- New for 2006 – Silver Birch added to paint choices
- New for 2006 – Family Entertainment System available on SEL and Limited
- New for 2006 – Leather-trimmed seats available on SE
- New for 2006 – Navigation system available on Limited
Overview
The new-for-2005 Ford Five Hundred reinvented the family car by marrying the body of a contemporary sedan to an all-new crossover vehicle architecture. The unique combination results in an upscale four-door sedan, flexible storage space and all-wheel-drive capability. It seats five.
This year, a new hue joins the Five Hundred color selection and several options are newly available on certain trim levels.
Five Hundred is available in three levels of comfort: the value-leading SE, the midlevel SEL and the top-of-the-line Limited.
Design and Equipment
Five Hundred’s authoritative exterior design, with its clean geometric lines and stately proportions, displays confidence and luxury. Classic Ford design cues include the trapezoidal, diamond-patterned grille, the window graphic with elegant chrome surround and, of course, the blue oval Ford badge centered along the rear of the trunk lid.
Premium features include 17-inch wheels (18-inch wheels are standard on Limited), entry keypad, one-touch up/down front power windows, plus a host of options like all-wheel drive, leather-trimmed seating with power adjustments (including power recline for the driver), fold-flat front passenger seat, reverse parking assist and moonroof.
Five Hundred is about 3 inches longer than a Taurus but roughly a foot shorter than the Crown Victoria. Its seating is one of the car’s most impressive elements. The vehicle’s interior brings SUV-like Seating to the premium sedan segment, giving drivers and passengers a clear view of the road, but with the low step-in height of a car. Occupants sit up to 4 inches higher than in other midsize sedans. Overall legroom is best-in-class for both front and rear occupants.
Fold-flat rear and front passenger seats on SEL and Limited models translate to ample cargo space from bumper to dashboard. Furthermore, Five Hundred’s efficient packaging provides more trunk space than any sedan on the market. With more than 21 cubic feet of trunk space, Five Hundred can accommodate eight full-size golf bags.
Other touches include a front-row center console storage bin large enough for a small purse and CDs, an instrument panel storage bin for cell phones and PDAs, front- and back-seat map pockets, rear-seat armrest storage, eight beverage holders and door panel storage on each door for umbrellas and other slim items.
The interior styling includes inviting materials and surface treatments – from smooth metal-plated door handles to soft-touch paint finishes and high-quality fabrics or leather surfaces. SEL and Limited models have burled wood-pattern appliqués on the instrument panel, while the SE edition features appliqués that resemble metal mesh.
Safety and Security
Ford Five Hundred has earned top five-star ratings for front- and side-impact performance in government testing, as well as a “Best Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for frontal crash performance.
These excellent test results stem from a well-designed structure and dozens of innovative safety designs including a patent-pending steering column that tailors its rate of collapse to the driver’s size and safety-belt use. A cross-car beam under the front seats reinforces the structure between the B-pillars while directing energy away from passengers to an engineered failure point under the center console.
Ford’s Personal Safety System is standard, and the available two-row Safety Canopy™ system with rollover sensor and air curtain bags provides protection not only in certain side collisions, but in rollover events as well.
Major Features and Options
SE includes: Continuously variable transmission, four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, 17-inch painted aluminum wheels, chrome trim on fascia and grille surround, power folding exterior mirrors, interval wipers, keyless entry keypad, power windows and locks, six-way power driver’s seat, split fold-flat rear bench seat, rear-seat arm rest with cup holders, two 12-volt power points, AM/FM stereo with CD player, air conditioning, carpeted front and rear floor mats, seatback map pockets, tilt steering wheel with speed control, driver and passenger front air bags, occupant classification system and passive anti-theft system.
SEL adds: Six-speed automatic transmission (FWD only), 17-inch aluminum wheels, automatic headlamps, fog lamps, heated exterior mirrors, air-conditioning ducts in rear of front console, AM/FM stereo with six-disc in-dash CD changer, eight-way power driver’s seat, two-way power front passenger seat, automatic dimming rearview mirror, fold-flat front passenger seat, leather-wrapped shift knob and steering wheel with audio controls, message center with electronic compass, wood-grain appliqué on center stack and console, anti-theft perimeter alarm and remote perimeter lighting.
Limited adds: 18-inch bright aluminum wheels, chrome exterior mirrors, bright grille, Audiophile audio system with six-CD changer and subwoofer, analog clock, heated driver and passenger seats with leather seating surfaces, cargo net, universal garage door opener, memory function for driver’s seat and exterior mirrors and four-way power passenger seat.
Options include the Family Entertainment System, leather seating surfaces, power-adjustable pedals, moonroof, navigation system, Reverse Sensing System and traction control.
Powertrain and Chassis
Five Hundred combines technology under the hood to create a dynamic driving experience. A 3.0-liter Duratec 30 V-6 engine works in concert with its continuously variable transmission (CVT) or six-speed automatic transmission to optimize both performance and fuel economy.
The CVT is standard on all-wheel-drive and some front-drive versions of the Five Hundred. It uses two variable-size pulleys – one for input from the engine, the other for output to the drive wheels – connected by a steel link belt. It varies the effective sizes of the two pulleys to meet the driving dem ands of the moment. Electronic powertrain controls, including a sensor on the electronic throttle, constantly monitor the dem and for power. When more torque is needed for acceleration or maintaining speed up a steep hill, the transmission seamlessly responds by creating the right drive ratio from an infinite number of possibilities, allowing the Duratec 30 engine to operate at optimum performance.
