10 GREATEST FORD SEDANS EVER MADE

While one of the major automotive industry players, Ford isn’t exactly known for its sedans throughout history. Yes, Ford created the automobile as we know it, but their sedan game has lost steam. Now, in America, no sedans are available from Ford at all, not even anything considered a “car” as opposed to an SUV or truck.

This is, of course, besides Mustang, a stronghold model for Ford. Even the iconic Ford GT has stopped racing and is out of production. Stopping the production of passenger cars bold move made by new management in an attempt to sharpen their lineup, while appealing more to their core demographic, one that we know has gravitated towards trucks and SUVs.

This bold move shocked the world, just as Ford did all those years ago with the revolutionary Model T. On one hand, Ford introduced the very first normal operating passenger vehicles, with the Model A resembling one of the earliest recipes for an automotive sedan ever. On the other, they are now the first to remove the segment from their lineup altogether. In April of 2018 Ford made the announcement, and by 2020, the last model standing, the Fusion, was gone.

If we are completely honest, though, Ford hadn’t been focused on the segment in quite a while. Their sedans were no longer competitive, and couldn’t offer nearly any of the perks of competitors. What Ford does best are trucks, SUVs, and Mustangs. While it’s sad to see an entire segment removed from a brand, there were still plenty of highlights over the decades showcasing Ford's ingenuity through sedans.

1927-1931 Ford Model A

The One That Started It All

After Ford stopped producing the Model T, a car that shocked the world as the first automobile as we know it to be and operate, the Model A was hot on its heels as the more sophisticated model. Model A was less of a workhorse than Model T and more of a transportation-focused vehicle. It was the one focused on bringing people closer together.

Performance Specifications

(Data was collected from car.info)

Pros

• Bespoke vehicle, ground-up build from Model T
• More luxurious than the Model T
• Easier to live with than Model T

Cons

• Not as utilitarian as Model T
• Not as Iconic as Model T, despite its upgrades
• Fewer configurations available

1968 Ford LTD

A Legendary Ford Sedan

The classic. The quintessential Ford LTD is the epitome of attitude, charisma, and just enough sophistication (but not too much), to be not only an iconic Ford model but an American Icon in general. The LTD was available as both two or four-door options, however, it was the four-door sedan that made the most impact. The LTD was Ford's entry into the "family-sized" luxury market. LTD was so good, that it outsold its competition from Chevrolet (Caprice).

Performance Specifications

(Data was collected from Automobile Catalog)

LTD ushered in an era of luxurious features, and styling, and even borrowed power under the hood from other Ford performance vehicles. It was rumored (advertised) to be, "Quieter than a Rolls-Royce". Knowing how important manufacturing practices are, and considering Ford was one of the key players back then, this bold statement is most likely true. All this at an affordable price that undercuts even the stiffest of competition.

Pros

• Full-size
• Feature-laden
• Luxury experience for economy price

Cons

• Jack of all trades, master of few
• Parts-bin built model
• Sleek styling, but not as aggressive as the muscle cars it's based on.

1988 Ford Sierra RS Cosworth

The Coolest Of Cool

Although not originally a sedan by American standards, the Ford Sierra Cosworth was a sedan by European standards, where having a 2+2 layout is considered a sedan. Besides, this was a Europe-only vehicle when launched, and isn’t technically a two-door, but a three-door with the hatch that houses the wild multi-step wing.

Just two years later though, Ford launched the four-door version (Sapphire), a car they saw as more fitting for a broader audience. Either way, it was an engineering playground with Ford and Cosworth working their magic to make the Sierra into something special.

Performance Specifications

(Data was collected from UltimateSpecs.com)

To put this type of performance into perspective in an era where a fuel crisis was still having effects on the industry, look at what the competition was doing. Not a Camaro, or the equivalent Chevrolet sedan, but the flagship Corvette (C4).

That car barely extracted 245 horsepower from 5.7 liter worth of V-8 muscle, a mere 44 more than the Sierra. What's more shocking is the Corvette's 0.2 seconds slower 0-60 MPH time than the Cosworth-equipped Sierra. This should help paint a clearer picture of how serious of a machine the Cosworth/Ford partnership produced.

Pros

• Massive performance upgrade
• Fun styling upgrades
• Rarity

Cons

• Unassumingly quick
• Expensive power
• Lacks features due to weight savings

1996 Ford Taurus SHO

V-8 Is King

Although it’s not the original, it’s the one everyone remembers. The bubble Taurus had no business housing a Yamaha-engineered V-8 engine, and yet, it went on to be perhaps the most famous SHO product from Ford ever! The obsession with integrating ellipses into automotive design peaked with the Ford Taurus, a styling cue that can repeatedly be found, inside and out.

Performance Specifications

(Data was collected from Ford and Car&Driver)

The Ford Taurus SHO deserves to be recognized for its polarizing commitment to its era styling influences, and the need to innovate engineering-wise. Ford recognized that performance cars were starting to receive larger, higher-displacement engines so the Taurus' engine had to swell to eight cylinders. It may not be the most powerful or technically impressive, but the Taurus SHO's character is off-the-charts expressive.

Pros

• Yamaha-engineered V-8
• Love it or hate it styling
• Comfortable and spacious

Cons

• 4-speed automatic made it lag behind its predecessor.
• Love it or hate it styling
• Some isolation from passengers as a performance car.

1998 Ford Focus

Underwhelming But Necessary

The Ford Focus from the 1990s represented a huge departure in design especially in the Americas. This generation of the Focus sparked a transition towards the tuning of small Fords. Along came the SVT Focus and the rest was history.

While not immediately the most interesting vehicle in its own right, the Ford Focus was a sales success finding its way to people’s driveways instead of Toyota Corollas over nine million times since 1998. This means, at the average price it was sold, Ford raked in nearly 200 Billion dollars during its run. Sales figures aside, this little sedan kept people moving all over, and not just in America. The focus was a big hit in Europe as well.

