Ford Five Hundred/Mercury Montego

xfilerguy · February 2007

If you think that Ford changed the name of the current 500/Montego expecting big sales increases you are smoking something. This is all about the NEXT redesign, and positioning Ford for the future.

My bet is that the next "Taurus/Sable" will be smaller than the current 500/Montego, which is HUGE!! It will be more in-line size-wise with the old Taurus, which was already bigger than the CamCords. In turn, the Fusion will move down a step, and will be made based on the European Mondeo platform (stretched and revised, much as the current Fusion is on the stretched Mazda 6 platform), but still built in Mexico and still called the Fusion. I for one loved my Contour and hated the fact that Ford abandoned the segment and the Mondeo platform. There was a market for a car between the entry-level Focus and the Taurus. That car was the contour, and now the car is the Fusion...see where i'm going? To compete against the Camcords, you might need two sedans -- a smaller, more fuel-efficient 4 cyl model (Fusion) and a larger, more powerful model (6 cyl Taurus).

This will give Ford their performance-based midsize sedan to compete on the sport side of the equation, while they also will have a more camry-like staid sedan in the Taurus, though the exterior will likely get a major refresh to make it sexier ala the new Malibu or the last Altima.

I also believe Ford will stop selling the Taurus/Fusion to rental fleets altogether, as this will help their resale value. Ford will also go to a bumper-to-bumper 5 year 100,000 mile warranty. These "bold moves" will help the company regain the trust of the american buyer.

If these moves fail (which I don't think they will), say hello to Ford, a wholly owned subsidiary of Toyota.

jaxs1 · February 2007

Taurus is a better name and much more recognizable name than 500 was regardless of how many previous Tauruses were sold to fleet. This is a different car and they are not selling that many to fleets anymore. The old body style Taurus probably ran on for at least 3 or 4 years too long without a complete redesign. Now, the redesign is finally here.
It looks like they fixed everything except greatly improving the looks and making it sexy-looking.
The new grill is not enough to make the car stylish, but at least bland styling is better than wild styling that goes wrong.
They are replacing the weak engine with one that at least has competive power.
It will finally have stability control, AUX input, nav system, Bluetooth and so on that it had been lacking compared to the competition.
I am sure sales are going to improve somewhat since this is "better" than it was, but it just won't sell anywhere near to levels of Camry and Accord.

savetheland · February 2007

New Sable looks better on photo than new Taurus. Now Taurus/Sable compete more with Avalon and 300 than with Camry. But take into account that Camry was not a competition to original Taurus - Taurus was competing with Accord. Camry was non-descript compact car. Then it became larger car in 1992 and after that competition started and finally it unseated Taurus as a best-selling car in USA.

[Deleted User] · February 2007

The current Mondeo platform is plenty roomy and needs no stretching whatsoever to compete in the midsize segment (unlike the Contour which had a ridiculously small back seat for its size). The Fusion offers no more usable room. The Fusion is not going to move down any step. The Mondeo could, however replace the redundant Milan, and thereby give Mercury something interesting and different to sell.

The Taurus and Sable will sell better than the 500/Montego, mot because they are different, or gobs better, but because people know the names, and millions of people either owned those names or rode in them or rented them. Not true with 500/Montego. Since Ford cannot revise those two cars as fast as the market demands, at least more folks will be exposed to what decent rides they are as they stand. It is a brilliant move in a rough time, and the cheapest thing they could do to increase sales. The dumbest thing they did was to change the names in the first place.

chuck1 · February 2007

All Taurus in my company are being replaced by 500's. I have one on order for my Taurus replacment. BTW...61K in 21 months on the '05 Taurus and no issues whatsoever and 23mpg!

And I see alot of other fellow "Industrial Salespeople" tooling around in the 500's as well.

I don't know how resale is affected going in to "fleets" as opposed to "rental units".

