2005 Ford Crown Victoria Review

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The last of its kind, Ford's Crown Victoria is the slab-sided six-passenger embodiment of what American cars used to be -- big, V-8-powered, and rear-wheel-drive.

Today, a handful of other cars have those features but in a rich man's package like the Mercedes E- and S-Class sedans, or the BMW 7-Series -- cars that are out of reach for most folks. Even the much-heralded Chrysler 300 is basically a rich man's car, once you order the "C" package and the mighty HEMI V-8, at any rate. The V-8 equipped 300C lists for $32,870, which is roughly $8000 more than the standard-issue $24,190 Crown Vic -- which already comes with a 4.6-liter V-8 engine, unlike the standard (non-C) versions of the Chrysler 300. The base model of Chrysler's large sedan comes instead with a surprisingly small 200-hp, 2.7-liter V-6 that struggles to move the two-ton mass it's chained to. And with a starting MSRP of $23,295, the V-6 equipped Chrysler 300 is only slightly less expensive than the already V-8-equipped Vic -- which is bigger, too, with a larger trunk and more back seat space.

So the Ford remains a breed apart -- the only affordable six-passenger, rear-drive, V-8-powered sedan you can pick up for less than $25,000. Even "with everything," the big cruiser barely lists for more than $30,000 ($30,275 to be precise) and in terms of real-world cost, it's no great challenge to drive away in a loaded-up Vic with leather and auto climate control for about $30k given incentives and haggling.