No one can say that Ford doesn’t learn from its mistakes. When it canceled production on a once-popular nameplate and found that its successor didn’t fare much better in terms of sales, Ford also discovered that name recognition for the former badge still ranked high. So the Blue Oval reversed course and brought back the nostalgic name, benching the newer nameplate, and then improving the car in an effort to rejuvenate the line.
The nameplates involved are the Taurus and Five Hundred, as well as their Mercury siblings, the Sable and Montego.
In 1985, Ford Motor Co. introduced the new Taurus sedan, a front-wheel-drive mid-size that replaced the rear-wheel-drive Ford LTD. The following year, Motor Trend named Taurus the Car of the Year, and by 1987, Ford’s astrologically named mid-size became the top-selling Blue Oval sedan in America.
Beginning in 1992, Taurus was the top-selling car in America (regardless of manufacturer) for five consecutive years, and in 1998, the “Bull” replaced Thunderbird on the NASCAR circuit.
Eventually falling from grace, and seeing stagnant sales figures, the car was banished to fleet sales only. The Taurus ceased production in 2006, for the 2007 model year, after selling nearly 7 million vehicles in its 21-year run.
With the Ford Five Hundred serving as the company’s lynchpin, the Taurus was on the sidelines … but not for long. When Ford Five Hundred sales languished, and the car was scheduled for a freshening and power upgrade, Ford resurrected the Taurus name (and the Sable badge as well for Taurus’ twin on the Mercury side, replacing the ill-fated Montego), took it out of mothballs, and re-christened the Five Hundred the Taurus.
Now, more than 500 improvements later (from its Five Hundred predecessor) , the 2008 Ford Taurus is back in the line-up as a full-size with front-wheel drive or optional AWD systems, showing off in the showroom and cruising down America’s streets and highways.
Often called a “jelly bean” in its early years, for its rounded styling, the new Taurus is classy and classic. The conservative grille that adorned the Five Hundred is gone, replaced with the new face of Ford, a three-bar chrome grille.
A sculpted hood, integrated rear spoiler, chrome side vents and exhausts and angled shoulders and edges make for a stylish appearance.
While exterior dimensions remain about the same: length of 201.8 inches; width of 74.5 inches and height of 61.5 inches, the major changes in the Taurus, taking over from the Five Hundred, involve safety revisions and power upgrades.
The 3900-lb. Taurus is muscled by a new 3.5-liter Duratec V-6 delivers 263 horsepower – an increase of nearly 30 percent over the previous engine. But even with 249 lbs.-ft. of torque, the vehicle is no road-blazer, as I was able to turn zero-to-60mph times in the mid-7s. My quarter-mile times were hindered by extreme weather conditions, causing some spins that rendered the trials invalid before my test track was shut down. The spins did allow me to test the vehicle’s handling and I found my countermeasures to spinning were effective due to good response from the AWD, ABS, electronic stability control, power rack-and-pinion steering and traction control.
The engine, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, is EPA rated at 17mpg in the city and 24/highway on 87-octane unleaded fuel. My weeklong test in rain and snow across the East Coast resulted in an average of 19.6mpg.
In the plush cabin, a quiet ride is ensured, thanks to a sound-absorbing material Ford calls Sonosorb, used in the doors, headliner and pillars. The interior is roomy with 39.6 inches of front row head room (38.8 in row two), 41.3 inches of front leg room (41.2 behind) and 57.8 inches of shoulder room in row one (57.6 in the rear).
Interior niceties include power, leather-trimmed seats with lumbar adjustments, message center, outside temperature/compass display, dual-zone climate control and such options as a memory adjustable pedals, voice-activated navigation system, DVD entertainment system, factory-installed SIRIUS® Satellite Radio, voice-activated hands-free in-car communications and entertainment system, Bluetooth technology and USB connection. Those options add about $3700 to the final sticker price.
But the big news is Taurus’ safety features that have enabled the vehicle to be rated the safest full-size car in America, based on NHTSA five-star frontal and side crash test ratings. Standard safety equipment includes dual-stage driver and passenger front air bags, seat-deployed side air bags for driver and front passenger, and Ford's Safety Canopy™ side curtain air bags for both rows. For an added measure of safety, a new steering wheel design recesses the air bag 15 millimeters farther away from the driver. LATCH personal safety system, SecuriLock passive anti-theft system, tire pressure monitoring system, reverse sensing system (part of an option package) and steel unibody construction also help to provide a safe, reliable ride.
My Dark Ink Blue test Taurus was base priced at $28,695, and all the safety and entertainment upgrades plus $750 in destination charges put the bottom line at $33,600.
That’s a lot of car for the price and a familiar name as well.
Visit www.CarlisleEvents.com for more on the automotive hobby.
Mike Blake, former editor of KIT CAR magazine, joined Carlisle Events as senior automotive journalist in 2004. He's been a "car guy" since the 1960s and has been writing professionally for about 30 years.
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