Ford Five Hundred: which version to buy — 3.0 CVT vs 3.0 AT
The Ford Five Hundred ran as 1 generation of Sedan from 2004-01-01 to 2007-12-31, with 2 versions that share the same engine and split on gearbox, drive, and kerb weight. The choice is not “which Five Hundred generation”: there is only one. The choice is 3.0 CVT (AWD, Variable, 1730 kg) versus 3.0 AT (FWD, Automatic, 5 speeds, 1650 kg).
The Ford Five Hundred ran as 1 generation of Sedan from 2004-01-01 to 2007-12-31, with 2 versions that share the same engine and split on gearbox, drive, and kerb weight. The choice is not “which Five Hundred generation”: there is only one. The choice is 3.0 CVT (AWD, Variable, 1730 kg) versus 3.0 AT (FWD, Automatic, 5 speeds, 1650 kg). Power, torque, displacement, top speed, tank, and ground clearance are identical; acceleration to 100, fuel use, CO2, eco class, gross weight, and wheel sizes are not measured on both, so they cannot decide the purchase.
Specs that are the same on both versions
Both 3.0 CVT and 3.0 AT use a 2976 cm³ Gasoline engine, 6 cylinders, V-shaped, 4 valves per cylinder, boost No, distributed injection (multi-point), compression 10, bore × stroke 89 × 79.5, fuel 95. Output is 203 hp (149 kW) at 5750 rpm and 271 Nm at 4500 rpm. Top speed is 200 on both. Tank is 72. Ground clearance is 130. Front and rear suspension are Independent, spring. Front and rear brakes are Disc. Engine location is not measured. Production window for both is 2004-01-01–2007-12-31.
Power per litre is the same: 203 / 2.976 ≈ 68.2 hp per litre. The engine does not change between versions; the driveline and mass do.
What actually differs: gearbox, drive, weight
| Version | hp | Nm | cm³ | Fuel | Cyl. | Layout | Boost | Gearbox | Speeds | Drive | Kerb, kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.0 CVT | 203 | 271 | 2976 | Gasoline | 6 | V-shaped | No | Variable | not measured | AWD | 1730 |
| 3.0 AT | 203 | 271 | 2976 | Gasoline | 6 | V-shaped | No | Automatic | 5 | FWD | 1650 |
3.0 CVT is AWD with a Variable gearbox; number of gears is not measured. 3.0 AT is FWD with an Automatic gearbox and 5 speeds.
Kerb weight: 3.0 CVT 1730 kg, 3.0 AT 1650 kg. Difference: 1730 − 1650 = 80 kg. The AWD 3.0 CVT is 80 / 1650 ≈ 4.8% heavier than the FWD 3.0 AT.
Mass per horsepower (kerb ÷ 203 hp):
- 3.0 AT: 1650 / 203 ≈ 8.13 kg per hp
- 3.0 CVT: 1730 / 203 ≈ 8.52 kg per hp
The FWD automatic carries about 0.39 kg less per horsepower. That is the only measured mass-to-power gap. 0–100 is not measured on either version, so the 80 kg and the kg/hp figures are the only arithmetic proxy for how hard the same 203 hp works.
Generations: nothing to “step up” to
1 generation is the whole catalogue: Sedan, 2 modifications, 2004-01-01 to 2007-12-31. There is no later generation in this data, no restyle as a separate generation, and no second body type. Buying “a newer Five Hundred generation” is not an option here. The buyer picks a driveline inside one generation.
Performance and mpg: what is measured, what is not
Top speed: 200 for 3.0 CVT and 200 for 3.0 AT. The extra 80 kg and AWD of 3.0 CVT do not change the listed maximum.
0–100: not measured for 3.0 CVT; not measured for 3.0 AT. City, highway, and combined consumption: not measured on both. CO2: not measured. Eco class: not measured. Anyone searching “Five Hundred mpg” or “Five Hundred 0-100” will not find a figure in this dataset; treating a missing number as “this car has no such parameter” would be wrong — it is simply not measured.
