Only sales will tell. But this car, now with adequate horsepower, a fine six-speed automatic transmission, trendy fender vents and a range of soundproofing and interior-quality improvements, is the car that the Five Hundred should have been.
Sold in SEL and Limited trim levels with an option for all-wheel drive, pricing for Taurus starts at $23,995, including the $750 freight charge. Standard equipment includes a 263-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6, 17-inch alloy wheels, six air bags, air conditioning, power windows-locks-mirrors, split folding rear seats and a fold-forward front seat.
The $895 Interior Convenience Package adds a six-disc CD changer, dual-zone electronic automatic temperature control, wiper-activated headlights with auto on/off, eight-way power driver's seat and wood-grain trim that is quite handsome. The all-wheel-drive Limited is $24,890.
Taurus is a large and roomy car that competes in the class with the Toyota Avalon and Chrysler 300. The Taurus interior has a more refined and quality appearance than the 300, and, with luck, it will have a better reliability record than the latest generation of Avalon, which disappointed owners in its early years. I noticed just one mismatched plastic seam in the Taurus Limited test car, inside at the rear quarter window.
The biggest consumer complaints about the Five Hundred were styling and power. Both were bland. It didn't take much to improve both for the Taurus.
Styling changes are mainly to the grille, some creases and lines to the front end, new taillights and chrome-tipped dual exhausts. The Limited is set off by chrome side vents, chrome mirror caps and chrome door handles. The chrome is just dress-up flash, but it's American flash and it works here.
The inside is now luxury-class quiet with more soundproofing throughout, including expandable foam pellets in the windshield pillars to reduce wind noise and sound-deadening material in the doors, headliner and pillars. Road noise was reduced by rear-quarter reinforcements and a climate control system that is 50 percent quieter than before. Hydraulic engine mounts help prevent vibration from reaching the cabin.
Mechanically, Taurus has a robust and substantial ride quality. It glides at highway speeds with little wind noise or sensitivity to changing road surfaces. At 3,741 pounds, the suspension gives firm control, even when hefting the Limited AWD that weighs almost 2 tons.
The steering feels a bit heavy at low speeds, such as negotiating the cramped mall parking lot. And, as with Five Hundred, the turning circle is too large at 41 feet with the 17-inch tires. And it gets wider with the appealing but pricey-to-replace 18-inch tire upgrade option. Those issues and the weighty steering may be too much for some drivers.
The Taurus SEL weighs 98 pounds more than the Five Hundred and the Limited is 116 pounds heavier, but it would appear to be weight well spent. The 3.5-liter V-6 has 60 horsepower more than the 3.0-liter it replaces and gets better fuel economy, using 87 octane. Ford claims nearly a 10 percent fuel economy improvement over the Five Hundred and an increase of about 2 mpg on the highway. That's significant because the '08 EPA rating system knocked about 20 percent off the previous mileage rating system. The new system is more real-world, and consumers knew the old method was way off.
The front-drive Taurus earns the EPA SmartWay designation, rated 9.5 out of 10 for air pollution and a 6 for greenhouse gases. Compare that with 9.5 and 8 for the Ford Escape Hybrid. The all-wheel-drive Taurus missed the SmartWay designator by one point in greenhouse gases.
Spaciousness is an attribute of this car, as it was before. The trunk is huge, but it is a reach to load grocery bags over the long rear fascia. A fold-flat front-passenger seat and split folding rear seat backs allow items up to 9 feet long to fit inside.
Sightlines are uninterrupted for the driver and everybody has room to spread out. The power driver seat adjuster should allow plenty of height to shorter drivers. The back seat area has good leg and foot room and the low transmission/exhaust tunnel helps accommodate the center position. There is no center head restraint, but the seat position is low and did not seem deadly for whiplash.
Taurus? Five Hundred? Is this car now a rose that by any other name would smell as sweet?
Probably.
Mark Maynard is driving in cyberspace at mark.maynard@uniontrib.com
SPECS BOX
2008 Ford Taurus Limited AWD
Body style: large, five-passenger front-wheel or all-wheel-drive sedan
Engine: Aluminum, 3.5-liter V-6 with four valves per cylinder and variable camshaft timing; PZEV
Horsepower: 263 horsepower at 6,250 rpm
Transmission: six-speed automatic
EPA fuel economy estimates: 18 mpg city, 28 highway (17/24 AWD); 87 octane recommended
Fuel capacity: 20 gallons
DIMENSIONS
Trunk space: 21.2 cubic feet
Front head/leg/shoulder room: 39.6/41.3/57.8 inches
Rear head/leg/shoulder room: 38.8/41.2/57.6 inches
Length/wheelbase: 201.8/112.9 inches
Curb weight: 3,741 pounds (3,930 AWD)
FEATURES
Standard equipment includes: remote locking and door keypad, air conditioning, fog lights, power mirrors-locks-windows, three 12-volt power points, battery saver, eight cup holders, fold-flat seat backs, one-touch up/down driver window, carpeted floor mats, locking glove box, heated rear window, MP3 audio jack, leather wrapped shift knob and steering wheel, tilt steering wheel, remote trunk release
Safety equipment includes: dual stage front air bags, seat-mounted side air bags, side curtain air bags, four-wheel disc brakes with four-wheel ABS brakes, power steering, traction control, tire pressure monitoring system
PRICING
Base: $29,445, including $750 freight charge; price as tested, $33,500.
Options on test car: Limited convenience package, $475, includes adjustable pedals, reverse sensing system, cargo net and universal garage opener; power moonroof, $895; Advance Trac stability control, $495; navigation system, $1,995; Sirius satellite radio, $195;
The competition: Chrysler 300, Buick Lucerne, Toyota Avalon
Where assembled: Chicago
PLUSES: Styling, refined and quiet interior, robust and substantial feel on the road.
MINUSES: 41-foot turning circle, heavy steering at low speeds, long reach into the trunk.
