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The Taurus
was once synonymous with midsize excellence, yet now finds itself, in its last
year on the market, near the back of a large-sedan comparison. It is in this
comparison because of its EPA interior volume, and it is near the back because
it has been neglected by its manufacturer, possibly even deliberately
handicapped to encourage the purchase of one of Ford’s other three midsize and
large sedans. Though it is still not a bad vehicle, with a roomy and
comfortable interior and decent ride and handling, the death of its “Duratec”
V6 in favor of the lower-power, lower-refinement, and lower-fuel economy
“Vulcan” model and its drastically decreased rebate amounts (down from $3,000
as recently as last year to $500) prevent it from being considered “a decent car
at an excellent price,” the judgment that would have accompanied it here had
those changes not been enforced.
The
Taurus has a smooth,
absorbent, and reasonably comfortable ride, though it’s firmer than one might
expect. The car handles competently, but is far from fun to drive, and doesn’t
feel remotely agile. The steering lacks feeling, but responds fairly quickly.
The “Vulcan” V6, unimpressive even against lower-priced family sedans, is
particularly anemic by the standards of the recently-invigorated large sedan
class. This engine also sounds harsh, and is very noisy. Road noise is also
prominent. Fuel economy is mediocre for a weak V6, but very good by this
group’s standards.
Inside, the Taurus has
large, firm, and comfortable front bucket seats (only the base version still
offers a bench). The rear is fairly roomy, and the seat is large, firm,
high-mounted, and well-shaped. A lack of head restraints is a downside
however.  The interior is uses
a mix of hard, cheap plastics and thoroughly unconvincing false wood, but trim
pieces fit together well. The gauges could be larger, and it is easy to
confuse some of the many small identical buttons on the dash. Entry/exit is
easy, though higher front seats would help even more. Drivers sit comfortably,
and have good visibility in all directions. The trunk is reasonably large even
by the high standards of this group, and it is well-shaped to utilize that
space.
The Taurus
did not excel in crash testing. It earned four stars for the driver and five
for the front passenger in the NHTSA frontal crash test, but a mediocre three
stars for both the driver and for the rear passenger in the NHTSA side crash
test even with the optional side airbags. The IIHS has not evaluated the car’s
side-impact protection, but it was rated Good in its frontal offset crash
test. Its head restraints were judged to be Marginal.
At $25,032,
the Taurus is one of the least expensive vehicles in this group, but it should
still be much less considering both the vehicle and its missing features. At
that price, which does include virtually every available option on that car,
the Taurus still has no curtain-style side airbags, stability control, or
satellite radio, or even the heated seats found in every other car in this
group. It does, at least, include Ford’s exclusive keypad-entry system and a
cassette player with its 6-disc CD changer.
Overall, the
Taurus would be a decent value choice in this class with its
since-discontinued Duratec V6 and larger rebates. As it is, it is a fairly
roomy and comfortable sedan that does not really stand out in any way. Drop
that transaction price by $2,500 or so, and it would be worth a second
glance.
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