The 2005-2007 Ford Five Hundred Retrospective & Ford's Attempt To Remarket It As The Taurus
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- čas přidán 14. 04. 2024
- In this video, we're going to discuss the 2005-2007 Ford Five Hundred. Utilizing the D3 platform, the Ford Five Hundred was intended to replace the Taurus. The Ford Five Hundred was powered by a 3.0-liter V6. Buyers could choose front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. The Ford Five Hundred was large, spacious and practical. The Ford Five Hundred got a refresh for 2008, but it was renamed the "Taurus" and got a host of new upgrades.
Back in 2011 I needed a car and my credit was not good so I went to a buy here pay here lot. They had one on the lot and it was a 2006 with very low miles not even close to 20 thousand miles being almost 6 years old already. I test drove it and I knew I wanted it that day. Well they approved me for it and at the time I was 24 years old. When I drove that car off the lot I felt like I had just won the lottery and brought a new Bentley. That car drove like the king of the road with pure luxury. I will always remember that day because I knew I was rich and no one could tell me nothing lol .I was supposed to go to work that same day and I called out sick because I did not want to get out of that car at all lol
Haha! Great story.
I bought a 500 new for 2006. It now has 267,800 miles. Very few repairs, nothing serious. Mine has the 6 speed automatic. Neither the engine nor the transmission has ever been rebuilt. I couldn't ask for better service.
I drive a 500 and I love it!
Best car Ford put out in the 2000s. Mine made it to 385k without no problems. Smooth ride and good transmission
The CVT and 6 speed automatics were junk in them
Glad to hear it made it all the way to 385k! That’s crazy reliable.
The cvt was more reliable than the 6 speed that they made, that's not saying much.
@texavery711 No it was not,it was a huge pile of junk.Price of a good used one if any good,$2,200.00 and hard to find used
Nah, the Fusion is the best car they put out in the 2000’s.
I bought my 2007 Five Hundred Limited brand new and I am happily still driving it today, with currently 127,000 miles on the odometer. It is by far the best car I have ever had! Just routine maintenance and it always starts, even in the coldest weather. I've had one power steering repair, but that's it, other than the routine stuff like oil changes, batteries and tires. It rides great and has enough power for my needs. I really enjoy the seating height and the beige leather interior still looks great. The moon-roof still functions and has never leaked and the Audiophile sound system is definitely the best I have ever had in any car I've owned over the years. Passengers always remark about the spaciousness, especially in the back seat. Is it the prettiest car I've ever had? No. But there's more to a car than a pretty face...and that works for me any day!
Thanks for taking the time to share your story!
Who cares about 'pretty' You are riding on the inside while driving. Love my 500 too!
Ford should've spent the money in updating and improving the Crown Victoria. Made it with a independent rear end and lengthing the wheelbase for more room and putting a better quality material inside. Some of this extra cost could've been recouped by cutting the bean counters who have ruined more cars then improved them.
Yeah an updated modernized Crown Vic would’ve been sick.
My first car was a 2007 Five Hundred SEL. When I was a freshman/sophomore in HS one of my teachers had one he would park out back behind his classroom and I always thought it was a good looking car, and 2 years later passed up an Audi A4, Hyundai Elantra, and Chevy Malibu Wagon to get myself one. Beige interior and exterior. Was an excellent car. Very comfortable, tons of space, zero reliability issues. Only gripe I had was the 6-disk player liked to not give back my CDs occasionally. Owned it for a year and a half until I sold it in late 2020 to buy a '13 Taurus SHO, which I consider to be the best sedan Ford ever made. The girl I sold it to still has it to this day, and if she ever decides to get rid of it I may buy it right back from her.
I don’t blame you for wanting to buy it back!
You'll buy it back after the turbos go in the Taurus.
@@jimmyboyles2868 nah dude, the Taurus is rock solid, and I don't beat on it enough to make problems. But when the time comes to get rid of it, I'm getting an IS500
I really like the dashboard and interior overall. Looks sophisticated.
The interior was spot-on.