I don't know how significant the private fleet numbers are.

savetheland · February 2007

You can see it at Mercury's website

http://www.mercuryvehicles.com/sable08/?intcmp=B_08SableInts_MVHomepage_08SableI- nterstitial_20070207#

To say truth I like Montego name better. Sable does not sound right for the car even though I own one and does not have the same equity as Taurus. But whatever - new Sable looks less massive than Montego. But certainly it is move upward for Sable.

pnewby · February 2007

I've always been told that true "fleet" sales will not hurt resale since they are generaly either longer term or higher mileage units (maybe both), and don't get sold cheaply to keep newer low mileage cars to attract customers. Kinda like people that buy CVs from the police dept. after the cops have decided they are worn out. Companys and the gov. sell them when it is less expensive to replace than it is to maintain. I'm sure there are exceptions to the rule, but the majority follow the rule.

Karen_S · February 2007

New topic for anyone interested.

What Are Your Thoughts on the Return of the Taurus/Sable?

pegasus17 · February 2007

OK, this month you can get about $6000 off MSRP with the combo of incentives on the 500/Montego. Or you can wait til summer and pay approx. sticker for a 2008. What am i losing out on by buying now? I know about the engine but what about the tranny and the AWD. Is giving up the CVT and the Haldex AWD for the new unproven 3.5 a good tradeoff?

jaxs1 · February 2007

There will be much less incentives and discounts available for the 2008s, but there is no way they will be going for sticker or even close.
Too many other choices available for that to happen to the still boring 2008 Taurus.

slider7 · February 2007

Drove both an Edge and the Lincoln version MKX Sunday with the new 3.5 and tranny. I cannot "feel" any noticeable difference from my 3.0 500 unless I really press the pedal to the floor and want to get no more than 250 miles to the tankful. No discernible difference in any respect to what there already is! So you want to pay $3000 for a home stereo with .001 total harmonic distortion instead of $300 for the one with .01 THD because the sine-wave can tell when your ears can't? And if you don't have 20/20 vision, why waste money on HDTV??? Why wait and waste for a 3.5/6f when you can save thousands by getting the Porsche designed Duratec 3.0 4V V-6 with Toyota 6 speed transmission on a Volvo platform and Pirelli Tires??? Uhh huhhh! Thank you very much.

pegasus17 · February 2007

Thanks for your oh-so-objective opinion. I do find it a bit hard-to-believe but i will do my own evaluation. FWIW, i was appalled to see Korean-made Hankook tires on the new Edge. Guess cost-cutting measures have reached a new low at FMC.

pegasus17 · February 2007

I am not slamming Hankook tires - they may be wonderful. I am slamming Ford for their "Buy American" commercials and then they put Korean tires on their new crossover vehicle. It is a matter of principle, not cost-cutting. FWIW, I am still a bit surprised that few people seem to care that the Fusion/Milan cars are made in Mexico. Initial quality has been good so perhaps American auto workers just plain suck (unless they work for Toyota, Honda or Nissan). Maybe it's just union people that suck (all the way to the bank).

micweb · February 2007

I am semi-appalled. But keep in mind Consumer Reports has been giving some Hankook tires top marks...so maybe FMC is just ahead of the curve. I think it's bad PR though, most people will just assume "cheap."

chuck1 · February 2007

This is what drove me away from Ford. Design a great car/truck and the parts go out to the cheapest bidder. There isn't any rationale reason other than cost to put those Hankook tires on. They are not a great tire overall.

donl1 · February 2007

When I was looking at an Edge last week I saw a new F150 Super Cab with Hankooks on it...so it's not just the Edge they are trying to save a nickel on. And I passed on the Edge.

walterquint · February 2007

The new 3.5L likely performs similarly to the 3.0L, when used conservatively. However, add passengers, cargo, and some long hills and it's a different story.........that's always been the major gripe with the 3.0L. It performs decently in a testing environment (single passenger, controlled environment), but real-world performance is lackluster. Let the rental fleets have the 3.0L. I'd personally wait for the new mill.

