2010 Ford Taurus + SHO

The Ford Taurus made its debut to much fanfare in 1985 (as a 1986 model). It was perhaps a risky move for Ford. Not only was it Ford’s first big foray into midsize front-wheel-drive cars, the styling was like nothing else. In an era where crisply folded lines were the norm, the “soft” styling was decidedly different. So different, some pundits declared it would prove to be an outright sales disaster. They couldn’t have been more wrong. The Taurus (and to a lesser degree, sistership Mercury Sable) went on to dominate the automotive sales charts. Since its launch in 1986, Ford sold over 6.7 million Taurus’s worldwide as of 2007, making it the fifth bestselling North American nameplate in Ford's history. Only the F-150, Escort, Model T, and Mustang have sold more units. Between 1992 and 1996, the Taurus was the best-selling car in America.

A Taurus Like Never Before

Fast forward to today. While a re-badged, re-engineered and then facelifted Ford 500 has been sold as a Taurus for a couple of years, a vibrant, new Taurus for the model year 2010 has just made its debut. And, like the original accomplished two and a half decades ago, this car is set to make waves. Here’s why:


The styling is unique. And, just like the original, Ford stylists broke new ground: Front fenders are pronounced, with headlamps and markers that wrap around the flanks. A deeply chiseled character line runs from the wheel arch to the end of the back door. This deeply cut character line makes another appearance aft of the rear wheel arch. Like the headlamps, the taillights swathe around the body sides. The deck lid incorporates a subtle hump—almost as if there’s a restrained spoiler built in. The roofline is lowered and somewhat reminiscent of the first chiseled-look fastbacks Ford pioneered way back when in 1963. Most interesting though is the wheel placement. Rolling stock is pushed to the edges of the body sides. That provides the Taurus with a brawny, extremely capable, athletic look.

Interior Comfort and Features

Open the door and immediately you know there’s more to it than just a capable look. This is now a driver’s car. Case-in-point: Bench seating is banished. Instead, the office is based upon a dual pod dash layout that recalls Mustang from almost every generation. The center stack slopes downward into an integrated console, effectively creating a five-passenger sedan. And it’s decidedly Euro. Clamber behind the wheel (which includes an array of fingertip controls) and it’s clear this car was built to use. Controls are logical and fall quickly into place. The shifter is offset toward the driver. The large high-tech, ambient lit speedometer is flanked by a large 7,000 rpm tachometer on the left and a combination temperature gauge-fuel gauge-gear indicator on the right. The front seats are deeply bolstered. An integrated armrest on the center console coupled with a deeply sculpted door panel locks the driver firmly in place.


Standard SE-equipped cars feature a six-way power, manual recline and lumbar driver seat. SEL models include dual zone climate control, SIRIUS Satellite radio and an anti-theft perimeter alarm. On Limited Series models, the seating moves to perforated leather seating surfaces and 10-way power with integrated lumbar controls for both driver and passenger. On all models, the split folding rear seat is a three-passenger bench (in truth, a pair of deeply formed near-buckets with an occasional passenger seat between them).


A big part of the interior offerings in the new Taurus is the Multi-Contour Front Seat package. The high-tech seating system is based around seven air cushions that pad the driver and passenger’s entire backs and bottom sides, including three for lumbar support, four for lateral support and four for the seat pad. The seat package includes what Ford calls Active Motion technology, which is actually a built-in massage system that’s designed to lessen back pain on long trips. Essentially, computer controls create the motion by individually inflating and deflating the bladders in the seat pan. Bottom line here is that over the long haul, you simply don’t experience body cramping.