The criticism you laid out with these was valid. Didn't help that the Chrysler 300 launched the same time either, as it seemed to be the opposite of all the 500s gripes ( and had a starting price only about a grand more). My biggest memories of these and Freestyles, was the CVT was a expensive accident waiting to happen. That and they looked like VW Passats. Fantastic vid Rob!
Yeah the 300 was definitely more distinctive, but I think it lacked the interior space compared to the 500.
The 300 definitely excelled in the engine department-203 horsepower for such a big 500 was laughable.
I can see why Ford dropped the CVT by 2008.
@@MotorMaster_Stunticon Well it wasn't like the 300 was cramped inside, and if people cared only about interior space, they would buy minivans rather than 3 row crossovers. The 300 had that knockoff high end car style, available engines that got out of their own way, and traditional RWD. You nailed it about the 500.It wasn't ugly but bland..
Agreed. Very understated.
A little too understated..
The audi look was because the same audi designer was then at Ford.
That's why you get the Aisin 6 speed transmission. Came standard on the Limited models. Never been a fan of any CVT transmission on any make of cars.
I was working for a Ford-Mercury dealer when the Five Hundred came out. The car was met with zero interest from our rural customer base, who (if craving a big sedan) would go for Crown Vic and Grand Marquis for their relative plushness and isolation. Funny how we all love that higher "H-point" seating position nowadays, as SUVs and crossovers are the best sellers. But that raised seating position felt out of place with sedan packaging, and served as another turnoff.
Yeah I’m sure they weren’t expecting the ‘outdated’ CV/GM to outsell the Five Hundred.
When I was a kid I'd love taking a ride in my aunt's Five Hundred, it's actually one of the nicest memories from my childhood that's why I have a soft spot for this car.
Cool. Thanks for sharing.
Best car I have ever owned. Plan to drive it 'til it stops running. I have owned the car for 19 years, maintained it by the book, and it still get 26 mpg on the highway. Current mileage is 159,000 miles. Minimal repairs: air conditioning compressor, front struts , and throttle body are the three items that failed and were replaced. If you can find a low mileage one, buy it.
Bought a 2006 Five Hundred AWD Limited with CVT in fall 2022 as my first car. Absolutely loving it despite being the complete opposite of what I envisioned my first car to be lol. I get compliments on its looks all the time despite having minor rust and pre-curbed rims. Perfect for highway cruising (+500km weekly commutes), and I occasionally did Calgary-Fort Mac (750km) on a single tank. Put 35,000km on it since purchase and it's still very happy at 250k. My one gripe is power, as it can barely move out of its own way, and there is no aftermarket scene for it so what I have is what I have.
They’re very stately and honest looking cars. Not over the top but I feel like they still look nice today. Saw one riding on white walls not too long ago
2005 Ford Five Hundred SEL AWD. Bouth 10 years ago. Runs great haven't put a thin dime into it.
We’ve had a ford five hundred in the family since 2005, it’s got close to half a million miles and has been a wonderful car, it’s been put through the paces and has been tried and true all along.
Whoa! Glad to hear it has held up for 500k miles.
A channel dedicated to Obscure but completely normal 80’s-2000’s normal cars?! Sign me up!
Stay tuned, more to come!
Ford did a fantastic job of alienating its loyal Taurus customers and fan base, after X-ing the iconic nameplate for “five hundred.” Add to that the bulbous styling and continued lackadaisical powertrains, and by the time the Taurus was reintroduced- the majority of Taurus owners had already jumped ship to other manufacturers- mainly Japanese imports. Didn’t help that the 2010- models were far too heavy and sloppy feeling, to compete even against the domestic rivals in Daimler Chrysler and GM. Anyway, another great vid! Always look forward to the new ones.
Hey I appreciate it. Thanks for the info and more videos are on the way.
My family's bought one brand new in 05 . Absolutely great for Manitoba winters . The all wheel drive is great . Great leg room . Tons of space . Kinda bubbly looking and too round . But other then the styling . Its perfect
You are really good at giving the historical context of these 'mundane' vehicles and how they fit into the car market in their time.
I appreciate it. Thanks for watching too.
I currently own a ford five hundred 2007 sel, 172k miles ive had it for 3 years now. Honestly theres no huge problems with it. The engine isnt as under powered as the critics say off the factory line yes, but there is some easy and cheap mods you can do to the car. New air filter, better tires, less restrictive exhaust and a tune. You have yourself a fun and comfortable sleeper.
