2005 Ford Five Hundred Limited 3.0L

Summary:

Excellent value for a large sedan with a solid feel

Faults:

Nothing. One recall to replace gasoline tank holding straps. Completed by dealer with no problems.

General Comments:

Excellent value for a large sedan. Solid feel and smooth ride with tight steering.

Tremendous space in the trunk and back seat. Excellent visibility out of the car, superior to most other cars in it's class. Underpinnings are from the Volvo S80 sedan and you can tell by the solid feel of the car.

Not a barn burner off the line, but more than adequate acceleration-coupled with well above average gas mileage.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 13th September, 2006

2006 Ford Five Hundred SE 3.0

Summary:

Good Value, Comfortable, Reliable

Faults:

I hope to have the dealer examine a minor rattle near the right side front window and a pulsating sound from the rear brakes when braking while driving at high speeds. This may not relate to anything wrong, but I do hope for an explanation and for some assistance in eliminating these two symptoms.

An appointment has been made and I have every trust in this dealer to assist me.

General Comments:

This car rides very well - smooth and responsive. Fuel economy and 'pep' is good for a car of this size. Comfort is excellent for both driver and passenger, as is space. I do wish Ford invested a better antenna and hood-opening mechanism for this vehicle. These features of the vehicle do not conform to the standard of its other features, I believe.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th August, 2006

2006 Ford Five Hundred SEL 3.0

Summary:

Okay for a rental car - I will buy an Accord instead

Faults:

Rental car - brand new.

Nothing has gone wrong in the 3 days I had the car, but I don't like the automatic transmission (non CVT), it's quite jerky and power comes on all of a sudden (when it downshifts to lower gear), for a V-6 it doesn't have a lot of power, and gas mileage is not very good.

General Comments:

It's quite comfortable, I think my friend's Honda Accord is a better car in terms of comfort and user interface. Ford Five Hundred rides high, but is a little uncomfortable to me, leather seat is a little firm.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 22nd May, 2006

14th Sep 2006, 20:43

How did you come you with a reliability score (6 out of 10), considering you rented the vehicle for 3 days?

19th Sep 2006, 09:11

Gas mileage should improve as the car is driven and has attained more miles. My MPG were low the first 5,000 miles or so. At 12,000 miles I have got as much as 33 MPG on straight highway, no headwind, in warm climate. Nor have a noticed any jerky motions when it comes to the transmission.

Comfort is a relative item. I on the other hand find the Accord uncomfortable and hate how low it sits to the ground in comparison to the Five Hundred. I have the model with the steering wheel controls. It doesn't get any easier as far as interace than that.

My suggestion would be for someone to at least test drive the Five Hundred and compare it to other vehicles before counting it out.

2006 Ford Five Hundred Limited 3.0 Duratec DOHC V6

Summary:

I highly recommend this car: you won't be disappointed

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong with the car.

General Comments:

I purchased the 2006 Five Hundred Limited with All Wheel Drive and the CVT transmission.

This car is extremely comfortable and has plenty of legroom, headroom, etc. in both front and rear seats.

Has front and rear center consoles with many cupholders and storage compartments.

The heated leather seats are a big plus especially here in cold Minnesota.

Has radio controls on steering wheel.

Heated mirrors and window defrosters work great- within a minute, even the thickest ice is melted right off the car- it melts ice like fire.

Seats sit high with plenty of room for excellent viewpoint-like an SUV, but with a more controlled feel.

You can fit just about anything in the trunk (it is huge).

Excellent sound system.

Engine has a lot of get-up-and-go; CVT gives you instant power.

It gets great fuel economy- I have been getting 26 miles per gallon (50/50 city/highway driving combined.)

Don't worry if you aren't getting good mileage right away, mileage will increase drastically after the break-in period.

The Limited has driver info center that tells you all fluid levels- kinda nice so you don't have to get out and check fluids by hand. The info center also tells you your gas mileage and gives you a miles to empty reading.

Great ground clearance for a car.

Excellent feel on icy roads with AWD and traction control- I live on a long winding dirt road in Minnesota that doesn't get plowed during the winter and have had no problems getting through anything.

This car is a great deal. It has everything you could possibly need.

For a large car, this car has a small pricetag.

Ford has built a winner.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 28th January, 2006

11th May 2006, 15:26

I am picking up my new Ford Five Hundred at the dealer today. I was impressed with the car during the test drive and was also impressed with the AWD, luxury, and safety at such an affordable price. After reading your review, I am very much looking forward to driving the new car. I will post my own review on this site when I have some miles and experience with the vehicle.

27th Sep 2006, 21:18

UPDATE: I wrote the review above and I now have 15,000 miles on my Five Hundred. Cruising on the highway I am able to pull off 31-32 MPG. I still love the car and I have yet to encounter any problems with it.

5th Jun 2015, 16:33

This is the original reviewer checking in again. I am now up to 230,000 miles and it is still running strong. Only issues I've had with it thus far are:

Oil pan gasket and O2 sensor replacement at 220k.

Replaced front valve cover gasket and upper motor mount now at 230k.

The strut bearings have been bad for a while and are clunking, and the struts are still original. I think I will go ahead and replace the struts and strut bearings this summer.

Very pleased with the reliability of this car.

9th Sep 2015, 00:42

Is your car have the CVT? Have you had any problems with it and how well has the dealer responded? I have heard stories of the wrench light coming on, and that the transmission can only be replaced. Any thoughts or comments on the matter would be appreciated.