slider7 · February 2007

If it goes 0.0, save $2000+ then put a thousand dollar set of rubbers on it! Locally I have not seen a 500 for sale in our newspaper since I began keeping track last Feb. Where it lacks in performance, is more than make up in reliability. 8000 miles, one oil change. The lack of available resale inventory excluding lease turn-ins and rental car liquidations, tells me I'm not the only one who realizes that Ford messed up! Somebody fooled around and forgot to install the "built-in obsolescence package" on the 06,07's.

slider7 · February 2007

THAT AIN'T NO SABLE! THAT'S A CATFISH!!!!!!

receiver88 · February 2007

Alright, with all this Hankook Tires talk on the Edge going on, I decided to do some research on them. Turns out they are the 8th largest tire manufacturer in the world. Aside from the Korean automakers, they also supply Ford and Volkswagen.

In a Consumer Reports test of 18 all-season tires reported in Nov. 2005, the Hankook Mileage Plus II H725 finished third behind Goodyear Assurance TripleTred and Michelin X Radial. Third out of 18 is pretty surprising and impressive to me. I couldn't find out which tire manufacturers they finished ahead of, but I've got to believe there were some well known tire-makers on that list. It should also be noted that all-season tires are on 83% of all new cars and trucks.

In addition, I also found out that Kumho tires, another Korean tire-maker has recently struck a supply agreement with Mercedes Benz earlier this month. Gotta say this was extremely surprising since Mercedes is a premium auto brand. I'm sure they didn't decide to buy Kumho tires on a whim due to their lower cost. They also supply Chrysler and Volkswagen.

A colleague and I had a discussion about Asian companies and the talk turned to Korean manufacturers in general. I had mentioned that some of the Hyundai vehicles like the Sonata, Azera and Santa Fe are really giving their competition a run for their money with quality at a competitive cost. He had mentioned how products from Samsung and LG have become premium brands in a short time period. It now appears the tire manufacturers are receiving recognition from the industry experts. Just as consumers want a quality product at a competitive price, so do the automakers. As it was mentioned in an earlier post, maybe Ford is ahead of the curve on this along with Volkswagen.

I currently have Continental tires on my Five Hundred and was told by a co-worker who also drives one that he had to replace all four of his Continentals at 24,000 miles due to some tread problems. He just told me to keep an eye on it also.

savetheland · February 2007

I don't know. At 80K miles I still have Continentals on my Sable with 4 mm of thread left and they still look perfect for 4 years old tires. But cannot say they are great regarding breaking efficiency and they suck on wet road.

pnewby · March 2007

For anyone that doesn't see the posts on the Freestyle rear brake discussion, found the following- Just not exactly sure what the statement meant about the "Warranty" provision. Hope it isn't Ford trying to cheapen out.
Printable View (51 KB)
TSB
07-5-9 REAR BRAKE DRAG, NOISE, DUST, AND/OR PREMATURE PAD WEAR

Publication Date: February 28, 2007

FORD: 2005-2007 Five Hundred, Freestyle
MERCURY: 2005-2007 Montego

This article supersedes TSB 06-22-17 to update the Service Parts and include a production fix date for some vehicles. The production fix date excludes Freestyle AWD vehicles.

ISSUE:
Some 2005-2007 Freestyle FWD, Five Hundred, and Montego vehicles built before 11/29/2006 may exhibit rear brake drag after being parked for an extended period of time, brake noise, excessive brake dust and/or premature pad wear on one or both wheels.

ACTION:
Follow the tsb Service Procedure steps to correct the condition.

SERVICE PROCEDURE

Replace rear brake pads with revised parts following a revised service procedure in the online Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 206-04.

WARNING: WHEN INSTALLING REVISED REAR BRAKE PADS ON FREESTYLE AWD VEHICLES, IT IS ALSO NECESSARY TO INSTALL REVISED FRONT PADS TO MAINTAIN PROPER BRAKE PERFORMANCE DUE TO THE VEHICLE'S WEIGHT.