Another great video AT, keep at it. You're getting better with every upload and growing the channel.
Got somewhat close on the drink this time at least - was drinking a canned Brisk ice tea 👍
Haha, the Brisk tea is close enough, thanks for watching again
People always said that the 3.0 was underpowered, but I never felt that way. It wasn't fast, but perfectly adequate. Rather, the later 3.5 felt extra-powered to me. The AISIN 6-speed Auto in the FWD models certainly helped a lot.
I guess when compared to other cars in its class, it was deemed underpowered.
I've always thought these 2005-2009 ford five hundred Tauruses were futuristic when they first came out. I hated the 2010 redesign. I think ford should've continued with this five hundred Taurus through the 2012 model year.
Yeah they were understated classy, the 2005.
The 2010 redesign looked great during the time. Design cues from the 1992-1995 were taken and applied to the 2010, which can be seen very clearly.
Did you know the 2009 redesign police interceptors have 300 hph?
Great car! The 3.0 engine is awesome 🔩
Definitely reliable
I am 6 foot 4 and I have a 2008 Mercury Sable and I love it because of the seat and the heater that warms up very fast and the nice radio .I have the larger engine and I drive the car 12 miles a day and fill the tank every other week .the rear seats fold down to make a large storage area. I bought mine from the GSA auction it had been driven by an DEA agent in downtown LA . My only complaint about the car is that sometimes for no reason the shifts are harsh and kind of make a thud noise and I guess that is a common problem. I had a p71 crown vic and it was less comfortable but it felt like a more durable car.
You're doing a good job young man! Its hard to believe that cars like the 500 is 20 years old!
Seems like yesterday.
In one video you talked about the 1979 Ford Ranchero being based off the Ford LTD II. We owned a beautiful black Brougham 78 with a white vinyl top. My grandfather had a beige 1977 Cougar XR7 with rust colored vinyl top and my uncle had a 79 Ford Thunderbird. All gold colored.
The 1977-1979 LTD II, the Mercury Cougar XR7 and the Ford Thunderbird were the exact same cars.
Even the dashboards were exact copys. If you ever drive one its like a flying mattress that you can steer with a finger!
Enjoying the videos. I'm 50 and grew up in a garage with my uncle. Reminds me of all the cars we fixed and drove.
I appreciate it. Thanks for watching and stay tuned for more!
It may look boring, but I actually liked the 2005-07 Five Hundred(later renamed 2008-09 Taurus). It was very roomy and comfortable. The redesigned 2010 Taurus was also nice, but compared to the Five Hundred, the 2010 Taurus felt smaller on the inside.
I agree. The Five Hundred was quite spacious on the inside.
As someone whose owned both an 07 Five Hundred and now a 13 Taurus, I can attest that the interior is a bit smaller. It also doesn't help that the belt lines are much higher in the Taurus; I can't rest my elbow out the window comfortably like I could in the Five Hundred, it literally angles my arm UPWARD. But overall the Taurus is a better vehicle.
I love these cars. This era was very interesting, especially for the domestic manufacturers. I’d love to drive a Five Hundred one day, seems like such a nice car. Great video!
Glad you enjoyed it!
"You can never look too much like an Audi."
J Mays.
I believe him admitting it
I bought a 2006 Ford 500 in 2016 with 42k miles on it. It's now my daughter's car and still drives very well. Great interior space, decent performance for its size, and very good reliability. The drawback is that unique parts like the door handle is getting hard to find.
Back in 2006, I chose the G6 because the backseat was still very confortable, performance and fuel economy was better, and it was cheaper. Between the 500, the Impala, and the 300, I probably would have gone with the 500.
Awesome. Thanks for sharing that.
2024. The 06 ford 500 is the most reliable car i owned. My favorite by far
I remember all the E and F named Ford's appearing, the Escape, The Five Hundred, The fusion all came out around 2005-2007
I bought a low mileage '07 Five Hundred in 2012. I loved it. It was roomy, comfortable, smooth riding and relatively trouble free. My dad, well into his 80s, preferred riding in my car over Mom's Lincoln Town Car. Drove it until December '23 after putting about 100,000 miles on it. Sold it to a young couple, now she loves it, too.
