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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  The best car Ive owned, if only for a short time - 2014 Ford Fusion
  By Chris - November 6 - 5:21 pm

  Unfortunately someone decided red means go at an intersection and totaled my 2014 Ford Fusion Titanium after I had purchased it about 40 days prior. But heres my take on the car. This is an absolutely fantastic vehicle. The 2013 was a nice redesign but the engine reliability ratings took a hit compared to the 2012, which receives close to perfect scores across the board according to JD Power. I was coming from a 2011 Chevy Malibu V6, which I ditched because of engine problems and poor gas mileage. This, by comparison, is a DREAM to drive. The steering is responsive and the cornering is excellent for a mid-size sedan. Theres plenty of power in the 2.0T engine that puts out about 240hp. The fuel efficiency in the 2.0T is still decent as I averaged about 25.3mpg combined hwy/city driving. I put about 2,700 miles on it in the 40 days I owned it because I drive a lot for work and decided to drive from Seattle to Spokane and back, which put on several hundreds of miles in one weekend. But everything about this car was incredible. I hope the Fusion can continue to climb the fuel efficiency charts as Ford is starting to make very good engines and building quality interior/exterior parts to compliment them. In terms of value, its hard to beat a Fusion in the mid-size category. The crash experience that totaled the car showed me that this car is built very well. I was t-bones at about 35 mph and you had no idea I was hit looking at 3/4 of the car. The doors on the passenger side of the vehicle were toast and it would need extra body work and probably frame work which is why the car was totaled, but should 5 passengers have been in the car there wouldnt have been any injuries other than some whiplash or banging of hands/legs against the door or other parts of the car. The Sony 12-speaker system is fantastic compared to much of whats out there in a 6-speaker configuration. Theres plenty of power to satisfy drivers even with windows down. The low-end performance could use a little bit of help as the speakers overdrive a bit on heavy bass tracks that feature sustained low-end tracks that also have some kind of low-end attack/punch (top-40 hip hop artists like Wiz Khalifa would be a good example of what Im getting at), so youll have to moderate the bass EQ to prevent the OD, but thats also only at about 75-80% volume. To be honest, youd be crossing into enthusiast/audiophile territory if you had any more power and any better bass response, so youre getting quite a bit out of this system. The touchscreen interface takes some learning, but its quite capable and just a little laggy for pressing on-screen buttons - nothing that will frustrate you though. If youre considering buying this car used, its a good buy, especially once the 2014 has been out for 2-3 years as youll find the Titanium packages for under $18k - a steal for the options youre getting. The car is also pretty comfortable and will surprise anyone riding along that hasnt been in a newer Fusion yet - I got a lot of "oh wow this is really nice" comments from people because it looks good on the outside and feels great on the inside. Im 6 2" and it offered plenty of room for me and usually worked out well for people sitting behind me too.

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  Always attracts positive attention. - 1997 Ford F-350
  By Dave - November 5 - 7:57 am

  The truck is a tank! I have been asked to sell it at least a dozen times, very popular body style (1997 - last year of the real truck look). The truck is a power house and is bullet proof. Ive towed large boats, trailers with 6000 pound tractors, etc... with ease.

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  Great car for a great price - 2010 Ford Fusion
  By Vincent Nicotra - November 5 - 7:19 am

  I have owned this car for two and a half years now. It is a great. Extremely reliable. It is fast and has great control in the snow and rain because of the all wheel drive. Would buy again 10/10. It looks cool and sleek and I always get compliments.

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  Great Truck !!!!! - 2004 Ford F-150
  By Pete Holden - November 4 - 9:06 pm

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  the white beauty - 2010 Ford Mustang
  By Maria - November 4 - 6:59 pm

  All these cars have a problem with the AC compressor. Ford should recall on this part because is a problem with all the 2010 mustang and is very expensive.

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  Get the Drivers Assistance Package - 2015 Ford Edge
  By Johnson - November 4 - 12:14 pm

  Waited from May order until September build and October delivery in order to obtain Drivers Assistance package on a Titanium Edge with 3.5 V-6. After a five hundred mile freeway trip, I am very glad I did. It is a wonderful workload reducer and safety feature. Really a fine enhancement to a comfortable driving experience. Also like the blind spot alert and the drivers wheel alert shudder when straying out of lane. Got 25.1 mpg on the freeway and looks like it will be about 19-20 overall. The car is a comfortable five star that was over my initial budget, but glad I went for it. We have aged up and now need safety and comfort more than value.

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  Hopefully your car isnt mine. - 2015 Ford Mustang
  By Peter Wells - November 4 - 7:35 am

  The 2015 Mustang GT is finally a sports car. The removal of the solid rear axle was the best thing they could have done. The rear end hop has been eliminated which has taken a drag racer and made it into a touring car. The stock ride is surprisingly comfortable for the driver and passinger. Both have heated and air conditioned seats the driver has lumbar support and I dont know why they didnt put one in the passinger seat. As always the back seat is more of an ornament than anything else. Child seats or a few grocery bags is really all that youll be able to use them for. The power and sound is great for a stock car but Id like the exhaust to be just a bit louder. The headlights and signals are top notch I have the adaptive cruise control system and its been problematic. The automatic windshield wipers will suddenly come on for no reason and the adaptive cruise control shuts down in heavy rain and ocasionally for no reason at all. It claims the sensor is blocked. The remedy is to pull over and restart the car. The adaptive cruise control is operated by a radar head mounted below the grill and it also serves as a colision warning system. It beeps and puts a red bar on the windshield. Having that shut down during a rain storm is not something you want to happen. The interior far exceeds previous standards and it isnt a plastic rattle trap that weve come to know and love. It has plush parts now and real metal. The navagation screen is sharp and large enough to read. The home screen can be reconfigured with personal wallpapers of anything you want. Unfortunately the leather on the passinger side dash started to bubble on the inside front corner. Ford had to replace the entire dashboard and the replacement dash has done the same thing. Two dashboards before the first scheduled oil change is a bit much. The car handles well even in normal touring mode. There are 3 steering modes and as far as I can tell they just decide how much power steering you have. By putting the pedal to the floor the tachometer gage will turn red at night when you touch the red line. I havent used the line lock feature and probably wont. New tires are expensive. The car comes standard with W rated tires and I personally feel that they should change that to the Y performance rating. The car is very responsive and I have broken traction once on a tight curve. When these tires wear out I will be replacing them with a Y rated tire if for nothing else better traction. The convertable top has an insulation layer that reduces road noise and makes for a quiet ride. I can recommend this car over the Camara and Challenger. The Camara has 1.2 more letters but you only gain 20HP. The Camara isnt as comfortable to ride in and has less features.

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  Im LOVEN-IT - 2015 Ford Explorer
  By Karen Rouse - November 2 - 8:29 pm

  Its a great car the ride is smooth comforable

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  F 150 super truck - 2011 Ford F-150
  By crazygun2469@gmail.com - November 2 - 6:15 pm

  The first truck I have ever owned that rides like a luxury car.

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  Traded my Audi A5 for a 2015 Focus Titanium - 2015 Ford Focus
  By Scott - November 2 - 3:24 pm

  After owning the Audi for less than 2 years, I decided that I didnt want to own it when the warranty ran out. I tested Toyotas, Mazda, and Kia. I was more impressed with the Focus than any of these, but still a bit hesitant to go from an Audi to a Ford. Well, I couldnt be happier. While it doesnt have all the pep of the turbo on the A5, it handles just as well, is actually quieter riding, and has better navigation. Added benefits are regular gas, better mileage, and a lower car payment!