Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedans/Saloons, Ford
Spy Shots: 2008 Ford Five-Hundred
by Dan Roth on Dec 20th 2006 at 5:49PM 
The eagle-eyes at KGP have spied a 2008 Ford Five Hundred with very little camoflage. What's changed? Okay, okay, they've updated the nose by adding Edge-type lights that integrate more with the grille, lessening the bug-eye effect of the current model. There are new strakes in the airdam, and the new corporate three-bar grille, but other than that this looks like a mild freshening. We're detecting perhaps a smidge more angularity in the new front end. Out back, the taillights have been revised with more clear and just accents of red. Overall, a minor freshening but a much needed one to bring the Five-Hundred in line with the new face of Ford. We've always thought it was conservatively styled, but not ugly. The revisions keep it up to date, but the addition of the new 3.5-liter V6 with more power will no doubt pick up more sales than this mild facelift. [Source: LLN]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
mike 6:19PM (12/20/2006)
Not enough to make this turd smell better. I say flush it and start over!!!
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hondacura 6:24PM (12/20/2006)
WOW! Altezzed lights. No one has used those yet!
Wooo! They changed the grill. I'm sure no one has done that ever. Especially the 3 bar grill. Woo looks expensive. Where does Ford keep getting all this money from???? Can GM get a loan?
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big jimmy 6:32PM (12/20/2006)
I want ford to discontinue this peice of shit. next one should be rear wheel drive
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SKluck 6:33PM (12/20/2006)
I never understood why this car is so hated. It's got very similar lines to a Mercedes (mostly from the rear), if it had a Mercedes front end no one would be the wiser. Sure its a bit boring, but so is every other mid-level sedan at ~30K. It's the safest and biggest car in its class. With the better front end and more power, why can't this replace Crown Vic?
Is it just too "boring"? That never stopped Toyota.
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GrowUp 6:42PM (12/20/2006)
#4, Me neither....but then look at the quality of the posts so far. Do these seem like the opinions anyone should care about?
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cl2 6:43PM (12/20/2006)
Nothing like a bunch of amateur stylist who have nothing else to bitch about. It is one of the safest in its class. Why don't some of you bloggers get a life.
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Craig N. Cote 6:47PM (12/20/2006)
Another vain attempt by a company long left behind. Will Ford ever get a Motor Trend award again? How much Mazda blood is in the thing and will it be built in Mexico with a paltry resale value compared to a Toyota? Give up the ghost Ford, Toyota's past you now and GM's gonna be looking at their taillights too.
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Typesbad 6:48PM (12/20/2006)
This is sensible sedan. It doesn't hold much interest with us enthusiasts, but it has packaging that shames its Chrysler/Dodge counterparts and a perfectly competant drivetrain. Its a good choice for a lot of people who need a big backseat and/or a big trunk. Maintaining the bland roofline and greenhouse won't win many new converts but it will help Ford, for better or worse establish its corporate face. I wish Ford luck with this one.
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FrankTheCrank 6:56PM (12/20/2006)
Wow, they dumped the Taurus for this?
The Taurus, the only car that at point in time was able to outsell the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. Imagine that.
So, what do they do? Dump the Taurus, bring out the Five Hundred and then drop the Fusion on us. The Fusion is not a bad Mazda, whoops, I mean car, but it's not the 427 Concept.
Big mistake taking the Taurus name and franchise and completely flushing it down the toilet. Nice job Ford. Nothing like telling the American public how you really feel about your own nameplates.
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Infinihertz 7:20PM (12/20/2006)
FrankTheCrank, NO, they didn't dump the Taurus for this. They replaced the Taurus with the Fusion. Period. I'm shocked how many people keep saying this. They're not the same size, price range or anything. And personally, I had lost respect for the Taurus name, so I don't think killing it was necessarily a bad idea.
I agree with #4 and #6 - the car is somewhat boring, but it's the safest D-size car, and the new V6 plus a 6-speed auto will help a lot.
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Daniel 7:24PM (12/20/2006)
The 500/Montego have very nice driving dynamics, available AWD and a unique high seating positions tht gives the car an even bigger fell. So why don't they just give this solid chassis the Ford 427 styling and some decent choice in engines - 3.5 V6, 3.5 V6 with twin turbo and direct injection, small V8, small diesel, hybrid etc.
It would be a huge winner if it only had a bit of soul.
