Ford Taurus test drive
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-HOW IT LOOKS.
The new Taurus is without a doubt, a great looking car.
It is one of the best looking sedan out there right now in the US market.
I was surprised to see how many looks I got driving it for a week.
For some reason, I don’t see that many on the road yet, so it really stand out in a crowd.
In a good way.
-HOW IT IS INSIDE.
It looks like what we used to see inside auto show concepts a few years ago.
I always wanted to see that kind of “flowing into the dashboard” console design an a “regular” car, not in just some pricey exotic model.
It all feels very futuristic in a production car.
It just looks great.
The car feels wide and roomy. And pretty much everything is made of good quality plastics.
The seats are quite amazing. Some of the best I’ve ever experienced. But I must say, my test car was equipped with the $595 “Multi contoured seats” option.
Visibility all around is really good. Even with what could seem to be narrow windows.
It also had an amazing Sony sound system. Producing one of the best sound in any car I’ve been in.
It is quite an amazing experience.
The Taurus was also my 1st real experience with the Sync system.
Which worked well most of the time, but had trouble recognizing my voice once in a while.
You can always use it without the voice recognition if that happens.
The steering wheel feels great and has a thinner rim on top. Unusual but very comfortable.
I just wish the doors felt more solid when you close them. They are thick but don’t really sound like it.
A bit strange…
Being quite a large car ( although only about 4 inches longer than a Camry) is is very roomy. And that includes the back seat, and a huge trunck area.
-HOW IT DRIVES.
-Ride.
The ride of the new Taurus is about perfect.
It has that solid, firm feel that you get mostly in European cars. Yet very smooth at the same time.
It does ride like a luxury car, but is also a pleasure to drive. And it does feel more substantial than most mid sized cars out there.
The seating position is higher than most . Similar to the previous Ford 500/Taurus.
-Steering.
The steering is pretty much as good as it gets for a family car.
It is just firm enough and offers a very natural feel. But it is never too hard.
Another part of this puzzle that makes the car such a joy to drive.
For comparison, the Nissan Maxima’s steering is anything but sporty. Way too over boosted for what wants to be a sports sedan.
-Engine.
The 3.5 Liter V6 produces 263hp.
Which is quite a bit, and always enough. I never felt it needed more power. Even with a full load of passengers.
The Taurus is rated at 18mpg City and 27 HWY.
During my week, I did get about 18 MPG in the city like advertised, but was able to get 31 on the FWY.
Which is really good for such a car.
–Transmission.
There is usually not much to report on modern automatic transmissions these days, unless they are really bad.
Most of them are really smooth. And the 6 speed in the Taurus is no exception.
I also found it pretty quick to respond to downshift requests from my right foot.
-SO???
I must say the new Taurus is one of the best non luxury sedan on the market today.
My SEL model came up to about $33 000. (Without GPS or sunroof).
Which could seem a bit pricey at first.
But it is still cheaper than a similar Nissan Maxima. And a much nicer drive.
It does achieve a blend of comfort and driving pleasure that the big Nissan only dreams of.
And really only about $1500 more than a similar Camry.
I would no hesitate to recommend the new Taurus to anyone in the market for a great looking, roomy sedan that is as comfortable as it is a pleasure to drive.
Feel free to ask any questions about my week experience with the Taurus.
Vince, thanks again for sharing your observations!
man thanks, i was waiting for this review.
Thanks. Any thoughts about the SHO?
IMO, the only real problem the Taurus has is that people think it is too expensive.
It's not that the car doesn't give good value, it actually does, but people think that anything with the "Taurus" name should be priced in the low $20K range. I've seen people look absolutely dumbfounded upon hearing the price of the SHO. Never mind that the SHO is very competitive with cars cost $10K more.
Vince, what is it like to parallel park the Taurus or maneuver it in a parking lot? Its size and narrow windows would seem to make it rather challenging to do so. Thanks.
It looks dynamite indeed. I like the interior a lot: Looks very luxurious and sporty at the same time.
Does it wander around on the freeway like the 500 did?
I rented one of those once, and you constantly had to micro-correct the steering just to go straight. It was pretty exhausting.
hey vince,
I rented a Limited model recently, and really liked it. I was surprised that the engine actually was quite peppy around town, considering the bulk of the vehicle.
I initially thought the steering wheel with the thinner diameter wood portion was a little strange, but after a few miles, it felt incredibly comfortable.
One complaint- the B-pillars are a little thick, and obstruct the driver's sideward vision. The rear view camera is an absolute must, due to the huge trunk and high decklid.
How were the massaging seats? Were they effective, or gimmicky?
Any chance you'll get to drive an SHO in the future?
I had a 2010 Taurus on my last trip to Tucson for a week. I loved the Sync and I loved the car.
I agree with you about your observations with the Maxima, I don't like it much either. The interior is really ugly too.
Hi Vince. Thanks for your thorough review. I'm 6 ft. 2 inches tall and as much as I liked the Taurus when I test drove it, My head hit the ceiling when I leaned back plus the very, very comfortable back seat is raised (stadium style) which hurts rear headroom, too.
How tall are you?
dude vince thanks for the honest inputs, i hate the fact that most of these magazines have been rating everything else better i dont know why.
If Ford keeps styling and building cars like this, they'll rule the automotive world in no time. Looking forward to the new Focus. Curious about the upcoming Explorer.
Very nice looking car…kudos to Ford for doing a great job. Honda designers take note, this is a what a cohesive design looks like!
I'm 6 ft 1", didn't have any problems with headroom; there were probably several more inches of headroom available for use (non moonroof option).
The gear shifter was a bit too large in my opinion- could be sleeker.
A few things:
-I am just 5 ft11" so I had no problem with headroom, even in the back.
-Not driven the SHO yet. Hopefully soon.
-I didn't notice any wonder on the FWY during my weekly drive. And I did take the car on the FWY quite a bit.
-The B pillar is thick. And the front doors aren't very long so it seems to be right there when you turn your head to the left.
But I did get used to it. And could actually see oncoming traffic to my left through the rear door window as well.
Visibility was always good for me.
-Parking was always very easy. My car had a rear view camera with a monitor inside the rear view mirror.
The only complain I would have about it is that the monitor was a bit too small. Smaller than the similar system I had in the Nissan Rogue.
-The massaging seats actually were a bit of a gimmick for me.
But they might turn out to be great after a long, long drive. Who knows.
Vince,
Great review. So, what is the difference between this and the MKS? Dollars?
For that cash I can pick up a year old MKS with more features. It's a great car though.
At 6'5" my ONLY complaint was that the center stack intruded on my right leg. It really ticked me off because I absolutely LOVE every other aspect of this car. It is the ONLY reason I didn't buy it right then & there. (Imagine, a car at this price with "distronic" speed control.) WHAT A CAR!!!
I too have a problem with the center stack too close to my right leg. I don't know if I would get used to it or not but it is a showstopper for me at this time.