Cool, thanks for sharing your story.
I had the pleasure of driving a Ford Freestyle as a loaner vehicle. Big, comfy car that rode nice and had tons of room. I liked the tan interior too. AWD with the CVT. Took it for a cruise through Chicago and into Michigan. It was rusty, and mechanically it was starting to fall apart, flashing check engine light and some strange noises, but the warm, green glow of the gauge cluster and comfortable seats harkened back to older land yachts while still handling like a modern car. It was a family car that grandpa could still enjoy driving from time to time.
Great to hear. Thanks for sharing your story.
I rented a Five Hundred to drive from the airport in San Francisco to my final destination in the Sierra foothills, about 2 1/2 hours away. To this day I remember the V6 struggling to keep up the pace driving through the Altamont Pass and the whiny CVT that loudly protested when it was summoned to do an upshift. To this day I have sworn to never buy a vehicle with a CVT.
Thanks for sharing
I drove one as a work vehicle. Wonderful car
Cool. Thanks for watching.
Good video. Thank you
Glad you liked it!
I owned a 2005 Ford Five Hundred Limited AWD. It was a good car - very reliable and nearly trouble free. It was underpowered for sure, but the CVT seemed to make the best of what power was available. I like the seating position and room of the interior. But as the car aged, that tightly controlled, vibration free ride deteriorated and became really noisy inside. Ultimately at 183K miles, the transmission went out and I junked it. The engine had a misfire that could not be fixed and the car was rusting out badly. But overall it was a good car and owed me nothing when I let it go.
Glad to hear it made it to 183K miles! Thanks for sharing.
I owned a Red Five-Hundred for a couple of years. It was a fantastic car. I really enjoyed driving it. Only sold it because we needed a bigger car for our growing family.
Thanks for watching
In recent years, Fords biggest failure has been a lack of reliability.
Sadly, Toyota and Honda continue their dominance for that very reason...
Thanks for watching
Still do, most reliable vehicle I’ve ever owned.
I remember the first time I sat in one at the dealership. The textured surface of the cheap plastic on the interior door handles actually abraded my skin when I had the misfortune of allowing my knuckles to brush against it. Seriously...it was like sandpaper.
Thanks for sharing.
I remember that issue with my dad's late Freestar
My mom had a Freestyle, the crossover variant of the Five Hundred, for years. It was a good looking, good driving car, spacious too; did well for her for years. Unfortunately, the CVT was having too many issues for it to be trusted anymore. She did love that car though. I never found the 3.0 to be underpowered, the CVT despite its many failings got the most out of the power that it had. Car could do 60 mph in less than 9 seconds.
Yeah I heard some things about the CVT.
Thanks for watching.
Interior space in these cars was no joke. Not only was this like being in a much larger car, the trunk was huge and it was bank vault quiet and rode really well. My Dad bought a 2008 Taurus and it was a great car for him. Never any issues. Unfortunately at about the 10 year mark, the car developed issues and had to be sold.
Cool. Thanks for telling us your story.
Hard to believe how long ago that was, these cars were new when i worked at the ford dealership. I didn't care for the CVT transmissions since they seemed very underpowered but the car was very comfortable to drive. If i would've ever gotten one it would've had the 6 speed automatic.
Yeah many disliked the CVT. I guess that’s why it was dropped for 2008.
I read somewhere that Mays told them to make the Five Hundred look like the Passat/A6. At the time, that design was already 8 years old! That being said, I think that the previous Taurus/Sable have aged far better than I ever expected them to. Especially the wagon.
I definitely believe that first sentence. There is a strong resemblance to the VW from the side, and the LS430 from the front.
