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Ford Five Hundred/Mercury Montego

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What is this discussion about? Ford Five Hundred, Mercury Montego, Sedan

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#10 of 3617 by teo Mar 28, 2002 (8:15 am)
My problem with the Ford 500 is that it looks very similar to the current VW Passat. Keep in mind that by 2004 VW will likely have an all new Passat sedan and wagon.
#11 of 3617 Machiavelli by porknbeans Mar 28, 2002 (8:25 am)
Your point is taken, however even if Ford is able to keep the weight the same the market they are targeting suggests more performance. The Taurus and Toyota appeal to a certain type of driver and the Nissans and VW's appeal to another. Personally, I think they are going after the Nissans and VW's with this car. I would even go so far as to say that they may be going after the entry Lexus, Infinity and Acura's. With that kind of target market I think Ford has to up the ante.   As far as shoehorning a v-8 under the hood VW was able to do it with the Passat I would doubt that Ford would come to the table without having that ability in their hip pocket. After all they were able to get a v-8 into the SHO (granted it was anemic) and the 4.6 that is currently in the Mustang isn't all that big (size wise).
#12 of 3617 I'm flattered! by tim_hooligan Mar 28, 2002 (8:29 am)
Wow, it was nice of Ford to sit there and style their new car after my Audi A4. I'm honored. Even the same rims.
#13 of 3617 by machiavelli Mar 28, 2002 (8:36 am)
My impression was it's more like Ford's interpretation of a Toyota Avalon, not a sports sedan. The emphasis was on roomy interior, tall seating postition like an SUV, etc...in the press release you posted. Nothing wrong with that IMO.   BTW, the SHO had a special 60 dgree V8 made by Yamaha (more compact than a "normal" 90 degree V8), and the Passat has VW's W8 which is very compact. I still doubt the 4.6L V8 could be crammed in there. Maybe the SOHC version but not the DOHC version.
#14 of 3617 by teo Mar 28, 2002 (8:39 am)
If the assembly and initial quality are right from the get go I don't see a problem for the 500. But the car tries to copy too much the German looks, nothing negative about that, but I think manufacturers need to be more original with thier designs while still borrowing some "Likeable" bits and pieces of design.
#15 of 3617 by machiavelli Mar 28, 2002 (8:43 am)
I'm not a big fan of J Mays. What has he done that is original? VW new Beetle, new T-Bird, Ford GT-40, Ford 49er, etc...are all "inspired" by previous cars.   Did he create the "new edge" look, i.e. the Mercury Cougar, Ford Focus, etc.. look? If so, then I'll give him credit for some originality.
#17 of 3617 machiavelli by bobbyknight Mar 28, 2002 (9:37 am)
I don't think he was around at Ford until '99. Good observation about styling cars that were not orginial, like the Beetle. However, I like the styling direction Ford is taking. I would rather have an American Audi than an American ? in the CTS.
#18 of 3617 Hmmm... by lancerfixer Mar 28, 2002 (12:12 pm)
I see a lot of Mondeo in it, too. Not a bad thing.
#19 of 3617 To me this is an important Ford by bac111 Mar 28, 2002 (12:39 pm)
Their styling for the longest time has just be crazy. I hope the real metal looks as good as the drawing. I mean, really, it has been years since a really good Ford sedan hit the market. The '86 Taurus was amazing, light years ahead of what GM had going. What did they do? They "freshened" it for '91 or so and then BAM the Oval Taurus came out in '96. Whoever was in charge of that design should have been fired. I remember reading when it came out about "the first Ford in 40 years with an oval window" and "there is not a straight line anywhere in sight" like these things were designing triumphs. Ya gotta be kiddin' me. The current version is better than the '96, but it still doesn't look like a "total" package. I am hoping the 500 is a good looking car and I don't care if the "stole" from Audi or VW. You can argue that the '86 Taurus stole some from the '83 Audi 5000 if you want.

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