Ford Five Hundred An Lexus Ls Ripoff?

[98es]

haha at first glance i thought that said 76 Ford Grandpa... which seems well fitting because it looks like something a grandpa would drive lol

[RFeldes]

Is the Lincoln Zephyr on the same platform?

[SW03ES]

LOL Bart

RF- No, the Zephyr is on the Fusion platform that comes from Volvo. Well, the 500s platform comes from Volvo too, but it comes from the S80.

[1990LS400]

I must say that I am not surprised by some of the negative comments on this thread.

But then, quite a few people gave me a hard time when I bought a new LS400 in early 1990 -- some called me crazy for spending so much on a "fancy Toyota".

We generally try to rent Toyota Camrys when we travel since we also have a Camry V6 and like Camrys a lot. And I have not seen Lexus LS rentals since the early 90's when one of the major rental companies rented them at the Sea-tac airport. I sure have to say that I like the Ford 500 way more than our Camry.

I for one can't say that I will always buy a Lexus. I suspect that a couple of Chinese companies will be giving Japanese luxury auto manufactures a run for their money far sooner than most people realize. Don't forget that Toyota is manufacturing vehicles in China (including the Prado) that are very similar to Lexus vehicles sold in the U.S. Toyota/Lexus is going to have to compete for my business.

I was so impressed with the Ford 500 that I am recommending that my father buy a Mercury Montego sedan -- very similar to the Ford 500 except it comes with memory seats, HID headlights and LED stop lights standard. Side curtain airbags are available and I want my parents to have them. There is no Toyota or Lexus dealer where he lives and I can't have him driving 30 miles for service.

But I still really, really like my 2000 LS400!

Here are some more Ford 500 photos from our two week Virginia vacation to fan the flames. I like the air vent in the console for rear seat passengers -- just like the Lexus LS. And I loved the all the controls on the steering wheel.

[SW03ES]

Where'd you find my dad's LS to take a comparison shot? LOL

[Rx330driver]

honestly, i think they couldnt be more different. Of course i cannot judge because i have not driven the ford yet...or the LS for that matter, but i dont trust american cars period. thats the bottom line. it might be a great car, and it might drive as well as the LS but i wouldnt pay anything for that...maybe im just superficial . THe styling is all wrong and the inside has too much plastic...looks too american if that makes sense.

who was the person who posted that article that said that car makers buy other cars to take apart to see the technology? So the 500 might has well be a disguised LS but it will never truly be the same.

[2007GS450H]

no no interior very very luxurious ford 500 seems to use very high materials it even has more stering wheel controls than the current ls430

Lexus ls430 base no options $51,000

Fors 500 $25,000

seems lexus needs to put more luxury its like the lincoln zephyr

that looks like a another lexus model

The interior looks better than the current ls430

ford 500 pure luxury peformance styling

[nc211]

For me it's all about the ride, the noise, and more importantly, the longevity of those two. I like a smooth, soft ride, but not floaty. I also hate rattles. My experience with fords over the years have been decent in those categories, but not Lexus quality. It's my opinion that Lexus has mastered the marriage of a smooth engine to a smooth transmission. No noises that sound like premature wear, no whinning noises or anything like that. Even when the service hasn't been good on the Lexus. The LS400 just seems to move effortlessly, and fords seem to labor a bit more.

[1990LS400]

Where'd you find my dad's LS to take a comparison shot? LOL

Your dad must have been sneaking away to a Holiday Inn Express on the west side of Richmond, Virginia in late May. Sounds like he's being a "bad boy". LOL

[SW03ES]

no no interior very very luxurious ford 500 seems to use very high materials it even has more stering wheel controls than the current ls430

Lexus ls430 base no options $51,000

Fors 500 $25,000

seems lexus needs to put more luxury its like the lincoln zephyr

that looks like a another lexus model

The interior looks better than the current ls430

ford 500 pure luxury peformance styling

This I don't agree with LOL, the Lincoln Zephyr is a train wreck of a car. Cheap plastic everywhere, fake wood, weird lines that don't make any sense. Its sales reflect that too.

Guys, nobody is saying the Ford 500 is the equal to the Lexus LS, that would be crazy. All Jim and I are saying is that is a more solid vehicle than one might originally think.

Your dad must have been sneaking away to a Holiday Inn Express on the west side of Richmond, Virginia in late May. Sounds like he's being a "bad boy". LOL

He must be, I'll have to have a talk with him!

[2007GS450H]

no no interior very very luxurious ford 500 seems to use very high materials it even has more stering wheel controls than the current ls430

Lexus ls430 base no options $51,000

Fors 500 $25,000

seems lexus needs to put more luxury its like the lincoln zephyr

that looks like a another lexus model

The interior looks better than the current ls430

ford 500 pure luxury peformance styling

This I don't agree with LOL, the Lincoln Zephyr is a train wreck of a car. Cheap plastic everywhere, fake wood, weird lines that don't make any sense. Its sales reflect that too.

Guys, nobody is saying the Ford 500 is the equal to the Lexus LS, that would be crazy. All Jim and I are saying is that is a more solid vehicle than one might originally think.

Your dad must have been sneaking away to a Holiday Inn Express on the west side of Richmond, Virginia in late May. Sounds like he's being a "bad boy". LOL

He must be, I'll have to have a talk with him!

no no people have diffrent tastes

[SW03ES]

Its not a question of taste its a question of quality, I'm not even talking about the styling I'm talking about the hard cheap plastic and fake wood, way too many components lifted from the Fusion etc. The Zephyr isn't a serious entry like say a Cadillac CTS is.

Plus, if you think Lincoln is so much better than Lexus and that Lexus needs to add more luxury to be like Lincoln, why do you own $130,000 worth of Lexus product instead of Lincolns?

