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Ford Five Hundred/Mercury Montego
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Comments
That's a good part of it, for sure...
Perhaps Ford has learned a lesson and will indeed include it in the next reskin for the Five Hundred/Montego...
Seriously I know GM's quality has made leaps and bounds, just like all the domestics, but I have not had a good reason to go back from Ford for mainstream family sedans.
also ALL FWD Five Hundreds come with the Aisin 6 speed.
ALL AWD Five Hundreds come with the ZF/Ford CVT
Mark
It is true however that all AWD versions have the CVT exclusively.
The ONE thing I DO know is that there are indeed Limiteds built with either transmission..but in all the Limiteds, the CVTs are in the AWD and the 6 speeds in the FWD...
As you can see here, the FWD SE now is built with the 6 speed:
http://www.edmunds.com/new/2005/ford/fivehundred/100396387/prices.html
BUT, click on options, and a CVT is a $0 option!!!!
Haven't we about beat this horse to death?
Now the industry norm is really just 2 colors, black and tan. Next you have the black, tan, grey combo which is common with some automakers. Then you have luxury vehicles which have anything from "parchment" to "saddle".... then again, your paying the luxury sticker for that choice as well.
The right side of the footwell also needs work, as the console is too wide, and for no good reason. The one in the Freestyle is narrower, and there is still plenty of room for the shifter and cup holders. It would also look better if it were not so wide and square, and the shifter would look less like something tacked on top of the console as an afterthought.
I read that the console was redesigned by some guy in Europe at the last minute after the Ford market research people told him that the cup holders were not big enough.
If you sit in a Volvo S-80, the left footwell problem and the too-wide console are both there.
http://www.detnews.com/2005/autosinsider/0507/03/A01-235800.htm
For the most part, Contour buyers weren't even looking at Focus (or Escort...).
Be aware that the Detroit News has some of the best automotive writers on the planet...
And no, I don't work THERE...
A) Contour was similar in size to the Focus....while....
Similar in price to a larger Taurus.
Hence, it was squeezed out.
Although luckily the Contour thrived as the Mondeo elsewhere where it's a highly acclaimed vehicle with european dynamics. Now enters the Fusion, which in essense has much of the attributes of the Mondeos (in the sense of drivability/responsiveness, etc.) while addressing the Contours biggest fault (interior size).
So this begs the question of "Could the Fusion pick up where the Contour left off".... or "Was the Contour a bit too early for the party"... Hmm, Food for thought Happy 4th
You had me scared there for a minute!
Now, I just hope this somehow makes my choice between an AWD Fusion and a 3.5 Five Hundred a bit easier when the time comes!
Contour failed because a cramped back seat. The segment it was competing in was on a down turn. and because IT WASN'T an SUV. It was the late 90s, remember?
Mark
Now we flash forward 10 years, and we have the opposite senario. C&D places engine performance and acceleration as top criteria, while the interior accruments take little precedence (as the case of the 500) hehe....
Maybe the Five Hundred doesnt do well because other cars offer as nice an interior (or better), similar dimensions, and better power and performance.
~alpha
PS- drove a Montego Premier 6A FWD in the Rolling Showroom event (or whatever its called). The car felt slow and I couldnt stand the instrumentation, but I was again impressed at the vehicles room and ergonomic cleanliness, if lack of any type of excitement.
A few months ago, I test-drove a 2005 Mercury Montego. I was impressed by the interior room, the instrumentation seemed nice, and I was intrigued by the CVT transmission (I am an engineer by trade).
I was pretty disappointed by the off-the-line performance of the vehicle however. In the group's estimation, what is responsible for this? Is the starting gearing too tall? The tach would jump to 2k or so if I stomped on the gas from a stop, but at 2k, the car didn't seem to want to _move_.
Given this, I am still interested in the car. Are their any after-market add-ons to the 3.0L Duratec that will help with low-end torque (it seemed that after it wound up, it was pretty peppy)
Thanks,
Duane
You can also buy one now, and then trade in when the 35 comes out. The car is otherwise really good and a great value. The Size of the car versus the price you pay and the features you get is really compelling.
Well, I can't buy a Duratech 3.5 can I? When is this cure going to be available?
I felt the car to be very near unsafe when trying to cross a busy set of four-lanes.
Duane
It'll be the new JV transmission which will be available in about 2 specifications, one for lower powered V6's, the other for higher powered V6's. I can give a bit more specific but currently I'm not on my computre (or my house) for that matter... Although my contractor swears "2 More weeks"....
We're going to look at the 500 versus another Accord or a Camry V6 as a company car.
On a side note, I installed an aftermarket radio and speakers. While the door panels were off, I added B-Quiet Extreme sound deadening to the doors. It was also put under the rear seat, into the spare tire well and underneath the rear deck. The rest of the trunk will be done shortly. This made an already quiet car quieter. Well worth the effort.
Mark
Will there soon be a Lincoln version of the Five Hundred/Montego? If not, why not?
I bet there are more than a few who would prefer it to the current Town Car, or at least would upgrade from the Montego/Five Hundred.
I might even be interested, once the 3.5L and AWD are available....heck, I am a wee bit tempted by Zephyr now, but I want a stronger engine and AWD....
Before I was torn between an AWD Fusion and a 3.5 L Five Hundred. Now, do I have another possibility to throw in the mix?
"
Yes, the LS and Town Car replacements will be based on the same P2 platform. Although in there case, it'll feature V8 engines and AWD. The interior of those vehicles will be very luxurious and the quality impecable. Quite a bit of investment is going into the interior of those vehicles. The LS replacement (not yet named) will be the sportier of the 2, and larger than the current LS. And the Town Car (complement- but eventual replacement) will be even larger in interior dimension than the current 500/Montego, while keeping trim exterior dimensions as well.
As for V6 variations of those vehicles are highly doubtful (unless our oil issues continue to worsen). The Duratec35 is coming for summer of 2007 into the 500 upon it's redesign, therefore Lincoln wouldn't need to offer a V6 in these new P2 based vehicles.
It will be interesting to see if the V8 is the three valve 4.6 or the Yamaha-built engine now in the XC90, and if there will be an SVT 500.
It is nice to see Ford getting back to building cars.
Good luck on the new house, and I hope that the hurricanes leave you alone.
Actually both are being considered, while the LS takes a bit more of a sportier flair with the 4.6L, while the 4.4L Yamaha is quiet in nature, and better suited to the higher segment offering.
"Good luck on the new house, and I hope that the hurricanes leave you alone."
Actually I'm morbid, I do want a hurricane, the house is hurricane/tornado proof, so it would be fun to test it. BUT there's quite many trees in the neighborhood...would be a shame if they blew away.
At the time of the last huricane season, the internet maps made if appear that both of our houses in Florida were dead center in the paths, but we did not have any damage. We now have three (Lakeland, Minneola, and Palm Coast). Where are you?
Will this be a 2008 model year?
Will the 3.5L be standard or an upgrade?
Thanks for any information.
Gene
I wonder, will the Five Hundred/Montego also get this?
The Fusion/Milan/Zephyr when they get AWD?
John,
Yes, it's an upgraded system for higher capacity engines, or more so, it's like a "next generation" AWD system. Ford will implement these systems as well, although Volvo gets it first.
Frasier,
I'll look at some paperwork and get back to you, I believe it's for model year 2008, introduced July/August of 2006.