http://www.fordvehicles.com/2010taurus/

I've been an import fan for the last 20 or so years even though the first new car I ever bought was... you'll never guess... a first generation Ford Taurus back in 86. It was a black MT5. In retrospect, it was a pretty lame car by today's standards. It had an anemic 4-banger, a notchy and crude manual shifter and a marginal interior. But back then it was as close as an everyman like me was going to get to the European driving experience for the price. There was nothing else like it short of an Audi or BMW. I logged 77,000 miles on the car and traded it (I don't remember for what).

In the ensuing years the Taurus became more and more ridiculous from a design standpoint and others who had been shocked to their senses had begun to catch on. The Taurus became a dad's car, gained it's rental fleet rep and I lost all interest... especially once the 1990 Nissan Maxima came on the scene.

But this new car is darned compelling and could be the first Detroit iron in a loooong while to tempt me. I like the bold, distinctly American styling and the modern and comfortable looking interior. I have no idea how she drives but I can see this car doing wonders for Ford and I'm really liking it.

 

Agreed. Lately it seems that Ford is taking a step back and actually listening to the masses in it's efforts to re-invent themselves. Looks like they have finally come to realize that gone are the days of sub-standard performance and lack luster interiors. I am pleased that they are finally taking the initiative to provide a better quality of interior (at least asthetically; haven't driven the new taurus yet), while also improving of their performance as well. This new Taurus, so far, looks to be a very desirable car and could prove itself to be Fords next big winner, next to the Fusion. Kudo's to Ford!

Marshall..think it's time to get your opinion on the new Taurus. HINT,,HINT!!

 

It is fantastic, especially in SHO trim. My folks had a first gen SHO, it was a POS but when it did decide to work, it was fast for the time, looked great and was rare.



The Ford Taurus SHO, which stands for Super High Output, holds a special spot on our pages. Ford actually flew Taurus shells to Japan to have the Yamaha 3.0L V6 installed and then flown back. Why Yamaha? Perhaps because the company best known for supremely fast motorcycles knows how to make an excellent engine. Plus, as a maker of fine pianos, the Japanese company knows a thing or two about beautiful music - something else that the SHO's 220-horsepower V6 is well known for. So, why's it on the list? The engine is way better than the rest of the car, that's why. It's a little known fact that the SHO V6 was actually capable of revving up to about 8,500 RPMs, but Ford's accessory systems couldn't handle it, so the redline was dialed back to 7,300 so the engine didn't destroy the rest of the car. Imagine what this engine could have been in a different wrapper

 

they are much more appealing than previous models. i love how they advertise to now have quality as good as toyota and honda.

 

stock rims are pretty ugly, but the car seems great overall.

tons of pics here:

http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2010-...aurus/2089688/

 

I saw the new Taurus at the Chicago Auto Show in Feb. They're made here so they had a larger than normal display.

I especially liked the SHO version which will have the twin turbo Eco Boost (needs a meaner sounding name) V6.

 

I think it looks cheap. I think they have done a better job on the new Mercurey sedans

 

the SHO will kick my GS' *** by a tiny bit

i wonder when twin turbos will appear in lexuses

 

Two car companies I've been most impressed with in the last couple of years.
Ford and Hyundai.

 

i love it; i would love to have one with the tt v6.

 

A few months ago C&D tested the Lincoln version (MKS). IIRC it weighed over 4,000 lbs. in FWD form and did 0-60 in 7.5 seconds. Add in AWD gear and the tt will have a lot of weight to move. Hopefully the SHO will have found ways to loose a few lbs.

 

I think our good friends over at Edmunds got it (the SHO) to do 5.8 secs. I'd hope for better with this engine but it is still a heavy ride.

 

Not too bad, but I dont really like the shifter and the gauge panel. Other than that, I think the car looks great

 

i have my own thread about the 2010 taurus on another forum, ford is doing it right these days, i really like this new direction they're taking.. their cars seem more innovative than GM and chrysler

 

I've always had an affinity for the SHO only. Nice, powerful car. Not too bad on the eyes either. My biggest concern with the SHO models was with the Yamaha engines. When these engines broke, they did so in a very big way. I had an opportunity to purchase a gen II SHO a few years back. The amount of maintenance that this car was gonna continue to need was what broke the deal for me.