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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  As good as the Japanese - 2003 Ford Focus
  By connemara - September 18 - 6:45 pm

  I have a 2003 focus that just passed 160 kilometers and other than regular maintenance like tires, brakes, oil changes I have only had to replace the trunk opening latch ($150). It has the smallest engine (2.0 twin port), manual trans and I put 16 inch wheels and a hogher aspect than stock tires on it to maximize mileage. Even with this high gearing it still has reasonable torque to pass in high gear. Best steering and handing in a North American car and you sit up high not like sitting in a hole like a Honda. Styling is still fresh after all these years, going to keep for at least another 5 years. Hey it long been paid for

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  2012 Ford Fiesta - 2012 Ford Fiesta
  By ryans93 - September 17 - 1:22 pm

  Ive had my 2012 Fiesta hatchback 5-spd manual for about 15k and overall I am very pleased with the car. It has lots of technology features, and is a lot of fun to drive. The Fiesta feels solid and like a larger car when youre driving it, it does not feel cheap and insubstantial. The little 1.6 provides decent performance, it is not fast but does okay. The trade off for that is superb fuel economy. The 5-speed manual shifts great and the clutch is perfect. The interior is full of high quality, soft-touch materials and a great design. It is quiet and comfortable as well. The Fiesta makes you feel like you got more than what you paid.

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  Best Deal for the price - 2010 Ford Focus
  By newman88 - September 13 - 11:10 am

  This Car will not blow you away with its outrageous performance or upscale interior, but for the money this is the best car I have ever had, I am very impressed with just about everything. Its a compact so performance, comfort, and features arent the top of the line but bang for the buck is exceptional

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  good car, fast in highway - 2001 Ford Mustang
  By trooper66 - September 13 - 10:54 am

  I love this car, just did not give me headaches, fast, strong, distinctive, is not a very expensive car and very profitable. The pieces get them anywhere, not expensive repair, this car is the best thing Ford has manufactured without belittling others, I have with my car three years and only tune ups, oil changes, tires and bands, normal ! I have a 3.8 l v6 mustang base 5 speed. Accelerated to highway 95 and the car shows no tremors or anything at all, mine has 120k, the only thing I do not like in this car are fake vents on the sides of the car. The rest is perfect.

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  A good first effort... - 2013 Ford Escape
  By southtx - September 12 - 11:27 am

  ... but room for improvement. 1.6L Ecoboost is plenty of go for everyday use, but doesnt achieve anywhere near the advertised fuel economy. Transmission is smooth. Interior appointment is nice in the front seating area with soft-touch material, but cheap with hard plastic in the back. MyFordTouch and SYNC are still buggy and seem to do whatever they want, with no rhyme or reason. Wave your foot liftgate is a neat gimmick that doesnt work reliably. Much easier to find the key fob and hit the button twice.

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  Door seals/weather seals - 2011 Ford Taurus
  By donald48 - September 10 - 9:24 pm

  I have had our car back for repairs for the poor sealing rear doors 5 times since we bought it new.If you drive these cars on any rural roads like we do in the summer you have to just about have anyone in the back seat wear a mask.The dust that comes in is terrible.This design was not tested, the excessive road noise on this model compared to the 2008 which I had is a huge increase. There will not be a repair done, Ford seems to be putting this off and hoping it will go away, instead they are loosing a lot of good customers who stayed with them for a good30 years like myself. My 1970 Ford F100 does not get as dusty in the cab as this car does.

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  Awesome Value - 2005 Ford Focus
  By scandalon68 - September 10 - 3:04 pm

  This was by far the best care I have ever owned. It was running great with over 210K until it was totaled. Great mileage.

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  Highway driving - 2013 Ford Taurus
  By jakeeb - September 7 - 11:52 pm

  Going down the road, the side and rear view mirrors do a great job of providing visibility. The embedded spot mirrors are a huge plus for highway driving. My only qualm with the audio system is the volume control lacked granularity. Volume setting number three was too soft, and number four was at times too loud. I did notice a few times, when coming off of highway speeds and pulling in town that the air conditioner stalls. The cabin gets a little warm and I usually had to turn down the climate control and maybe bump up the fan a bit to get things back to normal. Cruise in "coast mode", gave very peculiar behavior. Not only would try to speed up, but it also downshifted to accelerate,

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  First Ford - not very happy :( - 2012 Ford Explorer
  By newfordowner - September 6 - 1:40 pm

  So...I leased this vehicle because I fell in love with the body style! Well...it was 2012 demo left over - but still beautiful! So after the first month - the computer froze up - went blank...I thought for sure I did something - they said it had a virus - ok - and now month 3 months later - the transmission feels like it is slipping - so today - it is back at the dealer for that and the computer again - it froze up and went black screen again. I am not really happy with my first Ford experience so far. Also - the gas mileage has been horrible! My last vehicle a Toyota Highlander (6 cylinder) was awesome - I got at least 22-25 mpg. I am only getting 16.3 mpg - and that is highway too.

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  Best Value in safety, tech, style - 2013 Ford Explorer
  By carfanpa - September 6 - 12:29 am

  My previous car was a BMW 5 series. We wanted something utilitarian to support our lifestyle with two kids, visiting family, road trips to the mountains, beach etc. Minivan was out of the question. We could have spent $70K+ on a comparability equipped Benz GL or Audi Q7. We netted a fully loaded Explorer for $45K - a great value in my book. We have 5,000 miles on it over 6 month and its been positive. The car does not provide a thrilling drivers experience like the 5 series does, but thats not what you get this car for. We will put the $25k we saved over a benz/audi and put it towards a real drivers sports car as our other car.