You hit all the important points. I recall when the Five Hundred came out people thought it looked like a 1986 Ford Taurus and made joke and modified images.. Ford moved quick to fix that issue. Then we got Taurus and Sable back because they did have name recognition and then when they really redesigned the car we got Ford Taurus and Lincoln MKS and then the Taurus and Continental. Taurus lives in China and the Middle East in 2024. It was so obvious they used a Volvo platform because J Mays said it... there were too many short comings. I think they wanted this car to replace Crown Victoria. It did not work out that way. I recall the Lincoln MKT they said it replaced town Car. Ford got indeed. Now it is all trucks, suvs and crossovers. The say is true. You become a victim of your success. Thank you for the video and the information.
Thanks for watching man.
I recall people thinking that too. No way the 500 looked like an ‘86 Taurus, I just don’t see it.
I agree it had undeniable Audi and Volkswagen influence, especially from the side profile, but 1986 Taurus? Nah!
@@MotorMaster_Stunticon The window design shape is why they thought that. Look at the window design of 1986-1995 and then look at this car. The headlights caused that opinion too. The grille design with the blades was from a concept car the 427 I believe it was called. That took its looks from the 1960's Ford Fairlane and Galaxie 500 from the 60's. That is where the name came from as well. Go look them up. Look up 1965-1966 Ford Galaxie 500 or LTD You will see it. Thank you for the video.
I just looked at them side-by-side.
I just don’t see it brother.
Those people need to see an ophthalmologist. If anything, the 2010 vaguely resembled the 1st and 2nd Taurus more than anything else-matter of fact, they drew inspiration from those two gens for the 2010. Looking at the headlight design of the 2005 500, one can even see a bit, actually quite a bit, of LS430.
@@MotorMaster_Stunticon I am just sharing with you what "they" saw. When I see the car I see the European influence and how they tried to Americanize the car. The later ones did look more like Taurus and that is why they changed it to Taurus. Ford was walking away from brand recognition. GM as you know has a severe habit of doing this. The question then becomes when does a Ford get to be a Ford and not imitating some other brand? The later Fords got the front end styling from Aston Martin. Ford was cashing in all those brands it once owned. I do not understand how Volkswagen and Stellantis can own many brands and keep them different and be successful where Ford and GM cannot. That is the big mystery.
I always looked at these as being an example of how the blandness of styling prevented looking further into the car to see it's positive attributes. Looking back, and examining this video, I may have misjudged the car, and apparently many others did as well. And I never knew that AWD was even available.
Yep, AWD was actually a popular feature on these.
I honestly always liked the car, and thought it was decently handsome, if not the boldest design. But of course, everyone downplayed it for the Dodge charger and Chrysler 300 because those cars were not only more extreme looking, but also had more extreme performance with their optional HEMI V8 engines, as well as being on rear wheel drive architecture. Nonetheless, if you are going for comfort over sporty aesthetics, I still think the 500 / Taurus is a better choice, because those cars are extremely comfortable and roomy on the inside
Yeah too bad more people liked the looks of the 300/Charger that was launched around the same time. Thanks for watching.
Yeah the 2005 Chrysler 300 specifically is what stole these car's thunder - It was priced similarly and offered significantly better performance from its volume mid level 3.5L V6 engine - The styling of the Chrysler stole headlines in mid-2004 when it hit dealers and became a sales hit while no one really even paid attention to this car at all at the time - Bad timing from Ford on top of simply playing it too safe with the design.
Ford initially intended to replace its aging full-sized Crown Victoria sedan. However, the Crown was still successful despite declining sales overall and eliminating options later in its run. For 2007, Ford sold over 60k Crown Vics whilst moving only about 35k units of the newer, more technologically advanced Five Hundred. Ford shouldn't have gone with their unwise naming scheme when this car debuted, trying to have all vehicle names starting with the letter F. They should've gone with the name that brought them success in the midsized segment, Taurus.
Yeah they learned from that unwise naming scheme. I guess that’s why CEO Mulally changed everything back to normal.
Have an 05 with over 200 thousand on it and enjoy very much. Always thought they were great looking cars when they first czme out. Maybe it could use a little more hp, but it's fine and it's not a race car
Awesome episode. I recently became interested in volvo. Also, I am a Ford fan boy.
I never knew about the 500's connection to volvo. The worst part about this is how ford made a low rent version of the s80.
When these 500's came out I was in my early 20's. I liked the idea of them and 'wanted' to love the car but just couldn't.
