Road Test: 2010 Ford Taurus

2010 Ford Taurus Limited AWD

It’s been said that Asheville, NC is one of the best places to reinvent yourself, so it was fitting that Ford Motor Company chose this location to introduce the all-new 2010 Taurus. Having already redesigned the Mustang and Fusion so far this year and with the new European Fiesta and Focus planned for next year, Ford needed a flagship sedan to reinvent itself as a leader in the automotive industry once against and the 2010 Ford Taurus may be that very vehicle. As the new flagship for the Ford division, the 2010 Taurus was engineered to be both a family car and a personal car, but, more importantly, it now has a design to stand out from the crowd of full-size sedans.

Built at the Chicago Assembly Plant alongside the Ford Flex and Lincoln MKS, Ford has positioned the 2010 Taurus to compete against a wide range of full-size sedans ranging from the Chevrolet Impala and Chrysler 300 up to the Toyota Avalon and Lexus GS. When the 2010 Ford Taurus goes on sale later this month, starting prices will be dependent upon which trim level is chosen; the base Taurus SE starts at $25,995 (identical to the price of the 2009 Taurus), the volume-selling Taurus SEL starts at $27,995, the luxury Taurus Limited starts at $31,995 and, finally, the performance-tuned Taurus SHO starts at $37,995. In the rolling hills and tightly wound streets of Tennessee and North Carolina, we had the opportunity to test out a fully loaded Taurus Limited with available all-wheel drive that came with an as-tested price of $39,035. Replacing the Crown Victoria as the flagship sedan is not the most challenging task, but after spending about 150 miles behind the wheel, we were able to see just how much reinventing is going on at the Blue Oval.

2010 Ford Taurus Exterior

For the first time probably since the Taurus hit the streets back in 1986, the 2010 model gets a design that Ford is proud and excited about. There is a good reason why the muscular, athletic lines of the new Taurus are in stark contrast to the rounded, bubbly styling of the original car or the conservative styling of the subsequent body styles. The styling of the new Taurus is a blend between Ford’s European-inspired Kinetic Design and a classic, hard-edged American design. Quality and attention to detail were obviously just as important to Ford when designing the new Taurus. Not only is just about every surface finely detailed from the miniature version of the Mustang’s power dome hood to the rear quarter panel “dimples,” but the most impressive aspect were tight, consistent body seams (gaps between body panels such as the doors, trunk and hood) which Ford representatives claim was an impressive 3.5 millimeters.

Up front, the new Taurus’ face have been inspired by the European design language by using elements such as the swept headlamps as well as the shape of the upper and lower grill and crisp body lines, but the rest of the body was definitely inspired by the 2007 Ford Interceptor Concept. Ford’s signature three-bar grille is present, but instead of three solid bars of chrome, the upper and lower bars are slotted and look very similar to the cooling chamber of a high-caliber machine gun that only helps to give the car an even meaner look. Adding a bit of elegance to the otherwise sporty look, our test car came with chrome-clad 19-inch, 10-spoke aluminum wheels.

2010 Ford Taurus Interior

Once inside, the relationship between the Taurus and Flex is instantly recognizable from the soft touch surfaces to the sizeable headroom allowance, but there are also influences from other Ford vehicles such as the double brow instrument panel design borrowed from the Mustang. Ford designers seemed equally focused on the overall atmosphere inside the Taurus as they were with comfort, luxury and technology. The forward-sloped instrument panel and flowing center stack give the driver an encompassing cockpit with all of the controls either on the steering wheel or within an easy reach. Between the tilting and telescoping steering column and the eight-way power front seats, it was easy to get comfortable behind the wheel of the Taurus – which wasn’t always the case with the Crown Vic. As a finishing touch, the Ford Taurus also comes with backlit ambient lighting in the footwells, door panels and cup holder that are changeable among seven colors.

