The 2006 Ford Five Hundred : Most Underrated Car of the Year

Anyone who says that driving a sedan can’t feel like driving an SUV-hasn’t driven a Ford Five Hundred yet. This car, manufactured by Ford but “designed” by Volvo, was released from production in 2005. This is one of many vehicles being produced which features what is called “Command Seating”, which basically gives the Five Hundred’s occupants a better view of the road, since the seats are up higher. The body style is very similar to a Volkswagen Passat, or even an Audi. And though it’s not the kind of car that you’d want to put racing stripes on, it truly does hold its own on the road.

The Ford Five Hundred comes with a standard 6-cylinder engine. In addition to that, is the 6-speed automatic transmission. And since the cost of a gallon of gas is really close to the price of a small underdeveloped island-having a 6-speed transmission really does improve the gas mileage. City mileage is somewhere in the neighborhood of 29mpg, while highway mileage is a pleasant 31mpg. So, even though you may have to sell half a kidney in order to fill up the tank, at least the gas will last you a while.

The interior is where things get interesting. There are three basic models, the SE, the SEL, and the Limited. The standard edition (SE) comes with a few bells and whistles. Excessive storage is one of them. Advertisements for this car boast that eight sets of golf clubs can comfortably fit into the trunk. I don’t play golf. But I believe this to be true. (Additionally, there is one of those little escape latches, in case one happens to become locked in his/her own trunk.) The middle console storage is extremely deep for a sedan. There is also storage in the dashboard, and an overhead compartment for glasses. Something that I find really great is the number of cup holders. In previous cars, I always had an aversion to the lack of beverage space. But the Five Hundred has cup holders even along the bottom part of the door, which helps prevent spillage. Combine those with the (four) located between each console (front AND rear), and you’ve got quite a little beverage collection. Personally, I’ve never had more than one person in my car at one time. So I can’t imagine that I would ever use all the holders at once. That’s just too much beverage consumption in one car. Other standard features include a motorized driver’s seat which can be manipulated for different degrees of comfort. There is a keypad on the driver’s door. And of course, the stereo system and CD player is top notch. The SEL and Limited models have all of these standard features, but have other options such as wood grain trim, leather interior, heated seats, and even memory pedals.

What most people comment on with the Ford Five Hundred is the excessive room. This is really one roomy car. But not in the Old-Lady-Buick way. As a matter of fact, there is actually more room in the rear than there is in the front. But somehow the interior still feels “compact”. The clever styling and attention to detail in this car (not to mention pricing), make the Five Hundred more luxurious than previous Ford sedans. I truly believe that this is 2006’s most underrated car of the year. With all the hybrid vehicles and crossover SUV’s whizzing up and down America’s roads, I can see how most people would miss the fairly conservative Ford Five Hundred. The car comes in reasonable hues, with Black and Red Fire (Ford’s version of “cranberry”) being the most popular, and is actually a really attractive vehicle. However, it’s fancy only to people like me, who don’t necessarily need to live in the fast lane-but who don’t mind passing a few people in the slow lane.