I felt like this car would have been refined in the second version and then it just got canceled 😞
The VW/ Audi design cues didn't transfer well to the larger sedan. It always looked a lil off.
Thanks for watching. At least these cars inherited a refined ride quality thanks to the Volvo-derived platform.
Just got my second one a few weeks bac. Not a Ford fan,but these ones are nice
Glad to hear it.
The Fivehundred looked a lot like the 2000 Ford Mondeo sedan from Europe
Quite a few people think so.
Great show. I never owned one, but I always thought the styling was lack luster, though the overall shape was appealing. Quite a paradigm. Never realized how big it was, and they did a great job hiding its roots. Whenever I glanced one on the road, I first thought it was a Passat turn thought Ford must've been sharing a platform with VW. Where they could've helped the project out was with a halo AWD "SHO" version. Instead, people could only aspire to underperforming mediocrity.
Thanks for watching again. Yep I agree, from certain angles one could see a bit of VW influence.
I did always think they had a nice interior.
Mondeo front end Passat side view Merc backlights
Agreed. You can even see a bit of 2001 LS430 within the headlights.
Oh man I had a 2007 just like the one in the thumbnail. I miss that car.
Thanks for watching.
Could you do a video on the 3rd or 4th gen Explorer?
Yeah I plan on discussing an early Explorer generation soon
I actually liked the styling, but then I'm an old guy (57), so I guess it fits, though in '06 I was only 40. I went and test drove one in '06, and I loved the way it drove and felt. It was very comfortable and handled decently. That 3.0 Liter V-6 was a dog though, and that's what actually kept me from getting one. I was later very glad I didn't get one when I started hearing about all the transmission problems in them, with both the 6-Speed and CVT's. I felt like I'd dodged a bullet.
Yeah they definitely improved by 2008 with the new transmission and power boost.
The 6-speed's actually weren't terrible, some had issues early on but overall they weren't the worst, especially if the fluid was serviced at the recommended intervals - The CVT's were a disaster though and mechanically totaled the cars that were equipped with them when they failed similarly to the 2012+ Ford Focus DCT transmission disaster since no one serviced or rebuilt them and Ford stopped supporting them.
Ford tried to play it safe in design after the fiasco of the mid 90s Taurus design.
Yeah the 1996 model was quite polarizing to many.
That Ford dropped the Taurus nameplate initially was a move that has always baffled me. The Taurus was literally one of the best selling cars, and they discontinued it. I think the return to the name was too little too late.
Yeah they admitted dropping the well-known Taurus name was a mistake.
I've always liked the overall styling of the original D3 cars but felt that Ford could have put more money into the details. The interiors look great but the quality of the materials are far from premium. The satin-silver trim pieces on the outside of my '08 Sable have at least 3 different finishes, none of which are very good. However, these cars have enormous, comfortable interiors, cavernous trunk space and a sleep-inducing highway ride.
I definitely agree with that last paragraph!
Definitely would pick a 300 charger or maxima.
I had a 500. It was a great car.
Thanks for sharing
That's why they got rid of it.
I miss these light colored interiors. These days it’s black unless you go to the really high end of the market.
Agreed. Nice avatar by the way.
My cuzzin use to own one of these and she had to get rid of it because of the transmission could you make a video about the pontiac Aztek
Thanks for sharing.
A Pontiac episode is in the works.
Glad I chose the Chevy impala over this. This was bigger but the impala was the better buy imo
What generation Impala are we talking?
I would’ve liked the car if they had fun bench seating like the Taurus
I guess they were trying to move away from the ‘old fashioned’ column shifter/bench seat combo.
@@MotorMaster_Stunticon
Shame on ford. It could have still been an option. I wish I was at that conference room. Now the option no longer exists on vehicles.
The ford five hundred should've had a police interceptor package
That would’ve been interesting
My mom had one of these when i was a kid. The car ran like a top but unfortunately it's frame rusted in half, thanks Pennsylvania
Yeah unfortunately road salt wreaks havoc on vehicles
I'm buying a Ford 500 limited. Good buy?
Go for it. They’re reliable.