Highlighting Ford’s detail to find craftsmanship in the 2010 Ford Taurus, everything from the feel of the steering wheel to the sound doors make when closing were closely scrutinized to enrich the experience in the car’s cabin. Our test car was swathed in Light Stone leather with chrome, wood and aluminum-colored accents throughout the cabin. Richly toned wood graced the instrument panel, steering wheel and door panels, while the flowing center stack and center console we capped with a brushed aluminum look. Ford and Sony teamed up once again to give the Taurus Limited its standard premium sound system, but the SYNC®-controlled, voice-activated navigation system was optional on this car.

Despite all the tech goodies available up front, the rear seat occupants get their fair share of attention as well with spacious and comfortable seating positions as well as heated seats (standard on Limited) for the outboard passengers. Even with the front seats back enough to accommodate tall front passengers, the rear seats still provide plenty of legroom in addition to enough hiproom for three adults. If the Taurus must be called upon for cargo duty, long items easily fit inside the vehicle thanks to a 60/40 split rear seat. As far as trunk space goes, don’t let that short decklid fool you. The 2010 Taurus has 20.1 cubic feet of cargo space in the trunk – just 0.5 cubic feet less than the Crown Victoria!

2010 Ford Taurus Performance & Handling

Under the hood, the 2010 Taurus SE, SEL and Limited carry over the same 3.5-liter Duratec V-6 available in the current model, while the SHO gets the all-new EcoBoost twin-turbocharged V-6 (but more on that tomorrow). The proven Duratec engine produces 263 horsepower and 249 lb-ft of torque which is sent through the six-speed SelectShift automatic transmission. This transmission features a manual mode controlled via the steering wheel shift paddles and holds the desired gear until the driver upshifts or downshifts for optimal performance – this feature proved quite useful in mountainous roads as well. Adding to the car’s stability, our test model came with all-wheel drive that added $1,850 to the overall price of this particular Taurus Limited. Ford claims that fuel economy for the new Taurus front-wheel drive will be 18 miles per gallon in the city and 28 mpg on the highway (identical to the 2009 model), so we’re expecting fuel economy estimates for the all-wheel drive model to be the same or close to the current model’s 17 mpg city and 25 mpg highway – we average just over 19 as we pushed the Taurus’ limits through the twisty Carolina roads.

When it came to the tight, winding back roads which we spent most of our time on, the 2010 Taurus handled itself surprisingly well despite a 4,224-pound curb weight (when equipped with all-wheel drive). Although we weren’t able to test a front-wheel drive Taurus in similar conditions, Ford told us that handling capabilities between the two cars should be the same. One of the key factors in the new Taurus’ handling capabilities is its new SR1 suspension setup which is named after the 1:1 rear shock absorber ratio and features MacPherson struts up front and a multi-link setup in the rear. The end result is that the new Taurus is able to corner and maneuver impressively without having to sacrifice its smooth ride in typical driving conditions.

2010 Ford Taurus Safety

The 2010 Ford Taurus has yet to be tested by either the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) or the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), but Ford expects its new flagship to exhibit the same class-leading safety that the current model has. All 2010 Taurus models will come standard with six airbags and a tire pressure monitoring system in addition to Ford-exclusive features such as SOS Post Safety Crash Alert System and AdvanceTrac® Electronic Stability Control with anti-lock brakes (ABS) and all-speed traction control. Optional safety features will include Adaptive Cruise Control, Collision Warning with Brake Support, Blind Spot Information System with Cross Traffic Alert and rain-sensing windshield wipers. The radar for the Adaptive Cruise Control is located in the left corner of the lower grille, while the radars for the BLIS and Cross Traffic System are located about six inches back from the rear wheel openings under the rear fascia.

Summary

After years of being accused of ignoring its once-best-selling car, Ford has definitely paid attention to the sixth-generation Taurus. Whether or not a sedan as big as the Taurus could ever make it to the top for new car sales again might be doubtful looking forward, but the all-new Taurus will definitely give Ford the opportunity. One of the main reasons for that is Ford’s use of the Audi A6 as a benchmark for both design and handling which are both apparent after just a half day behind the wheel.

Select photos by Jeffrey N. Ross