Overview & Reviews

For more than 100 years now, Ford Motor Company has been selling mass-produced automobiles in the United States and around the globe. Known as one of the Big Three American manufacturers, Ford has attracted millions of loyal customers with a wide range of vehicles that offer considerable value. The automaker's trucks and SUVs have been especially popular. For decades, Ford's F-Series truck has been the best-selling vehicle in America.

The company was founded by Henry Ford in 1903. Ford dreamed of building a car for the masses, and that's precisely what he did, most notably with the immortal Model T of 1908-'27. The latter was bought by 16.5 million Americans during its 20-year lifespan and was affordable enough for Ford's own factory workers to purchase. Ford's early years were also distinguished by its introduction of the moving assembly line. It was the first to utilize this more cost-effective method of production, and its innovation became a mainstay of the manufacturing process.

Ford expanded into the luxury-car market with its purchase of Lincoln Motor Company in 1925. Over the next few years, the company broadened its focus even further by creating the Mercury division to produce mid-priced cars. By the late '30s, Ford had unveiled the stylish Lincoln Zephyr, introduced a low-priced V8 engine and built more than 25 million vehicles.

The 1950s saw the introduction of the legendary Thunderbird. Offering sleek styling and spirited performance wedded to available luxury features like power windows and a signal-seeking radio, the car was a huge hit. Another model of that decade, the Edsel, met with a somewhat less enthusiastic reception. In the wake of abysmal sales, the Edsel was discontinued just a few months into its third model year.

Ford regained its footing in the early 1960s with the introduction of the compact Falcon, a model that was warmly received by the public. By the middle of the decade the automaker had given enthusiasts something to cheer about with the launch of the sporty Mustang, a car that went on to become one of the biggest sellers of its day. Buyers adored the Mustang's low price, available powerful V8 engines and sporty styling. The Mustang even created a brand-new vehicle category: the pony car.

By the 1970s, Ford, like other domestic automakers, was starting to suffer the effects of changing consumer tastes and new government regulations. Many of its cars became shadows of their former selves. But the seeds of rebirth were planted in this decade. In 1979, the company acquired a stake in Mazda; this move would later aid Ford significantly in co-development projects. The company also emerged with a new mindset of global competitiveness.

By the mid-to-late '80s, Ford was showing new strength with its popular Escort and Taurus models while further expanding its empire with the purchase of the Aston Martin and Jaguar brands. Meanwhile, its full-size LTD sedan (later renamed the Crown Victoria) remained a staple of taxi companies and police forces throughout America.

Ford rode a wave of popularity in the 1990s, thanks in part to the huge success of its Explorer midsize SUV. The truck played a huge role in ushering in the era of the SUV. In 1999, Ford expanded its family yet again with the purchase of Volvo's car division, and, in 2000, it acquired Land Rover. For awhile, there was talk of Ford even taking General Motors' spot as the No. 1 automaker in the world.

But the new millennium initially saw a downturn for Ford. Increased competition, a continuing operating loss for Jaguar, legacy costs and a reliance on SUVs for profit took their toll. To compensate, the company sold Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo and introduced a wave of successful new products. Models like the F-150, Fusion, Fiesta, Focus, Flex and Mustang have allowed Ford to regain its health and standing as a very competitive manufacturer.

User Reviews:

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  what a beast - 2003 Ford Excursion
  By george dougherty - October 20 - 4:33 pm

  Great truck - purchased in 2003 new. 180k miles. no major issues and still runs great. Last week a Dodge Ram rear ended me at thirty five miles an hour while I was stopped at a light. His truck is trashed, broken rad., power steering fluid all over the place, need to be towed. My fender is dented and tail light broken. has been on the beach, in 20 inches of snow, towed horses and other cars out of snow drifts, and has suffered my wife hitting posts etc. It keeps on going strong.

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  2015 Ford Edge Titanium *Guards Green* - 2015 Ford Edge
  By Sage O - October 20 - 8:55 am

  So I am a 24 year old and have had my 2015 Ford Edge titanium with the 2.0 eco boost 4cyl in the guards green color for a bit over a month. So far, very satisfied with the car. The color is awesome, almost like a Greyish-green. Great ride height, good visibility of the road. The 4 cyl, in my opinion is enough power for the car. I would imagine the 6 cyl version being terrible on gas mileage. I drive mainly city, stop and go traffic in Brooklyn and I am averaging 16.2mpg for approx 1200 miles I have already put on the car. Interior is extremely comfortable. A lot of technology!!! Bluetooth is very easy to use and responsive. Touch screen display is excellent as well. I have ambient lighting in the vehicle as well which I love. Another feature I find my self using is the foot activated rear lift gate. Very useful believe it or not. Also the auto start fuction from the key fob is excellent. Use it almost every day, I anticipate using it daily once the winter hits the north eastOverall I am very satisfied with the vehicle and deffinetly recommend it to anyone looking for a luxury SUV

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  Nice...... - 2006 Ford Ranger
  By Kelly stratton - October 19 - 3:33 pm

  Great truck...gas mileage could be better for the 4cyl auto trans. Upgrade the tires to 235/70-15 to give it a little more height. Second ranger Ive owned an think their great trucks

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  Fabulous Ford Fusion gets A+ - 2012 Ford Fusion
  By Cari - October 18 - 8:36 pm

  This is probably the best car I have ever owned, and I have had everything from Cadillacs to VWs. In over three years it has given me absolutely NO problems! It is very comfortable and gives me a good ride every time, city or highway. I plan to get another one ASAP. The only slight disappointment is the resale value (it should be better)..

