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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  mechanical disaster - 1999 Ford Windstar
  By Paul Cocksedge - June 18 - 2:00 am

  I have owned two Windstars, a 1995 and 1999. Both have had major mechanical problems engine blew up in the 1995 van, the 1999 van has had the front end replaced, the transmisson rebuilt, and a multitude of other problems. Both vans were bought because of the functionality of the vehicle to service familly needs. Never again. Ford sells junk!!!!!!

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  Best Top Down fun for the price - 2002 Ford Mustang
  By Damian A. Durrant - June 18 - 2:00 am

  You cannot get more fun in a car for under $25K. Sticks to the road, just enough torque to feel racy, and a great sound system, with a muscular, punchy styling. This car is solid and remains tight. One exception: squeeky windows that the dealer fixed. But not a single other problem since October 01. Essentially, Ford focused on the things a buyer like me wants, so there may be some paint runs under the trunk, but who cares? Do I wish it had about 40 more horsepower? Yes, its not quite as fast as its looks suggest, but that is being picky. Buy the GT for a few grand more if that is your concern. Overall, a surprisingly great buy.

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  TOP NOTCH! - 2006 Ford Fusion
  By TAH4LATR - June 17 - 2:50 pm

  The Fusion has been a great car. It is fun to drive, comfortable, and gets great gas mileage. I recently went on a business trip and averaged 36 mpg! The Fusion has been trouble free with only routine oil/filter changes and inspections. The looks great in and out and is an outstanding vehicle to drive in everyday.

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  Love My Ride - 2002 Ford F-150
  By raiderblack - June 17 - 10:00 am

  I have owned my new SVT Lightning for 1 month now, and I cant rave enough about it. IT is with out a doubt fastest funnest vehicle I have ever driven. It has more power than anyone would ever need or want. I am continually stopped to talk about my truck from complete strangers. Its ride is exceptionally smooth and it handles wonderfully for a large truck. What can I say, its eye catcher when parked and a blur to the regular world when I drive by..

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  I LOVE my Sport Trac! - 2002 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
  By Ron Brandich - June 17 - 10:00 am

  I ordered my Sport Trac on Oct.19, 2001. I ordered evrything that was offered and then I waited till Dec.26 when it came in I also had the dealer order and put on the automatic headlights, bug deflector for the front,side window deflectors, rear cargo mat and custom mud flaps. I also just had it stripped with silver metallic sparkle double stripe tape last week. I now have 2300 miles on it and I will admit it gets about the same mileage as my FULL SIZE Ford Econoline. I really dont know if it will get 15 to 20 MPG like the window sticker said anymore. I give it a rating of 9.5! I also do wish you could get the same options for the Sport Trac as you can get for the regular Explorer.

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  Ford Crown Vic. - 1996 Ford Crown Victoria
  By Bruce Stutson - June 17 - 10:00 am

  Excellent car. No problems at all.

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  Everything I thought it would be... and more! - 2012 Ford Focus
  By geriacci - June 17 - 6:10 am