NOTE: THE LH CALIPER PISTON TURNS CLOCKWISE TO MOVE THE PISTON BACK INTO THE CALIPER AND THE RH CALIPER PISTON TURNS COUNTERCLOCKWISE TO MOVE THE PISTON BACK INTO THE CALIPER. USING THE SPECIAL TOOL, COMPRESS THE BRAKE CALIPER PISTON INTO ITS CYLINDER. WHILE ROTATING THE PISTON IN THE APPROPRIATE DIRECTION, A FORCE TOWARD THE PISTON MUST ALSO BE APPLIED WITH THE TOOL, OTHERWISE THE TOOL WILL SLIP OFF THE PISTON FACE AND PISTON WILL NOT SCREW INTO THE CYLINDER.

Tip: If the piston is unintentionally rotated in the wrong direction and the internal threads lose contact, the piston can be screwed back into the cylinder. If the Piston boot seal loses contact around the piston, replace the caliper because contamination may have entered. It may take a couple full turns before the threads engage. Be sure that the piston is aligned with the cylinder and a force toward the piston is applied while rotating.

NOTE: IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO MACHINE THE REAR ROTORS USING THE ROTUNDA ON-CAR BRAKE LATHE UNLESS ROTOR RUNOUT AND/OR RUST ARE EXCESSIVE. MACHINE THE REAR BRAKE DISCS IF THE DIAGNOSIS HAS REVEALED REAR THUMPING OR GRINDING NOISE WHILE BRAKING. HEAVILY SCORED BRAKE DISCS, SIMILAR TO THAT CAUSED BY PADS WORN DOWN TO THE BACKING PLATE, SHOULD ALSO BE MACHINED. IN ORDER TO MACHINE, DISCS MUST BE ABOVE THE MINIMUM THICKNESS TO MACHINE SPECIFICATION. REFER TO WSM SECTION 206-00 FOR DISC MACHINING INFORMATION.

PART NUMBER PART NAME
7F9Z-2200-A Rear Brake Pads
8G1Z-2001-A Front Brake Pads

WARRANTY STATUS:
Eligible Under Provisions Of New Vehicle Limited Warranty Coverage
IMPORTANT: Warranty coverage limits/policies are not altered by a TSB. Warranty coverage limits are determined by the identified causal part.

OPERATION DESCRIPTION TIME
070509A Use SLTS Operations If Available; Claim Additional Diagnosis Or Labor Performed As Actual Time Actual Time

DEALER CODING
BASIC PART NO. CONDITION CODE
2200 42

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NOTE: The information in Technical Service Bulletins is intended for use by trained, professional technicians with the knowledge, tools, and equipment to do the job properly and safely. It informs these technicians of conditions that may occur on some vehicles, or provides information that could assist in proper vehicle service. The procedures should not be performed by "do-it-yourselfers". Do not assume that a condition described affects your car or truck. Contact a Ford, Lincoln, or Mercury dealership to determine whether the Bulletin applies to your vehicle. Warranty Policy and Extended Service Plan documentation determine Warranty and/or Extended Service Plan coverage unless stated otherwise in the TSB article. The information in this Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) was current at the time of printing. Ford Motor Company reserves the right to supercede this information with updates. The most recent information is available through Ford Motor Company's on-line technical resources.

Copyright © 2007 Ford Motor Company

bruneau1 · March 2007

They need to put a strip of chrome on the side. it looks too bland and the height needs to be divided. i believe some previous models had it. Why regress?

times2 · March 2007

Hi Guys,

Just had to take a trip down to the Catskills from the Syracuse area. There was a lot of uphill/downhill driving and it was snowing and blowing. I was happy to see that I got 25.5 MPG through that bad weather and hilly roads. I'm hoping it will do even better when the good weather gets here!

vrm · March 2007

Folks,
1) Are there any differences between the 2006 and 2007 Ford 500 Limited models?

