Pricing for All-New Ford Five Hundred and Freestyle Announced

New Ford Sedan and Crossover SUV Offer Strong Value Proposition

Ford has been in need of new models to bolster its new car lineup for some time, and the upcoming Five Hundred sedan and Freestyle crossover SUV could be just what is needed. The domestic automaker recently announced prices for the two models, starting at less than most analysts initially thought they would sell for.

The Five Hundred, positioned higher up the economic scale than the midsize Taurus due to its large-car interior, starts at $22,795 in base front-wheel drive SE trim. It has been strategically priced to sell for hundreds less than Chryslers popular new 300 sedan, which is considered to be a natural competitor to the new Ford.

And the Five Hundred wont be poorly equipped to achieve its target price either, featuring a 203 horsepower Duratec 30 DOHC 3.0-liter V6 engine mated to a sophisticated 6-speed automatic on most front-wheel drive models, plus a continuously-variable transmission (CVT) for all-wheel drive and some front-drive models. The new Ford, and the 2005 Mazda6, will be the first volume cars to offer a 6-speed automatic, with such technology usually only available in premium brands such as BMW and Lexus.

Also standard will be an AM/FM/single-CD audio system, power door locks with remote keyless entry and door-mounted keyless entry key pad, power windows with drivers door one-touch up and down, 5-passenger seating with a 6-way power drivers featuring with manual lumber adjustment, 4-wheel ABS equipped disc brakes and 17-inch wheels and tires. The Five Hundred also achieves best-in-class rear leg and headroom, as well as the largest trunk available in any sedan. The new Ford 4-door will make optional all-wheel drive available in all three trim levels, SE, SEL and Limited, for $1,700. The all-wheel drive SE starts at $24,495, also under-pricing the 300 with all-wheel drive.

"Both Five Hundred and Freestyle offer a totally new approach to providing customers with what they want," stated Bill Rowe, Ford Motor Company, Limited, brand manager, Family Lifestyle Vehicles.

The new 2005 Freestyle is also aggressively priced, starting at $25,595 for a front-wheel drive SE that features up to 7-occupant seating. Comparatively to the front-wheel drive Chrysler Pacifica, the Freestyle SE is more than substantially cheaper. All-wheel drive Freestyles start at $27,295, again less expensive than the Pacifica with AWD and the Buick Rainier.

"Fords Year of the Car will stand for great new products and great value," stated Steve Lyons, president of Ford Division. "The Ford Five Hundred and Freestyle offer so much refinement, versatility and capability that we think their low prices will be a happy surprise to consumers."

The new Freestyle is big on space, offering more seating than Chryslers Pacifica with 6- or 7-occupant configurations available. Also, long objects of up to 10 feet in length can be accommodated inside. The Freestyle also offers best-in-class first, second and third row legroom, according to Ford.

A 3.0-liter V6 puts power through a CVT gearbox, in both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive trim levels. The brakes are all discs and feature standard ABS, while a 17-inch alloy wheel and tire package is also included.

Inside, an AM/FM/single-CD audio system also comes standard, while power door locks with remote keyless entry and door-mounted keyless entry key pad, power windows with drivers door one-touch up and down, and a 6-way power drivers seat with manual lumber adjustment are also included.

Like the Five Hundred, the Freestyle is available in three trim levels, SE, SEL and Limited. Again, as in the Five Hundred, the optional all-wheel drive can be had on all three trim levels for an extra $1,700.

While the new Chrysler 300 and Pacifica are obvious rivals to the two new Ford models, the Five Hundred and Freestyle are more conservatively drawn and therefore will attract a different set of customers. The Fords offer much less power than the Chrysler products as well, with a focus on fuel economy rather than out-and-out performance. Corresponding high fuel costs may mean that Ford hit the mark with regards to timing the launches of the new pair, which should be reasonably fuel efficient due to their smaller 3.0-liter engine and 6-speed automatic or CVT transmissions.

The Five Hundred manages 29 mpg on the highway and 21 in the city with the 6-speed auto in standard front-wheel drive guise, 27 mpg highway and 20 mpg city when mated to the CVT and 26 mpg highway and 19 mpg city with the CVT connects through to all-wheel drive. In comparison driving a Chrysler 300 will use up more fuel, starting in base 2.7 liter trim at 28 mpg highway and 21 mpg city and 27 highway and 19 city for the 3.5-liter 300. Fuel economy figures for the AWD 300 run at 24 mpg on the highway and 18 in the city. The Five Hundred also bests the Toyota Camry V6, but the Honda Accord V6 is more fuel efficient in the city at least - the Five Hundred beats it on the highway though. Both Honda and Toyota will battle back soon with hybrid gas-electric powered Accords and Camrys, which are expected to boast better fuel economy than the Five Hundred and much more power. Nissan will also have an HEV Altima available shortly thereafter.

But can Ford be that far away with a hybrid Five Hundred? It only makes sense that a hybrid electric version of the Five Hundred becomes available, as Ford has shown its support of the technology by producing its new Escape Hybrid, with help from Toyota.

Hybrids aside, the Freestyle achieves 27 mpg on the highway and 20 mpg in the city in front-wheel drive trim and 24 city and 19 city when set up with all-wheel drive. Comparatively the Chrysler Pacifica gets 23 mpg on the highway and 17 in the city, plus 22 on the highway and 17 in the city in front- and all-wheel drive configurations respectively. Buicks Rendezvous comes close to the Ford at 26 mpg on the highway and 19 in the city when fitted with front-wheel drive, and 24 mpg on the highway and 18 in the city in AWD mode. How does the Toyota fare? In V6 trim the front-wheel drive Highlander manages 25 mpg on the highway and 19 in the city, while the all-wheel drive Toyota gets 24 on the highway and 18 in the city. Like the Camry, Toyota will introduce a Highlander HEV for 2006, which will improve on the 3.3-liter V6s power while reducing fuel consumption too. Ford will no doubt be considering the adaptation of its Escape Hybrid powertrain into the larger Freelander to combat Toyota.

With the clear fuel economy advantage currently in Fords court, those looking to reduce monthly budgets may want to consider the Five Hundred or Freestyle. Those looking for power should be better satisfied by Chryslers 300C, which delivers and impressive 340 horsepower and 390 lb-ft of torque through rear- or all-wheel drive. The HEMI-powered Chrysler also offers a variable displacement feature which can reduce the firing cylinders from eight to four when under low loads.

As expensive as gasoline has become, North American buyers havent shown a major shift away from larger V8-powered vehicles such as SUVs. Still, with slow sales overall it is difficult to speculate whether the sales of large vehicles will pick up with sales of all vehicles, if and when the economy improves, or when fuel prices fall back toward affordability. If fuel prices dont drop, however, Ford could be sitting pretty with its thrifty new entries.