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  Goes the distance - 1994 Ford Thunderbird
  By Kevin Richardson - October 17 - 11:30 pm

  I got my V6 bird early in 2008 for free, you could say it needed some repairs with 180000 miles and previous neglect. I would consider these repairs normal considering the neglect and age. After replacement of water pump, radiator, hoses, heater core, T-stat, front end rebuild including rack and pinion and power sterring pump, brakes rotors flexlines and calipers, alternator and a paint job. For awile the car was just like new long cross country trips without trouble also the car gets about 110 miles a day 5 days a week commute. Then @ 285000 miles it failed smog needed new valve guides so had the cylinder heads rebuilt and went from useing 1 quart of oil every 500 miles to useing 1/2 quart every 3000 miles, also had to replace catletic converters, EGR valve, mass air flow sensor, air intake temp sensor, and computer temp coolant sensor. After all that the smog guy said it was running cleaner than most new cars. @ 285000 miles this is considerd normal matenince. Then at about 305000 miles it started missing randomly needed new distrubtor drive gear so I changed the coil and ignition controll module and fuel pump out of reliabilty since these parts wont last forever. As it needs to be reliable I dont need to brake down 2500 miles away from home BTW never had to be towed home or brake down, it easyer to find problems through prevenitve maint. and fix it in the drive way than out on the road. So today I have 348000 miles running great would drive it 3000 miles with out hesatation. The truth is if your comitted your car will last as long as you want, unless rust is there. I dont want to spend 30000-40000 for a new car and have debt spend $1500.00 a year and keep your car cheaper than a new one. At this point I just do routine maint. drive to work and weekend tips ,vacation no worries. Also the V8 has less maint. Yeah the v6 needs head gaskes at 200000 miles but really thats high miles it normal. I have never replaced this trans. I hear thats un ususal but I change the fluid every 20000 miles, maby there is something to that. The cooler line also has an in line filter that is changed every time with the pan filter useing Ford mercon 5 fluid it really matters dont use cheap trans fluid. The best part or funny part is as the years go buy the parts get cheaper. Go figure newer car more expensive parts older cart cheaper parts. Transmission and lower end of the engine is orignal and rear diff. Looks like a new car with the paint job. runs/drives like a new car too. Ill probally keep it forever or untill corosion takes over underneath. This car also stops on a dime wow, its got 4 wheel disk and ABS un heard of in 1994. Turns great for how heavy it is.

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  70,000miles Just Fine - 2011 Ford Taurus
  By Mark - October 17 - 2:05 pm

  Buy with largest wheels and heavy duty battery

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  Awesome Track Suv! - 2013 Ford Explorer
  By Moses Alvarez - October 17 - 2:05 pm

  I have a 2013 Sport Black on Black. This Suv looks great, the interior is nice, and the performance is awesome. When Im driving this bad boy around town, peoplw in other Suvs and sometimes cars always want t race me and I destroy them everytime. So one day I took this to the track, and ran a 14.07 bone stock! So I decided to do a livernois Stage 3 Tune and now Im doing Mid to High 12s in an Suv!!! This Suv is just awesome, the EcoBEAST engine is phenomenal. 5 out of 5 stars in performance EASY. Sure there may be a lot of plastic pieces, compared to a Range Rover or BMW X5, but the interior is very decent for an american Suv. Plus when you know your faster than all of them, who cares am I right?? My wife even enjoys leaving the other Soccer Moms behind in their Mazda CX-9s, Chevy Traverse, Honda Oddysseys etc... All in all, this things is a Rocket and I am so glad I decided to purchase this over a Grand Cherokee SRT, AND I get a THIRD ROW!! WAY TO GO FORD!!!! Highly Recommend!

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  Good value - 2015 Ford Escape
  By Mike - October 15 - 5:08 pm

  I bought this vehicle on New Years eve 2014 and at writing have 22,000 on it. I knew I was not buying a high end luxury car and dont try to pretend that it is one. Fuel economy is fair to good (25.3 combined over 22,000, I dont ever reset trip 1) and I am not disappointed although like everyone else Id like a little more. The rear seats are of the "lay flat" design so they are not the most comfortable, that is a trade off in any SUV/CUV with lay-flat back seats. We seldom have back seat passengers and only for a short distance so its no problem. I have put several hundred miles at a time in it and Im big guy @6 / 275, and find the front seat a bit on the firm side but still comfortable. I would like to have a slightly larger fuel tank even if only one or two gallons more. Overall this is a very good vehicle for the price. Its only been in the shop for its oil changes.

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  LOVE IT!!!!!!! - 2007 Ford Edge
  By Darius - October 15 - 1:15 am

  It is hard to replace this car... we test drove the brand new 2015 Honda CRV, Subaru XV, Toyota Rav4... this 2007 Edge is better then those b-new ones... Had it for 6years, no problems... replaced batery, brake shues... This car changed my opinnion about Ford...

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  Best Bang for the Buck ever - 2007 Ford Mustang
  By john Aronhalt - October 14 - 4:34 pm

  My kids have gotten a little older, so I got my 4th Mustang after a 10 year break. I picked up a used black GT convertible for a VERY reasonable price, and couldnt be happier so far. You really cant beat all you can get out of this car for a VERY affordable price. I got mine for under 15K in perfect condition and under 60K miles. I get more positive comments while out and about than cars I have owned that cost 35K plus. Sure, this car has its drawbacks such as a rough ride, no storage space, clunky shifting, etc. I am assuming people who want a refined car with good manners dont want a Mustang, this is a good old fashion V8 rear wheel drive muscle car. You buy it for fun, and it delivers!