1995 Ford Crown Victoria Fullsize Car Reviews & Ratings

The point of a car like this is comfort, and the interior is critical to this. Here, the news is all good for the Crown Victoria.

Your first impression is of a clean, modern space. The new dashboard has a minimum number of pieces, reducing clutter. And the pieces are all well matched in color despite the differences in material - no easy task. This monochromatic look pleases the eye and makes the interior seem airy and spacious.

A well-thought-out rearrangement has placed important controls in more logical locations. Because low-fuss electronic automatic temperature control is standard this year, the controls have been moved down, and the radio, which you fiddle with far more, has been moved up.

The radio for '95 has - hallelujah - an all-new design. Ford has suffered for years with radios cluttered with tiny buttons. The new P100 faceplate is larger and simpler, with appealingly rounded edges. Our test car came with the high-line JBL Audio System with digital signal processing: With the touch of a button, you can alter music tone to sound as if it's coming from venues as diverse as tiny jazz clubs or massive stadiums.

Other controls have migrated intelligently. The knobs for the optional 6-way power seats (with two memory settings) for driver and front passenger are now high on the door panel rather than low and out of the way on the side of the seat. Release buttons for the fuel-filler door and the trunk are also on the door panel. The trunk release is lockable for occasions when you want a little extra security, such as when you hand your car over to valet parking.

Other new standard items: a 12-volt power point located on the floor for cellular phones and the like, a battery saver that cuts power if a light has been left on inadvertently, a radio antenna embedded in the rear window and heated side mirrors.

The all-new seats provide plenty of width if not much side support. But they are back-friendly and the increased fore-and-aft track travel - now 10 in. - makes entering and exiting easy.

Indeed, the entire interior is aimed at comfort. New grab handles are found throughout the car, height-adjustable seatbelts will be appreciated by many, and solar-tinted glass cuts down effectively on glare and heat.

One option we would have liked is Ford's integrated child safety seat - an excellent option, particularly since Ford's seat belts require an awkward locking clip for child seats.

From the driver's seat of a Crown Victoria, you feel like master of all you survey. The hood curves away unobtrusively so you aren't aware you have a small aircraft carrier deck in front of you. There is excellent visibility all around, thanks in part to a rear quarter window, which opens up the view for backing up.

The sense of security felt in a car like this is one of its most important features. Thanks to its size, and the fact that most full-size sedan drivers aren't out to establish their credentials as racers, the Crown Victoria's injury frequency rates are among the lowest of any car on the road.

Grand isolation from noise and vibration is the goal, and the Crown Victoria achieves it well. The V8/rear-drive package is inherently one of the quietest available, and a few changes in the 4-speed transmission and gear ratios for '95 make the powertrain even quieter.

The ride is traditional, which is to say soft. Even in our test car, equipped with the Handling and Performance package (revised springs and shocks, 16-in. wheels, and rear air suspension), there was body roll with any quick maneuver.

Around town, even moderate braking set our test car bobbing up and down. However, the optional anti-lock brakes (ABS) inspired confidence in all situations, wet or dry.

On the highway - this car's natural home - the soft suspension is much more acceptable. It absorbs all the bumps, delivering a predictable, if slightly slow, response.

Our test car's speed-sensitive power steering felt excessively light at low speeds, but provided adequate feel on the freeway. The car was also equipped with the optional Handling and Performance package, which helps correct the tendency of a rear-drive car to wag its tail on slippery surfaces - important when winter gets a grip on the highways.