9 Of The Most Underrated Fords (9 That Are Totally Overrated)

Ford is such a ubiquitous brand in the domestic and international car market that many consumers just assume all their products offer top notch quality, reliability, and toughness. Many drivers have to be forgiven for mistakenly believing that Henry Ford himself invented the automobile as we know it - though that honor truly belongs to German inventor Karl Benz and his Benz Patent Motorwagen way back in 1885. In reality, Henry Ford was a pioneer of operations management, utilizing assembly lines to help reduce costs and make cars affordable for the middle class. His Model T subsequently became the first mass-produced vehicle, and his name went down in history (regardless of exactly how accurately it may be remembered).

Updated April 2022: If you're a Ford fan, you'll be happy to know that we've updated this article with more details as to why certain models are overrated and others underappreciated.

Since the Model T debuted in 1908, Ford has continually produced cars, trucks, vans, and has even achieved monumental success on the international racing scene (notably with the help of Carroll Shelby and his work on the Shelby Cobra and the GT40, both dominant in the 1960s and early 70s). But the long and tenured history of Ford Motor Company naturally means that many of the model lines that were once popular have faded, while advances in technology and engineering have helped to bring new products to the market. As with any company, Ford has had its home runs and its strike outs, both in terms of outright sales figures and in terms of historical significance. Keep scrolling for 10 of the most underrated Fords of all time, and 10 that are overrated to this day.

18 Fairlane 500 - Underrated

While the Mustang was selling up a storm in the late 1960s, another of Ford's classic models received a more modern upgrade. The fifth generation Fairline became essentially another muscle car, and today remains one that few gear heads recall specifically when thinking about classic muscle.

But in range-topping 500 trim, the Fairlane combined a future-facing muscle car style with an R Code 427 V8 under its hood which produced 425 horsepower and 480 lb-ft of torque. Only 57 examples of the 500 rolled out of the factory, helping to keep the awesome Fairlane low key relative to other, more notable, Ford products of the era.

17 Fourth Generation Mustang - Overrated

Many drivers see the word Mustang on a car and it conjures up all sorts of dreamy images of muscle car reminiscences that they automatically assume every Mustang must be awesome. But the sad fact of the matter is that while a few generations have become instant classics, all in all, the Mustang model has had more misses than hits.

The fourth generation Mustang of the 1990s and early 2000s was one of the worst of all, with lackluster performance, disappointing styling, and a total lack of everything that made a Mustang a Mustang back in the glory days of the 60s.

16 Torino Talladega Fastback - Underrated

One of the rarest Ford models ever produced is the Torino in Talladega Fastback trim, which was amazingly only produced for a few weeks to help meet homologation requirements for Nascar racing. Named after the famous Talladega Speedway, Ford only produced 754 to sell to the public, with specific design changes to improve aerodynamics at high speed, including a six-inch extended nose, a flush-mounted grille, smaller bumpers, and the raked fastback rear end.

Other race-inspired modifications included engine oil and power steering fluid coolers, as well as a heavy duty six speed automatic transmission controlled with a column shifter. Spotting a Talladega today is a rare occasion, and many drivers probably wouldn't recognize one anyways.

15 Fifth Generation Mustang - Overrated

After the disappointment that the fourth generation Mustang provided both to Ford and the general public, just about anything the Detroit manufacturer put out would have been a welcome relief, and there's no doubt the fifth gen showed marked improvement when it debuted in 2005.

But despite at least a semblance of muscle car styling, the model took the same budget-inspired route, with plastic cladding all over the interior and a series of engine options that mostly offered middling power, other than in the very highest trims. But so many people were relieved that the fifth gen was better than the fourth, and that is why it stays relatively overrated.

14 F-150 Lightning - Underrated

The Ford F-150 is considered among the world's highest selling models, and an extensive production run spanning multiple generations certainly helps to pad those stats. But of all the F-150 iterations, the first generation Lightning experiment stands out as one of the most awesome, and probably most frequently forgotten.

