Ford Five Hundred

The Ford Five Hundred is a full-size, four-door, five passenger, front-drive sedan manufactured and marketed by Ford for model years 2005-2007 &mdash; emphasizing its available all-wheel drive and continuously variable transmission, extensive safety features, spacious packaging and high H-point seating, the latter marketed as Command View seating.

Packaging a full-size, high roof sedan within a mid-size footprint, the Five Hundred was a direct byproduct of Ford's 1999 acquisition of Volvo Cars; Ford's response to a marked shift in automotive tastes from sedans to minivans and SUV/CUVs &mdash; and an effort by Ford to rethink the traditional sedan/wagon formula.

Presented as a single concept drawing at the 2002 New York Auto Show and formally presented in production form at the 2004 North American International Auto Show, the Five Hundred used the D3 platform, a revised variant of Volvo's P2 platform.

Internally designated the D258 model, Ford's D3 program included the Five Hundred as well the rebadged Mercury Montego and a wagon/CUV variant, the Ford Freestyle &mdash; all manufactured at Ford's Torrence Avenue Chicago Assembly.

The Five Hundred entered production on July 12, 2004, became available to the public in September 2004; and reached domestic production of 241,402 over model years 2005-2007. The D3 program, including the Montego and Freestyle, reached domestic production of 472,085 over the same period.

Nameplate
Ford chose to continue its fourth generation Taurus, critical to the company's fleet sales, and overlap that production with the new sedan, using a new nameplate for the D3-based model.

Group Vice President of Global Design and Chief Creative Officer, J Mays, christened the new model Five Hundred, recalling Ford's historic use of a "500" suffix to designate top trim levels, as with the Galaxie 500. Thus the new D3-based sedan was marketed alongside the previous generation Taurus and between Ford's smaller Fusion and larger Crown Victoria.

For model year 2008, Ford rebranded the Five Hundred as the Ford Taurus; the Montego as the Mercury Sable and the Freestyle as the Ford Taurus X. Outside of North America and South Korea, the Five Hundred nameplate remained in use until production of the generation ended after 2009.

Background
As part of the 1999 acquisition of Volvo Cars and its addition to Premier Automotive Group, Ford Motor Company expanded on its vehicle safety technology capabilities and began development of a D186 Taurus replacement. In 2000, the Ford Prodigy concept car was shown. A 72MPG diesel-electric hybrid designed as part of the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles, the Prodigy would introduce much of the exterior styling of the Five Hundred as well as the horizontal "three-bar" grille which subsequently became a Ford styling theme.

Design
Noted for its rational, minimalist styling, tall interior cabin, high H-point seating and prominent greenhouse recalling the Volkswagen Passat (1997–2005) and Audi A6 (1997–2004), the Five Hundred was designed by George Bucher, Chief Designer, under the direction of Ford Vice President of Design, J Mays, who'd previously designed both the Passat and Audi while with the Volkswagen Group. Ford vice president Phil Martens noted that at a time when the industry was trying to design car-based crossovers, the Five Hundred was the first crossover-based car.

Platform
The Five Hundred uses the Ford D3 platform shared with the Mercury Montego and Ford Freestyle. An evolution of the Volvo P2 platform (used in the Volvo S80), the D3 platform marked the shift to front-wheel drive in full-size Ford sedans; an electro-hydraulic Haldex all-wheel drive system (based on that used on the Volvo S80 and XC90) was optional in all versions of the Five Hundred or Mercury Montego.

In addition to adapting the P2 platform and its Haldex AWD to the Five Hundred, Volvo engineers incorporated numerous Volvo safety innovations. Front seats sit on a transverse structural beam &mdash; marketed by Ford as it's SPACE, an adaptation of Volvo's Side Impact Protection System (SIPS), channeling impact forces around the passenger compartment. Front frame rails were redesigned to better absorb impact forces. Volvo co-engineered the collapsible steering column and roof-mounted airbags. With standard dual front airbags, the Five Hundred was available with an optional safety package that included both side airbags and curtain airbags.

Incorporating independent suspensions front and rear, the Five hundred used MacPherson strut front suspension and a multi-link rear axle with coilover shocks &mdash; along with front and rear stabilizer bars and four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes (12.5-inch front, 13-inch rear).