  I thought I would provide an in-depth review of this fine car for any prospective buyers out there. I purchased a Blue Candy Metallic SEL Sedan model with 303A trim last month. After scouring AutoTrader for about a month, I got lucky and this gem turned up in my own city. I scooped it up even before they had a chance to list it on their website. 1,600 miles later, I have nothing but praise for this car. Im glad that automakers seem to be giving more respect to the compact segment. After exhaustive research, my selection was narrowed down to the Chevy Cruse, Mazda3 and Hyundai Elantra when I started seeing internet buzz for the new Focus. Since it was a Focus, I dismissed it offhand as the capable yet unremarkable car it used to be. Then I started to read some reviews and watch some demo videos on YouTube. I became very intrigued with the MyFord Touch system. Im a fairly practical car buyer. My previous car was a 2006 Nissan Sentra, which ran fine and got pretty good gas mileage, but had no personality. This time I wanted a fuel efficient car that would be a little more fun. The Elantra was my #1 choice due to its aggressive styling, above-average size and upscale interior. After the Focus turned my head, I was torn between the two. The Elantra has better gas mileage and a better warranty. But the Focus has more to offer technology wise. Sure, the Elantra Limited trim also has a touch screen with navigation and a premium stereo, but the Focus has a 10 speaker Sony system with a subwoofer. The Elantra only has 6 speakers and no sub. My Sentra had a sub in the trunk and I was reluctant to give that up. Focus also has an advantage with Microsoft Sync (which so far has worked really well). I’m not sure what the extent of the voice command usage is on the Elantra (nobody ever had a Limited in stock in my area, plus I couldn’t find many details online). At the end of the day, I was lured away from the Elantra by the seemingly superior tech in the Focus cabin. When I actually went to test drive the nearest one (about an hour from my town), I was blown away by its appearance, both inside and out. Any pictures you see online really don’t do this car justice. People still can’t believe this car is a Focus (my brother in particular was stunned). The tech does not disappoint, though the touch screen is occasionally slow to respond (usually only when you first start the car). Touch sensitivity is quite good, and voice commands yield the desired results 9 times out of 10. I still get a kick out of requesting albums and songs by voice (so far the funniest one has been Prince’s “Irresistible B***h…” if you didn’t know, the selection is repeated back to you, so it’s often amusing to hear the frumpy computer voice repeat the occasional odd phrase). It’s infinitely better than screwing around with an iPod interface while you’re trying to drive. If you don’t like using voice commands, the touch screen iPod interface is excellent. MP3 sound quality is quite good, but I can still tell the difference when I put in a CD. You can also use a regular USB flash drive for music if you don’t want to pay iPod prices (flash drives also respond to voice commands). The sound system is quite good overall, though the highs are occasionally a tad shrill (I think the multiple front speakers are probably to blame for this, i.e. too much separation of higher frequencies). You can always adjust the EQ to your liking, though (you get a 3 band EQ- bass, midrange, treble; there are no genre settings i.e. Jazz, Country, Dance, etc.). At first, I assumed the EQ settings would need to be similar to what I have always used (+2 or 3 bass, -2 or 3 treble, default midrange and -1 or 2 towards the rear speakers). This didn’t sound very good at all, though. In addition to the bass, I ended up increasing the midrange and treble, which is something I’ve never done in a car stereo before. There is a lot of power in the woofers (355 watts courtesy of an amplifier in the trunk) and you don’t need to crank the volume in order to get great bass. The bass is very tightly controlled, however. Often times a song will start out heavy on the bass and you can feel/hear the speakers pull it back a little bit to avoid a potential speaker blow-out (this is usually only noticeable on songs with very heavy bass). The bass response is still excellent, though… easily the best I’ve personally experienced from a factory sound system… and I’d rather have the system pull the bass back than have a speaker blowout. The CD player reads CD text, which is awesome for those of us who use it on mixes. The iPod interface will display album artwork when it is available. The only annoying thing I’ve encountered with the stereo is that it will sometimes switch inputs when you turn the car back on. For instance, I’ll leave the car listening to a CD. When I get back in, the car is tuned to USB… not sure why. Luckily this only happens if something is plugged in to the USB drive, and it doesn’t happen all the time. The navigation system works extremely well, though searching for a POI (point of interest) or setting a destination does take some getting used to. The visual navigation screen has a couple of different views, including upcoming exit information and turns. You don’t need to worry about missing a turn because not only is your next turn displayed on the driver screen (in the Information display next to mileage, trip info, etc.), but you get voice alerts when your turn is coming up. The voice alert even tells you what your next turn will be before you get on an interstate exit (“Take Exit 254, and in 2/10ths of a mile, turn right onto Highway 6”). The system got me through the confusing Chicago interstates and into Michigan without incident this past weekend (it even displays the speed limit for you!). Sirius Traffic Link gives you gas prices of upcoming stations and traffic alerts for your entire route. You can search for gas stations, restaurants and even stores via the POI setting. This feature was incredibly helpful while driving around in an unfamiliar city. After the 6 months of free Sirius service expires, you’ll have to pay $1.99 per month to keep Traffic Link. I’d say it’s probably worth it, but I won’t know for sure until it’s gone and I see the full extent of what I’m missing. So far the air conditioning has been excellent; I was able to keep it on automatic even during the last few blazing hot weeks. The dual zones work well considering the size of the car. It has a max defrost feature that I’m hoping will work nicely come winter. Hands-free Bluetooth phone service works quite well. I can converse at a normal volume and the calls come in nice and clear (bear in mind, quality of calls will also depend on your carrier and the coverage you get). My HTC Evo Shift automatically pairs with the car when I get in, and voice dialing is supported (“Call Mom and Dad Cell”). I have heard that voice dialing will not work for every phone, though. There is a SYNC-cell phone compatability chart here: http://www.nsapp.fordtechservice.dealerconnection.com/sync/usEN/sync_us_EN_iop_2_00.pdf The display provides battery level and signal strength. You can browse your contacts on the touch screen. Text messaging on the touch screen is not supported on my phone, so I can’t comment about that. My phone also does not support ringtone transfer to the car speakers. I can stream music from the phone, but I can’t select the music from the touch screen, only on the phone itself (though when I browse the phone on the stereo interface, a couple of my ring tones do show up). I don’t have the Parking Assist feature, only the rear sensor (rear camera only comes with Parking Assist). Since I have to park pretty close to the wall, the sensor beeps every time I back out of the garage. The car handles quite well (my brother was very impressed and he is an auto snob when it comes to American cars) and the ride is very smooth on the interstate… no more struggling to maintain cruise control speed when I go up a hill as with my previous car. Cruise control works very well, including the ability to increase or decrease speed without having to reset it. Plus if you have to brake, you can hit the resume button once you are able to cruise again and the previously-set speed resumes. Acceleration is a lot better than my last car. I no longer have to put the pedal to the floor trying to get on the interstate. The transmission shifts smoothly at high speeds but does occasionally act a little confused at low speeds (mostly when first accelerating after breaking). I know some people are really annoyed by this, but it doesn’t bother me. I don’t use the Sport mode so I can’t really comment on it. My brother used it and was impressed, for whatever that’s worth. The car is fairly quiet at high speeds with very low wind noise (though I hear the Cruze supposedly has the quietest cabin in the segment). The front windows are both one-touch up and down (very handy for those pesky tolls). The glovebox and center console are fairly roomy, but there are no other spots to put a cell phone or loose change, unless you use the cup holders. The cup holders are deep enough to accommodate bigger fountain drinks. Plastic bottles and cans don’t feel too secure but so far I have not had one tip over. The holders are deep enough that tipping shouldn’t be a problem. It’s true that back seat leg room is not great, but the seats themselves are comfortable. The fold down center console (only available with the leather package) is a nice touch, though the drink holders are a little small. The auto dimming mirror works extremely well. I haven’t had much of a chance to test the auto-sensing wipers yet. I haven’t been able to get the Homelink button programmed correctly, so I’m still using my clunky garage door remote. There is supposed to be a “Learn” button on my garage door receiver but I haven’t been able to locate it. The seats are quite comfortable. It’s so nice to have a power driver seat again, and the manual lumbar support is sweet (note: both are available only with the leather package). The base of the seat could be a little wider for me personally, but keep in mind that I’m a bigger guy (6 ft, 270 lbs). Front seat leg room is great, though I do have my seat all the way back. I don’t need to have it there in order to drive comfortably, but I prefer to have the maximum amount of leg room. The trunk is pretty roomy for a compact. It’s not as deep as my last car, but it’s wider and can fit more. I LOVE the capless fuel tank… my brother opened it and observed, “Did you know that your fuel cap is missing?” I’m sure I will love it even more come winter (no more fumbling around in low temperatures). Mileage has been excellent so far. While tooling around the city, I get an average of 32-33 mpg. On the interstate, I was getting 40-41 mpg for a good majority of the trip to Michigan (when traveling at 70 mph or slightly below). Once I went past 71, the mpg went down to 38-39. So far my peak mpg has been 45 while going 65 on the interstate for about 15 minutes. In summary, I am very pleased with my purchase and have no regrets (though the push button start on the Titanium model might have been nice…). This car strikes the perfect balance of luxury and practicality. The technology in the cabin is excellent and I am already very spoiled… I don’t think I could ever go back. I have received many compliments on the body design… people can hardly believe it is a Ford, let alone a Focus. I hope you prospective buyers found this review helpful in your decision. One final note- my girlfriend, possibly the most frugal person I know (and who once said she would NEVER buy a brand new car), likes it so much that she ordered a Titanium model for herself! She ordered it on July 18th and it is scheduled to ship the last week of August. So the supposed production delays can’t be that bad if she can get one in about seven weeks.

