http://www.edmunds.com/new/2005/ford/fiveh....firstdrive.1.*

Edmunds.com has driven it .. does that mean the Mustang is around the corner? BTW: Sounds like the Five Hundred needs some 3.5L V6 help:(

I know you all hate C&D on here, but they have a review of the 500 also. One thing that worried me about the interior quality was that they complain of cheap plastic being used... the quality may be better than my '98 Mustang, but I'm kind of worried about the interior not feeling up-to-par with other current cars in the same price-range.

I'm sure people will flame me for all of this, but there is a certain level of quality that will have to be delivered before we drop $25,000 on a car. I think if we all acted on that premise, we'd be guaranteed of better quality.

Well, for one thing, I am confused why everybody, including the magazines keeps calling it a $25,000 car. The car is starting out at $22,000. Some of you have sat in the Five Hundred, how bad is it, really? I usually think the magazines are full of crap.

For one last word: Don't be plastic girlie men!

"The Car" is really 4 cars! The V-6 Deluxe @ $19,000, the V-6 Premium possibly around $21,000, the GT Deluxe possibly around $23,000, and the GT Premium possibly around $25,000.

So to say "the car" is 22,000 must refer to an average...correct?

Its on par or better then camry, 300, avalon and the likes. Those are all heavilly overrated anyway. They are just plastic just like everybody else.

Even with the 200hp it out accelerates Accord V6/Camry V6/300 V6(both V6's)/Avalon V6 So where does all the supposed hp those cars go?? Its not used to make the vehicles accelerate thats for sure.

I liked the interior quality of the 500 I drove...I felt it drove better than the '00 Taurus we took to the Innovation Drive...

But it does need a more powerful engine to compete with the 300

Ford needs to grind diamond dust, platinum, and uranium into the plastic vats before molding them into componets, so they can raise the price of up to a hondas special plastic..

Is that what goes into a Honda ? LOL !! :nice:

its actually BS they use.

Honda: powered by plastic.

Its on par or better then camry, 300, avalon and the likes. Those are all heavilly overrated anyway. They are just plastic just like everybody else.

Even with the 200hp it out accelerates Accord V6/Camry V6/300 V6(both V6's)/Avalon V6 So where does all the supposed hp those cars go?? Its not used to make the vehicles accelerate thats for sure. [/b][/quote]
It out accelerates the Accord V6 (0-60 in 6.8-7.0 and a 15.3 quarter) ?!

I'll be singularly impressed if that's the case. I would not have imagined 200hp turning in those types of numbers with a car that outweighs the Taurus/Sable by 300-500 lbs (from Edmunds.com review). Call me skeptical :dunno:

Just two quick comments on the above...
:lol:
...and...
:shame:

C&D is already complaining about cheap plastic in the 500. I can tell just looking at the '05 Stang interior pics that they're using 20 year old plastic molding techniques, as the rest of the world embraces "state of the art."

It's time to get into the 21st century and put down the stone knives and bear skins, there, bubba. I mean, someone on these forums actually got excited because the new '05 Stang had steering that "got easier when you slowed down to park and had less assist when you sped up."
:shame:
Hello?! Welcome to 20 years ago. It's called "variable ratio power assist," otherwise known as "speed sensitive steering." Toyota and many other imports had that in 1984!

it does 60 in 7.3 It might of been the impalla, they kinda look exactly the same.

Twenty years? Try thirty-eight. Cadillac had variable ratio power steering in 1966. It is Toyota and these other imports that are a little late to the game.

Here's a pretty positive review of the 500 over at autosinsider.com:
http://info.detnews.com/autosconsumer/auto...ex.cfm?id=16021
According to this article, the 500 with 203hp seems to fair pretty well when compared to other v6 sedans as far as price to power ratio goes. The Camry LE is a 100 bucks more with 7 more horsepower, the accord 1000 more with 37 more hp, while the base 300 is over 1100$ more with 13 less horsepower. And keep in mind that the fwd 500 comes standard with 6 speed automatic, compared to a 4 speed for the base 300 (darn numbers are confusing...), or the CVT for the awd model. This means that the ford engine is kept revving closer to its peak power, it makes better use of its power band. That probably explains why this car that might seem to have a weaker power to weight ratio is actually performing better in some cases.
And don't forget that the 500 has a HUGE trunk. That's cool.
What do you guys think of the exterior styling? I didn't like it much at first, but its definitely grown on me, i'm starting to see some serious family genes in the ford line.

Twenty years? Try thirty-eight. Cadillac had variable ratio power steering in 1966. It is Toyota and these other imports that are a little late to the game. [/b][/quote]
Well, if THEY'RE late to the game...what does that make Ford's Mustang??!

I have a 2003 Accord V6, and its right around 7 seconds 0-60. I would expect the Five Hundred to be around 8.5, given it's power to weight ratio. There's no way its going to run with a V6 Accord, or even a 3.3 liter V6 Camry. But I think it will drive much better than the 2.7 liter Chrysler 300, which has to wind all the way to 6400 rpm to get it's190 horsepower.

An all-wheel drive Freestyle might feel underpowered with this engine, but I think a FWD Five Hundred will be OK, at least until the Duratech 35 comes out. It's always nice for a car to have a significant mid-life upgrade: it gives current owners a reason to trade in on another one. I drive about 22,000 freeway miles a year, and the Five Hundred is near the top of my list right now.

According to Automobile magazine the 500 in FWD trim can dust the 3.5L Chrysler 300 by half-a-second 0-60

Hmmm, interesting. I wouldn't doubt it, either. The 300 is a big car with a 190hp engine. :scratch:

Alright guys let me clarify! I have driven the ne 500 and the new freestyle! The diffrence is the CVT Transmission! Thats why it has the fastest 0-60 times as well as the quarter mile! I dont know if anyone has ever driven a vehicle with a CVT Tranny in it but it is an expeience in and of it self! No shifting it is great! :eek: