Ford Five Hundred: a Revival With Many Virtues

Back in the days of deep-offset hypoid axles and Cruise-O-Matic drives, Ford would offer up the suffix 500 to denote a chrome-clad exaltation of the previous year’s line-topper. Thus, the Fairlane sired the Fairlane 500 and the Galaxie gave way to the Galaxie 500.The Galaxie 500 would go on to take on an XL designation, an example of the runaway badging that once brought us a Ford LTD Crown Victoria LX. No matter: Weighing down a fender with a string of names long enough to embarrass an exiled Hungarian prince doesn’t seem to obtain anymore. Instead, we get the old Ford 500 designation revived and spelled out as the new Five Hundred. Actually, in our case, we got a Ford Five Hundred Limited. Still, while a Ford sedan by any other name might smell as sweet, we can’t remember when we liked one so much.Some of the reasons for this are easy to figure out once you know that Ford based the full-size Five Hundred sedan on a platform built by the company’s Volvo subsidiary. And, to be sure, the American-made four-door is no less shy about displaying its European sense of style than your average Parisian would be. And while virtually nothing the company has built in the postwar period has been able to shake that peculiarly corn-fed Ford “look,” the Five Hundred appears to have Audi and Passat bloodlines coursing through it. High praise, indeed.The Five Hundred’s handsomely swept roofline and pleasingly compounded body curves comprise a smart shape that in size falls between the competing Chrysler 300 and Ford’s own Crown Vic.Sharing its basic design with the Mercury Montego and Ford’s Freestyle crossover sport-utility, the Five Hundred’s seats sit 4 inches above those of other sedans. It’s as if, in this age when car models shape-shift faster than hemlines rise and fall, the Five Hundred sedan is attempting a crossover into a crossover, which itself splits the difference between wagons and SUVs. The car comes in base SE, midrange SEL and high-zoot Limited models, all equipped with front- or all-wheel-drive and all propelled by a 203-liter V6 linked to either a continuously variable transmission or standard six-speed automatic, depending on model and drive train. While anti-lock brakes and traction control come standard on the Five Hundred, it has no anti-skid system.The test Five Hundred was a front driving Limited model equipped with the six-speed automatic. In $26,000 high trim, it came with 18-inch spoked aluminum wheels and heated outside mirrors not standard on lower orders of the car.Inside, the Merlot-colored Limited had powered and heated front seats, was leather lined, and came with an optional safety package that included side-curtain airbags and a reverse-gear proximity sensor. The cabin’s real story, however, lay in the enlivening sense of comfort its superior command position afforded. The Accord-like proportions of the Five Hundred’s clear, accessible, and handsome dashboard enhance this happy state.Moreover, even these virtues must take a back seat to the Five Hundred’s back seat. Here sprawls an area feeling more like those found in Jaguars for all the limo-like head and legroom it provides. But wait, there’s more! Just when you figure this expanse of rear seating has had to compromise trunk space, you pop the Five Hundred’s short-deck lid to uncover what Ford claims is the largest trunk of any sedan, with an area cavernous enough to attract a colony of bats.We took this prospective bat mobile on a shakedown that ran deep into exurban Gotham. Ford claims a 7.5-second zero-to-60 acceleration time for its front drive Five Hundreds, although its takeoff from a standing start sometimes exhibits lag. On the highway, the car allowed for moderate wind noise, while on back roads, its direct steering and four-wheel disc brakes made twisting turns easy to negotiate despite some minor tendencies toward body lean. These things aside, however, the Ford Five Hundred Limited imparted a feeling of smoothly powered and managed heft. Driving it, we enjoyed its capacity and poise. And while this platform may go on to become the basis for the new Crown Vic, there’s no need for a Ford Five Hundred 500 or anything like that.

Ford Five Hundred: a Revival With Many Virtues

Ford Five Hundred: a Revival With Many Virtues

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