2008 Ford Fivehundred spied

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Oy vey.. when will US carmakers stop doing these faceless, anonymous, tasteless, spiritless cars that fill every single safety and emission regulation with ease instead of slipping by them and making things more exiting?

look at that car. it clearly says: "Hello, I'm Ford, safe and environmentally friendly car. I'll take you to mall and back with comfort and luxury and you don't need to bother with driving."

hell, even 80's 2.3l Mustang is more exiting than this mindless, brainwashed office clerk we see there from any point of view!
 
Harsh. :scared: I think the current 500 looks alright. I don't like much else about the car, but....
 
YSSMAN
But, I still think a Yamaha V8 version would be awesome! I mean, they are doing it with the S80 (of which the Fivehundred shares its platform), so why not the Ford?
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I'm under the impression the Fivehundred is using the last-generation S80's platform, much in the same way the 300/Magnum/etc use last-gen E-class mechanicals. Only the new S80 was designed to take in a V8, while the old one had the turbo'd six as its top engine. I'm not 100% sure on all this, but I think that's the case.
 
You're right. The all-new S80 is based on the same platform as the S-Max and Galaxy MPVs, not the only one. I think the overall style of the car leads you to believe that, but there is just one problem here.

...The XC90, which is based on the same P2 chassis as the Fivehundred uses the V8 too, so I'm uncertain as to why Ford wouldn't be able to do the same outside of "costs."
 
MatttheTuner
Yet another update brought to you by .....Leftlanenews.com

Best looking facelift in the history of man. 👍
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If you like the Mach 3 grille. Personally, I prefer the pre-facelift 500, just for the older grille. They seem to be still using the nasty plastic found in the interior of the current car. I wonder if the leather's any better this time around....
 
I can't stand those headlights. In the one angle I actually could stand (because the front end isn't shown, the second rear shot), the rear lights look like empty eye sockets. The steering wheel immediatly reminded me of the one on my grandparent's '80s Taurus. Europe and Japan passed that interior long ago. Honestly, the nav system and maybe that analog clock are about the only parts that I kinda like. Maybe they are trying to advertise by saying "Look how good all of our cars look compared to this!!"

When does it's next facelift come? Or, when will it be discontinued?

:yuck:
 
I can understand that, its a lot more "adventurous" with the styling. Much less inoffesive.
 
I prefer the honeycomb grilles personally. But the Mach3 grille isn't HORRIBLE, there are PLENTY of other corporate faces that are MUCH MUCH WORSE. Just look at Dodge, Chrylser, and Subaru.
 
The new look is so-so at best, as I find the current model quite attractive. I suppose it may take a while to get used to the Mach 3 grille, but it just makes the car look so "chunky" overall, I just don't care much for it. Lets hope the mechanical improvements help out in the end, as this did have a chance to be a good car at one time, but I have to say I don't like where the styling is going.

IMO, Ford should just bring us the Mondeo and S-Max to replace the Fivehundred, but thats just me...
 
M5Power
Yaay!! More money wasted on a facelift no-one will notice.

And Ford wonders why it's losing money. :rolleyes:
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Oh, they'll notice. They'll notice that Ford is putting on a new, semi-ulgy(or semi-good looking, depending on the person) facelift on all their lineup of cars that are mostly not new, or just plain old.

CNN
Ford also said in September it intended to roll out new models for 70 percent of its vehicle lineup by 2008. The Detroit Free Press reported that Mulally said Wednesday the company expects to meet that target and it is now looking to turn over 100 percent of its lineup by the end of the decade.
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If this is true, I think they should have just skipped the facelift on Focus, Five Hundred, Freestyle to save money. That is unless, they are counting the facelift as "new models". God, I hope not. :D
 
I'm not quite sure, but will the facelift on these cars also bring the Duratec 35 engine into the picture?
 
MatttheTuner
I'm not quite sure, but will the facelift on these cars also bring the Duratec 35 engine into the picture?
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According to wikipedia, it will in Five Hundred. If that's the case, I guess the Freestyle should get it also. Ford is expected to continue with the production of Duratec 30 engine, however.
 
skip0110
How much does a facelift cost Ford anyway?

I'm guessing not much.
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Actually, it's not really a facelift. At least from what I've seen on Focus. Facelift is when you put on a new grille, headlights, etc. on a existing car design. Ford's change on Focus involved all-new sheetmetal, interior,etc. Designing all that, plus putting them in production will not be cheap. Especially considering that Ford Motor Company is operating on loans(+interests).
 
Leonidae
Oy vey.. when will US carmakers stop doing these faceless, anonymous, tasteless, spiritless cars that fill every single safety and emission regulation with ease instead of slipping by them and making things more exiting?

look at that car. it clearly says: "Hello, I'm Ford, safe and environmentally friendly car. I'll take you to mall and back with comfort and luxury and you don't need to bother with driving."

hell, even 80's 2.3l Mustang is more exiting than this mindless, brainwashed office clerk we see there from any point of view!
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You hit the nail right on the head. Why are GM and Ford not doing well? It's not that they make bad cars, because they don't. But, they aren't great cars, either. They are good. They are vanilla cars that will get get you from Point A to Point be comfortably. But the one thing they fail to get is your eye. They blend in, lacking originality and individuality. Why buy a Ford Fusion that has the front end as every other Ford when you can buy something else that has it's own personality?
 
a6m5
Actually, it's not really a facelift. At least from what I've seen on Focus. Facelift is when you put on a new grille, headlights, etc. on a existing car design. Ford's change on Focus involved all-new sheetmetal, interior,etc. Designing all that, plus putting them in production will not be cheap. Especially considering that Ford Motor Company is operating on loans(+interests).
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Not to mention the structural buffering they did to bring the chassis up to class specs.

The one big thing going against this new and improved Focus is that the "Mark II" actually exists. If it didn't, they could call this a "Mark II" considering the chassis improvements... as it stands, it'll only ever be Mark I.V... :lol:
 
I'm okay with the Mach3 grille, actually. I don't think this facelift is that bad. It continues on with the current design elements and I think that's a good thing, even if it means that the current design is a bit bland.

Hell, this grille is a lot better than Audi's gaping mouth grille. A lot.
 
Needs to be shorter, wider, wider track, more aggressive tires, and a V8 powering the rear wheels with at the absolute minimum 300 horses.

Cheers,
 
a6m5
If this is true, I think they should have just skipped the facelift on Focus, Five Hundred, Freestyle to save money. That is unless, they are counting the facelift as "new models". God, I hope not. :D
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Of course they count those. We're talking about a brand that considers this change...

2002-05-Ford-Explorer-03114071990002.JPG


2007-Ford-Explorer-06114071990009.JPG


...to be a "full redesign" that should keep the vehicle fresh for another four years. Body on frame? Underpowered V8? Poor fuel economy? Harsh ride? Rear drive? We'll worry about that in 2010!

skip
How much does a facelift cost Ford anyway?

I'm guessing not much.
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The way Ford wastes money, probably hundreds of millions of dollars.
 

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