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  ZTS - Great looking car - 2002 Ford Focus
  By Nodriveslow - June 17 - 2:00 am

  I recently traded in my 2001 ZX3 for the ZTS. The ZTS has the automatic even though the heading says manual. Anyway, after driving the ZX3 I am pretty familiar with the Focus. The 2002 ZTS seems for the short time that Ive owned it, to be a better car. It is quieter, rides smoother (even though same wheelbase and tires)and the looks are tough to beat. One option that I have, that Ford does not do enough advertising for, is the Traction Control/Anti-Skid device. The biggest asset of this option, is the 4-wheel disc brakes. That is a big plus in the braking department. All in all it is a nice car, and with the $1,500 rebate, almost unbeatable in price.

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  Mustang GT a Real Pleaser - 2002 Ford Mustang
  By I Mike - June 17 - 2:00 am

  The Mustang GT is a real head turner. The acceleration and handling are outstanding and the Mach 460 stereo system rocks. The car is surprisingly refined for a rear drive muscle car and the quality seems to be very good. I would recommend this car to anyone whom wants a sporty, agressively styled car with the retro look and personality of a sixties musclecar.

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  94 Probe GT - 1994 Ford Probe
  By SVC - June 17 - 2:00 am

  106,000 mainly trouble free miles. Still on the orginal clutch. Usual Probe maintenance issues - Oxygen sensors, ABS sensors, wiring harness, water pump, factory CD. Expensive to repair ($500 for an ABS wheel sensor?). Mazda mechanicals make this a reliable car that has been fun to drive over the past eight years.