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:
Showing 531 through 540 of 30,482.00-
I like it! - 2013 Ford Focus
By 1sgdavo - February 17 - 12:06 pmOk, I got to the Ford Focus by accident. I originally went to the local dealer to see a Fiesta, but their inventory was nonexistent, then I asked for the Focus and they only had one. Next door was a Honda dealer so we looked at a Civic, Liked it, but they would not do a deal over rims. So I went to Spokane to Wendle Motors after looking at their inventory online. Sent two car that I wanted to look at and they had them all ready for me. Test drove a White focus SE and a Grey Fiesta, loved both chose the Focus. No issues with it, small learning curve with all the controls, handles well and Good gas mileage so far. No issues with trany. I would recommend this car. in is an auto not 5 speed.
-
Great Car so far - 2012 Ford Taurus
By snow1069 - February 16 - 6:10 pmI purchased this with 19k in November 12. So far no issues. Gets decent fuel mileage on hwy avg 24.8 mpg. Like the size of the car and compared to several other models prior to purchase (toyota, lexus, maxima, bmw). Each has theyre advantages, but just didnt feel the bang for the buck was equivilant. Really liked the bmw 5 series. Looks great on the outside, but kind of bland on the interior. Toyota was a little small. Lexus, I really liked, but cant bring myself to spend that type of money. Maxima was a good car, but was comparable to toyota.
-
2012 and 2013 Escape - 2013 Ford Escape
By tjack129 - February 13 - 12:45 pmI have a 2012 limited and just bought the wife a 2013 Titanium. I like the old boxy model.....easy to drive.....easy to see out of.....everything works properly. It has the 2.5 engine and though it is not the smoothest and strongest engine it has been reliable and returns decent mileage. In my every day driving.....going to golf course.....running around to do things and occasional trips up the interstate to see granddaughter.....it is giving me currently 23.8 mpg over a period of several thousand miles. The new Titanium does every thing better except the mileage.....only 20.0 at this point. Hope fully that will improve.....only 500 miles at this point.
-
Dont Listen to Others About the Fiesta - 2011 Ford Fiesta
By justin022 - February 12 - 3:13 pmThe fiestas first section of the owners manual clearly states to SET YOUR ENGINE BY DRIVING AT NORMAL SPEEDS. Since this is a unique type of engine, the first 5000 miles are extremely important in the performance of the car from then on out. This simply means dont accelerate at extremely high speeds, dont drive extremely slow. Its that easy. The engine is a manual-automatic and needs to be set. All of the morons on here complaining about jerky transmission and slow acceleration obviously DIDNT READ THE OWNERS MANUAL. Its a great car if you treat it right. At least 38 MPG and it has been very reliable so far. AWESOME.
-
My opinion of my ecoboost 44,000 miles in - 2011 Ford F-150
By cpercha - February 11 - 2:35 pmI loved my truck for the first year but some issues have come to light that have me thinking about buying another truck. I have replaced one starter and the replacement starter is begining to have the same issues the first one did. I have a rear main seal and a transfer case leak. The doors dont line up super well and I have occasional issues getting them to shut all the way. I also HATE the fact that you cant check the trans fluid levels on this vehicle. I just have to trust that I have enough fluid and that its in ok condition. I have already replaced the front diff fluid as moisture got into it and it got all milky. I hope this hasnt happened to the trans as well but I cant look.
-
1.6 SE Ecoboost....fun car to drive......horrible gas mileage!!!! - 2013 Ford Fusion
By locntry - February 11 - 2:05 pmI was driving a 2011 Ford Fusion SEL and once my husband & I saw the new design of the 2013, we decided to trade in my car. I put on about 40k miles on my car each year so its imperative that I not only have a car thats comfortable to drive, but one that gets decent gas mileage. I was told we should get better gas mileage with the new smaller engine and eco boost. I averaged 28-30 mpg on my last Fusion....probably 60% highway and 40% city. Im now averaging 25 mpg and am extremely upset with Ford. In addition, the sync, radio & bluetooth just stopped working at 1800 miles but then started again the next day. Love driving it....hate the mpg!!! Thinking of getting another car..
