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Ford Five Hundred/Mercury Montego
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Comments
Ford Five Hundred (CVT) 27 hwy/20 city
- Ford's Press Release last week.
Is this now correct and official?
The CVT is rated 2 mpg less hwy and 1 mpg less city than the 6 speed auto.?
- Ray
Finding this rather odd . . .
I wondered about that, too.
I thought the CVT was supposed to be fuel SAVING....
EPA has admitted it needs to overhaul the manner they test vehicles, since so many vehicles tested do not reflect the MPG posted.
Toyota's 225hp/240lb ft. 3.3L w/5 speed auto posts 20/29 in the Camry, and Nissan's 3.5L posts 20/30 with the 5 speed auto in the Altima.
~alpha
First, acceleration was excellent. In fact, Ford has independendantly certified a 0-60 time of 7.45 secs for the FWD Five Hundred what the v6 camry at 7.8 and the 300 touring with the 3.5 coming in last at 8.0 secs.
I hate automatic transmissions. Mostly because then never seem responsive. The CVT completely changed my opinion on automatics. Amazingly smooth.
The drive was setup with an autocross style cone course, with a slalom section and the cars are very well controlled.
All that and i can verify that 8 golf bags fit in the Five hundreds trunk, or 6 golf bags and a 10 roll of carpet fits with a closed trunk!!!
The AWD system is also impressive, able to switch 100% of torque to any of the 4 wheels.
These cars look great in person. Not to flashy but very sophisticated. the 17 and 18 inch wheels really make the vehicle look small than its 60inch height.
If any one has any questions just ask but I for one am excited about this new product I'll get to sell.
Mark
"The AWD system is also impressive, able to switch 100% of torque to any of the 4 wheels." How can the vehicle send 100% of torque to one wheel? I cant conceptualize this.
~alpha
I saw one guy who was about 6'6 get into the 3rd row of the Freestyle he had enough head room and just enough leg room.
I'm 5'8. I sat in the second row of the of the Freestyle and slid my seat full forward while the driver moved his seat full back. He was 2 far back to drive and there was still 2 inches of room between the seat back and my knees.
The Five Hundred has the largest trunk of any 4 door sedan sold in this country, along with 107 cubit feet of passenger space in a vehicle that is only 3 inches longer than a Taurus.
The Haldex LSC is the same off the shelf unit that VW, Volvo and Mercedes are using.
Also the CVT uses the same type of chain from a company called LuK (luke). Its the exact same chain used in the Audi CVT. The Honda and GM CVT uses an older technology chain and this is the reason GM is having so many problems.
Also the reason for using 6 speed autos in some trim levels is that the expected demand for the Five Hundred/Freestyle exceeds the production capacity of the CVT plant at the moment.
Mark
or 4 bodies...
" for a difference of 324 lb, not 500-600 lbs. "
Look for the AWD Limited versions, I'm using worse case senarios.
"Ford has independendantly certified a 0-60 time of 7.45 secs for the FWD Five Hundred"
I mention this ions ago, approx. what they would be getting. I'm glad you were able to report on that, since at the time I mentioned it, many seemed to not believe it was possible. Of course, we'll always have the "but it's not enough" crowd, which I'm awaiting to see....
The 150,000 mile wear test revealed 1 micron of wear on the chain and the "pulleys" and the only Maintenance required is 60k fluid changes.
Audi already has 400k of a similar style CVT on the road with no problems.
Remember that if the automakers built the cars that were in their best interest instead of the consumers', we'd all be driving pintos and corvairs.
GM screwed the pooch on their CVT (no surprise from GM). Now their are trying to save face by claiming the future lies in Planetary Gear transmissions.
Sour Grapes if you ask me.
Mark
I've never seen that, an automaker readying a new design even before the original gets its debut.
Another name for Freestyle: Style-free
The next styling changes to the 500 will allow it to incorporate the front grill look as the Fusion will debut.
It's not the first time an automaker mentions this publically. I remember some launches, CTS, Altima, Asstek, 7Series, Vibe which stated the same.
Sheesh.
Oh hell, NOBODY is better than GM, at selling old technology by saying it's better..... And most of their loyal customers frankly, don't know the difference. So, it may not be sour grapes, as much as a desperation ploy to justify their old tech. Goes along with their pushrod mills.....
Think of it this way, wouldn't you appreciate knowing some information of things to occur in the future? I know what will occur, and I could tell you what will occur in 2-3-8 years from now on a specific vehicle, but will the regular customer know or care? Even about the 3.5L ?