Fuel grade is 95 on both. Tank 72 is the same, so range cannot be ranked without consumption, which is not measured.
Dimensions and weight: the 80 kg decision
Gross (full) weight: not measured for 3.0 CVT and not measured for 3.0 AT. Wheel sizes: not measured on both. Ground clearance 130 is shared, so neither version is the “higher” Five Hundred. Tank 72 is shared.
The only measured size-and-mass fork is kerb weight: 1730 kg (3.0 CVT) vs 1650 kg (3.0 AT). If payload or trailer figures matter, they are not measured and cannot be inferred from kerb alone.
Which version to choose
Choose 3.0 AT if the numbers that differ point to FWD and less mass
3.0 AT keeps 203 hp, 271 Nm, 2976 cm³ Gasoline, top speed 200, tank 72, clearance 130, and the same Independent, spring / Disc chassis as the other version. What it drops is all-wheel drive and 80 kg. Drive is FWD. Gearbox is Automatic with 5 speeds — the only version where the number of gears is measured.
On paper that is the lighter, simpler split of the same engine: 8.13 kg/hp vs 8.52 kg/hp, 1650 kg vs 1730 kg. Because 0–100 and mpg are not measured, this is not a proven quicker or thriftier car — it is the version with less listed mass and FWD instead of AWD. If the use case does not need AWD, 3.0 AT is the version where the extra hardware is not paid for in kerb weight.
Choose 3.0 CVT if AWD is the point of the purchase
3.0 CVT is the only AWD Five Hundred in this data. Engine figures match 3.0 AT exactly: 203 hp at 5750, 271 Nm at 4500, 2976 cm³, 6 V-shaped cylinders, boost No, fuel 95. Gearbox is Variable; speeds not measured. Top speed remains 200. The cost in the table is 80 kg more kerb (1730 vs 1650) and a worse mass-to-power ratio (8.52 vs 8.13 kg/hp).
There is no extra horsepower, no extra newton-metres, no higher listed top speed, and no measured economy benefit for that 80 kg. The extra mass tracks AWD. If AWD is required, 3.0 CVT is the only version that has it; if AWD is not required, the data does not show another payoff for choosing it.
What “extra money” cannot be scored from this data
Prices are not in the dataset. The only measured extras on 3.0 CVT versus 3.0 AT are AWD, Variable instead of Automatic 5, and +80 kg. There is no extra hp, no extra Nm, no extra cm³, no extra tank litres, no extra millimetres of clearance, and no different top speed. The buyer who pays more for 3.0 CVT (if the market does) is paying for driveline layout, not for a stronger engine.
Reliability and problems
This catalogue has no failure-rate, recall, or durability figures. Reliability cannot be ranked between 3.0 CVT and 3.0 AT from the numbers given. Both share the same 2976 Gasoline specification, the same 10 compression, the same 89 × 79.5 bore and stroke, and the same production years. Known differences that are measured: Variable vs Automatic 5, AWD vs FWD, 1730 vs 1650 kg.
Short decision table
| If you need… | Version |
|---|---|
| AWD | 3.0 CVT only |
| FWD | 3.0 AT only |
| Automatic with 5 speeds listed | 3.0 AT |
| Variable gearbox | 3.0 CVT |
| Lowest measured kerb | 3.0 AT (1650 kg) |
| Same 203 hp / 271 Nm engine | both |
| Better listed kg per hp | 3.0 AT (≈8.13 vs ≈8.52) |
| Higher top speed | neither — both 200 |
| Proven lower mpg or faster 0–100 | neither — not measured |
| A later generation | none in this data |
3.0 AT is the lighter FWD automatic with 5 speeds. 3.0 CVT is the heavier AWD with a Variable gearbox and the same 203 hp Gasoline 2976 engine. That is the whole measured choice on the Ford Five Hundred 1 generation Sedan.