The sportier pickup received several upgrades over lower spec, more work-focused siblings. Serious suspension modifications focused on handling complemented a 240 horsepower engine and a heavy duty four speed automatic sourced out of the much larger F-350. With classic early 90s badging, the Lightning may not stand out from afar but it certainly impresses once it draws attention up close.

13 Focus RS - Overrated

The Focus RS proved that Ford was serious about the hot hatch category, and early reports had potential buyers lining up out the door. And sure, 350 horsepower, all wheel drive, a stick shift, and burbling exhaust, all in a hatchback body sounded great - but in order to make the performance of the package work at the Focus RS's (still fairly high) price point, Ford skimped on interior design focus and ride quality.

Once those buyers who only wanted a canyon carver got their hands on the Focus RS, the rest of the consumers who were looking to spend $40,000 to consolidate into a single, utilitarian and fun daily driver realized better options could be found elsewhere, for cheaper.

12 Second Generation F-150 Lightning - Underrated

The second generation F-150 Lightning debuted three years after the release of the tenth generation of F-150 pickup trucks (which had likewise signaled the end of its predecessor's production run). Performance was even further enhanced, including the use of a 5.4-liter supercharged and intercooled V8 producing 380 horsepower and 450 lb-ft of torque.

All that power was put to the ground via a heavy duty four speed with overdrive, and a stock limited slip differential. For a pickup truck, the second gen Lightning was lightning quick - able to sprint to 60 miles per hour in only 5.2 seconds.

11 Focus ST - Overrated

Midway between the base spec, commuter-level Ford Focus's blandness and the blasting but uncomfortable performance of the Focus RS, the ST trim level at first seems like it could strike a good balance. Unfortunately, the end result combines all the worst parts of both its lower and higher spec siblings, in a front wheel drive package with styling that its performance can't live up to.

Still, the Focus ST is popular because at least it offers some semblance of oomph off the line - but every true driver knows it's an overrated piece of gimmick intended to mimic, but not match, Volkswagen's GTI.

10 Falcon XB GT - Underrated

Movie fans might just recognize the Ford Falcon as the car frequently driven by Max Rockatansky (among others) throughout the Mad Max film franchise. The XB Falcon was a product of Ford Australia, which may explain why some American audiences were a bit slow to identify the car in movie form - even with its extensive modifications.

But the Falcon XB was a specific attempt by Ford to turn the car into more of a muscle vibe, and in GT trim it packed up to a 5.8-liter V8 under its long, aggressive hood. Even hardcore domestic Ford fans will have to be forgiven if they underrate what was an awesome beast down under.

9 13th Generation F-150 - Overrated

New for 2015, the Ford F-150's history of superiority took a tumble. The newly redesigned pickup shaved weight by switching in aluminum to replace steel in most of its construction, something that for a sports car is a great idea, but for a truck, not so much.

Ford seemed to focus mostly on adding tech features to the truck, like adaptive cruise control and towing hitch backup cameras. But the result was a truck that didn't manage to meet or beat the MPGs of its competitors, provided lackluster strength and towing capacity, and received widespread complaints of poor build quality.

8 Taurus SHO - Underrated

Not many cars can match the overall blandness of the first few generations of the Ford Taurus, either in sedan or station wagon form. But hidden within the underwhelming exterior, some cars are optioned as the SHO, or Super High Output, Taurus - with modifications that make them among the best factory sleepers ever made.

An engine developed in coordination with Yamaha powered a completely different drivetrain than that found in the standard Taurus, and by the third generation SHO it pumped out 235 horsepower. A manual transmission was even available in the first and second generation SHOs, totally against the grain of the boring Taurus exterior.

7 Excursion - Overrated

Plenty of drivers hate the Ford Excursion simply for the fact that it's an enormous, difficult to maneuver, gas-guzzling behemoth that dominates every road it travels. But plenty of other drivers love it because it's an enormous, difficult to maneuver, gas-guzzling behemoth that dominates every road it travels.

