally as Total Vehicle Geometry (TVG).[22] Designed by Volvo, TVG was heavily computer-based, allowing access for designers, engineers and suppliers to all data and results related to prototypes at all stages of the design process. With improved participation and access, precision of fit and finish was increased on prototype parts, decreasing the time needed for preliminary production vehicles, so-called pilot vehicles.
Using new powertrain electronics, the Five Hundred employed a CAN bus system with a Black Oak controller and PowerPC machine language and floating-point calculations for improved execution times.[23]
The Five Hundred ended production on April 12, 2007, as did the Mercury Montego and Ford Freestyle.[24] For the 2007 North American International Auto Show, Ford introduced a mid-cycle 2008 update of the Five Hundred and Montego; the new sedans had front and rear fascia styling, new interiors, and new powertrains with a 263 hp 3.5L V6 and a new 6-speed automatic transmission.
Although the changes were positively received, Ford CEO Alan Mulally chose to rename all three D3 platform cars, with the Five Hundred and Montego becoming the fifth-generation Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable; the similarly updated Ford Freestyle continued as the Ford Taurus X. Although the Taurus had been out of retail markets since 2006 (the Sable, since 2005), Mullaly cited the larger brand familiarity of the Taurus/Sable nameplates as the reason for the renaming of the two D3 sedans.
For the 2010 model year, the Ford Taurus underwent an extensive redesign. Retaining the D3 chassis, the exterior and interior was revised, to add more aggressive styling.[25] This became the final generation Taurus for North America.
Intended to increase the company's profitability and reduce incentives,[26] Ford projected annual Five Hundred sales of 120,000. Actual sales reached approximately 65% of projections. During its initial model year Ford refrained from market incentives,[27] providing substantive incentives midway into its second model year.[11]
| Calendar Year | Domestic sales | |
|---|---|---|
| 2004[28] | 14,106 | |
| 2005 | 107,932 | |
| 2006[29] | 84,218 | |
| 2007 | 35,146 |
Overall: The Five Hundred was well received for its SUV-like packaging with a raised overall height, elevated seating and large interior volume - as well as its extensive safety features and available CVT transmission and all-wheel drive.
Performance: Offering a single 203 hp engine, the Five Hundred's performance was considered at best acceptable, and often mediocre or lackluster.[32] [33] [34] [35]
Styling: The Five Hundred's design team had aimed for guilt-free, unpretentious luxury,[38] [39] and assessments ranged from either handsome and elegant[40] or exceedingly conservative.[41] [42] [43] The New York Times called the Five Hundred's styling "rigorously understated."[44]