2013 Ford Taurus.
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Wait, what? 2013???
Not sure why they would release this so early. What happened to 2012?
The changes don’t really improve the car.
I test drove the Taurus last year and wasn’t very impressed at all in the 1st place.
The car didn’t feel as fast as it should, and it felt pretty cheap in many places. the doors especially felt like I was driving a $12000 car.
The Buick LaCrosse is superior in every way.
Not the SHO version has a weird open gap of a mouth that doesn’t look good at all.
The big news is the availability of the 2.0 Liter Turbo as an option. Which could help MPG numbers.
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I think the look of the current Taurus is nice. The front end of this 13 model looks similar to the mustang in my opinion. Been in one didn't seem too bad. The huge downfall is they want to use them as cop cars
This front reminds me too much of the "new" Toyota Highlander…
I know some of Toyota and Ford products started to have the "family look" after the Venza and new Edge, but it's just a bit too much.
AND I don't care who copied who. I prefer not to see cars from different manufacturers look so close.
one model is okay, but now Venza, Edge, Camry, Highlander, This Taurus, and the New Territory (Australia)…like I said, too much.
Audi A6 looking grill
I have to totally disagree with your comments on this one. Ford made a ton of changes to this car inside and out, not just styling, and benchmarked the Audi A6. Upgraded engines, new sheetmetal, more soft touch interior surfaces, more sound deadening, etc. (according to Ford's press release.) It's unusual Ford made this many improvements this early in the model cycle, but for once an American manufacturer is into continuous improvement–not just sitting on its laurels year after year.
For real? You "weren't very impressed" with the Taurus you drove last year?! Then why did you say of it: "I must say the new Taurus is one of the best non luxury sedan on the market today. 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. " ?!?!?!?!
i drove a Taurus but ended up buying the Lacrosse, and glad I did. The Taurus isn't a bad car, but the rear tail lights were a deal breaker for me. Looks like that's not improving much with the 2013 model.
I am not saying the Taurus I drove was a bad car. But not up to the LaCrosse or the Maxima. At all.
The cheap doors alone just don't give you the same quality feel.
They can say all they want about their inspiration for the car being the Audi A6, but the Taurus cannot even compare to the Audi in terms of quality and solid feel.
The fact is, most people buying a Ford won't look at an Audi anyway. And vice-versa….
it needs to lose the fat, the black plastic bottom needs to go, and car need to lose the fat belly look, looks bloated.
should call this the interceptor and make it fleet-only option for police or taxi. The current model should remain the face of the taurus. Looks more like a mustang now… perhaps a preview of the next gen modeo/fusion? Hope not, unless they break up the front bumper to allow the upper and lower grills to become one, ie Audi-esque grill. That would be sweet… I think this car will look a lot better in person though.
I disagree with your assessment of this car, especially when you say that it isn't up to par with the Maxima. The Maxima is a terrible car IMHO, which has been neglected by Nissan. I do like the Lacrosse and think that it is probably crossed-shopped the most with the Taurus and the Avalon.
I do feel that the quality of this car is up to par with it's direct competition. But I don't think that it is going to give people enough strong incentive to pick the Taurus over other options. Hopefully this light update will include a number of interior refinements that are truly up to A6 standards.
Really, Vince?
1. This is a MMC, not a FMC. It has been on the market since 2009 as a '10 model.
2. The door panels aren't cheap at all. It is all padded materials and soft touch where it should be. Can you show me another $12,000 with soft touch plastics on the door?
3. Fast as it should be??? What in the world are you talking about? The non-SHO Taurus isn't a performance sedan, it has 265HP motivating 4,000+ pounds. The 365HP SHO will run a 13 second quarter mile and a low 5 second 0-60 time. That is fast.
4. That open gap in the SHO is to feed the intercooler, so it is functional.
It is odd they have released these pictures and improvements so early. I think this car can 'legally' be sold as a '13 after January 1st of '12. Might actually be later than that..somewhere in Feb. or March of '12. And, it's not even May of '11 yet!
The front of this thing looks HIDEOUS! The current front end looks sooo much better I think. They should have left the grill and headlights alone and worked on the airdam area and the back. Oh well, I won't be buying it so in the end it won't affect me. I just hope Ford doesn't screw up the next Fusion. That car I am interested in.
Maybe it's not considered a "Colorado car," but I rarely see a Taurus on the road.
I test drove one last year and thought it was pretty nice, but I still bought a Maxima. And whoever said the Maxima is a bad car is obviously delusional. It does everything extremely well and I have not had one bit of trouble with it.
I gotta say, the new grill/headlights on the standard and SHO models dramatically improved the car's worst styling traits. Plus, the design integrates the Taurus better with other FoMoCo models.
I will say the black one looks much better than the SHO. Nicer wheels and front end on the regular one. I still think the SHO is hideous though. I could see some people swapping the regular rims, in place of the SHO rims. They're probably a little smaller too which would help acceleration, fuel economy and give a smoother ride.
I don't understand the comparison to the A6. The A6 is easily $15k more. And if I give a custom shop a new SHO and $16k I'm pretty sure the result would vastly out-perform/out-quality/ and simply out-class an A6 costing the same. Let's compare it to something in it's price range: Avalon/CamryHybrid/MalibuLTZ/AccordHybrid/Passat. I think the Tarus wins hands down! Every time!
The Taurus is a horsey beast. The design is far too busy.
I like the front grille of the Ford Taurus. The SHO version is nicer and a lot faster than the regular Taurus. The 2013 version has updated brakes; it's a real sleeper car because no one expects it to go fast.
As much as I have loved Ford through the years, particularly enjoying the direction the Focus and Fiesta are indicating for the brand, the Taurus program (and its assorted Five Hundred/Freestyle/Explorer/MKS variants) has been a huge fail. Too awkward, flabby, and generally unappealing in every incarnation, purportedly full-sized vehicles on an outdated, underachieving midsize Volvo platform with space-inefficient interiors and saggy suspensions. The new styling may be a small step in the right direction, but why oh why didn't they fix that fat, fugly rear end? Time to come up with something completely new.