Sometimes some information is let out, for those expecting a bit more. Example, if someone REALLY wanted a new Mustang (approx 2 years ago), they would go online, and research as much as possible over it. And in their research, have learned a totally new Mustang was to debut in 2004/05... Someone who wasn't savy, who needs a vehicle from A-B, would have just gone and bought what they see at the dealership.
And in numerous Ford press releases, you will find information of items that are planning on introducing to update/improve, current concerns the media will harp on.
Reminds me of the company slogan for SYMS... "An educated shopper, is our best customer"
Also, they really need to wait 3 or 4 years then so the new redesigned car has a year or two for the bugs to get worked out and discounting and rebates to come into effect.
If they are waiting that long, they might as well get the original car they were looking at in the meantime.
I have one friend, let's date back to 1995, he wanted a Mustang... Well he knew from me, that the 4.6L V8 would be fitted into it, later... Sure enough he waited... Then he found out, a new re-styled version (New Edge) would debut for 99, so he waited. When 1999 came around, he "heard" that a all new version would come out for 2003, so he has waited. Mustang development took a bit of a delay, now we are hitting 2005, and he still has his original 92 Mustang... All this because he is waiting to be first for the next "new one" heh...
Then we have the "Oh we'll wait for the first year bugs to go away". Granted, it really doesn't take a year, in 3-4 months everything is ironed out. And amazingly Ford CAN do recall free launches like the F-150/Freestar has had so far. Gone are the disaster intros like the Escape, Focus, but they will always live in people's mind as if it were yesturdays experience.
If I were to delay a purchase because there's something better coming along in the horizon, I wouldn't be able to purchase anything, because every vehicle is improved, or new one's introduced during the "waiting" period.
"I'll introduce you to my fiancee, but don't worry. He'll get a nose job and chest implants right after the wedding."
If people don't like current styling, not many will wait around for the update. There are lots of competitors around. Camry and Accord are still the leaders in the class.
Oh, a fiancée is a female, fiancé a male, so you should have added sex reassignment surgery o the nose job and implants:)
http://www.detnews.com/2004/autosinsider/0408/22/c01-249392.htm
(This one is a different one than the one posted earlier...it's from today!)
Did Mayes forget to include that?
Man, this just goes to show you how many people are, in the words of one george carlin "mostly stupid, ignorant, and believe what they are told"
Ive seen many passats (NYC area) and let me tell you, from the pictures listed on the ford.com website, the five hundred looks ages better, but for some reason the media, and thus the rest of us ignorant mortals, look at the five-hundred with bad eyes.
I don't know whether its because the five-hundred is American, or because its built by money-hungry unions, or just because its a ford, but for some reason this car is getting a bad rap.
This car sucks in many ways, yes. It does not have a Navigation system, no Xenon (ford model) headlamps, no 250hp yet, no RWD, no V8 model, and none of that beautiful wood paneling on the doors. Fine thats a given, but ford did not mess up the exterrior style. It looks very sophisticated, like a college professors car should be if those people actually did their jobs.
I posted many times about this cars lack of features, but in many ways it does make up for some of it in style. If they just add some more features, common ford, are you there?
~alpha
~alpha
I know I am glad I am NOT getting them...
Not too happy with the cloth on the SE though its kind of like the F-150 STX cloth, very flat and rough...no plush to it. Probably will resist stains well though.
There are some other misques, the power seat controls belong on the door panel as in the crown vic.
Ford is using a great illustration to show the advantage of a CVT over a tradition step transmission.
Picture a CVT as a continous sloop. No picture a slooped set of steps.
Roll a ball down each. the Ball on the steps looses foward momentum when it is falling to the next step. the ball on the sloop gets ahead of the ball on the steps.
Incidently, the rear rotors, 13inches are larger than the 12.2 inch rotors on the 04 Audi A8. Its about time figured out that DRUM brakes SUCK.
Mark
Rear disc brakes may be current state of the art, but rear brakes do very little of the work, so most of the advantages of rear discs is not so much an advantage as a perception of advantage, but whatever it takes to meet/beat the competition these days is required.
I could care less about fake wood, real wood, fake or real brushed aluminum, fake carbon fiber composite, etc, etc on car interiors, but to some the car is somehow less without these gimmicks, so on they go.
What impresses me is well thought out controls located ergonomically and with good rigid non flimsy design and no squeeks or rattles over the long haul. Flat black plastic works fine for me, but I guess I am too practical.
http://www.autoweek.com/printwindow.cms?newsId=100663&pageTyp- e=news
Thanks!
Mark