What Have You Done For Me Lately?

The Ford Taurus has been a true icon in American cars, as it has been around since the 1980's. For many years it was the bestselling vehicle in the United States, which was no easy feat. The Taurus has always faced heavy competition from Japanese competitors such as the Accord and Camry, and domestic sedans such as the Intrepid and Impala. This makes it even more of a legend, and it has been driven many miles by families across the country. The Taurus has been sold in sedan and station wagon variations, and even had a sporty edition for awhile.(The SHO) It has received countless awards from automobile magazines, as well as family/safety groups.

Time can take luster off even the shiniest diamond, and the Taurus has had its place in the Ford lineup replaced by the 500. It is now playing second fiddle to this vehicle, and is now primarily sold as a "fleet vehicle." Does this mean you should run the other way? If you want a good value look no further, as the Taurus is a consistent performer with above average reliability. This was not always the case, as the Taurus of the 1980's had terrible transmission problems. However, any Taurus since the mid-1990's has had excellent reliability ratings and usually no surprises from the transmission.

I work in the car sales field, and I often recommend the Taurus to young families. This car has plenty of room for the "rugrats" in the back seat, and the whole cabin feels quite spacious. Some models have bench front and rear seats, however the model I've been driving around lately has the two front buckets with the rear bench seat. It is a great car to sit in, as the seats are some of the best I have attached my posterior to. They almost "eat you" as you sit in there-kind of like a comfortable Lazy Boy recliner. The cloth reminds me of the high quality of materials that Lazy Boy uses, and it is very hard to tear according to some of my customers with little ones.

Legroom is just superb in the Taurus, in the front and back. The seats up front are easy to adjust, and even allow for plenty of legroom in the back when fully pushed back. The front driver seat is at the perfect level to watch the road with any obstruction, and the dash is simple but functional. I really like the white gauges, as they give the Taurus more of a "sport appearance" than is the case. At least you can drive a family sedan, and feel a little bit of excitement! However, the acceleration quickly takes any false hopes of that away. In a word, the Taurus is SLOW. It just does not move quickly at all, and its 3.0 liter V6 just cannot get it done. I think its mostly a weight issue, as the Taurus is over 4,000 lbs total. I would compare the Taurus's acceleration to a late 1980's model Volvo 240. I'm sure Ford improved this in the 500, as in passing situations the Taurus is barely adequate. If you are in a hurry, I recommend taking anything else. However, some families do not want a car with groundbreaking acceleration, and they will be fine with this. I am a Dad but I still gotta have fun, so this was a bit of a let down. The 153 horsepower is just not enough to make this car move, however it does allow for above average fuel efficiency.(19 mpg/26mpg city and highway)

Overall handling is outstanding, even though not as refined as some of the newer sedan models offer. It is simple to maneuver the Taurus through all traffic conditions, and its a breeze to park. The steering wheel is set perfectly for excellent cornering ability, and this car is quite "user friendly." Road noise is above average as well, with no problems in this category as well. The Taurus is "Ford's Buick", in many respects. Braking is excellent as well, as the Taurus stops on a dime.

The interior of the Taurus is conservative but nicely appointed. If you want to spend extra leather is an option, but the cloth works just fine. There are no cheap plastic parts used, however it is a bit "old fashioned." The controls all work well, but the stereo looks like it has not been upgraded since the mid 1990's models.It is functional with easy to use buttons, but it does not deliver any award winning sound. It is good for only sports radio and news programming, and the front speakers appear to have only about 10 watts of power.

The best part about the Taurus is the deals on pricing that can be had. Ford is currently offering its Ford Employee Pricing Deal, which means you can get a Taurus for practically nothing. However, this employee pricing deal will probably last only until the end of this summer. Expect to get a Taurus for $18,000 that has a good amount of options, which is an outstanding deal for a full sized family sedan. The Taurus comes with a 3 year/36,000 mile warranty, and is a buy for the consumer looking for a good value.