Performance Specifications

(Data was collected from Autodata.net)

Pros

• Low price to entry
• The new corporate design language
• Multiple model options

Cons

• Cheaply made interior
• Safety from side impact is poor
• Basic Transportation with few perks

1998 Ford Crown Victoria

License And Registration, Please

We may not all love it, but we certainly know the car. The Ford Crown Victoria will always stand out as the quintessential police interceptor. Chances are, if you have your license in America, you’ve probably seen the unmistakable silhouette of a Ford Crown Victoria with red and blue lights flashing in your rear-view mirror. We’ve all been pulled over by one, unless you’ve just recently obtained your license and the one to watch out for is a Ford Explorer. Well kiddos, things were much more rudimentary before the SUV craze.

Performance Specifications

(Data was collected from Ford and Automobile Catalog)

The Crown Victoria served America more than any other single vehicle. We had Crown Victoria police cars, taxis, and undercover cars, on top of the normal versions your grandma and grandpa bought. The common theme with Ford sedans is their unwavering call to do the everyday duties in and out of America. This one, however, is our silly, simple, shining jewel of a mediocre, but honestly relentless automobile that always gets the job done.

Pros

• Unbelievably tough
• 4.6-liter V-8 is under-stressed for Crown Victoria duty
• High production numbers force high car-per-dollar value.

Cons

• Jail-like interior
• Low horsepower, heavyweight
• A basic and simple exterior will never wow onlookers

2008 Ford Fiesta

Time To Rally

Without the Fiesta sedan, there would not be a Fiesta ST. Without a Fiesta St, there may not have been a 600-horsepower fire-breathing gymkhana monster from the Hoonigan team. This generation changed the world for the better, taking the humble little Fiesta to new heights. While the extreme rally side of the Fiesta is exciting, there is a subtle side to the compact that remains true to Ford's heritage.

Performance Specifications

(Data was collected from Ford)

The Fiesta, like earlier Ford compacts, represented a movement towards mass mobility at a low price to entry. It just so happened that enthusiasm for this particular generation built into something truly impressive.

The later Fiesta ST and numerous project cars that resulted from teams all over were a direct result of that enthusiasm. Ford took to Rally with both the Focus and Fiesta. Hoonigan's own Ken Block was a huge proponent of sending modified Fiestas into Rally racing. The humble micro sedan from Ford suddenly grew up quickly.

Pros

• Cost efficient
• Small size, but efficient use of space
• Fuel efficient

Cons

• Styling nightmare for some
• Basic interior features
• Some safety/reliability concerns

2010 Ford Taurus SHO

Enter The EcoBoost Era

Although it might not possess a thundering V-8 under the hood, the 2010 Taurus SHO was an absolute beast. Showcasing Ford’s first generation 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6 EcoBoost engine, this SHO was packed with the type of power intended for F-150 duty (although the F-150 utilized different turbochargers). Originally found in the Lincoln MKS, this engine represented a major shift in Ford’s strategy to put down some serious horsepower/torque figures, while also downsizing their engine sizes.

Performance Specifications

(Data was collected from Ford and Car&Driver)

Taurus SHO was a fantastic showcase of this newfound EcoBoost muscle within the turbocharged realm. At the time, Taurus SHO represented unheard-of power/performance within its class. Especially at its price point, the SHO practically lived in a class all its own.

Pros

• New design language for Ford
• Powerful new twin-turbo engine
• Competitive price

Cons

• Not as luxurious as some competition
• The performance model has only subtle style changes
• Engine while powerful lacks some character

2016 Ford Falcon XR8

GTO Who?

Let’s take a trip down under with the Australia-only Falcon XR8. Yes, the “8” means it’s the bad-boy V-8 version. The XR8 designation means you keep the bigger engine instead of downsizing to V-6 blandness. The Falcon is a textbook V-8 sports sedan through and through.

Performance Specifications

(Data was collected from Car.info)

A 6-speed manual in a V-8 four-door will always be appreciated, especially when it's a forbidden fruit for us here in the States. We never received a version of this vehicle at all, let alone its glorious 5.4-liter engine. Later Ford went on to launch new versions of the Falcon, a car we saw in the States as the Fusion, but again, we never saw a true enthusiast's spec V-8 version.

Pros

• 40 more horsepower than the equivalent Holden Commodore SS
• A properly hot-rodded engine
• Boy-racer styling

Cons

• Older platform than the equivalent Holden
• The basic interior lets down the exterior of the sports
• Less interior space than the competition

2017 Ford Fusion V-6 Sport

The Apprentice Out-Skills The Master

The Ford Fusion may have only lasted for two generations in the United States, but the second generation brought a 2.7-liter EcoBoost V-6 powered “Sport” model. That's the same 2.7-liter twin-turbo engine found in the F-150 sending power to all four wheels. You might be thinking, "Where have we seen this before?" Well, the Taurus SHO used a similar strategy, but things are a little more sophisticated this time.

Performance Specifications

(Data was collected from Ford and Car&Driver)

This car featured some ultra-slick tech, particularly in the suspension. The Fusion Sport specifically had a pothole detection feature that would stiffen the suspension of the wheel that would imminently come in contact with a pothole, allowing far less travel of that wheel down into it, creating a smoother ride. In essence, it would attempt to "skip" over them rather than dive into them.

Pros

• People mistook this generation with Aston Martins and Jaguars
• Punchy, but small twin-turbo V-6
• More driver-focused than Taurus SHO

Cons

• Subdued styling for sports model
• near silent engine
• Barely any interior changes for the sports model

2024-01-01T05:12:24Z dg43tfdfdgfd