When I first saw the 500 I thought it was a bloated v w my brother in law bought a 2008 Taurus I thought it was an old man car
My brother in law passed away and my daughter inherited it
I must say it had the roomiest back seat excellent front seats and a high seating position quiet
The styling is the letdown on this car + the internal water pump that I paid almost 2,k to replace
Yeah many thought it looked like a bigger VW.
The high seating and roominess were definitely its main attributes.
The original Taurus looked like a off brand Audi 5000
Those were a pos,had a CVT that went out a lot which was also used in the Freestyle and the Mercury cousin.The duratec v6 was a Mazda engine built for Ford
Thanks for sharing.
The CVT had problems because people didn’t change the CVT fluid.
@A-FrameWedge Not true,had parts inside that were issues.One was the valve body and Ford had a big backorder on parts for them
I worked at a Ford dealership when this car was brought out.. it's styling was very conservative even boring and yes a car for senior citizens most people thought.. for such a large car the 3 l engine was a slug especially with more people in it just not enough grit.. Ford was making so much money out their SUVs that these kind of vehicles were ash caned..
That makes perfect sense. Thanks for watching.
what Lincoln is that at 9:04 ?
that face only went on a MKT... was that a car that never came out?
Lincoln MKS concept.
Lincoln’s variant of the Taurus
@@MotorMaster_Stunticon wow, thx. never seen it until now
Similarly sad ending to the Mitsubishi 380 here in Australia. It was a better car than the 'Falcodores' (Ford/GM) [when new], but tanked & killed local Mitsubishi manufacture in March 2008. Not many left now. Cheers.
Thanks for watching, yeah we’re going to talk about the Falcon/Commodores of Australia.
Had the Ford 500 come out with slightly better styling and the 3.5L Duratec V6 with enough power to get out of it's own way, it would have been fine. But it just didn't have enough power and looked like a bloated VW Passat. When crosstown rival Chrysler also debuted the 300 at the same time you just felt that Ford ran on the mantra of good enough and dropped the ball.
Agreed. The restrained styling and lack of power held it back.
My parents had a Montego. They had come from a '96 Sable and had just wanted something similar. That Montego was a straaaaaannnnggggeee car. Yeah, VERY roomy, with an open, airy feel, but being so underpowered along with the weird CVT, it just made for an odd experience overall. I'd even say not Ford-like at all. Plus, theirs had this strange plasticky smell too. I don't know if that was typical though.
Thanks for sharing that.
I always thought that the Five Hundred/Taurus was always a full size car, even the First Gen model. The Tempo/Contour/Fusion was the mid size that went against the Accord/Camery in it's day. And the Escort/Focus would be the Civic and Corolla equal. I mean Toyota had the bigger Avalon that would compete with the Taurus in size.
Yeah the Taurus always appeared big on the outside, but Ford/EPA always classified it as midsize. The first generation Taurus looked big to me, I myself thought it was full-size in those early years, but realized Ford only had one of those which was the Crown Vic.
I could never figure out the Freestyle. To me it's too similar to an Explorer and I'm not sure why I'd choose one over the other.
If you’re more rugged, off-road adventurous and needed something more ‘truckish’, the Explorer was the best bet. The Freestyle was intended for those who would’ve otherwise purchased a Taurus station wagon.
@@MotorMaster_Stunticon Thank you! Your explanation makes a lot of sense.
I merely assumed that station wagon buyers moved up to SUVs when station wagons went away. But I guess some people still wanted station wagons, and that’s where the Freestyle fits in!
Ford should have used Volvos engines instead. The turbo five and turbo six would have been unique for Ford in that price range. 😊
A turbo I-5 or I-6 in the Five Hundred would’ve been interesting indeed.
We didn’t appreciate these nice sedans at the time. Now we’re stuck with boring crossovers and oversized trucks that aren’t even used for work, but used to boost egos 🙄
Exactly. Especially about the crossovers..
I sent my cuzzin the video
Thanks
the 3.0 DuraTec was probably the best V6 Ford ever made in terms of reliable durability. the 2008 3.5 u mentioned may have had more power, but also switched to an internal water pump, which ruins the entire engine when it fails. terrible design
Thanks for sharing that info. Yeah I agree-while the 3.0 may have been underpowered, it was definitely reliable. I got some individuals in the comments saying they reached close to 500k miles on their’s.
