2005 Ford Five Hundred

Inside, besides copious room and 60/40 fold-down rear seats, are upscale materials, colors, textures and graphics that Ford calls "guilt-free luxury." The design builds on the Euro theme, with materials and surfaces varying from smooth metal door handles to soft-touch paint and high-quality fabric or leather. The SE has grey carbon-fiber-look accents, while our test SEL and the Limited benefit from (simulated) burled wood.


One appealing truck/SUV attribute is high seating that helps drivers see over-or at least eye-to-eye with-other vehicles for a feeling of security, and Five Hundred introduces a portion of that appeal to the sedan segment. "They can get this feeling and still have the low step-in height and driving dynamics of a car," said Five Hundred Chief Engineer Jan Vulcan. The front seat H (hip) point is four inches higher than that in a typical midsize sedan, and the rear seats are higher still. Legroom is best-in-class front and rear, while the trunk is biggest in class and larger than the full-size Crown Victoria's.


Standard features include 17-inch wheels (upgraded to 18-in. on SEL and Limited), entry keypad and one-touch "up" front power windows. Options include AWD, leather seating with power adjustments (including power recliner for the driver), fold-flat front passenger seat, reverse parking assist and a moon roof, but not yet a navigation system.

An innovative cross-car beam reinforces the structure between the B-pillars and helps direct energy away from passengers.

While the 200-hp 24-valve DOHC Duratec 30 3.0-liter V-6 does not develop class-leading power or torque, the CVT and 6-speed automatic transaxles help deliver high efficiency with more than adequate performance. Both transaxles have wide ratio spans from lowest (for acceleration) to highest (for economy), and the smoother and quieter V-6 is designed to meet California Low Emissions Vehicle (LEV) II standards.


The CVT (an industry first in high volume) is standard with AWD and some FWD applications. It uses a pair of variable-size pulleys-one for input from the engine, the other for output to the drive wheels-connected by a metal chain to constantly vary the effective gear ratio to meet changing driving demands. When additional torque is needed for acceleration or uphill climbs, it seamlessly creates the best ratio to keep the engine operating at its optimum speed. It can be disconcerting at first to hear engine rpm racing ahead of vehicle speed on acceleration, but the shiftless process is fuel efficient and smooth as glass.