Ford keeps saying that the new Taurus is the most important new vehicle it’s launching this year. We’d argue the Fusion is probably the real meat and potatoes of the sedan market these days. Still, the full-size Taurus has been completely redesigned and Cars.com senior editor Joe Wiesenfelder takes a crack at it. While he says its looks and performance are two steps forward, the loss of interior room is one step back.
Ford’s new Taurus SHO is a sleeper. Given its 365-hp, twin-turbo V-6, though, it’s probably not a snoozer. The Taurus SHO makes do with just a few added interior and exterior badges, larger wheels and a rear spoiler. That’s what Ford wants it to be; all its allure originates under the hood.
Last month in Detroit, Ford took the wraps off both the redesigned 2010 Taurus sedan and the automaker’s new twin-turbo V-6, dubbed EcoBoost. Today, the two meet in a high-performance model called the Taurus SHO. Super-High Output Taurus models originated way back in 1989 and had a 10-year run of brisk sales, generating a cult following in the enthusiast community. For some reason, Ford decided that just giving an EcoBoost engine to a Taurus — like it has with the Lincoln MKT, MKS and Ford Flex — wasn’t enough. It needed the SHO name, too.
Included with this high-output trim are some obvious performance parts, like the 365-hp twin-turbo engine, all-wheel drive and a sport-tuned suspension. That’s right in line with the competition, like the V-8-powered Dodge Charger R/T or Pontiac G8 GT, at 368 hp and 361 hp, respectively. However, with a starting price of $37,995, including destination, the SHO is priced against beefier versions of both cars: the Charger SRT8 and the G8 GXP, which have 425 hp and 415 hp, respectively.
Ford must be hoping the Taurus SHO’s standard all-wheel drive and better gas mileage will help shoppers stomach its price. However, Ford says the EcoBoost engine in the Lincoln MKS is expected to get 16/25 mpg city/highway, and that’s just one or two mpg above the Charger R/T and G8 GT.
Standard features like keyless entry and ignition, MyKey, ambient lighting and Sync all help with the value argument. MyKey may be the biggest benefit, as it means a teenager can borrow dad’s car without being able to test its upper limits.
We like performance-oriented sedans as much as the next gearhead, but with the price and performance tradeoffs, we’re not sure how the SHO will fare in an automotive climate that’s not too friendly to large, performance-oriented sedans.
More photos below.
Have an aversion to parallel parking? Your ship has arrived: No longer the domain of just Lexus and Toyota, a self-parking system will debut for the 2010 model year on the Lincoln MKS sedan and MKT crossover and will probably spread throughout Ford’s lineup thereafter. On the Cobo Center’s rooftop parking lot at this week’s Detroit auto show, Ford let us put its Active Park Assist through its paces.
Even with a large three-bar chrome grille, the previous Taurus was a bland-looking full-size sedan, even by full-size-sedan standards. It's still no stunner, but the 2010 Taurus has an elegance that the previous model lacked — especially on the inside, which features premium materials on uplevel versions.
Ford will show the 2010 Taurus for the first time this morning, but it has already dropped the veil on one of the most anticipated engines in years. Seriously. The new 3.5-liter turbocharged V-6, called EcoBoost, will be used in cars, crossovers and, in the future, even trucks. Power numbers for the first application of the engine, in the Ford Flex, are 355 hp and 350 lb.-ft. of torque.
Mileage is estimated at 19/24 mpg city/highway. That’s pretty amazing when you consider that that surpasses every standard V-6 in the segment — see chart below — in terms of fuel efficiency, adding nearly 80 hp. Wow. Not only that, the EcoBoost only comes in Flexes equipped with all-wheel drive. We still have to confirm that these mileage numbers are for an all-wheel drive Flex, which would make the mileage numbers simply astounding. And yes, it uses regular gas. Not premium.
The Ecoboost V-6 will be available in the 2010 Ford Flex first, going on sale mid-year, followed by the 2010 Lincoln MKT crossover to be revealed tomorrow. The Ford Taurus and Lincoln MKS will also receive the engine.
This big, bold sedan is the new Ford Taurus. In the past 20 years, the most successful passenger car Ford has ever produced was the original Taurus. Since then, its trucks and SUVs have been hits, but no single car has risen to the heights of the Taurus. Two years ago, Ford brought the name back on an existing car and tried to relight the fire.
Now, the company has significantly redesigned the Taurus — which rides on a platform that’s nearly identical to the recently released Lincoln MKS’ — offering more content at the exact same price as the outgoing 2009 model. Yes, Ford has announced a price: The 2010 Taurus will be $25,170, not including an $825 destination charge.
What do you get for that price? A six-speed automatic transmission is standard, with manual shift paddles available on the uplevel SEL and Limited trim levels. Also standard are 17-inch alloy wheels; 18-, 19- and 20-inchers are also available. Front-wheel drive is standard, with all-wheel drive available as an option. The suspension is all-new as well, but, like the MKS and previous Taurus, the car will likely feel like it rides high off the ground -- an attribute buyers enjoy. Ford also promises improved fuel efficiency versus the outgoing Taurus’ 18/28 mpg city/highway.
There’s also a host of available technology and other options, including adaptive cruise control, a collision warning system, push-button start, keypad keyless entry, MyKey — which restricts certain types of driving for parents or fleets — Cross Traffic Alert, Sync, voice-activated navigation, and Active Motion seats. What the heck is that? Basically, the optional seats send minute stimulation to an occupant’s legs and back to help avoid fatigue and back pain.
This is a lot of car here. We don’t have specs on the interior dimensions, but we assume they’ll be similar to the comfortable MKS — which starts at $38,490. The top-of-the-line 2009 Taurus starts at $32,520 with all-wheel drive. Once we get the full list of standard features for the Taurus, we’ll be interested to see how they stack up. For now, check out the photos below.
This morning Ford announced a rather large loss in the second quarter of 2008 — $8.7 billion. Because the company needs to reassure stockholders and Wall Street of its future, Ford has detailed its product plans for the next two years in rather explicit detail. It seems dire economic times have broken through the secretive process Detroit automakers have had in place for decades. Check out our in-depth look at what products Ford will field in the next two years from Europe and North America, and if they’ll be worth the wait. We detail future Lincoln and Mercury products in a separate post.
April has begun, and Ford has updated its incentives for the rest of the month. There are some very interesting deals to be had. We’ll break down all the models soon enough, but the most interesting tidbit of information for car enthusiasts is that both the Ford Mustang Bullitt and the upcoming Ford F-150 Chip Foose Edition are getting cash back just like their plain-jane brethren.
The 2008 Ford Mustang Bullitt is already on sale, and the Bullitt package costs an additional $3,310 on top of the cost of a regular Ford Mustang GT. Rebates range from $1,000 to $1,500, with an additional $1,000 offered in some regions if you go with Ford Credit to purchase the vehicle.*
Depending on where you live, that means you could pay just a $810 premium to have the special edition, which adds horsepower and suspension tweaks.
The 2008 Ford F-150 Chip Foose Edition isn’t on sale yet, but the roughly $55,000 sport truck will come to market over the next few months with between $3,000 and $3,500 cash back (plus that potential $1,000 in financing cash) on the intricately detailed hood.
Other rebates are more pedestrian, but still noteworthy:
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