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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  What a great all around vehicle - 2013 Ford Explorer
  By jllevere - September 18 - 3:30 pm

  Purchased my 2013 Explorer Sport after 10 years of driving BMW X-5s and based on this one I will be with Ford for a while. Ecoboost is a fantastic motor. I have 18,500 miles and vehicle has been in the shop for 2 services and thats it. Not one problem even with the highly disparaged SYNC. Maybe I just got lucky but my just plain works great! Did I mention how good the Ecoboost motor is! Over 20MPG on the highway and 15-17 in stop and go city driving. Really a lot of pickup for getting on freeways or passing.

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  Friends dont let Friends buy a Ford - 2014 Ford Mustang
  By trebmann - September 17 - 9:44 pm

  Just purchased a new Mustang and already back for repairs. Needs New lower control arms and bushings. Noises coming from drive tran. Missing pieces that were left off. Costly junk..I ll never buy Ford again.. Corporate office of Ford is rude and could care less if they made junk. Local dealer not much better.

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  Quality is just not there! - 2009 Ford Flex
  By cdnmominaz - September 17 - 2:41 pm

  I HATE HATE HATE to say it but the title reads true! My father retired with Ford and our family has a LONG history of buying/owning Ford vehicles! BUT this one missed the mark. It is a 2009, I get it, things will go wrong....but I wasnt anticipating all the issues weve had thus far. Here we go: 1. Clear coat began peeling. (Almost immediately after bringing it home to AZ, coincidentally just a year or so after the paint warranty expired!) Looks like an old, beat up junker now! EW! 2. Ball bearing issue. (Umm, yes my tire was dangerously loose and that is totally unacceptable) 3. The door handles continue to fall off (yes, these cheap, junkie, chrome wanna-be come right off!)

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  Surprisingly efficient and fun - 2015 Ford Explorer
  By edp5 - September 15 - 11:56 am

  We just drove our 2015 Ford Explorer XLT on an 800 mile trip. The ride is very comfortable for a 6 foot tall 200 pound driver. Lots of room and support in the seat. The touch controls took a little getting used to the sensitivity but once that was accomplished they are intuitive and easy to operate. Without studying the owners manual in detail I was able to operate everything except the windshield washer button which I found after reading the manual. The car rides and handles very well at highway speeds and on twisting roads. The gas mileage averaged 23.4 mpg for the trip. The ride was quiet and conversations were easily conducted at all times.

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  I Hate This Car - 2013 Ford Fusion
  By jtbuchanan - September 15 - 9:15 am

  Its beautiful- dont get me wrong. But the amount of times its been in the shop since its purchase in Nov 2012 has completely negated any value of the vehicle. Ive had computer module fails, tire sensor fails, SYNC fails recall after recall. Now I have pieces falling from the headliner, and clips coming off of the air vents. I have a rip in the carpet under the drivers side mat and a discolored leather drivers seat- neither of which Ford will cover under warranty, and both inexplicable. This is my 2nd Fusion, and I drive this one like I did the 2011- to work and school/sport functions, so there should be no reason for this car to fall apart like it has. Not for a $30,000 price tag.

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  Lemon? - 2014 Ford Focus
  By jeff295 - September 14 - 12:35 pm

  After owning a Ford Focus EV for a year, I advise consumers to be very skeptical about them. I loved it at first, until the battery died several times at stop lights! We were told it needed a software update to fix the problem. That seemed to work for several months, until the battery died completely again. Having an almost brand new car and then having to deal with towing, figuring out how to get to work with out it, etc., is a tremendous hassle and downside. There are no substitute cars because substitutes wont be able to use the car pool lane. Dealers have very little knowledge about the Focus EV, which also is incredibly frustrating. Overall, a very bad experience with this car.

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  Would not recomend - 2005 Ford F-150
  By nick19d - September 14 - 10:38 am

  I have the short bed version of this package. First off the truck does its job as long as you dont abuse it. The clicking noise that is often heard is the cam phaser. It is a $2700.00 dollar repair and it will not stop the clicking noise (as admitted by Ford) the noise may stop for up to two weeks but will continue indefinitely after that. The only way to get it to stop is to purchase what is called the "Cam Phaser Lockout Kit" which is $700.00. I have put 80K miles on the truck and it has clicked since day one. have not had an issue with it truck runs good. Only other problems were the tensioner and the fuel pump module. which is a recall item no discount from ford $69.00 bad engineering.

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  Only negative is you cant rent a trailer. - 1995 Ford Explorer
  By bethdriver - September 14 - 9:04 am

  I love my 1995. I bought it ten years ago and paid $3,000 for it. In ten years Ive replaced brakes, tires, driver window electric motor. The only problem Ive had is with the dash lights (the lower half wont light up and even though I took it to a dealership and they "fixed" them...a month later they quit working again and the dealership would not fix them for free so I said screw it. The only other issue is that at about 180,000 miles, the OD light started blinking and it would not go into reverse, and it was chunking hard into lower gears. I was told new transmission was needed. Nope. Just a new VSS and clear the codes, and another 40,000 miles later, still going strong!

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  Best of the best - 2012 Ford F-150
  By honda007gb - September 13 - 8:39 am

  This truck is amazing in all ways you would need a truck. I have owned or driven just about all the different brands and let me tell you nothing beats this F-150. I have had 90,000 trouble free miles out of my ecoboost. Most people that complain about mpgs do not understand the point of this engine. It pulls like no other 1/2 ton on the road today. There are many compairson videos avalible. The hemi,chevy 6.2 are no match to the low end at a lower rpm. If driven right you can get above the mpg listed with an empty truck and not towing. No other crew cab has near the room this truck does. With the flat floor and the rear seats up, you have a very large space to haul inside the cab. Awesome

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  2.5L I-4 2,000 Miles sp far, liking my ride - 2014 Ford Fusion
  By 03tbext - September 12 - 2:30 pm

  Wife did not like seats in the 14 Focus SE, so we bought the basic Fusion S. Very quiet, smooth ride, great gas mileage. How great? 40.2 MPG on a 200 mile trip today (actual, computer said it was 38.2). Like the room can comfort very much, a huge step up from my 2006 Focus ZX4-SES, 2.0L automatic. And, the fuel economy is about 2 to 3 MPG better! Always used to be a GM man, till Obama Motors taking them out of the running. Ford sure has improved.