The Five Hundred/Mercury Montego was powered by a single engine, shared with the Ford Taurus: a 203 hp 3.0L Duratec V6, paired with a 6-speed Aisin automatic transmission (for front-wheel drive versions) or a ZF CVT (for AWD), the latter a first for a US domestic automaker.

Packaging
A distinguishing feature of the Five Hundred is its 61.5" overall height &mdash; over 5 inches taller than the Ford Taurus marketed alongside it. The high-roof design allowed an elevated H-point (hip point). As with the first-generation Ford Focus, the seats of the Five Hundred were positioned relatively high off the floor, providing an upright seating position for improved visibility, access, egress and driver confidence. The rear seat was positioned higher than the front seats. 60/40 folding rear seat supplemented the 21 cubic foot trunk (larger than the Lincoln Town Car). With the option of a folding front passenger seat, a Five Hundred was able to carry objects up to ten feet long inside the vehicle.

While visibility was one factor behind the higher seating position, safety was another as well. Derived from the Volvo Side Impact Protection System (SIPS), a hydroformed cross-car steel beam underneath the front seats was welded between the B-pillars (directly below an identical beam above the B-pillars).

George Bucher, Ford's chief designer said "it was a challenge to sculpt a Ford-styled body around a Volvo chassis, and added that designers used what he calls plainer surfaces with taut lines to give the car a modern look without losing its passenger-car proportions."

Trim levels and updates
At introduction, Ford marketed the Five Hundred in three graduating trim levels: SE, SEL, and Limited. An all wheel drive system was available across the range. Base prices start at US$22,795 for a front-wheel drive SE and range to US$28,495 for an all-wheel drive Limited. Interior trim featured a new hydrographic system for simulated carbon fiber on the SE trim and wood on SEL and Limited.

MY 2005: 2005 Trim level equipment included:


 * SE - SE equipment included front-wheel drive; cloth upholstery; six way power driver's seat with manual lumbar; delayed accessory power; power remote trunk release; power mirrors; power locks; power windows with one-touch up/down driver's window; cruise control with steering wheel controls, black speedometer and tachometer,tilt steering column, two power points, front overhead console with dome light, map lights and sunglasses holder; 17" painted alloy rims; AM/FM stereo with single-CD player; body color mirrors and handles; black front grille; simulated carbon fiber interior and console trim; floor mats front and rear, eight cupholders, sliding sunvisors with illuminated vanity mirrors, air conditioning with rotary controls; illuminated entry, second-row reading lights, 60/40 split-folding rear seatbacks, compact spare tire, anti-lock brakes, Ford's proprietary engine immobilizer key passive anti-theft technology, marketed as SecuriLock; post-crash alert system and fob-operated remote keyless entry augmented by a door-mounted keypad, marketed as Securicode, to enable tiered or time-restricted permissions, i.e., the code giving access to the vehicle but not its operation &mdash; and the code being easily changed to prevent subsequent vehicle access.


 * SE options included CVT transmission; chrome grille; traction control; and a "Safety and Security" package with front-seated mounted side air bags and side curtain airbags; marketed as Safety Canopy &mdash; along with anti-theft perimeter alarm, heated side mirrors, and security approach lamps.


 * SEL - SEL equipment additionally included Message center with trip computer, vehicle information center and compass; electrochromic auto-dim rearview center rear view mirror; heated side mirrors; fog lamps; perimeter security alarm; automatic headlamps; automatic temp control; chrome grille; AM/FM stereo with 6-disc in dash CD player with MP3 capability and steering wheel audio controls, eight way power front seats with manual lumbar; two way power passenger seat; fold-down passenger seat, simulated wood interior dash and console trim and an auto-dimming rear view mirror.


 * SEL options included CVT transmission; rear parking sensors marketed as Reverse Sensing System; power moonroof; traction control; shirred leather seats and a Safety package with side and side curtain airbags.


 * Limited - The Limited trim level additionally included shirred leather heated seats, two-position memory driver's seat and mirrors, four-way power passenger seat with manual lumbar, cream-colored speedometer and tachometer, analog clock, Audiophile sound system with a subwoofer and an AM/FM stereo with 6-disc in dash CD player and MP3 capability, chrome mirrors, and a trunk cargo net.


