2010 Ford Taurus - America’s Smartest Full-Sized Sedan

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The foothills of the Great Smokey Mountains were a great proving ground for Ford’s newly refurbished and technically designed Taurus.

The 3.5 Liter V6 engine with 263 hp and 6250 rpm and 249 lb-ft. torque with 4,500 rpm help power this two-ton (4097 kg) marvel to 60 mph in 7.0 seconds and through the quarter mile at 93 mph.

I found the Taurus quiet and roomy, with very little body roll on sharp curves or excessive speed on the straight ways. Ford suspension helped to keep the Taurus balanced on windy, sharp Tennessee and North Carolina roads, adding to the Taurus flavoring of a European sedan.

The Taurus SE is priced at about $26,000, the Taurus SEL at $28,000, the high end Taurus Limited at $32,000 and the top SHO model at $32,000. Mileage is 17-18 mpg in the city and 26-28 mpg on the highway.

Taurus has a dozen or more optional driver focused technologies in this 2010 model line. The Easy Fuel capless fuel filler is the most well know, but there are two others that I would like to make you aware of.

(1) The Collision Warning with Brake Support works when the danger of a collision is detected. The system warns the driver of a collision with an authoritative beep and a red warning light projected on the windshield above the instrument panel. If the risk of collision is increased despite the warning, the break support is activated. This support enables the driver to stop or reduce speed and lesson the impact at collision.

(2) The other technology is the Cross Traffic Alert, which warns drivers of impending traffic while backing out. It can detect an object moving at up to 18 mph within a 65-foot range or three parking spaces from either the left or right side of the vehicle. The radar also works when backing out of an angled parking space because its view is wider than just strictly sensing traffic at a 90-degree angle.

After attending numerous new car launches this year and driving nearly 50 different manufactures models, I must say, so far, the Ford Taurus is the best car I have driven. Taurus is roomy, both in the front and back, easy to handle, steers tenderly, and empowers the driver during the operation of the vehicle to feel comfortable and confident in their driving ability.

Pete Reyes, Ford’s chief engineer on the Taurus project, sums up the company’s philosophy about Taurus pretty well when he said, “The 2010 Taurus is a stylish and advanced new sedan that combines an expressive design with engaging driver dynamics and technologies.”
 
I couldn’t agree more had these words been my own.

Durhl Caussey writes a car column read around the world. He may be reached at this paper or dcaussey@sbcglobal.net .