2006 Ford Five Hundred SEL AWD review from North America
"This is a really good, fuel efficient, comfortable, practical car for a reasonable price"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
The mud Flaps came off in major ice storm. The dealer replaced them free of charge as he said that " They are designed to fall off when they hit an obstruction."
General comments?
This is a great car.
The mileage is excellent: 30-33 mpg highway at 65 mph or below, 27, 28 highway at 70 mph or above. 21 in town for a big all wheel drive car is satisfactory.
The car is comfortable, has great cargo capacity, and no serious blind spots. The headlights are excellent at night.
The acceleration is more than adequate contrary to complaints that I have read. I don't know how fast they want to go because it merges fine onto the freeway, passes and keeps up with traffic on hills just fine. The real world test is traffic in Houston and Dallas where there were no problems.
Brakes are great. The all wheel drive worked very well in both a very deep snowfall (15 inches, 40 miles on unplowed roads, children in the car and we still got home) and in very heavy rain. Even with the all wheel drive constantly engaged and moving slowly on a snow covered highway the car got 26 mpg.
Everyone who sees it says that it is pretty. The complaints about "blandness" don't impress me. It is easy to keep clean as the interior is spacious and not cluttered.
The steering is a bit imprecise, but acceptable. I test drove a front wheel drive version and thought that the steering was too floaty at higher speeds.
The radio is not wonderful. The trunk has a light only on one side. With a big trunk this makes for a pretty dark interior at night.
The 5 year, 70,000 mile warranty is a vote of confidence from the manufacturer.
Recommended reviews
| 2006 - Five Hundred SEL 3.0L Duratec Great value |
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| 2006 - Five Hundred Limited 3.0 Duratec DOHC V6 I highly recommend this car: you won't be disappointed |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 2006 |
| First year of ownership | 2006 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2006 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.0 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 10 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 10 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 10 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 10 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 150 miles |
| Most recent distance | 8000 miles |
| Previous car | Buick Rendezvous |
| Date of Entry | 23rd December, 2006 |