2006 Ford Five Hundred SEL review from North America

A few fit an finish issues that required the body shop to do some painting. For example, there was "trash" in the paint on the driver's side rear door area that I did not see until a few days after picking up the vehicle. Scratches and small chips in the rear window that were not visible in sunlight. The door panels are not flush with one another when looking down the side of the car; this is an issue with all cars, just look. I should have done a better job looking over the car given how picky I tend to be.

There is a loud "ticking" or "tapping" in the engine that is not the camshaft tick that Ford issued a technical service bulletin (TSB) about. I can put my mechanic's stethoscope on the fuel injectors and get the same noise, so the noise appears to be coming from them. Dealer where I bought the car have been "ZERO" help; "We do not know what it is; just drive it until something malfunctions." Not readily noticeable when driving the car, unless you are going through a drive-thru with the window down and radio muted. I know it's there, so it bugs me. Loud fuel injector noise is found on a number of new cars, though; just visit some other car manufacturer forms (e.g., dodge charger, Nissan, Acura, BMW, etc.)

The car is comfortable and interior noise is very muted.

The roominess of the interior and trunk is unbelievable!

The interior looks and feels good. I think Ford did a great job on the interior; not cheap at all.

Be careful going over speed-bumps as the front splash guards will rub; too fast and you will break them or rip them off. Easy to replace at $5-6 each.

I particularly like the one-touch up and down driver side window button. Most cars have the one-touch down, but not up.