Thanks.


Mercury, IMO, does not deserve to be treated the way Ford is treating it. They are phasing out the larger Mercury vehicles (including the Grand Marquis) in an attempt to remake the division into mostly smaller vehicles. The idea (which I understand, but don't agree with) is that only Ford and Lincoln will sell larger-size vehicles. Mercury will survive (there are currently no plans to totally ax it like Olds or Pontiac) but it will not be as we formerly knew it.

I simply don't agree with this. Buick, at GM, is definitely going to survive....they're not going anywhere, nor is Buick dumping its larger vehicles. Among American nameplates, Mercury is Buick's closest natural competitor......but Mercury will soon no longer have the vehicles it will need to compete with the new Buick LaCrosse and existing Lucerne....a shame.

 

I would love to take a new SHO for a drive, on paper it sounds like a pretty impressive car!

 

The Ford people tell me that, right now, SHO's are special-order only. it is unlikely that you will find one on a dealer lot. You might try a rental-firm, though, and see if they have ordered any. You could rent one for a couple of days, if they are available.

If you like a plush interior, though, you may be more impressed with the SEL and Limited models. The SHO has metallic trim and alumininum pedals inside instead of the nice big dash-wide wood patch on the other models. Of course, they won't have as much power as the SHO, nor are they likely to handle as well.

 

Re-hashing this old thread for a comment,,,,

Have been looking for a replacement vehicle for my 92 LS for a few months. Wasn't too picky on what I was gonna drive, as I plan to step back into another Lexus, however for now, I just needed something to get around in. Ford Taurus was on my list of look at vehicles, and with Mike having done a review of it and liking it, I checked it out, based upon the review on page 1. The aggressive styling, re-vised interior (for this model from previous), as well as MUCH improved ride comfort sold me. Picked up a 2010 Tuxedo Black Metallic, SE model (used) this past friday. As a grocery getter, or even an every day commuter car,,it aint a bad place to be. Will stil be just a weekend car, for me, since I am only home on weekends from driving cross country as a trucker. Thanks Mike,, your review of this car helped me to make a decision that I am very happy with. Here's a few pics of mine,,

 

these always look so much bigger in person..... nice pick!

 

congrats! Tuxedo black is a great choice!

 

Congratulations. A nice family-car indeed. Does yours have that over-stuffed rear-seat? The thing I remember most about the one I reviewed was the ultra-thick rear bench seat, which had enough padding in it to support a freight locomotive. No park-bench rear seat in this one.

And is it AWD? That is an option on some Taurus models. Helps a lot, of course, in bad weather.


Great. Glad it helped.

I wish I could have also looked at the SHO, but, when the present-generation Taurus first came out, the SHO was either not available or special-order only.

 

Congrats on the car! A friend of mine rented one a few months ago and i laughed at first... but after riding in it for a few hours, i came away highly impressed with the car. So much so i would consider it as my next car.

 

trukn1 congrats! mind sharing what you paid for your 2010 and what mileage?

 

I think the AWD came as an option on the SEL model, mine is the base model SE, so I don't have the upgraded stereo, sunroof (REALLY gonna miss this), and/or the AWD package. Mine is just front wheel drive. I DID get to get a spirited drive in an SHO model recently, and OMG that car is just nuts. Hard to imagine a car that big making Mitsu, EVO owners nervous in the way that it handles. Aggressive turn-in's, very little body roll, and just flat out fast. One thing that I have noticed already, since I am not used to it, it that this car only requires light throtle response, b/c it WILL accelerate quickly, and you will be at 80-90 before you even realize it. I am single, but have developed a love of big bodied sedans with aggressive styling. this one certainly fits the bill. THis is my backseat. Not sure if it is what you were referring to since you have a more equipped model to review.

Don't get it twisted,, this IS a big car. Am still trying to learn where the front and back of this car are located. Back is even harder to guage since is has a high sloping rear, but am working on it. The fact that it is extremely wide, doesn't help it to shrug off the big car image either. Honestly, this was a step that Ford needed to take with this model.

Thanks. I think so too. I did not buy this from a Ford dealership, so it was the only one sitting on the lot. I do like the color b/c I haven't seen a bunch around in this color. Watch,,now they will start popping up all over the place. LOL!!!

Car has 55K on it. It was owned by the local Honda dealers district manager(where I bought the car), who highway traveled to 4 different regions; I know and have spoken to him on several occasions beforehand, didn't even know he had this in his car arsenal.. He normally gets rid of his cars every 2 years or so, and it had just came in a few days earlier b4 I had bought it. I got it right around book value, but I held out for that price for several hours, and since It was like my 4th time in their showroom looking at stuff,, they pretty much just gave it to me to keep me happy and earn my business.

 

OK...thanks for clarifying that. Didn't know you were single. I thought you were buying if for a family. Still, I agree with you.....I'm single myself, and many (if not most) of the cars I've owned have been sedans, though an occasional pony-car, sport-coupe, and hatchback/wagon.


It's a pretty good-sized car by today's standards, but nothing compared to some of the cars I had a chance to drive in the late 60s/early 70s. Heck, the Plymouth Valiants I took my primary-driving lessons on (considered compact cars back then) were almost the size of today's Taurus. And full-size luxury cars back then were typically 225-229" long, had 125-129" wheelbases, and weighed 5000+ lbs.




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Congrats on your new car, nice find. I saw one on the road on my way in this morning and it looked very sharp. Enjoy it in good health.