See in Europe that looks like a MK3 Ford Mondeo but americanised 🧐
These cars have a modest fan base. I don't get it. It's shocking the Taurus name had any success after these.
I'm kind of surprised they tried to resurect the Taurus name. They had their highpoint in the 80s and 90s, but eventually the name was synonymous with FLEET and RENTAL sales.
@@autochatter They damn-near destroyed the model with the '96. The '00 update improved it significantly, but the damage was done. More were fleet sales than private sales by then. When Five Hundred arrived, Ford irritated fans of the true 500. Just a lose-lose for them. Bad product planners.
@@doug6191Wait...You thought the catfish front end and desire to make the interior with as many ovals as possible, a bad idea too? 😂. Even the rear spoiler was stupid.
@@autochatter It was...interesting. The Ford design team seemed intent on ruining Taurus, Escort, and F-150 in back-to-back years.
@@doug6191 Agreed to a point. The let's make a second gen S10 but bigger F150 sold well LOL. Was actually a welcome change, as the previous bodystyle went back to 1980.
500 awd might be ok.
My previous car was an 06 Five Hundred with AWD. Bought it used with 135k miles. The AC compressor failed twice in 11 months, the front struts were worn out and causing a creaking noise going over bumps, all 4 sway bar links had play in them and needed to be replaced, the alternator began to fail 3 days after it's purchase, it had an ongoing oil leak, going through about two quarts every 3k miles, the driver side window motor was failing, the front and rear pads and rotors had to be replaced due to excessive shaking while braking at highway speeds, and once the thermostat began to fail, I've had enough.
This was all in a span of 4 years. But hey, the AWD was great. It felt unstoppable in the snow.
Well, I’m glad at least the AWD was great. Thanks for sharing your story!
Ford shouldve replaced the the crown victoria with the five hundred.
The Taurus generation that came after the Five Hundred was the best Taurus ever made. Yes, even the SHO. The styling was the best, the power was more than enough, even with the base model, and the SHO has a massive aftermarket for it. While it doesn’t have a V8, the 3.5 Ecoboost has been modified to make over 600 horsepower by many owners. And the Lincoln varian, the MKZ Ecoboost AWD is arguably an even better sleeper car than the SHO. Same drivetrain, comfy ride, leather seats, and the reputation of being an “older person’s brand” and the maintenance and mileage for the price that most of them have makes it the ultimate sleeper build candidate
The “rebranding” of the Ford 500 as a Taurus is about as cynical and insulting to the American automobile potential buyer as the “rebranding” of the Chevy Citation as the Chevy Citation II.
In the case of the Ford, however, those vehicles were not deeply flawed.
Yeah the rebranding was all about “brand recognition”
The BA Falcon /Fairmont might have been a better car
Maybe so.
Beeeeker 2024
As usual it was an issue with greed. Ford dragged out the Taurus longer than they should have as a fleet queen. They dumbed down Volvo’s design and while the interior looked nice the plastics were just garbage. Then some idiot in marketing thought let’s change everything to names starting with an F. Throwing out all brand recognition from the Taurus. So they tried to reboot it as a new car.
Yeah I agree getting rid of the brand recognition they had built over the years wasn’t the smartest idea.
Ford should've left the taurus alone and just put the cv/gm out of its misery and replace it with the this car and have a police inrerceptor version and taxi version.
A police/taxi variant would’ve been interesting.
Basically a bloated mk3 mondeo
🤔 I don’t know about that one. I think the mk3 Mondeo provided something quite different in terms of design.
@@MotorMaster_Stunticon pretty similar in design language
The Taurus aka 500 was a bland looking car that met a lot of needs for regular folks, and municipalities.
Good car. Shit transmissions. Ford should have been forced to recall them over the transmissions. Not the CVT. 2005-2007.
Thanks for watching.
Yep, I’ve heard many things about the CVT from owners of the car.
The 500 was ugly then and still is!!!! It wasn’t a great design. Great review though!!!
"European Road manners"? If you think so you've never driven a 1986 Taurus, or else you don't know anything about European road manners
Guess not