The Friendly Giant would lower his castle's drawbridge and welcome pre-school TV viewers with the words "Once upon a time, not long ago and not far away..." Slowly, the camera would start at Friendly's boot and pan up to his face while he instructed his tiny tot audience to "look up...W-A-AY UP!"
Friendly, with his trusty sidekicks, Jerome and Rusty, was a consistent presence in kid's lives for almost 28 years. Every day for fifteen minutes you pretty much knew what you were in-store for.
Big, non-threatening, and safe for families, could also describe Ford's new
2005 Five Hundred sedan. We've already reviewed the super-sized family sedan at its launch back in October, 2004, but that was only for a brief, parking lot encounter, so an extended stay was booked.
"Big" means our mid-range $36,955 Five Hundred AWD SEL test car has more interior space than any vehicle in its class, and the largest trunk in any car you can buy today. And this car is long--5,099 mm overall to be exact--89 mm longer than Toyota's new Avalon XLS ($39,900). To comfort all of those folks abandoning their large sport-utility-vehicles, the Five Hundred's upright seating position will feel familiar. Combined with wide door openings and ceiling-mounted grab handles, getting in and out of the Five Hundred couldn't be any easier if you had your own drawbridge.
Once you've climbed up, "w-a-a-y up!", into the driver's seat, getting comfortable is made easy with a six-way power-adjustable seat with manual lumbar support, tilt steering wheel and optional power-adjustable pedals. Of course, with similar design features and use of upgrade materials and tight workmanship, you'll think you've just stepped into a new Ford F-150, but compared to the dated, plasticky insides of a Chevrolet Impala LS ($30,345), this is not a bad thing.
As for the Five Hundred being "safe for families", it's no secret Ford has dipped into the corporate parts bin and is using a version of Volvo's large sedan, the S80, as a starting point. Right off the bat, this embodies the Five Hundred with class-leading stiffness with relatively soft crush zones
designed into the car's impact areas. Optional side air bags and Ford's Safety Canopy (which provides protection in side impacts and rollovers), garners the Five Hundred with five star crash ratings across the board.
For those which a few snowflakes on the ground or a dash of rain can get their driving shorts in a knot, Ford is making a Volvo-derived all-wheel-drive system available across the Five Hundred's SE, SEL and Limited model range for $2,750. Adding 81.65 kilograms of curb weight, the electronically controlled Haldex system is fairly transparent and delivers safe, reliable understeer similar to the more upscale Volvos that the system can also be found in.
Choosing AWD also means you're choosing the mandatory continuously variable transmission (CVT) automatic; front-wheel-drive Five Hundreds receive a new, conventional six-speed automatic. The CVT employs two variable-size pulleys (one takes power from the engine, the other drives the wheels) connected by a metal chain. The chain constantly varies the effective sizes of the two pulleys to deliver what the driver is requesting. When more torque is needed for passing moves, the transmission can select an infinite number of gear ratios. What the transmission aurally projects doesn't coincide with the speed that you are traveling at. Driving any CVT-equipped car eliminates the traditional kick-down expected by most drivers, so we recommend a thorough test drive.
Friendly, with his trusty sidekicks, Jerome and Rusty, was a consistent presence in kid's lives for almost 28 years. Every day for fifteen minutes you pretty much knew what you were in-store for.
Big, non-threatening, and safe for families, could also describe Ford's new
 |
| 2005 Ford Five Hundred AWD SEL (photo: John Leblanc, straight-six.com) |
"Big" means our mid-range $36,955 Five Hundred AWD SEL test car has more interior space than any vehicle in its class, and the largest trunk in any car you can buy today. And this car is long--5,099 mm overall to be exact--89 mm longer than Toyota's new Avalon XLS ($39,900). To comfort all of those folks abandoning their large sport-utility-vehicles, the Five Hundred's upright seating position will feel familiar. Combined with wide door openings and ceiling-mounted grab handles, getting in and out of the Five Hundred couldn't be any easier if you had your own drawbridge.
Once you've climbed up, "w-a-a-y up!", into the driver's seat, getting comfortable is made easy with a six-way power-adjustable seat with manual lumbar support, tilt steering wheel and optional power-adjustable pedals. Of course, with similar design features and use of upgrade materials and tight workmanship, you'll think you've just stepped into a new Ford F-150, but compared to the dated, plasticky insides of a Chevrolet Impala LS ($30,345), this is not a bad thing.
As for the Five Hundred being "safe for families", it's no secret Ford has dipped into the corporate parts bin and is using a version of Volvo's large sedan, the S80, as a starting point. Right off the bat, this embodies the Five Hundred with class-leading stiffness with relatively soft crush zones
 |
| 2005 Ford Five Hundred AWD SEL (photo: John Leblanc, straight-six.com) |
For those which a few snowflakes on the ground or a dash of rain can get their driving shorts in a knot, Ford is making a Volvo-derived all-wheel-drive system available across the Five Hundred's SE, SEL and Limited model range for $2,750. Adding 81.65 kilograms of curb weight, the electronically controlled Haldex system is fairly transparent and delivers safe, reliable understeer similar to the more upscale Volvos that the system can also be found in.
Choosing AWD also means you're choosing the mandatory continuously variable transmission (CVT) automatic; front-wheel-drive Five Hundreds receive a new, conventional six-speed automatic. The CVT employs two variable-size pulleys (one takes power from the engine, the other drives the wheels) connected by a metal chain. The chain constantly varies the effective sizes of the two pulleys to deliver what the driver is requesting. When more torque is needed for passing moves, the transmission can select an infinite number of gear ratios. What the transmission aurally projects doesn't coincide with the speed that you are traveling at. Driving any CVT-equipped car eliminates the traditional kick-down expected by most drivers, so we recommend a thorough test drive.