“Customers love the Five Hundred’s ride and package, and its safety reputation is excellent,” says Cisco Codina, Ford’s group vice president of North America Marketing, Sales and Service. “For this year, we’ve dialed up the appeal with a new, more expressive look, a more powerful engine and more than 500 changes to make this great car even better.”

The Five Hundred’s 3.5-liter Duratec V-6 now delivers an estimated 260 horsepower and 245 pound-feet of torque. It also benefits from the same smooth shifting, six-speed automatic transmission and the same available all-wheel-drive system as the new Ford Edge. Importantly, even with the upgraded powertrain, real-world fuel economy for the front-wheel-drive model is expected to be similar to the current model thanks to advancements in powertrain technology.

The Five Hundred’s new look aligns it with the Ford Fusion. New from the A-pillars forward, the Five Hundred now features Ford’s signature three-bar chrome grille. A sculpted hood adds a touch of crisp detail, and a new front fascia is chamfered at the outer edges, adding structure to the design.

All-new side mirrors are smaller yet provide better visibility and reduce wind noise. Chrome side vents, door handles and mirror caps give the Five Hundred Limited models a more expensive appearance. New taillamps carry the horizontal theme to the rear, while a new rear fascia houses chrome-tipped dual exhausts.

For 2008, the Five Hundred’s sound package has been completely revised, helping make it as quiet as many luxury cars. The new 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 percent while retaining the same thickness as the material it replaces.

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Ford describes the Five Hundred as an upscale sedan for people who like the upright Command Seating, flexible storage, and all-wheel-drive capability of an SUV, but prefer the comfort and driving characteristics of a sedan. The 2007 Ford Five Hundred adds several new packages, optional SIRIUS satellite radio and two new exterior colors. A new chrome package is available for SE and SEL with 18-inch eight-spoke chrome clad wheels and a chrome mesh grille. Other options for the SEL include a navigation system, heated seats, and three packages.

An interior convenience package includes fog lights, in-dash 6-disc CD changer, dual electronic temperature control, automatic lights and an outside-temperature display; an interior power package features eight-way power driver seat and adjustable pedals; and a Limited convenience package includes memory adjustable pedals, a universal garage door opener, reverse sensing and a trunk cargo net. A six-speed automatic transmission is standard on all front-wheel-drive models. Front-seat side airbags are standard and Ford’s Safety Canopy side air curtain system will be available later in the model year.

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The only engine is a 203-hp 3.0-liter V6. The front-drive SEL and Limited have a 6-speed automatic transmission. Other models get a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) with near-infinite drive ratios.

Antilock 4-wheel disc brakes are standard. Traction control is included with AWD, optional otherwise; no antiskid system is offered. Option packages team front side airbags and curtain side airbags with rollover deployment.

All models include power driver seat and split folding rear seatbacks. Leather upholstery is standard on Limited, optional for SEL. DVD entertainment is newly available for both of these vehicles, while a navigation system arrives as a Limited-exclusive option. Sunroof and rear obstacle detection are also available as well.

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