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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  No more Hondas - 2012 Ford Focus
  By no_more_hondas - September 30 - 9:26 am

  This 40-year Honda owner had to rent a car and got an 12 Focus 4-dr. Wow! I went to the dealer and saw a hback. I drove it with the man/auto 6-spd and was sold. Ordered mine (SE with Sport pkg. and 203A) and have 7K on it in 3 months. NEVER before have I felt like a car was custom built for me. Seat is like a glove, its fast with smooth acceleration (the initial minor tranny stumble goes away by 1K) and solid as a rock (sorry Chevy). 31 mpg city and 41 hwy for an average since new of 35.4 mpg! Itll blow the doors off most V-6s and the Sync system, while confusing, offers great sound quality. My wife is ditching her 12 Civic for a red 13 Hback to one-up my black 12.

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  best suv ever - 2001 Ford Expedition
  By ashton3002 - September 29 - 3:03 pm

  i have owned this awesome SUV since 2001 i bought it with 20,000 miles on it..i have had it since July of 01 and i absouloutley love it..i use about 1/8 of a tank everyday thats why i dont drive it all the time this is the most reliable and safest SUV on the road..i hit a deer 5 months after i bought it it barley even dented the car.. the only thing i have ever replaced besides regular things are ball joints and tie rods and the battery like 3 or 4 times but i know the reason that is..i have amps and tvs and all that good stuff and thats what was messing with my battery..other than that its been super reliable and its super comfortable!!! its a 5.4L v8 XLT

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  1999 ford taurus SE v6 - 1999 Ford Taurus
  By fordtaurus98 - September 28 - 11:08 am

  I had a person that had one of these and he was selling it to me. He let me test it out for a few weeks before buying it for 300 dollars. it had 124000 Miles on it. The car was amazing to say the least. The tires were aweful but it still drove down the road perfectly. The engine and transmission were 100% smooth running and it was FAST (IMO). So a week after I had it to test it, I decided to look underneath the car. I had a 7 inch wide OPEN hole in my drivers side floor pan. Both rocker panels were non existent. AND, the sub frame had 4 holes in it. I decided to give it back to the person.

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  Would not recommend this car to my worst enemy! - 2012 Ford Fiesta
  By jennillicious - September 28 - 3:15 am

  This was my very first brand new car. I was very excited when I test drove it. Bought it with only 20 miles on it. At first I truly loved it. I was also sold on it having a supposed Sirius XM radio. (It does NOT by the way! so do not be tricked by the button on the dash labeled "SIRIUS" as I was) I have had it for 10 months and have put a little over 9,000 miles on it. It developed an oil leak and has been to service twice for the transmission. It stalled out on the interstate while I had my children with me and we had to be towed home right after the dealership gave it back to me saying they had repaired the transmission. This car is very unsafe and I am just so disappointed and angry!

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  Best Value Car I Have Ever Owned - 2002 Ford Thunderbird
  By rsellson - September 27 - 3:48 pm

  Bought this car because it is my wifes favorite color (yellow). She wanted a convertible and the color was right...that was 5 years ago. The car brings smiles to her, and when she is down-in-the-dumps, we put the top down and go for a ride. Best inverstment Ive ever made. Happy wife...happy life! Now for me. Yellow is not my color but I would drive this car even if it were purple, orange and pink. What a nice driving car. A very good balance of power, handling, efficiency, driver fit, and looks. I have never been in any other car that evokes such a pleasant response from the general public. "Nice car!" I am now considering a second T-Bird for my commute to work. Maybe silver...

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  Sync Issues - Ford cannot fix - 2013 Ford Explorer
  By syncissues - September 27 - 3:45 pm

  We go this car 4 months ago and in that time it has been back to the garage 8 times for them to try and fix the My Ford Touch/SYNC system. It still is not fixed and Ford dont know how to fix it. The car itself is lovely but if you want the SYNC system to work then dont buy this car. their solution to the navigation not working was to buy us a Garmin!!! no buy back, no switch out and no cash compensation - very dissappointed with Ford and their technology that doesnt work

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  The Edge - 2013 Ford Edge
  By dlance54 - September 27 - 10:11 am

  Im not sure how long it has been since Edmunds, or for that matter, Consumer Reports, has used the MyFord Touch with navigation because they are incorrect about its reliability. I have been using it, maybe I just follow instructions better, and have absolutely no issues with the system. The car drives and rides like a dream. Im also confused about the slow to respond review of the transmission. I havent noticed that either. Great car!

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  Ford = Fix. Or. Repair. Daily. - 2003 Ford Focus
  By jaym83 - September 26 - 9:54 pm

  This car is a nightmare. Every other focus owner ive talked to hates this car too. Never buy this vehicle. Even the ford mechanics at the dealerships ive been to tell me this car is nothing but a bag of issues. I have had this car for less than six years and put less than 40,000miles on it and have had so many issues. This car eats tires and rear brakes like candy. So far, new ignition cylinder after six months of ownership, new motor mounts, new fog lights, new throttle cable, more new tires, more new brakes, rear defroster repair, new alternator, driver seat broke (spot welds that hold the seat up right broke), manual window crank broke off, ECU repair, and none of this is covered by Ford.

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  Would make a great car if Ford would fix its issues. - 2010 Ford Fusion
  By rcramsey - September 26 - 10:38 am

  Test drove a SE fully loaded with the 4cyl. First thing I noticed was how horribly slugish it was, as well as its irratic shifting. Loved the car and sales guy said only the 4cyl had this issue. Test drove the 6cyl and loved it. Only to purchase the car new and have issues with it from the first week. Transmission suffers from very hard and irratic shifts. After 3 reflashes, if I havent ran the car in several days the tires with chirp it shifts so hard. With only 15k miles I now have crystalized brakes. Which I now find out through other owners both of these issues are known problems. The rotors I have to pay for out of pocket while the transmission issue remains to which im told unfixable.

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  Excellent economical car! - 2011 Ford Focus
  By parshman - September 26 - 9:47 am

  The Focus is great for families like ours with one child, needing great gas mileage and comfort commuting and traveling. The Focus SE has all the bells and whistles and more, at a very competitive price. I still cant see paying over $20k for a compact car, and this one is well under that. We got a 2011 with 23,000 on it, and because it was certified we got 1.9% financing as well. That, in my opinion, was an excllent value. The car is tight, plenty of headroom, a vacuous truck, comfortable back seat and all the creature comforts we have come to expect. I also got cruise control, Sync, etc. The appearance is very good - This is a good choice for comfort, value, and economy.