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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  Great car, far exceeded my expectations - 2014 Ford Focus
  By rex81 - September 23 - 10:14 am

  Have 13,000 miles now. Ive driven new foreign cars for the past decade, and this is by far my favorite car. I feel like I stole this car from Ford it was such a good value. I get 35 mpg combined which is above EPA. Mine is a manual SE w/ sport package. Highly recommend this combo if youre concerned about reliability of SYNC and the auto transmission. I didnt mind the auto, but heard about technical issues, so I just avoided. The 5 sp manual isnt the best, isnt the worst. Nice clutch feel. The sport package upgrades to nice firm seats. I love them, but might be too firm for some. The car feels lightweight but incredibly solid and well built. Quiet and smooth on the freeway.

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  13 XLT SuperCrew, 5.6 Bed, 3.5L turbo Ecoboost, OUTSTANDING - 2013 Ford F-150
  By atwowheelguy - September 22 - 7:54 pm

  13 XLT SuperCrew, 5.6 short bed, 3.5L Ecoboost, 3.55 axle, tow package (not Max Tow), 2WD Purchased new 3/13. 40k miles in 19 months. 18.6 Total mpg so far, including over 10K miles towing a trailer. 24.4 mpg Hwy 17-19 mpg City 16 mpg Towing 6x14 enclosed trailer with GCVW of 9,800# (From GA to and through CO and back, twice, 9000 miles), 12.5 mpg Towing 27 RV toy hauler camper GCVW of 12,900# Power is outstanding while towing. Lots of torque at low rpms, nice and quiet and comfy. Only repair was resurfacing front brake rotors. NO intercooler problems. I am on a 5K mile oil change interval with the Motorcraft Semi-Syn.

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  2 1/2 years of trouble-free dependability - 2010 Ford F-150
  By ford4sure - September 22 - 3:31 pm

  I was the 2nd owner of this 2010 F150 Lariat. It had 33,000 on it and 3000 miles remaining on the warranty (of which expired 2 years ago) when I got it. Now it has 53,500 on it. I HAVE NOT done a thing to it except maintenance oil changes, rotate tires and put gas in it. Great dependability, good riding truck and a pleasure to drive. I occasionally pull a trailer but the truck does not even know it is back there. Very happy and very pleased with the truck and its quality. No issues what-so-ever. Good job Ford. Great Truck.

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  Worst Ford I ever owned - 2004 Ford F-150
  By kinnstreet - September 21 - 10:19 am

  I have only 90 on this after buying it fresh off the showroom floor. I cant believe that Ford would allow such a mess. So many things have gone wrong and cost me money on a brand new truck even before 70k miles I cant even begin to list them all, however the other reviews pretty much say it all. My father and I have owned Ford trucks our whole lives.... My next truck will be a RAM, and my son will also be buying either RAM or foreign. Way to go Ford, you broke a family tradition of over 50 years of owning Ford Trucks.

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  FIRST REPORT - 2014 Ford Fusion
  By mntdl - September 20 - 3:06 pm

  Just purchased a 2014 Fusion SE with the 1.5 Ecoboost, 201A PKG, Navigation and Technology PKG. In searching for a sedan for work, to replace an Impala, I was looking for something stylish, good performance, fun & comfortable to drive while maintaining some economy. Sounds like a lot to ask for, and all of that for under $30,000. The Fusion with the all of the options fit the bill. I only have 250 miles, and so I really cant tell you much yet, but the first 250 miles have been awesome. I will follow up at around 15,000 miles, and that should not take long, as I average about 20,000-30,000 per year.

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  Ford escort 97 station - 1997 Ford Escort
  By micamans - September 20 - 2:45 am

  I bought this car a year ago second hand. I needed a cheap car to get me to work and just prayed it would not die on me even though it had 220000 Ks on it. It now has 310000 It still gets me from A to B fine. Ive had the problem that it sometimes refuses to go into first gear. This problem has something to do with the sync rings in the gearbox but the problem just seems to sort its self out. Other then that I have not r had any problems with the car. It is quite sluggish compared with all of these modern cars here in Europe and the suspention is like spagetti in the corners, but hey it is no racing car.

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  Handles Nice, Poor MPG and Broken Things - 2013 Ford Escape
  By bneustein - September 19 - 3:43 pm

  I purchased this car after seeing a lot of good performance reviews and seeing an impressive 22/30 MPG sticker. I go off road, camping, and projects regularly so I wanted the AWD and the space that a small SUV provides. As of 30,000 miles - It handles well, dirt, water, snow. It is a nice ride and very comfortable. The bad: 17.5/22 MPG in PA, 19.5/24 MPG MD, all year round (and I tested it the old fashioned way of miles driven/fuel consumed, NOT the lying computer read out). 3 plastic parts including a handle broke within a year. 3 recall parts within the first year including overheating engine cylinders and a bad water pump. SYNC has never worked properly in this vehicle.

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  2009 Ford Focus SE auto - 2009 Ford Focus
  By robles831 - September 19 - 12:44 pm

  I bought this car about two years ago. It had 90 thousand miles on it. I like the car because it saves me gas and it is a great car for my wife. She does not like it because it is not very spacious in the back but shes not paying for it so her opinion partially matters. at 124xxx I noticed that the front axle was humming and figured out it was the wheel bearing/hub. I would recommend this car if you are a commuter but beware the cheap quality of the car, It rides fairly well for a light passenger vehicle but my only concern is how reliable it will be once I start climbing the odometer past 140xxx. And the overall value of the vehicle seems to be depreciating faster than others in its class.

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  Ford Focus NOT RECOMMENDED! - 2013 Ford Focus
  By franklo - September 19 - 10:11 am

  I disposed of my 2013 Ford Focus on 9-15-14 at a loss. I experienced all of the transmission issues already mentioned including almost getting struck when entering an intersection and the transmission simply stopped giving forward movement. I was always told it is suppose to run like that. At a 35000 mile oil change I was told a seal between the transmission and engine had failed an oil had leaked from the engine. It was repaired and I was then told about a surprise extended warranty on the part and associated parts from Ford only Ford did not say anything until a week after the repair. All of the shuddering eventually started back up again and on 9-14-14 I noticed a burnt rubber smell from

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  Worse car I ever owned - 2000 Ford Focus
  By ltc_phil - September 19 - 8:23 am

  Seriously has been the worse car I have ever owned. I bought this car as a salvage title (front end damage, but no engine damage). It had around 80,000 miles on it. At around 107,000 miles the timing belt snapped - its a zero tolerance engine - so the whole engine was destroyed. Mechanic says a new engine is around $1000 plus - with 30,000 mile warranty - well I wont get another used car with that, and I figure I should be able to get a 100,000 miles out of new engine - wrong. I hit about 70,000 miles and same thing - catostrophic damage to engine with the timing belt snapped again and put a rod through the engine block. I will never buy Ford again if they cant produce an engine