-
Love the car, except............ - 2013 Ford Focus
By 50somethingtoo - February 10 - 9:28 amI fell in love with this car the moment I sat in it. For the most part, it is very well designed, the handling is incredible and it is a great value. It is a quiet ride and a very fun car to drive around town. But, there are a couple of opportunities for improvement (see Suggested Improvements). Im getting about 24MPG on short, in-town trips this winter.
-
Transmission issues - 2006 Ford Fusion
By calninja1969 - February 10 - 5:58 amI purchased car used, it look brand new inside out, after first day the transmission started to slip so dealership put in a new transmission, I got the car back after a week in the shop and drove the car for about a week and started smelling transmission fluid, so I look under car and noticed transmission fluid leaking and bottom of car covered in fluid, so car is going back to dealership for repairs once again and will let you know in about a week when I get the car back.
-
Great Truck - 2005 Ford F-150
By zak0270 - February 9 - 7:47 pmThis is a great truck, absolutely outstanding in performance, it pulls anything that I ask it to, the power and acceleration is excellent and the 4x4 works like its brand new. I have 94,000 miles and still has all factory components. Awesome truck.
-
The energizer bunny couldnt have done better - 1999 Ford Explorer
By woodinva - February 8 - 5:26 amMy daily driver and has NEVER let me down because of conditions. Currently the vehicle has 335k miles and has had 1 tranny replacement at 180k miles by AAMCO it has had ball joints replaced with the kind that have grease fittings.It has had all shocks,bearings replaced an repacked and she keeps MICHELIN LTX-M/S on the vehicle and we change the oil every 5k miles and the tranny fluid every 75 ki miles. We change antifreeze every 3 years and hoses 3vry 6 years. Serpentine belt every 75k miles. rotate tires every 3rd oil change. PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE is the key to getting these vehicles to last a long time.
-
Ford Aerostar 141 Reviews
-
Ford Aspire 71 Reviews
-
Ford Bronco 139 Reviews
-
Ford C-Max Energi 36 Reviews
-
Ford C-Max Hybrid 124 Reviews
-
Ford Contour 410 Reviews
-
Ford Crown Victoria 334 Reviews
-
Ford E-Series Van 1 Reviews
-
Ford Econoline Wagon 63 Reviews
-
Ford Ecosport 1 Reviews
-
Ford Edge 657 Reviews
-
Ford Escape 2,320 Reviews
-
Ford Escape Hybrid 335 Reviews
-
Ford Escort 835 Reviews
-
Ford Excursion 500 Reviews
-
Ford Expedition 1,452 Reviews
-
Ford Explorer 2,880 Reviews
-
Ford Explorer Sport 207 Reviews
-
Ford Explorer Sport Trac 560 Reviews
-
Ford F-150 3,032 Reviews
-
Ford F-150 Heritage 28 Reviews
-
Ford F-250 79 Reviews
-
Ford F-350 37 Reviews
-
Ford F-Series 1 Reviews
-
Ford Festiva 76 Reviews
-
Ford Fiesta 297 Reviews
-
Ford Five Hundred 569 Reviews
-
Ford Flex 299 Reviews
-
Ford Focus 3,280 Reviews
-
Ford Freestar 265 Reviews
-
Ford Freestyle 640 Reviews
-
Ford Fusion 1,419 Reviews
-
Ford Fusion Energi 20 Reviews
-
Ford Fusion Hybrid 266 Reviews
-
Ford GT 43 Reviews
-
Ford Mustang 3,414 Reviews
-
Ford Probe 258 Reviews
-
Ford Ranger 1,516 Reviews
-
Ford Shelby GT500 102 Reviews
-
Ford Taurus 1,954 Reviews
-
Ford Taurus X 88 Reviews
-
Ford Tempo 99 Reviews
-
Ford Thunderbird 667 Reviews
-
Ford Transit Connect 52 Reviews
-
Ford Windstar 915 Reviews