2) Is the CVT an option or is it standard in the 2007 Ford 500?

Thanks!

mschmal · March 2007

Limiteds are the same for 2007; however, the side airbags are standard.

The CVT is the trans you get on all AWD cars the FWD cars come with 6 speed. You can't choose.

vrm · March 2007

What about the SEL models?

Is the side airbag standard in the 2007 FWD SEL? Are there any other differences in the 2006 vs 2007 SELs?

Thanks!

mschmal · March 2007

Some 07s ordered before it was announced may not have them as an option.

Mark.

pnewby · July 2007

EXTENDED COVERAGE PROGRAM
07N10 Certain 2005 through 2007 FWD & AWD Ford Five Hundred, Freestyle & Mercury Montego Vehicles - Rear Brake Wear

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frank M. Ligon
Director
Service Engineering Operations
Ford Customer Service Division

Ford Motor Company
P.O. Box 1904
Dearborn, Michigan 48121

July 3, 2007

TO: All U.S. Ford and Lincoln Mercury Dealers

SUBJECT: Customer Satisfaction Program 07N10
Certain 2005 through 2007 FWD & AWD Ford Five Hundred, Freestyle & Mercury Montego Vehicles - Rear Brake Wear

PROGRAM TERMS

This program extends the warranty coverage of the rear brake pads to 3 years of service or 36,000 miles from the warranty start date of the vehicle, whichever occurs first. If a vehicle has already accumulated more than 36,000 miles, this coverage will last until December 31, 2007. This program provides one-time replacement coverage, and is automatically transferred to subsequent owners.

VEHICLES COVERED BY THIS PROGRAM

Certain 2005 through 2007 Model Year Ford Five Hundred, Mercury Montego FWD & AWD and Ford Freestyle FWD vehicles built at the Chicago Assembly Plant from Job #1 2005 through November 28, 2006.
Certain 2005 through 2007 Model Year Ford Freestyle AWD Vehicles built at the Chicago Assembly Plant from Job #1 2005 through Job Last 2007.
Affected vehicles are identified in OASIS.
REASON FOR PROVIDING ADDITIONAL COVERAGE

Some of the affected vehicles may have had direct exposure to moisture for an extended period that may have caused the pads to swell and create a slight drag condition. Low levels of brake drag might not be noticed by a customer, but could lead to premature brake pad wear and excessive brake dust.

SERVICE ACTION
2005 through 2007 FWD and AWD Ford Five Hundred, Mercury Montego & FWD Freestyle Vehicles

If an affected vehicle experiences the condition of rear brake pad premature wear (below 3mm thickness), dealers are to replace the rear brake pads and if necessary, turn or replace the rear rotors, if they are below the thickness specification. This service will be performed on affected vehicles at no charge to the vehicle owner.

2005 through 2007 AWD Freestyle Vehicles

Due to the configuration of the braking system on AWD Freestyle vehicles the front brake pads must be replaced when rear brake pads are replaced. Therefore, this program will allow replacement of front brake pads, but only if the rear brake pads require replacement during the same visit.
If an affected AWD Freestyle experiences the condition of rear brake pad premature wear (below 3mm thickness), dealers are to replace the front and rear brake pads and if necessary, turn or replace the rotors, if they are below the thickness specification. This service will be performed on affected vehicles at no charge to the vehicle owner.

NOTE: Brake pad inspection is part of normal maintenance and is not covered as part of this program. If the vehicle is within this extended time and mileage coverage and the owner experiences a brake system symptom or during a normal maintenance inspection (brakes every 15,000 miles or more often, per the Scheduled Maintenance Guide) the vehicle's rear brake pads are found to have less than 3 millimeters (0.118 inch) of lining material, then Ford Motor Company will cover the cost of replacing the rear brake pads.

