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 hipe, ford die hard owner - 2015 Ford F-150
  By edward jett - November 9 - 1:57 pm

  I have the 2.7 ecco boost engine, with the feature that save gas when stop for light or traffic. engine cuts completely off when breaks applied.

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  The big van just flat works - 2006 Ford Econoline Wagon
  By E320pilot - November 9 - 7:50 am

  I bought this van to be used at work to haul a cargo trailer plus take family vacations with a camper trailer in tow. The 5.4l motor gets about 16- 17mpg on the interstate at 72mph lightly loaded. When pulling a 22 trailer, the mileage drops to about 8mpg (I installed a ScanGage to measure mpg, rpm, etc). Yes, there are squeaks and rattles, handles mediocre, and gives a rough ride. What else would you expect from a 1 ton van/truck? I would still buy another one.

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  Great Vehicle - 2001 Ford Focus
  By MHadden - November 9 - 2:00 am

  Although Ive only had my Focus ZX3 for a couple of weeks now, I can still say this is one of the best built economy cars on the market. The frame is solid, engine is perky especially when you get above 4k rpms. It is nice going down the road and barely here the engine or road! I would recommend this car to almost anyone!

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  2nd Windstar and LOVING it! - 2000 Ford Windstar
  By wmhgatesiv - November 9 - 2:00 am

  This is our second Windstar and just wanted to tell everyone it is a pleasure owning it. Great for travel, great for hauling things, great for comfort, just great!!

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  MY FIRST SPORTS CAR - 2003 Ford Mustang
  By OLIVER - November 9 - 2:00 am

  Fun to drive, nice pony package makes everyone to look. Acceleration good for V-6 Automatic transmission. Exterior design is perfect a real sports car.

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  Fraud on gas mileage - 2014 Ford Fusion Hybrid
  By cindyropp - November 9 - 12:43 am

  I returned my car after driving for a week it got 39 at best, went around and around with ford and after finding out that consumer reports and studies were coming out saying the gas mileage was grossly over exaggerated, they finally agreed to unwind the deal it was getting 29 highway and 38 to 39 city. if you drove like an old person and never quickly accelerated, put the air on, or went up a hill it might get a little better

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  I Love My Ford 500 - 2005 Ford Five Hundred
  By Linda C - November 8 - 5:03 pm

  I bought my Ford 500 brand new from the showroom floor. I love the fact that I got the 5 year bumper to bumper warranty on it. What ever minor things went wrong. Ford authorized repair fixed it free of charge. Now that my warranty is up, I bought the extended 3 year warranty which covers over 500 components from the engine & transmission to the radio. Love my car. I wish they had made a 2010 version of it. Love the fact also that there arent many on the road that I see and Im always asked " What kind of car is that?" Overall performance in my opinion for my Ford 500 is just about a 10. Love it....Love it...Love it !!!

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  My car - 2008 Ford Taurus X
  By iamsparky - November 7 - 2:20 pm

  It is an awsome car with seating capacity for seven and performance of a sports car. It really feels like 300 hp under the hood and everybody believes it must have a turbo. Mine is loaded and everbody is empressed with from Sync to the nav system and satellite radio. The Eddie Bauer comes in two tone and has a distictive look. I love the car but one has to understand that with all this it is not going to get 30 miles to the gallon, I am seeing what they say around 24 on the road. I find the car very comfortable and handling is a crisp and with sports like suspension. These are truely nicely engineered cars, and I can find nothing that I dont like.

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  windshield glare - 2006 Ford Explorer
  By Jason - November 7 - 11:03 am

  This is pathetic. The windshield glare is terrible. The entire dashboard is reflected onto the windshield. It is dangerous and distracting. The dealer claims its a "normal glare." Dont buy the 06 Explorers with the tan interior. The engineers knew of this defect but did not fix it. They dont care. I have owned Ford cars all of my life. This is the last Ford I will drive. I will tell everyone I know about the lack of customer service. This is very upsetting that Ford stands behind such crap!

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  Horror Movie Lemon Law - 2016 Ford Escape
  By Blong2+ - November 7 - 10:29 am

  I was sad to see that someone else had a Ford 2016 Escape that cut off going down the road. Mine also said going down the road at 60 miles per hour that "the car was not in Park". Mine went a little further when all the screens went black and the window washers came on. I also recorded this with my phone. The SUV stopped working several times and I took it to different dealerships. None could find out what was wrong. Each gave me a car to drive while it was being worked on. After the Horror Movie response I refused to get back into that car. I tried to find out what to do to invoke the Lemon Law. None of the dealerships had given me any of the paperwork, without the paperwork no attorney could help me. I had a case manager at Ford but that is just a pacifier to keep me quiet. The dealership required that I take the Horror Movie Car back which I refused so they sold me another Ford 2016 Escape with penalties for high mileage on the next car. I am now $10K upside down in the car. Customer service is a real joke. Attorneys can not help you without the paperwork trail that I had asked for each time Service agents at 3 dealerships said since I did not pay for the service and that it was a Warranty job that I did not need the papers.