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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  2006 Explorer XLT - 2006 Ford Explorer
  By Bruce - October 15 - 2:16 pm

  We had been shopping for an SUV for months. My wife and I are typically GM buyers, but for this go around if one of the big three fit our needs the best than thats what wed get. For the money and bang for the buck its really hard to beat what you get out of the Explorer. The third row seat option is nice and with our planning to start a family next year, the crash test ratings are very important. Ford did a great job with the makeover. I cant believe how quiet this thing is. As far as gas mileage goes, Im not sure why thats such a big complaint. Youre just not going to get sedan type mileage out of an suv. If mileage was such an issue then its best to stick with the 30mpg sedans.

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  Lemon Mustang - 2005 Ford Mustang
  By Total Lemon - October 15 - 2:02 pm

  Ive owned this car for just over 3 months and have had nothing but problems. The car has been out of service for almost 40 days. Just got the car back from the dealer on Friday, they had it for 26 consecutive days and cant fix a clicking/popping sound in the front end. Called Ford technical service and are sending a tech in on 11/01/06 to look at the car. The headliner is falling out -now held in place with cardboard shims, rear axle bearings and seals replaced, front and rear rotors already turned, rear quarter windows replaced because of rusty screws holding the weather strips, parking break lever replaced, finish coming of the chrome a/c vent, rocker moldings loose and the list goes on.

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  nice truck - 1995 Ford F-250
  By Matt - October 15 - 1:56 pm

  I recently purchased a 95. Its an XLT 4x4 with the 5.8 and a 5 speed. I am very pleased with this truck. It has good road manners, and shines offroad. This truck loves the mud and is at home on the trail. The manual locking hubs are a pain, though they are strong. Overall, this is a great truck. My only gripe is poor(13 mpg) gas mileage, but its a truck. If I wanted good gas mileage I would have bought a Prius.

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  A great car - 2003 Ford Taurus
  By Prashant - October 15 - 1:12 pm

  I have bought this Taurus 2 months ago and i just love it - ride quality, handling is just great. I have driven lot of other cars including Chevy Malibu and Cavalier, but this is the most comfortable ride. I just love long drives in it. A/C is very powerful.. in a cold area like LaCrosse, it just turns the heat immediately. Boot space is too good.

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  Love and Hate it - 2002 Ford Explorer
  By WHITFOC - October 15 - 2:16 am

  I have had a 98 and an 02. I have had a number of problems with the 02. The rear seals and wheel bearing have been replaced twice, 10K miles apart. The transmission has been in four times. The filter assembly changed twice and now it is in for a new tranny at 43K. Luckily I paid for an extended warranty. Life span of rotors is horrible, same as 98. Sunroof, front wheel bearings, and drivers seat cover replaced. The truck is great. The reliability is horrible. This will be the last Explorer. Too bad they cant make quality job 1 anymore. First model year, but should not have had this many problems.

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  Nice Vehicle - 2005 Ford Freestyle
  By rennoc - October 15 - 1:10 am

  This vehicle is a favorite of my entire family, smooth, quiet and surprising handling. With the 5:41 final drive ratio the 3 liter Duretec gets the job done. Ford is shooting itself in the foot for not promoting this vehicle. Short Term Gain (sell Explorers) vs. Long Term Corporate Health - sell better economy, safety, people ergonomics, etc. The Freestyle is a very pleasant vehicle to own and drive.

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  The first to buy 07 Expedition Limited - 2007 Ford Expedition
  By Blue Creek - October 14 - 10:15 pm

  This car is Sweet! I can not say enough good things about the improvement from past models. I traded my 03 Eddie Expedition With the 6 speed transmission, it feels like my old LS400 gliding into gears and very quiet. The voice nav will blow you away if you never had one. Very stylish inside and out. Im really enjoying this ride.

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  All in All, Not bad - 2001 Ford Escape
  By devlinz34 - October 14 - 7:37 pm

  This was my first brand new vehicle. Ordered it and waited 3 months to get it. Had a problem early on with an A\C vacuum line causing the A\C to kick in and out. Was fixed by dealer. Recently had a stalling issue and dealer never did fix the problem. Took it to an independent repair shop and they fixed it right. After 66k miles, the Escape has been very good and reliable. I hear there are some lemons out there, but I was lucky not to get one. Good power and great room for a small suv. However, looking at selling it for more room and larger towing capacity.

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  Great vehicle so far - 2004 Ford Escape
  By G Adam - October 14 - 2:00 am

  So Far my escape has been great except for a power steering hose clamp that leaked in the extreme cold. It gets 22mpg in the city so far with only a couple of hundread kilometers on it.

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  2003 Ford Expedition - 2003 Ford Expedition
  By karchal - October 14 - 2:00 am

  This is a very nice vehicle, large but very easy to drive. Has a nice soft ride. Engine is very quite. I have a 21ft bass boat which it pulls very well.