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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  Best Ford ever - 2009 Ford Taurus
  By carguy1654 - August 25 - 5:16 pm

  Lets just say its the most comfortable car Ive ever drove. You can feel the road and feel on top of the car. VERY roomy. Im over 6 ft. And 250 pounds and I can sit in the back seat no problem. I can get 30 mpg on it. Horsepower is insane. If you are debating over the Five Hundred, get a taurus. WAY more horsepower and weirdly more comfortable for having almost the same interior. Also more stylish and reliable than the 500. I have a friend who has a Five hundred with a CVT transmission and it has gone out times. With the taurus, they replaced it with a 6 speed transmission so you wont have that problem. Then only 500s without trans Problems is the limited with 6 speed trans. Get taurus.

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  Focus legacy - 2008 Ford Focus
  By carguy1654 - August 25 - 5:02 pm

  Purchased my 2008 focus SE last summer. It has been so great! 40 miles to the gallon is a plus. It is actually my 2nd focus my first being a 2000. I put 200k on my 2000 and so far 20k on my 2008. Defiantly a HUGE step up. Way better horse power and very peppy style. I would not be afraid to drive either of them across the country tomorrow. Best compact car on the market. Never had a problem with any of my focuss. In a few more years I will be looking forward to buying a next generation focus

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  Best suv ever - 2003 Ford Explorer
  By devildog8821 - August 22 - 6:06 pm

  I absolutely love my explorer had it for 2 years and no major problems bought it when it had 75000 miles on it and it now has 115000 miles. One thing I learned is its not the vehicle its the driver that makes stupid mistakes. Just cause its an suv doesnt mean its meant for off road use. I also disagree with the gas mileage I have the 4.6 v8 and it gets 17.2 in the city and 24 on the highway absolutely love the fact that when I fill it u p it says 387 miles to empty and it only costs about 65 to fill it up. Absolutely love it!!!

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  F150 for life - 2005 Ford F-150
  By f150freak - August 21 - 5:30 pm

  This is my second F150 Ive owned and Im so happy with the results! These trucks offer both power, longevity and reliability. Im at 118k miles, owned this for 2 years and havent seen a single problem (aside from a cylinder mis-fire which turned out to be a spark plug out of place) I love the look of the truck and the 5.4 is the dominator! The power behind the wheel is awesome, Ive taken other (stock) trucks and not that speed is everything, but it holds its own and cleans their clocks. I would absolutely recommend this truck to anyone looking for a lighter truck (non-diesel) that will tow and is fun to drive.

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  The Dream Car - 2007 Ford Explorer
  By memartin7 - August 20 - 2:01 pm

  I love this 4th generation Explorer the most out of all of them. The interior and exterior is designed to my liking as well as the ride and handling. I was concerned the vehicle looks narrow, but its very spacious and "wide-looking" once you get inside. The reliability is good until you reach a certain mileage range (100-120k) where a lot of age related repairs come to play. My only issues that are not typical is the LED radio display going out and the power running boards failing. But, after they are fixed, you are good to go another 100k miles. I would recommend this generation for someone in the market for a used car. Oh, and gas is better than expected. Dont be fooled by low mileage!

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  Drives Like A Sports Car - 2015 Ford Explorer
  By dngrwill - August 18 - 8:23 am

  We just purchased a 2015 Explorer Sport. Surprised at the power and the launch speed. Even more surprised at the vehicles agility. The sport version drives like our Accord Coupe V6 but has a great amount of room. Ford has upgraded the leather they use (YEAH!) and the in-dash buttons look fantastic and are easy to use. My wife is thrilled with the purchase (her car) and keeps saying how nice it is to have an SUV again.

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  2011 Ford Fiesta with Dual Clutch Manual Auto Trans in Blue Flame - 2011 Ford Fiesta
  By grandma1961 - August 12 - 9:51 am

  I LOVE my car! Bought used in 2013 and 2 months later took a trip from No. KY to TN and then on to LA and then back. For the first leg of the trip, I filled before leaving home, went about 150 miles to pick up Dad, then on to TN another 250. All up and down hills, and ONE tank of fuel! I was speechless! Yes, that transmission takes a little to get used to. Thought something was wrong with it UNTIL I read the owners manual. You just have to LISTEN to the shifting to get it right. If you accelerate moderately, you wont get that jerky feeling. I could not be happier with it. I drive over 100 miles a day and gas mileage is great. Started with 23K miles and now over 65K on it.

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  Like A Timex, She Can Take A Licking & She Keeps On Ticking! - 1992 Ford Tempo
  By jonshan - August 12 - 1:51 am

  1st Tempo & She Is Awesome, Bought This Tempo As A 2nd Car To My Mercedes Benz S 420 & I Love The Tempo Its Reliable, Cost Efficient & Built like A Tank, 1 Of The Major Factors In Buying This Tempo Was That I Owned Her Sister, 1991 Mercury Topaz & I Rolled This Topaz Down A Mountain God Knows How Many Rolls To The Bottom But I Can Tell You There Was A lot Of Extensions Added To The Tow Trucks Winch To Get her Back Up On The Road & There Was Very Minimal Damage To That Topaz, Reset The Fuel Switch & She Started Right Up & Drove Her Around For 6+ Months Like That & Then She Got T-Boned On The (L) Side At about 80MPH & Was Still Able To Drive & no Injury To Me Either Time, Invincible Safe Cars.

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  So many bad reviews, someone should stick up for Focus - 2012 Ford Focus
  By cajunman90 - August 11 - 5:50 pm

  Let me start off by saying I love my Focus! I have 55,000 miles on mine, with 80 mile a day commutes in Houston traffic, which is pretty bad, and I have not had trouble with my Focus. The transmission is an Auto-Manual, it is supposed to feel how it does, one cannot drive it like a traditional automatic transmission and expect it to perform the same. It simply is not the same thing. Considering my Focus is self shifting a manual transmission, it does pretty dang well. Plus I have had no problems with it either. Stop and go traffic is not bad at all. As for those with size problems, you purchased a compact car. Compact meaning Small! This is a wonderful car that I will gladly buy again.

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  Great car - 2013 Ford Flex
  By jasons78 - August 11 - 1:38 pm

  I bought this car over the weekend and tried a few different cars, including the CX 5, the Equniox, the Murano, the Durango and both the Ford FLEX 2012 and 2013. I loved the Flex for its quite ride and great handling. Of the vehicles I tested the Flex and the Equinox had the most comfortable ride and of those 2 I preferred both the price and options on the Flex. The Flex has a long wheelbase - think Chevy Suburban long - which helps absorb the bumps. On the road I have found the Flex to be quite and easy to drive, it does not drift when you let go of the steering. The Flex is not the quickest from a stop, but it has plenty of passing power with good visibility. The 2013 steers smoother