Once in a few generations, someone is born who will go on to revolutionize the world. This could be in terms of a political movement, scientific discovery, or an invention. In more recent history, the Ford Motor Company is responsible for said revolution after making the production-line and cementing themselves into automotive history.
Without Ford and its creator's vision, the world would look like a very different place today. Nowadays, Ford isn't alone in the car-making business and, as a result, must work harder than ever before to beat the competition. To delve into this, and Ford more broadly, a bit more, here's a complete guide to Ford's current vehicle lineup...
10 Reputation
Perhaps one of the most widely know achievements of the Ford Motor Company is how they modernized automotive production through an assembly line. To this day, car companies around the globe still use their techniques, except with much more electronic assistance.
Unfortunately, Ford's reputation has gone down a bit in the past decade or so. Due to extensive amounts of recalls and relatively cheap materials in some of their cars, most don't seem to last for too long and require constant T.L.C. (Tender love and care). The latest Fords look to turn this around, but only time will tell.
9 Safety
Like with nearly every automotive manufacturer today, safety is a top priority for Ford when designing and testing new cars. With that being said, you can expect the same quality safety ratings from a new Ford as a new Toyota.
Every vehicle comes standard with the modern sensors, telling the driver what may be wrong, even going as far to display brake disc's wear percentage. Ford also has SYNC, a software that helps connect drivers with online functionalities like Bluetooth, wifi, and emergency services (Varying for each vehicle).
8 Sedans
Recently, Ford has moved further away from producing a large number of sedans to focusing more on trucks and SUVs/Crossovers. However, they still have a few quality sedans in their lineup.
Ford's sedans are as follows: The Ford Fusion (A mid-sized sedan for around $24,000) and the Fiesta (Compact vehicle starting at less than $15,000). These are Ford's only real "sedans," as other four-doors are mostly their hatchback alternatives. Nevertheless, both the Fusion and the Fiesta are good cars for varying degrees of income.
7 Sports/Coupes
Since Ford's success with the Mustang and their win at Le Mans in the GT40, and subsequent GT, motorsport has been a core part of Ford's brand. As such, their list of sports cars and coupes seems to be ever-expanding.
Ford only has three sports/coupes on their registry, however, almost all of them have several different versions. The list includes the Mustang (Which comes in the EcoBoost, V6, GT, GT350R, and GT500), the Fiesta ST (A sportier version of the normal Fiesta for an extra $7,000), and the Ford GT (Top-of-the-line supercar with a track-only spec: The MKII).
The Mustang and Fiesta are the sports car for the everyday man, while the Ford GT is most certainly reserved for those with big pockets. Due primarily to its M.S.R.P. of over half-a-million dollars.
6 SUVs
Just like with Nissan, Ford has expanded their SUV and Crossover categories immensely. Because of this rapid expansion in the market desire for SUVs and their extra production, Ford's SUV lineup is now the biggest it's ever been.
Ford's six SUVs and Crossovers are as follows, smallest to largest: The EcoSport ($20,000 range), Escape (Slightly more for $25,000), Edge ($31,000), Flex (Please spend the $30,000 elsewhere), Explorer ($36,000), and the Expedition ($50,000+). As you can see, the larger the car, the more expensive. Although, if you want a great off-road vehicle, you won't have to search very hard with Ford.
5 Hatchbacks
Once again, we find ourselves in a section in which Ford produces an exceedingly low numbers of vehicles. They do, however, make sure that the ones they actually make are the best they can possibly be.
For evidence of this, look no further than their two most popular hatchback models: The Fiesta ST and Focus (Along with the Focus ST and RS). As stated previously, the Fiesta comes standard as a sedan, but, with the ST package, can be upgraded to a small hatchback. The Focus, on the other hand, is a born-and-breed hot-hatch with many competitive models.
Sadly, though, Ford has discontinued the Focus, so none will be bought brand new. The Fiesta, however, is still sold for about $22,000 off the lot.
4 Electric/Hybrids
Believe it or not, Ford has quite a few electric and hybrid alternatives to their normal vehicles. Even though they, currently, don't have many electric-only vehicles, that will surely soon change.
So far, Ford has three hybrid versions: The Fusion Hybrid for ~$30,000 (including the Plug-In version), Explorer Limited at $48,000, and the Escape SE Sport Hybrid for about $28,000. The only thing Ford currently has that's plug-in charging is their Fusion. However, Ford has (Maybe accidentally) unveiled the production of an all-electric Mustang-SUV that will be on sale soon. Fingers crossed that it'll be worth the wait!
3 Budget (Low End)
When comparing and contrasting with well-known brands like Toyota, Nissan, and Honda, it's hard to say that Ford will be the better choice when you're pinching pennies. This, though, isn't to say that Ford doesn't a few good, affordable, cars.
In all actuality, Ford has several cars that are affordable to the average middle-class family. For those really interested in saving money, you could go for the Fiesta at less than $15,000. Or, for the bigger families, something like the Escort or Fusion for around $20,000 to $22,000.
2 Budget (Higher End)
Obviously, with Ford's continued participation in motorsports and their ownership of Shelby, Ford is going to make some expensive cars. Don't be dismayed, though, because these high-end cars are some of the best in the world.
One of the most costly Ford comes in the form of the Mustang. More specifically, the Shelby GT350R and GT500. Both cost upwards of $60,000 with the GT500 reaching almost $75,000.
This, however, is all chump change when compared to the Ford GT: Ford's flagship supercar. One of these bad boys will cost over $500,000, while some were going for over a million when the GT was first launched.
1 Extra Information
So far there has been one category that's failed to be mentioned. It is, perhaps, one of Ford's biggest achievements and a source for a big part of their fan-base. Of course, we're talking about Ford's trucks.
Today, Ford dominates the truck market with their F-series like the F-150, F-250, and so on. Their best, though, is the renowned Ford F-150 Raptor: An off-road vehicle that can flatten hills and straighten curves. To add to this, the Raptor is an absolutely gorgeous machine.