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2005 Ford Crown Victoria Lineup
In the past, sedans such as the Crown Victoria meant dreaming along in a sofa-like boulevard ride that could easily decompose into a sea-sick wallow on deteriorated roads. Likewise, their steering was typically as vague as a politician's response to a direct question. Fortunately, the highly redesigned Crown Victoria largely avoids these missteps, only straying into unpleasantness if you flagrantly disregard the posted speed limit. Within the boundaries of legal speeds, its steering and brakes are very slow responding (more so the steering), but competent and unruffled in a limousine sort of way. Both steering and brakes require light driver effort, although the relaxed steering ratio does mean sometimes turning the steering wheel quite a bit more than you'd expect. However, when motoring down a typical highway lane, the new rack-and-pinion steering represents a real improvement in accurately pointing the Crown Vic. At parking speeds, the new steering system helps shave a foot from the turning circle. Overall, the new Crown Victoria feels as if its popularity with the police and taxi cab markets has rubbed off on the consumer version, influencing it to become a considerably more predictable handling car than in years past. |