OWNER NOTIFICATION MAILING SCHEDULE

Mailing will begin July 9, 2007.

ATTACHMENTS

Attachment I: Administrative Information
Attachment II: Labor Allowances and Parts Ordering Information
Attachment III: Technical Information

Customer Notification Letter

QUESTIONS & ASSISTANCE

Special Service Support Center (Dealer Only) ..1-800-325-5621

barnstormer64 · July 2007

A few comments:

1) This means that the brake wear problem is NOT a "design defect".

2) This means that the brake wear problem would not affect ALL vehicles (which explains people like me who've had no issues)

3) More interestinlgy, think of what this implies for those who have had MULTIPLE sets of brake pads wear early. Hmmmm.

walterquint · July 2007

You can't really compare the Edge/MKX performance of the 3.5L to the same engine in the 2008 Taurus. Those vehicles are SUVs, at least 400 lbs heavier than the Taurus sedan.

That said, I don't think the 3.5L will be a quantum leap over the 3.0 Duratec. The prices on leftover 500s are phenomenal, utter steals.

Regardless, the 500 is the most splendid sedan available. Huge room, good handling, decent economy, unmatched safety. It stuns me that they don't sell well. It covers all the performance bases--so what's the problem???

Why do so many people shop the Ford store and drive out with an ancient Crown Vic?? Why would anyone buy a 4cyl Camry when a leftover 500 is priced less??? :confuse:

chuck1 · July 2007

I own an '06 Five Hundred that is a company car. Let me tell you that it is one boring design to look at. In addition, the CVT tranny takes some real getting use to.

I also wonder about fuel economy with the CVT since if you really put your foot in to it (like you need to do with the 3.0) the motor revs are real high for what seem an extended amount of time.
Just my thoughts.

jaxs1 · July 2007

The exterior styling of the Five Hundred wasn't very good and now the 2008 Taurus has gone from plain to gaudy with all the chrome add-ons.
This car isn't what people want and they are probably working hard at a complete redesign in a few years.
They should probably get rid of both the Taurus and Crown Victoria in a couple years and come out with a new rear-drive sedan that replaces both. There is no need for two Ford full-size sedans.
At least Ford is having better luck with the Fusion even if it is not a contender to outsell the Camry and Accord.

chuck1 · July 2007

I completely agree Jaxs1.

Well said.

donl1 · July 2007

I had a 05' AWD LTD Five Hundred for about a year and put almost 20K miles on it and it was all around disappointing.

[Deleted User] · July 2007

There are reasons that evreyone doesn't share your assessment of the 500 as the "most splendid" sedan: to amny it is plain-to-almost-homely looking, the mileage isn't anything to write home about, lots of road noise, cheap looking interior, way bigger than some people want, no stability control available, no optional engine. It's safety rating is only good with the side airbags. Now, the Taurus has fixed some of those things, but it has still a plain to awkward shape adn profile.

Splendid is in the eye of the beholder. If you find it splendid, then you will get a darn good buy.

pnewby · July 2007

Safety is only good with the side airbags? Where did that come from. It has always had a "best" rating from both testing groups, even without the side airbags on the earlier models.

[Deleted User] · July 2007

Nope. Check again. One group said the side bags were required for a good rating. The other didn't. Look it up. In any event, it is moot now, as they are standard on the Taurus.

jackrabbit1 · January 2008

Dvd drive motor not initializing - would need to replace unit or rebuild unit. My car has 43,756 miles on it. I spent $1600.00 on this luxury item new and they want $600.00 to replace a dvd drive motor! Dealer tells me you should have bought the extended warranty and I tell him, Do you think I'll buy another car off of you! Where can I buy a new dvd drive motor ? I'll put in myself ! Thank you for your time and imput! :lemon:

patrickposey · January 2008

IF I'M correct ford have another company make those radios when i go to work tuesday i'll find out who makes them and also check ebay too.

