Design
The fullsize Five Hundred and the midsize Ford Fusion were part of Ford's initiatives of developing all-new passenger cars. The design for the production car was based on the 2000 Ford Prodigy concept car. The Ford Crown Victoria and Ford Taurus had not seen a platform change for nearly a decade. They had long been neglected by the company, relying instead on cosmetic and mechanical changes, and as such were no longer competitive with Japanese rivals whose offerings were updated more frequently. During the preceding ten years, Ford had relied too much on SUVs and light trucks, whose sales had dropped as a result of rising crude oil prices. In particular, the Taurus was planned to be discontinued as the company believed that the nameplate's brand equity had declined with a lack of development, though the Crown Victoria would remain in production for fleet sales.
The Five Hundred and the similar Mercury Montego are based on the Ford D3 platform (also known as the Volvo P2 platform), which also supports the Volvo S60 and S80 sedans, V70 wagon, and XC70 and XC90 SUVs. This platform underpins the Ford Freestyle crossover SUV. Befitting its Volvo roots, the Five Hundred has garnered class leading results in crash tests conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The Five Hundred is classified as a full-sized passenger car. It is longer than its competitors (such as the Chevrolet Impala and Toyota Avalon) but still a foot shorter than the rear-wheel drive V8 Crown Victoria. The Five Hundred was designed to match the large car interior volume, but at the same time still have manageable outside dimensions, while delivering a lower than average fuel use. Its design is also notably tall for a sedan, giving drivers an SUV or minivan-like command of the road. The Five Hundred's trunk is also larger than those of its competitors, so it can hold 8 full-sized loaded golf bags.
Interior room was emphasized in the Five Hundred's development, and interior materials include imitation carbon fiber as well as traditional woodgrain.
Read more about this topic: Ford Five Hundred
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