 * Limited trim options included CVT transmission; rear parking sensors marketed as Reverse Sensing System; power moonroof; and integrated Homelink transmitter.

MY 2006 updates: Ford offered the SE, SEL and Limited trim levels for 2006, with an optional navigation radio by Pioneer with Sirius Satellite Radio (Limited); power moonroof and leather seating newly optional on SE trim, optonal traction control (previously a no-cost, required option, FWD models) and a ceiling-mounted drop-down DVD monitor, marketed as the Family Entertainment System. A 2006 mid-year running change replaced the exterior mid-door side trim molding on all trim levels with a small sill molding at the bottom edge of the door &mdash; and added black mudguards at each wheel.

MY 2007 updates: For 2007, Ford discontinued the SE trim level. Both SEL and Limited trims manufactured after September 4, 2006 received side curtain airbags, marketed as the Safety Canopy. Shirred leather became optional on the SEL trim. The powertrain warranty was revised to 5 years / 60000 mi. SEL option packages included a "Safety and Security" package (before September 2006) with side and curtain airbag, anti-theft perimeter alarm, heated side mirrors, and security approach lamps; "Convenience Package with 6-disc in-dash CD changer with MP3 capability, dual-zone electronic automatic temperature control, automatic headlamps, fog lamps and outside temperature display; "Interior Power" package with 8-way power driver’s seat and power-adjustable pedals; and Chrome Package with 18-inch eight-spoke alloy wheels and a chrome trim mesh grille.

Engineering
The Five Hundred was engineered with a quality control system known internally as Total Vehicle Geometry (TVG). Designed by Volvo, TVG was heavily computer-based, allowing access for designers, engineers and suppliers to all data and results related to prototypes at all stages of the design process. With improved participation and access, precision of fit and finish was increased on prototype parts, decreasing the time needed for preliminary production vehicles, so-called pilot vehicles.

Using new powertrain electronics, the Five Hundred employed a CAN bus system with a Black Oak controller and PowerPC machine language and floating-point calculations for improved execution times.

Discontinuation


The Five Hundred ended production on April 12, 2007, as did the Mercury Montego and Ford Freestyle. For the 2007 North American International Auto Show, Ford introduced a mid-cycle 2008 update of the Five Hundred and Montego; the new sedans had front and rear fascia styling, new interiors, and new powertrains with a 263 hp 3.5L V6 and a new 6-speed automatic transmission.

Although the changes were positively received, Ford CEO Alan Mulally chose to rename all three D3 platform cars, with the Five Hundred and Montego becoming the fifth-generation Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable; the similarly updated Ford Freestyle continued as the Ford Taurus X. Although the Taurus had been out of retail markets since 2006 (the Sable, since 2005), Mullaly cited the larger brand familiarity of the Taurus/Sable nameplates as the reason for the renaming of the two D3 sedans.

For the 2010 model year, the Ford Taurus underwent an extensive redesign. Retaining the D3 chassis, the exterior and interior was revised, to add more aggressive styling. This became the final generation Taurus for North America.

Reception
The Five Hundred was well received for its SUV-like packaging with a raised overall height, elevated seating and large interior volume &mdash; as well as its extensive safety features. In contrast, its performance was considered acceptable, if lackluster. And where design team had aimed for guilt-free, unpretentious luxury, its styling proved divisive &mdash; called either handsome and elegant or exceedingly conservative. Mays himself would later call the Five Hundred too conservative, likening the vehicle to a beautifully tailored Brooks Brothers suit. The vehicle's greenhouse was noted for closely recalling Volkswagen and Audi designs from Mays' own tenure with the Volkswagen Group.

In 2014, Ford designer J Mays said "I don't think the Five Hundred or Freestyle was one of my brighter moments in Ford, but designing a car is not a solo effort and a lot of people have input on the kind of product they want. I've been at the company 13 years and I've been through five CEOs. Some of those CEOs have had more conservative tastes than others." Mays later conceded of the Five Hundred's styling: "It's just lacking in the emotional appeal that we should have put into it. We were being good team players, and we did our best to wrap what was a best-in-class package with sheetmetal, and we ended up with a car, I think, that compromised itself in terms of style. But we will never make that mistake again. In fact, we haven't made a mistake like that since we did it. I think of all the cars I've designed in my career, I regret not pushing harder on that car."