It's news to nobody that Ford's had a tough time selling its cars and trucks.

Of course, they've got several bright spots. The Fusion is a runaway sales success and one of the best family cars on the market. The Edge crossover pushes into new style and design territory and takes Ford where it needs to be. And Mustang? Hey, what can you say about the car that defined a whole generation, is still going strong and comes in endless variations -- all of them fun?

	The 2007 Ford Edge. Click photo for larger image.

But for all its hits, Ford also has some products that, good though they may be, are easy to overlook because of the excitement over those other products. So let's take a look at some of the Fords you don't want to miss.

One is the Ford Five Hundred. Here's a good-looking family sedan, selling for a base price of $23,730 to $29,155, that has more room than you're ever likely to need, a safe, award-winning design, and even all-wheel drive if you want it -- a rarity for American sedans.

Power comes a 3.0 liter V-6 that puts out 203 horsepower, and it's the only real sore point in this car because it feels sluggish and doesn't provide enough oomph in my view. But this is changing -- see my 2008 predictions below.

Another Ford you may want to reacquaint yourself with is the 2007 Expedition. It's brand new and comes in an extended wheelbase model to compete with Chevy's Suburban and similar models.

Power is provided by a 300 horsepower, 5.4 liter V-8 backed by the full-size SUV class segment's first six-speed automatic transmission.

The interior is much better designed than previous models and looks as though it has been better assembled, too. The new Expedition comes equipped with an all-new chassis and a independent rear suspension, which means a better ride and better handling than its competitors.

There's also a bit more room in the new Expedition, more adjustments for the driver's seat and a "Centerslide" section that can be moved forward up to 11 inches to give more room to a young child sitting in the second row of seats. A big selling point will continue to be the optional "Powerfold" third row seat that folds flat with a touch of a button.

The Expedition looks much the same as it did before, though the grille has Ford's new chrome three bar look.

Seat-mounted front side air bags, the three row "Safety Canopy" rollover detection system, Roll Stability Control and other features enhance the safety of the new Expedition. Prices for the 2007 Expedition range from $29,995 to $40,745.

Among the newer models, Edge sure gets the "edge" for excitement. Actually the Edge crossover is one of the more exciting designs to come from Ford in recent years. It's a watershed achievement and a sign that Ford has placed itself on the comeback trail.

First, the Edge has distinctive, contemporary styling. Most people who have been following the auto industry will tell you that Ford's biggest challenge is to get rid of its ho-hum styling and inject some pizzazz into its lineup.

If the Edge is any indication, Ford may be turning a styling corner. It has a modern, aggressive look with character lines and a profile that will remind many of Infiniti's highly acclaimed FX crossover series. The three bar, bold chrome grille has "Ford" written all over it. With its understated modern lines and chrome accents, the Edge makes quite a statement.

Another plus for the Edge is its equipment. It comes with a 265 horsepower V-6 and a six-speed automatic -- a rarity in any American product, but a desirable feature because it increases performance and fuel economy.

Among its standard features are AdvanceTrac with roll stability control, a flexible center console that can store a laptop computer, full power accessories, a 60/40 split-folding rear seat and AM/FM stereo and CD player with MP3 capability. It also has Ford's "Safety Canopy" and Personal Safety System features.

Fuel economy is rated at 18 mpg city and 25 highway for front-wheel drive and 17/24 for all-wheel drive. Prices start at $25,300.

What's Coming in 2008

This will be a big year for Ford.

First, Taurus is back.

Ford has taken the Five Hundred, turned it inside out, made more than 500 engineering changes, upgraded the styling and brought back the familiar nameplate. It will have more power, coming from a 260 horsepower, 3.5 liter V-6, and electronic stability control and all wheel drive will be available as well.

Though the basic body is the same as the Five Hundred, the Taurus does look significantly different. It has the new three bar chrome grille, more side bright work including side vents, and new taillights around back, among other changes. Ford promises it will start at under $24,000.

Another new Ford will be the Taurus X, a reskinned and greatly improved version of Ford's Freestyle crossover. It's got the distinctive three chrome bar grille, 44 percent better acceleration thanks to the 3.5 liter V-6 I mentioned earlier, standard electronic stability control and available all-wheel drive. And perhaps most important for consumers, it has three rows of seats.

Looking for something smaller?

Look no further than the all-new Ford Focus, set to arrive this fall.

For the first time it will come in both a two door coupe and four door sedan. It also features Ford Sync, a system which Ford says brings "advanced levels of connectivity" to using cell phones and portable music players inside cars.

There's a new suspension system, lots more sound deadening materials. It can also be had with ambient lighting that, using LEDs, lights up the front and rear cupholders and footwells in any of seven colors, all controlled by a simple dash-mounted switch. Power will be provided by a 2.0 liter, 136 horsepower four cylinder engine.

Ford's Escape also is redone for 2008, with a much improved interior and better materials, a new more intuitive and ergonomically designed instrument panel, and some cleaned up trim outside.