I'll reserve judgment...cough!
I want to see side profiles.



http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2008-ford-five-hundred/

 

One word: SEXY! However, I am not sure how well it will fit with the profile.

HUGE improvement.

I like it a lot.

Want to know more?
One long press release I didn't read:

http://www.autoblog.com/2007/01/07/detroit-auto-show-2008-ford-five-hundred/

looks better but the side profile is still bland

I'm a fan.  Hopefull it's packing the 3.5, but I didn't read the article.

It's better, but the interior isn't too much different.

Looks good! A big improvement. The interior looks great. Especially for an American car.

Applause for the rear end (although single exhausts on either side would be nice as opposed to dual on one side), applause for the interior, but thumbs down for the front, and those bloody awful chrome wheels.

It's an improvement, but IMO it should have been more. The front overhang is now very pronounced, and the car still looks too soft in 3/4 front view. The 3.5-liter is the significant change.

I think it looks good but I'm more interested in the increased power.  I little flattening of the roof line would have helped a lot too.

Amazing- they took an ugly duckling and made it even uglier- and added a chrome thing on the front fender that's equally ugly and has no purpose at all.  Wow is all I can say it's just not a nice looking car and what's with Ford love of that 3 bar grill?  Its just not attractive at all.  BUT I like the green backlight on the dash it really stands out.  The speedo cluster looks like a reject from the Econoline group but the console looks good.  Overall I have to give it a "man is that fugly."

Quote from: rohan on January 07, 2007, 06:54:52 AM
Amazing- they took an ugly duckling and made it even uglier- and added a chrome thing on the front fender that's equally ugly and has no purpose at all.? Wow is all I can say it's just not a nice looking car and what's with Ford love of that 3 bar grill?? Its just not attractive at all.? BUT I like the green backlight on the dash it really stands out.? The speedo cluster looks like a reject from the Econoline group but the console looks good.? Overall I have to give it a "man is that fugly."

i like elements of the new version of the ford 500, but i'm not in love with the overall design. i do not like the side "gills" -- save them for lincoln. the grille does not fit the side profile. isn't this key?

what will the mercury montego look like? hmm...

I'm glad they decided to use real wood this time. 

What's to applaud about the rear end? It's already in existence.

Quote from: TheIntrepid on January 07, 2007, 09:09:33 AM





What's to applaud about the rear end? It's already in existence.

But to be fair, I think it's quite possible to come up with such a shape independently.

Why in a the day of electronic do dads with the time on the face of everything did this car need a 80's style clock on the dash?  YUK- who are they putting that on there for?  The console really looked nice until I noticed that hanging above it - and I like the wood - it amost looks real.

It's not bad.  Has a bit more character than the original while still remaining fairly toned down and unoffensive.  The front end actually kind of reminds me of the first gen Infiniti M45.  The side gills here actually don't bother me like the ones on the Focus.  These are relatively reserved and low key.  Though if they were to put something there else, a side-mounted turn indicator might better fit.

Hmmm, it lacks the elegance of the old one.

But I don't care about that, did they put the 3.5 in it?

Looks wicked.  Get rid of the chrome wheels and would look even better, IMO.  The front end looks really good now, even reminds of me of that Interceptor concept.  And I think the side profile is fine, it might not be particularly distinctive, but it's clean and smart.

I think the interior looks very good.  Modern, but also inviting and quite classy.

Gasoline, I have to hand it to you, you are good with the pictures.  Thanks

For the guys that are complaining about this "not being enough" or the profile still being "not aggressive", keep in mind they were probably trying to save as much of the original design as possible. It's not as cost effective to fix the things you're complaining about. 

Quote from: mazda6er on January 07, 2007, 11:13:42 AM
For the guys that are complaining about this "not being enough" or the profile still being "not aggressive", keep in mind they were probably trying to save as much of the original design as possible. It's not as cost effective to fix the things you're complaining about. 

And that's when Toyota and Honda stepped in.

Quote from: nickdrinkwater on January 07, 2007, 10:22:33 AM
Looks wicked.  Get rid of the chrome wheels and would look even better, IMO.  The front end looks really good now, even reminds of me of that Interceptor concept.  And I think the side profile is fine, it might not be particularly distinctive, but it's clean and smart.

I think the interior looks very good.  Modern, but also inviting and quite classy.

Gasoline, I have to hand it to you, you are good with the pictures.  Thanks

You're welcome. But now I am an insomniac.

Quote from: SaltyDog on January 07, 2007, 11:18:34 AM
And that's when Toyota and Honda stepped in.

Have you seen the latest Accord and Camrys? Styling has NOTHING to with those high sales numbers. The fundamentals are what matter to midsize mainstream buyers (other than perceived reputation for quality) and the Five Hundred is much improved there (thanks to the 3.5).

Quote from: SaltyDog on January 07, 2007, 11:18:34 AM
And that's when Toyota and Honda stepped in.

Bah!