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the friendly grizzly 7:28PM (12/20/2006)
My question for all the slammers is: how many have you driven? I know it is not a SaBenzAuVoiGen, or a NiSuToyBishiDaZda, so right away that drops it down pretty low, but...
I don't generally like Fords or their dealers, and believe the company has been dreadfully managed for years.
That being said, let me say this: I *have* driven one, and found it to be a pleasant car. Underpowered? Yes. Ford is addressing that. Fit and finish was outstanding. The new automatic was responsive, smooth, and seemed always to be in the right gear. UNlike a lot of Fords, the dash layout was good. The controls understandable after 3 minutes behind the wheel. Knobs and buttons, not some Teutonic video game controller.
The BIG thing for me was the fact it had far more headroom in it than any sedan I have driven for the past 10 years. The one I drove had a sunroof, but the headroom was still there, and the windshield could be seen out of despite my 6-2 height and long torso.
Would I buy one? If I didn't have to deal with Ford dealers, yes. I would. I don't find it ugly. It's no 1963 Grand Prix by any stretch, but ugly? Not really. Put the Audi label on it and see if you still find it ugly.
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Tom Miller 7:31PM (12/20/2006)
The 500 is no beauty but neither was the 2002 - 2006 Camry and they sure sold them!
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Tom DCVA 7:45PM (12/20/2006)
#11 "And personally, I had lost respect for the Taurus name, so I don't think killing it was necessarily a bad idea."
One very valid criticism of Ford is that it does allow model names to rot. The Taurus was a good car for a while but a 10 year product cycle will kill anything. Ford is now killing the Focus and Ranger model names, which is doubly stupid in the case of the Focus because it is a global model name, and because they have a better model available already.
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Jared 8:25PM (12/20/2006)
I too don't understand the hatred for this model. I like the styling. It is conservative and elegant. The 3.0 and CVT were gutless, but now that is fixed. I'd prefer a RWD bias, but as a competitor to the Avalon, the 500 has a lot going for it.
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dakota 8:26PM (12/20/2006)
"How much Mazda blood is in the thing and will it be built in Mexico with a paltry resale value compared to a Toyota? "
Do some homework you fool. The Five Hundred, Montego, and Freestyle are all built at the Chicago Assembly Plant. You know Chicago Illinois, USA.
Car is based on a Volvo, not Mazda.
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Mactor 8:36PM (12/20/2006)
I hope they have replaced that cheap a** radio that they took straight from the Focus.
Who wants to spend $30k and get the same cheap unit shoved into a square hole in the dash as Ford's cheapest economy car. Looking at the sales figures, apparently no one.
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Ryan 8:39PM (12/20/2006)
Your getting a Volvo S80 for a good deal with this car. I have 3 friends (all in their mid 20's) that have purchased the five-hundred. One of them slammed it, but 20" chrome rims on it, blacked out the windows and has leather, the car looks awesome.
I would say the roof needs to be a little more "sleek" for lack of a better term, then it would pull off a more euro look. I do have to say the fit and finish is very very impressive.
These cars are a steal used.
It looks less bland, but still kind of bland in stock form.
Anyone think that Ford has been scared shitless since the all out dramatic restyle (then later, huge flop) the 1996-1999 Taurus was? They have been playing their designs way to safe. After all, not playing on a "safe" design is what made the Taurus so popular back in 1986.
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Ryan 8:44PM (12/20/2006)
"18. I hope they have replaced that cheap a** radio that they took straight from the Focus."
-1st off, I totally agree with you, *but* GM does the same thing.
-Personally the factory radio is the first thing to be ripped out of any of my new cars, with the exception of my Mazda 3, and only due to the fact the dash would look way to shitty without the factory radio, I would lose my steering wheel controls and the screen on the dash board, so mazda totally botched that up, but I did find a "hack" to link my ipod into it! It plugs into the cd changer port and the radio "thinks" the ipod is actually a cd changer and CD1,2,3,4,5,6, actually are your first 6 playlists in your ipod, so it's pretty cool
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MikeW 9:20PM (12/20/2006)
The 500 has terrible tailights, anything would be an improvement.
It seems as they are following the A6 very closely. In the 2002 model year the A6 dumped its terrible red turn signals.
Hopefully Ford doesn't go and do something stupid like replace the headlights with dual beams.
As for the powertrain, it is about damn time for the 3.5. The axle ratio doesn't even need changing as it was designed for the 3.5 from job1.
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