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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  Love My Escape! - 2015 Ford Escape
  By Mitch - October 28 - 7:19 pm

  Drove a Camry for 12 years and 165,000 miles. Did nothing but change oil and tires. Giving it to my son for college graduation. Bought a loaded, 2015 Escape Titanium 2.0 4 wheel drive 2 months and 3,000 miles ago. Hoping have the same luck with this vehicle. Test drove Santa Fe, Rav 4, Terrain. Escape no question hotter look, hotter interior, and better drive. Way more pep than the others. I wanted a small SUV with decent gas milage. Miss the 30-32 I was getting with Camry but knew my milage would go down. Getting 25.1 average so far. Like the fact it is all wheel drive moving to 4 wheel drive when I need it. Looking very forward to see how it does this winter. Love the interior. Hands free Navigation, phone, stereo, climate. I have had no issues with voice commands. It lets you know what you can say, very easy to get comfortable with. Love never needing to take the keys out of my pocket. Love the key pad on door. I got the full length sun roof - LOVE IT. Never had one before. Heated seats, memory seats - LOVE IT. Also love using the foot to open back gate, that has come in handy many times. I know it is early but every time I get into it I look forward to driving it. So far so good!

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  Going Back to Honda - 2014 Ford Fusion
  By Jillian Johnson - October 27 - 10:36 am

  I like my fusion, its beautiful. Here are the reasons Im going back to Honda after this car. 1. My car is one year old. My back up camera has already quit working. Fortunately, it is covered under warranty. However, it still took a half day of vacation to go get it fixed. 2. The transmission is already acting up. 3. I get 16 MPG in the city and 21 on the highway 4. When I start the car, my the air from my vents smells like mildew.

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  So far so good - 2012 Ford Focus
  By Sharina - October 26 - 3:32 pm

  Ive had this car a little over a year and its been great. Ive had 2 recalls since getting it and I just brought my car in and it was fixed and I was done. I dont mind the recalls. As long as its fixed for free. My car has never stalled, but it did do that weird thing where youre speeding up and it hesitates a little, but it doesnt happen too often. I got my car with a lot of miles...like 64000 when I bought it for 15 thousand. They could have given me better price because I still owe 10 thousand and the car is worthe like 6 thousand now... Ive had no issues. My car works wonderfully! I mean sometimes it takes a second for the air to turn on, but I love my car and I know Ill have it for a while. Ill probably end up getting a Ford again after this...

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  Worth the money - 2003 Ford F-150
  By mike champion - October 26 - 1:55 pm

  Got truck as a one owner from ford dealership.(48,500 miles) Traded in for a car since they no longer farmed. former life was that of a gently used farm truck.(was in a accident at point.only know by the very clear headlights for a 12 yr old truck) not knowing how its maintenance past was spent a good bit doing all the things a 12 year old truck needed. regardless of of how much or little it was used.and a few issues that I knew about from my mechanics inspection.2200$+-2-300 wasnt to bad to get truck fully lined out.brakes,hoses ,all fluids and filters.and the only thing I considered a repair was replacement of the slave and master cylinder.replaced the clutch since they had it torn apart.while clutch was trouble free it still had 57,000 miles.the repair part was not overly painful on cost.and could be attributed to many factors.sitting for Last 3 years and not being driven and only run 15 min every 2 weeks.and probably a enough people not good with manual transmissions driving it. It runs great and using the cruise control I get 18-20 highway.the twisty hills of Missouri where I cant use it still solid 16-17mpg. with plenty of power.it hands and rides the dirt/gravel roads I drive to get to my favorite canoe launch and take outs. very smoothly. the interior is pretty plain but it fits my simple needs. Lots of pros to this truck.maintenance and repair cost seem pretty good.reliability seems pretty solid as long as you do your part.throw in smooth ride&shifting .solid mpg plus good looks. I was looking for a cost friendly and reliable replacement for my other truck.(Mazda 2300 5spd 309,000 miles)I feel I got a good deal. Cons simple interior and bench seats in vinyl.at least if you want something nicer. Tire replacement could be pretty high 16 rims and priced my tires at 200+ a price.but they are known to get 80,000+with regular rotation.and some parking spots dont work so well with the long wheel base.

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  Great little SUV - 2004 Ford Escape
  By Kelly Lelito - October 25 - 2:56 pm

  This is the best car I have owned to date- I loved it.

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  98 wagon - 1998 Ford Escort
  By mdwalker13@comcast.net - October 22 - 7:39 pm

  Bought used in 1999 with 25,000 miles. Not a lot of power but fun to drive around town. Reliability has been better than average, interior and body/paint have held up well and average 30 - 32 mpg. A great second car and will keep it until it dies.

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  Perfect? No. Horrible? No. - 2014 Ford Focus
  By Tim Forman - October 20 - 7:17 pm

  Ive been driving this car for 21 months and 22k miles. I wouldnt mind if it was a bit faster but for most of my driving it does the job. The front-wheel drive is OK. I understand there are better diffs out there with less torque steer and less quirky traction control. At the same time, the quick steering response probably saved my life when someone in front of me did something stupid. Being Seattle, theres a lot of that. The 4 wheel disc brakes have been great. A lot of people are complaining about the auto transmission and I can sympathize. Its pretty bad in stop and go traffic. It behaves just like a manual transmission does if you slip the clutch too much. On the other hand, I can put it in Sport mode and use a slightly heavier than normal foot and it scoots right along. Fuel economy has been pretty good. On long treks I get about 37 mpg. On average, with my Sport mode driving included I get about 27 mpg. Overall? Sure it could be better but considering the class its in, Im satisfied.

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  Dont listen to them - This car is great - 2012 Ford Fiesta
  By Nellie Gordon - October 20 - 4:29 pm

  First off - DO YOU RESEARCH!!!!! There are recalls for certain parts for this car. They are completely free to have fixed. I did have to have the clutch replaced in my car. (I have the hatchback SFE) This was a recall that Ford had on this model. I waited around 3 months for my service center to receive the part, took it in and had the car back the next day. HAVENT HAD AN ISSUE SINCE. Prior to the replacement part, there was an engine shudder coming out of first. I can see where this is a problem. This is not a transmission issue. So dont let that throw you off, Ford replaced the part with no questions asked and it didnt cost me a thing. When the person above me says they had problems with the door latches, SHE SHOULD HAVE DONE HER RESEARCH. I havent had a single other problem with my car at. all. The gas mileage is amazing on this car. I refuel once a week for 25 bucks. And I drive a ton. Oil changes are painless. I havent had to replace or fix a single thing yet on it, and its a 2012. Its 2015, people. The only thing I dont like about the car is the space in the back for passengers. Its fairly small in the leg room area. For a couple thats always on the go, its absolutely perfect!!!! We throw everything in the back and off we go. The acceleration is amazing, turning is amazing, I feel like Im driving my passat for less than half the price for maintenance. No leaks, its not loud, the transmission runs perfectly fine, my door latches work perfectly fine, everything.

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  Would buy again! - 2013 Ford Fusion
  By R. Martinez - October 19 - 11:06 am

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  93 ford thunderbird LX V8 - 1993 Ford Thunderbird
  By Tanya - October 17 - 2:49 am

  I love my car its my first one ive had it for a year. Ive replaced the water pump and starter and done a tune up and full oil change and front brakes. I also had to fix the AC when i bought it. Recently my cars been shaking alot something its never done and it gets way worse if you try turning on the AC. Also overheats when i run my AC. Does anyone no what could be wrong i really want to figure out whats up and get it fixed before it causes something else to go wrong