2007 Ford Crown Victoria

The "Crown Vic" has been continually upgraded, although it has old-style body-on-frame construction. This is basically a rugged car, which is why police departments and taxicab fleets use it.

Major Upgrades
But major upgrades in ride, handling, comfort and safety should make the 2003 Crown Victoria appeal to a larger consumer audience.

Where did the old wagons and coupes go? Light trucks such as minivans and sport-utility vehicles replaced station wagons. And big two-door coupes aren't considered practical anymore; most people want four doors with large vehicles.

Virtually all American family cars were downsized and switched from rear- to front-drive in the 1980s to lighten them so they could deliver higher fuel economy without losing much—if any—interior space.

But guess what? New large domestic cars with rear-drive will be introduced in the not-distant future. Engines and transmissions have become far more efficient, and American automakers know that a rear-drive layout—common with upscale European cars such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz—gives better weight distribution and balance. The result is sharper, more stable handling.

Rear-Drive Balance
With rear-drive, all the drivetrain components aren't jammed up front, causing an auto to be nose heavy. And the sliding of the old rear-drive cars on slippery roads can be virtually eliminated with such modern devices as traction and skid-control systems.

The Crown Victoria has a $175 all-speed traction control system, which uses throttle intervention and its anti-lock brake system (also not offered for the old sedans) to increase road grip. It really should be standard because it can help a lot—especially in snow-belt areas of the country.

Improved Braking
Also to help stability, electronic brake force distribution has been added to the 2003 Crown Victoria's standard all-disc, anti-lock brake system to dynamically proportion braking forces front to rear.

And a new brake booster with emergency assist automatically supplies full braking power even if a driver doesn't initially apply enough pedal pressure to engage the anti-lock system—a common driver fault that defeats the purpose of that system.

The Crown Victoria is similar to Ford Motor's Mercury Grand Marquis. The Ford-badged version comes as the $23,575 Standard trim and also as the mid-range $27,610 LX and sporty top-line $29,475 LX Sport.

Better Roadability
Other improvements to the new Crown Victoria include variable ratio, speed sensitive rack-and-pinion steering that is more precise than the old recirculating-ball steering. It feels a little stiff, but the old dead steering feel is thankfully gone.

There also is a stiffer new frame, with hydroformed front rails. It improves ride and handling because it allows the suspension do a better job. It also cuts down on transmission of noise, vibration and harshness into the body structure, making this quiet sedan even quieter.

A redesigned front suspension and revised suspension geometery provide better "tracking" at highway speeds to let a driver be more relaxed—and also more control during cornering and on rough roads.

Rear shock absorbers are mounted outboard of frame rails, which lets them better manage the solid rear axle that the Crown Victoria uses instead of an independent rear suspension. Load-leveling air springs are available.

Comfortable for Four
The Crown Victoria is billed as a 6-passenger car with the standard front bench seat. But only four adults easily fit with that seat. The interior has mostly good materials, although there are a few too many hard plastic surfaces. Seats sorely lack lateral support, which means a driver must grip the wheel harder when breezing through curves.

Also, sound system controls are set too far away for an easy reach by even drivers with long arms—although higher-line trims have redundant steering-wheel audio and climate system controls.

On the plus side, there are plenty of cupholders and storage areas, along with attractive new wheel designs for all trims. But the "fasten-seat-belt" chimes have a high nag factor because they won't shut up until belts are fastened.

Large Trunk
The large trunk has a fairly low, wide opening. But the full-size spare tire eats into cargo space because it sits on a shelf at the rear of the trunk.

New safety items include $255 front side airbags for the LX and LX Sport. Headlights now automatically go on when the windshield wipers are activated. For years, the Crown Victoria has had the government's highest safety rating—double 5-stars—for front crash protection.

Solid Feel
The 4,057-pound Crown Victoria feels solid. It's longer than most luxury cars, at 212 inches, so potential buyers should check their garage length.

The LX Sport has an attractive monochromatic exterior, but its beauty is more than skin-deep. For example, it has a firmer suspension with 17-inch wheels and 55-series tires for sharper handling. The other two trims have 16-inch wheels and thinner 60-series tires.

The LX Sport's firmer suspension doesn't affect ride comfort much. But no Crown Victoria is designed to be pushed as hard as a sport sedan can be.

Two Power Ratings
The LX Sport has a 239-horsepower, dual-exhaust version of the smooth standard 4.6-liter V8, which generates 224 horsepower and about the same amount of torque. It also has a performance axle ratio for quicker acceleration. And there are a console-mounted shifter, power front bucket seats instead of the front bench seat, leather upholstery and rear air suspension.

Both versions of the V8 work with a 4-speed automatic transmission and deliver an estimated 18 mpg in the city and 26 on highways.

The LX is offered with virtually all the equipment of the LX Sport if the $615 Handling and Performance package is ordered.

Lots of Equipment
Even the Standard trim is well equipped, with the usual power accessories and a good number of comfort and convenience items. The LX adds such things as automatic climate control and power-adjustable pedals, which are a $120 option for the base model.

Ford probably could get away with calling at least the LX and LX Sport "near-luxury" cars. But it's content to just call the Crown Victoria a full-size sedan, no matter what version. Perhaps that's because there are only about half a dozen such models, but dozens of autos called near-luxury models.

The latest Crown Victoria nicely combines some old-style American big car attributes with modern auto technology.