When it comes to cars, how important is the name? And what’s in a name? Those are the questions the new 2008 Ford Taurus poses to the marketplace.
In effect, this new Ford Taurus is the former Five Hundred, with a larger engine, revised suspension, updated interior and some new styling tweaks, such as the three-bar grill that is becoming a Ford trademark.
The name Five Hundred apparently meant little to buyers, though Ford had used it as a suffix in the past to eclipse previous top models. Two generations ago, the Ford Fairlane, then the top model in the lineup, was eclipsed by the Fairlane 500. Then the Galaxie, which eclipsed the Fairlane 500 for top model honors was itself superceded in that slot by the Galaxie 500.
Fast forward half a century and everyone, it seems, had forgotten. “Five Hundred” held little magic in the marketplace, as the slow sales of this otherwise impressive car showed.
As for the Taurus nameplate, this was a winner from the very beginning. Introduced as a late-arriving 1986 model in December of 1985, the Taurus took off. It was an exceptional vehicle at the time and it soon became the nation’s number one selling family sedan. In more recent years, Ford allowed the Taurus to soldier on with few changes and little updating, ultimately relegating the last year of production to rental car fleets. Even in that role, it outsold the two cars that were supposed to replace it, the Fusion and the Five Hundred.
Now, the nameplate is back and the Five Hundred – make that the Taurus – has been suitably updated. This sedan is an eye-opener in many ways. It is nearly a foot shorter than the Ford Crown Victoria, but it offers a much more comfortable passenger cabin. Front seat dimensions for head and leg room come within a few tenths of inch of equaling the Crown Victoria’s numbers and in the back seat, the Taurus exceeds its larger stable mate. Even the trunk of the Taurus is larger and its rear seat, split 60/40, folds, just in case the 21.2 cubic feed of trunk space proves to be inadequate.
Under the hood, the new Taurus sports a 3.5-liter V-6, which replaces the Five Hundred’s 3.0-liter engine. This swap means 60 more horsepower are on tap, 263 vs. 203 and greater refinement. The new V-6 is smoother and feels peppier.
For this review, Ford loaned us a Taurus Limited with all-wheel drive. Front-wheel drive is standard. Last year, the all-wheel drive version came with a continuously variable automatic transmission, also known as a CVT. This year, the CVT has been ditched, replaced by the six-speed automatic. It performs well, but falls short of being the best in class. At times it hunts for the right gear, albeit smoothly, and the console mounted shift lever with only two positions, “Drive” and “Low,” means that driver directed shifts are impossible. A button on the side of the shift lever allows the driver to lock out overdrive.
If the Five Hundred with all-wheel drive was a little slow off the line, the new Taurus with the larger engine feels livelier when the light turns green. It also feels stronger across all speed ranges within the legal spectrum. That said, the stopwatch suggests little difference between the Taurus and the Five Hundred. Our 7.7-second zero-to-60 time is more sufficient – downright lively, in fact – but close to the 7.8 second number generated by the 3.0-liter version we tried a couple of years ago. The good news: The added power and refinement are combined with boosted fuel economy, though the changes in the EPA numbers for all cars and trucks in 2008 obscures that advantage.
The ride is comfortable and family friendly in every way. Actually, it was a little too soft for my tastes over some bumps, where I thought a little more control would be nice. Still, the Taurus was well behaved over every surface I encountered in greater Hartford. Harshness control over sharp pavement breaks is noticeably improved.
Handling, too, proved to be secure and predictable. The Taurus is definitely not sporty, but it is rewarding to drive, showing exceptional stability, both in a straight line and in long, sweeping curves. Braking proved to be good, with standard four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes bringing the car to a stop in just 133 feet from 60 miles per hour. Our review Taurus, however, had a text book case of a soft brake pedal.
The front seats are roomy and comfortable. They are also higher than usual in a family sedan and, from the driver’s seat, the Taurus offers exceptionally good visibility in all directions. In the rear, that added room means all-day seating comfort, even for taller adults. Width is adequate, but not extravagant, for three. As already mentioned, the trunk is large, easily accessed and nicely shaped. Fold the rear seats and even more cargo can be carried, though the pass through is narrow at the bottom. Ford also included a fold-flat front passenger seat, so narrow items over nine feet in length, such as framing timbers, can be carried inside the car.
Controls are straight forward. Our car had the optional navigation system which features too many small buttons along the side of the screen. Gauges are straight forward, but Ford’s use of light white-silvery dial faces for the speedometer and tachometer means that the numbers disappear under some lighting conditions at dusk or dawn with the instrument panel lighting on.
The new Taurus starts at just under $24,000 and is nicely equipped at that price with standard air conditioning, power windows, mirrors and door locks, anti-lock brakes, traction control and front, front side and side curtain air bags. Our Limited model started at $28,695, destination charges included. With options, which included the electronic stability control – that should be standard on all models, heated front seats, the voice activated navigation system and backup warning system, the price came to $32,920.
EPA ratings are now 18 miles per gallon in the city and 28 on the highway with front-wheel drive. All-wheel drive lowers those numbers to 17 and 24. I averaged 19.8 miles per gallon on regular gasoline.
The new Taurus also gets top marks in federal crash tests and earns the IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) top rating when the car is equipped with stability control.
So, what happens when you improve an already very good sedan and give it the nameplate that was once the nation’s top seller? As it turns out, sales of the new Taurus are, so far, trailing those of the Five Hundred. So much for the theory of marketplace perfection. The new Taurus deserves to be doing better and it merits a place on your list of cars that must be considered when you are in the market for a family sedan. It has a lot to offer.