[2007GS450H]

i have other makes too

a 2006 honda accord exL with xm

I personally think this is better than my 2003 lexus rx300

other than the rough ride the accors is better

Dont get me wrong i like lexus im talking about other people

[SW03ES]

But still no Fords or Lincolns. But I stand corrected, $170,000 worth of Lexus vehicles.

As for other people, look at the numbers. The Zephyr has been a huge sales dissapointment for Ford. Lexus isn't the #1 selling luxury brand in the US for nothing. They obviously make vehicles that appeal to a greater % of the American luxury carbuyer than others.

[Sal Collaziano]

While Ford didn't do the greatest job in getting the Five Hundred to look like the LS - it looks to me like they tried.. The headlights and front fascia especially.. The side profile as well.. And a little bit of the rear fascia.. The first time I saw the Ford Five Hundred, I saw the similarities...

[blake918]

Here we go, Jim. It took me a while, but like I told you, I'd get this posted at some point! I had the chance to spend the weekend with a '08 Taurus a while back, and I thoroughly enjoyed the car! I found Jim's analysis of the car to be quite accurate (except my Pirelli tires were awful.), so I'll talk some about the improvements they made to the Taurus over the Five Hundred. I loved nearly everything about the car. The ride was smooth, but not floaty. It was very well built for a $25k car (No it's not perfect, but it also didn't cost $65k when it was new.). The different colors, the wood, chrome, etc. all come together quite nicely inside the cabin. I've never been a fan of grey interiors, but I liked this grey interior a lot. I'd probably get grey. I would do without the sunroof, but my head didn't hit the headliner even with the sunroof. The seats were excellent, and while it doesn't have Mercedes amounts of legroom (no adjustable pedals on this one.), I was still comfortable behind the wheel. The trunk is obscenely large, and the front passenger's seat folds down, so you can carry something nearly the entire length of the car. It did have an all in one key/remote, so that was nice, and I liked that you didn't have to hold the key down to start the car, just twist and release, like a German car.

The Sync system was superb! It synced right up with my 1.1.4 iPhone, and call quality was excellent (it would mute the radio when a call comes in, and show the caller id on the radio display.). It offered to download my contacts, but I didn't want to since it was a rental car! haha In the center console, there is a USB plug (which is what I connected my iPhone with to get access to the music.), a standard 3.5 stereo aux input, and a power outlet. The sound quality for my music was excellent, and the stereo speakers in the car were very good too. No GSM interference either!! I loved being able to say "Play artist Chicago," and Chicago would start playing with the track info displayed on the radio display. I wish the steering wheel had additional audio controls like next track, volume, etc. Maybe there was a way to do those things via sync, but I didn't have the chance to fully learn the Sync system.

The 3.5 V6 was great, good acceleration and very smooth--as was the 6 speed transmission. The electronic throttle was pretty good with very little lag. The Pirelli tires were extremely noisy even though they looked new. They would make this bad droning noise when you would come to a stop although they did ride smoothly. The quirky front end styling has really grown on me, and I like it a lot now. The headlights and fog lights were excellent. At night when you unlock the car, all of the lights come on (it has puddle lamps too which are cool!) which is nice--makes you feel safe when you walk up to the car in a dark parking lot at night. On the highway 1800rpms will get you to 74-75mph which is amazing considering my LS runs 600rpms more at that speed, and it had plenty of power to make it up the hills here without downshifting. The computer readout for the fuel stayed around 25mpg for mixed city (I drove it hard in the city too) and hwy driving.

Glowing remarks so far, so what didn't I like? The ignition key goes in the steering column, and I hated that. My other problem was that the speedometer seemed to get washed out in bright sunlight, maybe tint would take care of that problem.

Here are some pics for those of you who are like me and hate those over edited, ridiculous pictures that the manufactures put out...

iPhone connected....

1800rpms @ 74mph

Trunk/pass through

[jcrome04]

Ford has definately stepped up their game! B)

I like the new Fusions. If I had to get a small economy car I'd probably go with a new Focus. All those tiny "Tin Can" cars (Fit, Versa, Yaris) get around 35mpg. The Focus is a decent sized sedan that doesn't look like a pre-pubescent girl should drive it and is STILL rated at 35mpg! :D

Great write-up by the way Blake

[blake918]

Ford has definately stepped up their game! B)

I like the new Fusions. If I had to get a small economy car I'd probably go with a new Focus. All those tiny "Tin Can" cars (Fit, Versa, Yaris) get around 35mpg. The Focus is a decent sized sedan that doesn't look like a pre-pubescent girl should drive it and is STILL rated at 35mpg! :D

Great write-up by the way Blake

Thanks!! I agree, Ford has really been putting out some great new cars! I like the Fusion too, especially with the sports package! The Focus is still growing on me. I think it's a pretty good car for the money, and it has Sync, so that's a HUGE plus!

[SW03ES]

The Sync is awesome, really, really well done.

[1990LS400]

Thanks for the follow-up, Blake.

The Ford 500 / Taurus stands out as the most enjoyable car we have ever rented -- and we have rented a whole bunch of cars on a lot of trips including some fairly high dollar cars.

I think one has to drive the new Taurus for at least a few days to fully appreciate it. As I said before, it was very difficult to get back into my 00 LS400 after driving the Ford 500 for almost two weeks. The 500/Taurus Limited is way more fun to drive than my LS.

[Lash]

Please,gawd...please please PLEASE never make me own an American car again.

[Blayd]

Please,gawd...please please PLEASE never make me own an American car again.

You can't write of any brand car, OR any car because of where its made. because every brand and every nationality has a car you would gladly trade yours for.

[eatingupblacktop]