kinkyangel · February 2008

Good thing we aren't all the same and want the same cookie cutter car. I loved my 05 LTD when I got it in 05. Still in love today. Haven't had any mechanical problems. Engine is more than adequate even in Dallas rush hour traffic. The room and comfort are superb. I get great service from my local FLM dealership. Though mostly it's just LOF & tire rotations. MPG have been great for a large sedan. {23 mixed and 28 hwy.} And I don't see umpteen dozen of them when I'm parked in a large parking lot somewhere. Usually making it easier to find my own.

slider7 · July 2008

Purchased July 17 2006, Limited FWD 0,0% $1,000 cash back. Today has about 26,750 miles since new. Synthetic Oil changes - 5. Replacement air filters - 3. Tire Rotation -once at 22,000 / second time will be at about 44,000 along with it's first four wheel alignment. Project tire replacement in four more years. Has never been back to any dealer since sold, no problems whatsoever. Will have Sears replace rear brakes next month with ceramics and oil change and update inspection sticker. Tire pressure is 38psi all around, "New Finish" wax on all exterior paint and glass, flat highway cruise at 70 mph is 31.8 mpg in that bullet-proof Porsche designed 3.0 V6 quattrovalve bolted to a Toyota 6 speed tranny in a Volvo platform. A real creampuff!

chuck1 · July 2008

The 6 speed transmission is a good one. I had a 500 with the CVT transmission. It was a piece of junk.

ronsmith38 · July 2008

Don't they recommend tire rotation every 5k to 10k miles?

coldcranker · September 2008

"...Toyota 6 speed tranny ..."

Isn't the 6-speed in the 500/Mtgo an Aisin brand? (Not to be confused with the 6-speed in the current Taurus which is a Ford/GM joint brand.) I know Toyota is a 30% shareholder in Aisin, but Aisin transmissions go into many worldwide cars/trucks and that company is run independently of Toyota. Aisin started by stealing a bunch of tech from Borg-Warner years ago, not Toyota.
Transmission used in the 500/Montego -- click here

neile457 · July 2010

I currently own an 08 Fusion SE 4 cyl with 80k miles. I am tempted to trade in for an 05 Five Hundred Limited FWD with 70k miles. Price wise, I will end up paying $1k more for the Five Hundred. Should I even consider this? The idea for doing this is for room. I am 6 ft 4 in, 300 lbs, and while I fit in the Fusion, I know the Five Hundred will be more comfortable. I drive 30k miles a year for work, and comfort is a huge plus. My Fusion has been really reliable.

Some things I am concered about:
1. The actual value of the Five Hundred, I am wondering if the Five Hundred should actually be an upgrade in price (mainly because it is 3 years older)
2. Reliability - Will the Five Hundred run up to 200k miles with little extra cost (other than regular maintenance)

ronsmith38 · July 2010

Have you driven the Five Hundred? While it has a bigger trunk and rear seat area than the Fusion, the drivers area is a little cramped. The Fusion may be more comfortable for the driver. You do sit higher in the Five Hundred which gives you better visibility front and rear

neile457 · July 2010

I'm going to drive it tomorrow. I guess I will see about the driver's area. It looks like on comparing dimensions, leg room is .5 inches shorter on the Five Hundred, but every other dimension is much larger.

neile457 · July 2010

definately much more comfortable than my Fusion, but the one I test drove had a transmission problem, so I passed. Suppose to test drive an AWD tomorrow, but I'm not sure after reading several boards about the transmission, a/c compressor, and brake problems, I think I might stick with my Fusion.

lifter132 · February 2011

2007 Montego 6 speed trans. 31,000 miles. Transmission shifts into higher gears to soon. Engine tends to lug at lowwer speeds, gas milage gone as I have to down shift to soon. Love the 6 speed, gets 30mpg at interstate speeds. Anyone had this problem.
Lifter

Ford Five Hundred/Mercury Montego

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