Both transmissions offer wide spans from the lowest to the highest drive ratios. That translates into strong off-the-line acceleration, as well as high fuel efficiency on the highway.
The available all-wheel drive system, currently used by Volvo, delivers power to the wheels, creating a capable, smooth ride in a variety of conditions, such as uneven pavement, potholes, slippery surfaces and anything that compromises traction.
On all-wheel-drive models, innovative, self-leveling shocks sense ride height and use energy from the vehicle’s motion to raise the shock to the optimal ride level.
Dual-piston aluminum front brake calipers and large front and rear brake rotors provide strong stopping power and fade-free performance. Five Hundred’s fully independent suspension, stiff body structure and precise rack- and-pinion steering further contribute to confident ride and handling.
| TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS | |
| BODY | |
| Construction | Steel unibody |
| Final Assembly Location | Chicago Assembly Plant |
| POWERTRAIN AND CHASSIS | |
| ENGINE | |
| Type | 3.0-liter V-6 |
| Configuration | Aluminum block and heads |
| Intake Manifold | Composite integrated air-fuel module |
| Exhaust Manifolds | Cast iron |
| Valvetrain | DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder |
| Ignition | Coil on plug |
| Bore x stroke | 3.5 x 3.1 in. / 88.9 x 78.7 mm |
| Displacement | 181 cu. in. / 2,967 cc |
| Compression ratio | 10.0:1 |
| Horsepower | 203 @ 5,750 rpm |
| Horsepower per liter | 67.7 |
| Torque | 207 lbs.-ft. @ 4,500 rpm |
| Recommended fuel | 87 octane unleaded |
| Fuel capacity | 20 gallons |
| Fuel Injection | Sequential multi-port fuel injection |
| Oil Capacity | 6 quarts with filter |
| Recommended Oil | |
| DRIVETRAIN | |
| Layout | Front-wheel drive and All-Wheel drive |
| TRANSMISSION | |
| Standard | 6-speed automatic overdrive |
| Gear Ratios | |
| 1st | 4.15:1 |
| 2nd | 2.37:1 |
| 3rd | 1.56:1 |
| 4th | 1.16:1 |
| 5th | 0.86:1 |
| 6th | 0.69:1 |
| Reverse | 3:39:1 |
| Final Drive | 3.46:1 |
| Optional | Continuously variable transmission |
| Ratio range | 2.46-0.41:1 |
| Final drive ratio | |
| FWD | 4.98:1 |
| AWD | 5:19:1 |
| SUSPENSION | |
| Front | Independent, MacPherson strut, rearward-facing lower L-arms and stabilizer bar |
| Rear | Independent, multilink coil over shock and stabilizer bar |
| STEERING | |
| Type | Power rack and pinion |
| Ratio | 15.8:1 |
| Turning circle curb-to-curb | 39.7 ft |
| BRAKES | |
| Type | Four wheel power disc brakes with standard 4-sensor, 4-channel anti lock braking system (ABS) and electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD) |
| Front | 12-in ventilated, dual-piston aluminum calipers |
| Rear | 11.5-in ventilated |
| Power assist | Vacuum, ABS and EBD |
| WHEELS AND TIRES | |
| SE | 17-in, seven-spoke painted aluminum, P215/60R17 |
| SEL | 17-in, seven-spoke bright aluminum, P215/60R17 |
| Largest (Limited) | 18-in, eight-spoke bright aluminum, P225/55R18 |
| DIMENSIONS (inches unless otherwise noted) | |
| EXTERIOR | |
| Wheelbase | 112.9 |
| Overall length | 200.7 |
| Overall width | 74.5 |
| Overall height | 60.1 |
| Track width, front/rear | 64.6 / 65.0 |
| INTERIOR | |
| Seating capacity | 5 passenger |
| Headroom | |
| Front row | 39.4 |
| Second row | 38.6 |
| Legroom | |
| Front row | 41.2 |
| Second row | 41.9 |
| Shoulder room | |
| Front row | 57.8 |
| Second row | 57.6 |
| Hip room | |
| Front row | 53.7 |
| Second row | 53.6 |
| H-point height | |
| Front row | 22.7 |
| WEIGHTS AND CAPACITIES (pounds unless otherwise noted) | |
| SAE passenger volume | 108.3 cu. ft. |
| Cargo Volume | 21.2 cu. ft. |
| Maximum towing capacity (properly equipped) | 1,000 |
| Base curb weight | |
| FWD | 3,649 |
| AWD, CVT | 3,825 |
| Power-to-weight ratio (lbs/hp) | |
| FWD | 17.98 |
| AWD, CVT | 18.84 |
| WARRANTY INFORMATION | |
| Warranty | 3-year, 36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper |
| Milestones | |
| 2005 – Ford introduces its flagship Five Hundred sedan as one of six new nameplates during the company’s exciting “Year of the Car”
2005 – IIHS – Top Safety Picks.. Five Hundred earns Best Pick from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for offset frontal crash performance and five-star ratings for front- and side-impact performance in government testing |
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