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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  Focus Titanium - 2016 Ford Focus
  By Frank - May 18 - 10:24 pm

  Traded a 2016 Mazda CX-5 Gran Touring in for the Focus. Mazda was a POS! Too many problems that dealer couldnt find anything wrong. Anyways...the Focus is a great little car. Rides smooth, quite and gets great gas mileage. Im getting 33.9 MPG. I drive about 75 miles to and from work each day and I like the savings on gas. Now for the bad. Not much storage up front. The cubby hole in front of the shifter is useless. Its so small I cant use it. The console storage is also small. Both need to bigger. Inside the cup holders there are these rubber things to help hold cups in place. They are very troublesome because they hold your cup too tight and when I reach for my drink, I often pull the top off and spill it. But I will cut them out with a razor blade. No self dimming rear view mirror. Lately the car shutters when accelerating from a slow roll or stopping from a slow roll. Will take to Ford to see what the problem is. Overall Im pleased with the car. Its just a car and gets me from point A to point B. Thats all I need.

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  Great SUV for the Money - 2004 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
  By Andy Z - May 18 - 10:00 am

  Cost me about $16995 plus tax with all the rebates and discounts. Great vehicle for the money. Would have loved better fuel economy -- but its a SUV so what do you expect. Very practical for around the home -- 5 pass and a pick up bed with a cover -- cool

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  Great Little SUV, commuter only - 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid
  By bartimus - May 18 - 7:06 am

  Just a couple 100 miles on it now, getting better than the EPA sticker so far! Due to weight savings, lots of plastic, interior feels a little cheap. Front grille came loose/off the 1st week and needs to go back to dealer. Coming from a Volvo XC90 the Ford ride is lighter, peppier (feels like a V6), way less room. Dont expect to fit 3 child seats in the back seat. We can barely fit a car seat, a booster, and our 6 year old in a seatbelt, its very cramped back there. Zero cargo room. Without NAV system so all hybrid info is on the dash near odo. The 3 hybrid info buttons are in a bad spot to the left of the wheel, (should be on the steering wheel). Stereo/climate buttons are confusing.

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  Best Ford I have ownsd - 2009 Ford Flex
  By Walter Davis - May 17 - 10:07 pm

  I have owned a new ford every 4 or 5 years since 1953 (have pictures of 12) this 09 FLEX is like riding on rails.It has great exceleration and habdles like a dream! BUT< with the windows in the back doors down at 50+ mph it starts a noise that makes my kids cry ,gives me a headache and made my wifes ears ring and we all get sick to the stomach! There is a terrible vibration up to 60 mph! The service department manager said "JUST ROLL DOWN THE FRONT WINDOWS A BIT" and it will stop! That aint right! I love the FLEX cant something be done?

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  Not bad for the price! Focus SES 5 speed - 2008 Ford Focus
  By Jesse - May 17 - 6:49 pm

  First Time Ford/American new Car Buyer! Fords Fuel economy/reliability record w/ Focus/fun to drive vehicle caught my attention! With the Focus SES, I got a fully loaded car w/ leather seats! Great combination of sytle, electronic gadgets (sync, 6 CD w/ bass box, Sirius, Sunroof,etc.), sport handling/comforable ride, solid car feeling, smooth engine, fuel economy, and its been a pleasure to drive w/ a manual transmission. Exterior fit and finish could use a little more refinement (the front hood alignment is a little off w/ the body). Overall, not bad for the price. ney. 8+ months later, the Focus is still a thumbs up.

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  Great car with great handling! - 2013 Ford Fusion
  By Jss4503 - May 17 - 3:47 pm

  Love this car. Its AWD and handles really well in the snow and rain. This is by far the best car Ive owned. Basic maintenance needed. Looks great too!

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  Keeps going and going ... - 1997 Ford Explorer
  By Terry Maresh - May 17 - 2:52 pm

  Am the original owner and have 122,000 mi on my Explorer. Have never had a problem that needed repairing. It runs very quiet is comfortable (cloth seats) hauled sand, stone, U-hauls w/no issues. Only had 2 issues: the lumbar support airbag must have a slow leak and the on-off radio button doesnt want to stay off. The ride is smoother than my Ford Five Hundred! Im exceptionally pleased with the quality and comfort. Very quiet inside, too.

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  I didnt need a new truck - 2009 Ford F-150
  By Bart - May 15 - 5:39 pm

  2009 F150 4x4 FX4 SC 5.4, with 3.73 rear locker, 145" WB. I traded in my 05 F150 with only 20K miles for this truck, I didnt need a new truck because there was nothing wrong with my old truck,,,,,,, but I was so impressed with the quiet ride I bought it.

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  Cracks Up - 2003 Ford Explorer
  By crackedup - May 15 - 12:49 pm

  I only have one complaint about my explorer. One day for no apparant reason my back hatch CRACKED! LITERALLY. If you look at an 03 explorer the hatch is 2 pieces. Under the window on the top piece there is a composite piece that now has 2 huge cracks in it. The dealership says they see it all the time but cant fix it because there is no recall. I have googled it and there are way tomany people with this problm. My concern is If water gets down through the crack it could very well rust the latching mechanism and make it fail to work properly and I have a 1 yr old and 3 yr old in the back seat.

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  Great car for the price - 2016 Ford Focus
  By Scc - May 15 - 2:22 am

  Used to drive a 2000 focus and I decided to buy the newest model. Great car for the money. Drives great. My only complaint is the lack of quality control. The door gaps and body lines. They do not line up well. I expected better from a new car.