The facts are undeniable, and even proponents of the now-defunct model will have to admit that the world's largest SUV suffered from electrical gremlins, terrible MPGs, and awful styling. Ford tried to keep the model going, but the small handful of enthusiastic Excursion buyers couldn't keep the SUV afloat for more than six years.

6 Fox Body Mustang - Underrated

After the first two generations of Ford Mustang saw one of Detroit's most instantly iconic muscle cars stooping down to a bloated shell of its former self, the necessity of a total reboot became necessary by the end of the 1970s. The result was the Fox Body Mustang, with a smaller, distinctly angular body to help move the model into the next decade.

A wide range of powertrain options came with the new generation, including a turbocharged four cylinder engine, but the highlight is the GT with its 5.0-liter V8. Special police editions and cars equipped with limited slip differentials also hit the streets, and though snobbier collectors will stick to the first generation Mustang exclusively, the Fox Body remains a solid underrated iteration.

5 Explorer - Overrated

The Ford Explorer is a ubiquitous SUV that helped to spur the domination of SUVs and crossovers on the market today. But despite its widespread success, the model has seen a disproportionately large amount scandal. Early Explorers were shipped from the factory with Firestone tires with tread that was known to separate, leading to blowouts and causing rollovers.

But investigators then found that even with non-defective tires, the Explorer was still prone to tipping over - resulting in Ford adding electronic stability control. (A later generation had a design flaw with its cruise control system that put an electrical circuit very close to flammable hydraulic fluid - leading the piece to catch fire regularly, even when not running.)

4 Torino Cobra - Underrated

The strange history of the Ford Torino through its many generations (which even included 14 different versions of the same generation at one time) probably helps the Torino Cobra, produced from 1970-71, slip under the radar. The Cobra wasn't even the highest level of trim at the time, but it did pack the most punch thanks to a close ratio four speed paired with a Ram Air 370 horsepower V8.

Performance was impressive for the time, with a 0-60 sprint taking under six seconds thanks to the traction levels provided by a relatively heavy body. Additional details included slatted rear window trim, a black hood and grille, and twisting exterior hood latches.

3 Fusion - Overrated

Even Ford itself has recognized how disappointing the Fusion sedan is, as the manufacturer has included the model in its massive slash-and-burn effort to focus strictly on the Mustang, on pickup trucks, and SUVs.

Not that anyone was ever particularly jazzed to say, "Hey, I got a Fusion!" in the first place, but when a brand realizes that not only the car but the entire concept of the car's car-ness is at fault, the simple fact is that even mediocre public opinion was overrating the Fusion. Luckily the new Mustang is a wonderful car, in all its new-found, roaring glory.

2 Cortina - Underrated

Many automotive enthusiasts will recognize the Ford Cortina, perhaps mistakenly thinking it to be a Lotus developed sports car. But the reason Lotus chose to modify the Cortina with their aluminum body panels, Kent overhead valve engine, and suspension modifications is precisely because the Cortina was a great car to begin with.

The model debuted for the 1962 model year in England, as a rear wheel drive car that Ford had specifically chosen not to adapt to the increasingly popular front wheel drive layout of the time. An eminently tossable lightweight body with clean lines defined the Cortina, and though overall power wasn't terribly high, driving one has to be on the list of all true Ford fans.

1 C-Max Hybrid - Overrated

Among all the overrated cars that Ford has produced during its long tenure as one of Detroit's major manufacturers, the C-Max Hybrid can lay claim to being literally over-rated. And the point isn't to pick on Ford, every manufacturer has its ups and downs, but the C-Max Hybrid is just about as low as it can go.

After its release, independent tests showed that the electric-assisted version of the car barely beat its non-hybrid counterparts, despite both Ford's and the EPA's claims of vastly superior MPGs. The results of an investigation led to the C-Max Hybrid's official MPG estimates being reduced, and eventually the model being phased out altogether.

Sources: bringatrailer.com, nytimes.com, jalopnik.com