May 10, 2005 - The Friendly Giant would lower his castle's drawbridge and welcome pre-school TV viewers with the words "Once upon a time, not long ago and not far away..." Slowly, the camera would start at Friendly’s boot and pan up to his face while he instructed his tiny tot audience to "look up...W-A-AY UP!"

Friendly, with his trusty sidekicks, Jerome and Rusty, was a consistent presence in kid’s lives for almost 28 years. Every day for fifteen minutes you pretty much knew what you were in-store for.

Big, non-threatening, and safe for families, could also describe Ford’s new 2005 Five Hundred sedan. We’ve already reviewed the super-sized family sedan at its launch back in October, 2004 (the LOOK #28), but that was only for a brief, parking lot encounter, so an extended stay was booked.

“Big” means our mid-range $36,955 Five Hundred AWD SEL test car has more interior space than any vehicle in its class, and the largest trunk in any car you can buy today. And this car is long—5,099 mm overall to be exact—89 mm longer than Toyota’s new Avalon XLS ($39,900). To comfort all of those folks abandoning their large sport-utility-vehicles, the Five Hundred’s upright seating position will feel familiar. Combined with wide door openings and ceiling-mounted grab handles, getting in and out of the Five Hundred couldn’t be any easier if you had your own drawbridge.



Once you've climbed up, “w-a-a-y up!”, into the driver’s seat, getting comfortable is made easy with a six-way power-adjustable seat with manual lumbar support, tilt steering wheel and optional power-adjustable pedals. Of course, with similar design features and use of upgrade materials and tight workmanship, you’ll think you’ve just stepped into a new Ford F-150, but compared to the dated, plasticky insides of a Chevrolet Impala LS ($30,345), this is not a bad thing.

As for the Five Hundred being “safe for families“, it’s no secret Ford has dipped into the corporate parts bin and is using a version of Volvo’s large sedan, the S80, as a starting point. Right off the bat, this embodies the Five Hundred with class-leading stiffness with relatively soft crush zones designed into the car’s impact areas. Optional side air bags and Ford's Safety Canopy (which provides protection in side impacts and rollovers), garners the Five Hundred  with five star crash ratings across the board.

For those which a few snowflakes on the ground or a dash of rain can get their driving shorts in a knot, Ford is making a Volvo-derived all-wheel-drive system available across the Five Hundred’s SE, SEL and Limited model range for $2,750. Adding 81.65 kilograms of curb weight, the electronically controlled Haldex system is fairly transparent and delivers safe, reliable understeer similar to the more upscale Volvos that the system can also be found in.



Choosing AWD also means you’re choosing the mandatory continuously variable transmission (CVT) automatic; front-wheel-drive Five Hundreds receive a new, conventional six-speed automatic. The CVT employs two variable-size pulleys (one takes power from the engine, the other drives the wheels) connected by a metal chain. The chain constantly varies the effective sizes of the two pulleys to deliver what the driver is requesting. When more torque is needed for passing moves, the transmission can select an infinite number of gear ratios. What the transmission aurally projects doesn’t coincide with the speed that you are traveling at. Driving any CVT-equipped car eliminates the traditional kick-down expected by most drivers, so we recommend a thorough test drive.

Like the Friendly Giant, the Five Hundred’s out-and-out performance won’t scare the kids either. Keep in mind that only hardcore Swedephiles would consider the donor Volvo S80 a “sports sedan”, so it’s no surprise the giant Ford’s performance can be considered “non-threatening”.



Similar to the Volvo, the ride and handling experience is weighted to the ride side. Using the same 203 horsepower, 207 pound-feet of torque 3.0-litre vee-six that’s been used by various Fords for years as the exclusive powerplant to haul around the Five Hundred’s 1,730 kilograms doesn’t help on the excitement front either. If you think the Yamaha-designed vee-eight that Volvo just dropped into their XC90 SUV—that also happens to share the same chassis—would make a nice drivetrain option, start your letter campaign to Ford today.

For today’s growing families moving away from a full-size pickup or SUV, Ford’s super-sized sedan makes a lot of sense. Inside, the Five Hundred is large-German-sedan-roomy, and it looks and feels upscale. Available AWD, a feature that can’t be had on a Buick LeSabre ($34,710), will reduce the sweat on some driver’s palms, and the Volvo chassis means that not only is the car safe, but that it goes down the road in a competent fashion.

Although the Five Hundred’s straight-line performance can’t compete with HEMI-powered 300s, the CVT squeezes as much performance and economy that’s left in the ol’ Duratec V-6. I don’t remember the Friendly Giant being a big fan of brake-stands, so let’s keep the Five Hundred’s mission in life in perspective, okay kids?

- John LeBlanc, publisher, www.straight-six.com



2005 Ford Five Hundred AWD SEL

Vehicle type: Front-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan

Base price: $34,545

Price as tested: $36,955 (Options:  Reverse warning system and leather seating $2,410)

Warranty: 3 years/60,000 kms

Engine: 2,967cc V-6, chain-driven double overhead cams, 4 valves per cylinder, aluminum block and heads, 203-hp @ 5,750 rpm, 207 lb-ft of torque @ 4,500 rpm

Transmission: Continuously variable automatic with torque converter

4-wheel-drive system: Full time with automatic rear-axle engagement and open front and rear differentials

Suspension: Front: ind, strut located by a control arm, coil springs, anti-roll bar Rear: ind; 1 upper control arm, 1 trailing link, 1 lateral link, and 1 toe-control link per side; coil springs; automatically leveling shock absorbers; anti-roll bar

Brakes: Hydraulic with vacuum power assist and anti-lock control. Front: vented disc. Rear: disc. Anti-lock and electronic brakeforce distribution

Wheel size/type: 7.0 x 18 in/cast aluminum

Tires: 215/60R 17 all-season

Wheelbase: 2,867 mm (112.9 in)

Length: 5,099 mm (200.7 in)

Width: 1,892 mm (74.5in)

Height: 1,562 mm (61.5 in)

Curb weight: 1,730 kg (3,815 lb)

Curb weight per horsepower: 8.35 kg

Fuel capacity: 72L (19 gal)

Fuel consumption: City: 12.4L/100 kms (23 mpg); Highway: 8.5L/100 kms (34 mpg)

Fuel type: Regular gasoline