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The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety awarded the Five Hundred as its "Top Safety Pick" designation for large family cars. The new model has also earned the maximum five-star rating in all crash test categories from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
"Customers are far more discerning now than they ever were and the demands to meet their lifestyle needs have also increased," said Ashok Khanna, General Manager of Al Tayer Motors. "The 2008 Five Hundred delivers what customers are looking for - a strong design, high-quality interior, power and performance, a spacious interior and enhanced safety features."
Building on safety leadership
With standard air bags and available electronic stability control, the 2008 Ford Five Hundred has been rated the safest full-size car in North America and is a segment leader in safety, capable of achieving five-star ratings in all four categories for the U.S. government's crash tests. It also has been named a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety.
Ford's AdvanceTrac electronic stability control system can predict the vehicle's intentions using a sensor to detect and measure oversteer and yaw by monitoring the vehicle's speed, throttle position and steering wheel angle.
When the system senses wheel slip, engine torque is reduced and braking is applied where needed to help keep the car tracking safely on its intended path.
Additional standard safety equipment includes dual-stage driver and passenger front air bags, seat-deployed side air bags for driver and front passenger, and Ford's Safety Canopy side curtain air bags for both rows.
For an added measure of safety, a new steering wheel design recesses the air bag 15 millimeters farther away from the driver.
Maximum convenience and space
A large majority of customers shopping in the large car segment identify front seat roominess as a key want (86%) while many also prioritize cargo capacity (63%).
Answering these desires, the 2008 Five Hundred features the most spacious interior of any large sedan, with best-in-class legroom front and rear and 60/40-split fold-flat second-row seats. With the fold-flat front-passenger seat, items up to nine feet long can fit inside.
Power of the 2008 Five Hundred comes from Ford's 3.5-liter Duratec V-6 that delivers 263 NET horsepower and 249 pound-feet of torque.
It is mated to the same smooth shifting, 6-speed automatic transmission as the new Ford Edge.
Five Hundred is available in SEL and Limited trims, and is built at Ford's Chicago Assembly Plant.
Ultra-quiet interior and plush ride
Interior quietness is often associated with a customer's perception of overall quality. The Five Hundred team delivered interior quietness that rivals many luxury cars.
The sound package includes such technologies as expandable foam pellets in the A-pillars to reduce wind noise and the use of an advanced sound-deadening material called Sonosorb in the doors, headliner and pillars. Sonosorb increases sound-deadening efficiency by 20% while retaining the same thickness as the material it replaces.
Engineers also reduced road noise by stiffening the area where the rear package shelf meets the floor pan. Even the new climate control system is 50% quieter than before.
Five Hundred's plush, confident ride is distinct with strut towers that help increase front suspension travel by 10%, dampers and springs in both front and rear, and a revised, retuned rear suspension.
Five Hundred's engine is not mounted to the front subframe. The engine and transmission are bolted to the body with hydraulic mounts to reduce vibration thereby allowing engineers to better tune the suspension and, ultimately, create an even better ride.
Posted by Eman Hassan
