Nothing major. A bit of hesitation intermittently on takeoff. Stay tuned, I'll give regular updates.
The cabin is very comfortable. I love the height of the seats.
The mileage is not what was advertised, I get about 18 miles a gallon in mixed driving, but it's still being broken in. I've heard it may improve. Check for updates.
We drove the Crown Victoria and liked the 500 much better because of the size and sportiness, and seat height of the 500.
I to am the owner of a new 500. I mostly agree with the above review. It has a high seating position which gives a good view of the road ahead, as well as behind. Handy when parking. Also, the size is just right with plenty of "stretch out" room for me and my wife and kids. I prefer a sedan over an SUV. I felt sort of foolish in my old Expedition for two reasons. #1 I was always the guy standing at the gas pump the longest during fill-ups. #2 Who am I trying to fool. The thing never went off-road in the four years I had it. Plus the winters her in mid-Missouri have not been bad in recent years.
Back to the 500. My only gripe is that this car is underpowered by about fifty to sixty hp. Loaded down with the family and our belongings (which it has no problem swallowing up) the car struggles. Merging onto the Interstate where the speed limit is 70 mph can be little scary. You'll spend more time looking in your rear-view mirror hoping you don't get creamed from the rear. Ford says the lack of power will be addressed in 2007. We'll see. Otherwise the 500 is a wonderful car.
Ford made such a big deal about 2004 being the "year of the car," yet they forgot to put a decent powerplant in the five-hundred. These cars look great. From a styling standpoint, it almost looks like an Audi A6. Ford should have put a little more effort into this car. For all of the resources that FoMoCo has, they could have put a V6 in this car that was faster, quieter, and more fuel efficient than the competition.
Update from original poster. Jan.25, 2006 5000 Mi. I haven't had any major problems. The pop-up compartment on the dash got a few bubbles in the heat of the summer; the dealer said they would replace it. My wife said it still has the bit of hesitation on take off, but I’ve never noticed it when I drive the car.It’s her car that she drives most every day. The gas mileage has improved to closer to what the sticker said it would get. Overall still very satisfied with the car.
Another update from the original owner 4/21/09: I only have 17000 miles on it. Still very happy with the car and have had no problems.
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