Optional safety equipment includes side airbags and the brand's Safety Canopy to offer occupants extra protection in the event of side impacts or rollover accidents.

The Five Hundred is equipped with the new Duratec 30 3.0-liter V6 engine that delivers 200 horsepower and 200 foot-pounds of torque. (Photo: Ford Motor Company of Canada)

The Five Hundred is equipped with Ford's new Duratec 30 3.0-liter V6 engine that delivers 200 horsepower and 200 foot-pounds of torque with less noise and vibration than previous V6s, said Kim Jackson, powertrain specialist. The engine is also designed to meet California Low Emissions Vehicle (LEV) II standards, which call for 55 percent less smog-forming pollutants than California Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV) rules.

But buyers can choose between getting a CVT, like in the Freestyle, or an all-new six-speed automatic transmission that offers a wider gear ratio span than competing sedans that have only four- or five-speed designs. That wider ratio, Ford anticipates, will result in the Five Hundred having better acceleration and fuel economy than its competitors.

The Four Hundred will be built at Ford's Chicago Assembly Plant alongside the Freestyle and Mercury Montego. (Photo: Ford Motor Company of Canada)

The sedan comes either with standard front-wheel drive or optional all-wheel drive, Jackson said. The all-wheel-drive system has a Volvo-built power transfer unit, similar to one on the Volvo XC70 wagon, which siphons off torque being sent to the two front wheels and delivers it to the drive shaft that leads to the rear wheels.

The Five Hundred has standard 17-inch wheels with P215/60R17 Continental tires, but 18-inch wheels and P225/55R18 Pirelli tires are standard on the SEL and Limited models.