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Wednesday, March 30, 2005

2007 Ford 500 Facelift

According to the Freep, Ford will do a mid-cycle freshening on the 500 for 2007. This is probably to mark when the new 250HP Duratec 35 3.5L V6 ("Cyclone") is introduced. The Duratec 35 is a badly needed upgrade for Ford, finally catching up with competitors such as Nissan, which have been building 3.5L V6s for some time. This should also shut up all the media critics who keep complaining that the 500 does not have enough power--even though it has a 0-60 time of 8.6s, which is not bad for a large car.

In other 500 news, BlueOvalNews reports that Ford is going to increase the CVT build rate, and phase out the Aisin Warner 6 speed. Take that, you doubters who thought the Ford CVT would be a flash in the pan, like GM's ill-fated Vue program. The Ford CVT is a different design than GM's, and does not have the same reliability problems.

7 comments:

The Angry Engineer said...

Yea, massive props to Ford and BWA for investing so heavily in the Batavia plant, which is probably what's giving them the ability to respond to demand so quickly.

I'm not really a Ford fan, but the Five Hundred is a pretty attractive "practical" sedan, and the combination of AWD and CVT certainly distinguishes it from the competition. Now, if only they can bring on a competitive V6...

Anonymous said...

i dont know how people can complain about the power of the 500..0-60 in just over 8 secs. isnt bad for a car its size..add in AWD and over 25 MPG at way below $30,000 and you have a package that cannot be matched...anyone who is put off by the smaller 6 cyl should test drive one

Anonymous said...

My ford 500 with almost 3000 miles on it at first was a disappointment at first.
Now it is getting broken in and has a good amount of pickup and milage is an average of 25 mpg.
Think ford ha sfinally came up with a plan

Anonymous said...

I found a good Ford 500 site for you to check out www.myford500.com

Anonymous said...

Is there a reason why nobody builds a bright red sedan?

Anonymous said...

I have test driven Ford 500s, the 200 Chevy Impala, the 2007 Camry and the 2006 Accord, it it is conclusion that the 5oo is indeed sluggish in traffic and lacks the same passing reserve power as its rivals. The standard v6 is also noisy and unrefined compared to the competition. My viewpoint is backed up by leading consumer magazines who report much the same thing. The 500 could indeed benefit from a newer, smoother-running, and more powerful engine, even for everyday driving.

Unknown said...

My Five Hundred needed new rear brakes after 14,000 miles and the transmission failed after 21,000 miles. Went back to Honda Accord; I should never have left Honda. Five Hundred was very comfortable and roomy, BUT the engineering was typical American..fail early. If Ford could get the transmission right, it would be a decent car. I also had to change the tires to obtain better handling. Ford almost got it. I wanted the car to be solid on all fronts. Ford needs to take a lesson from Honda. End of story.