2010 Ford Taurus SEL FWD

Ford’s flagship sedan gets a 21st century makeover

By Nina Russin

2010 Ford Taurus

The Taurus has been Ford’s bread-and-butter car since I started writing about this industry two decades back. Over the years, the Taurus evolved from a plain vanilla sedan into the automaker’s flagship. The 2010 Taurus that rolled out this summer had multiple shoes to fill. It needed to appeal to a new generation of technology-savvy buyers, as well as former Crown Victoria owners, since the full-sized sedan has been discontinued.

Engineers also brought back the SHO moniker, hoping to build on equity from the original model. While the base Taurus comes with the 3.5-liter Duratec V6 engine, the high-performance SHO features Ford’s all-new EcoBoost V-6, which uses twin turbochargers to boost both power and fuel economy.

Ford is using the Taurus to showcase the company’s newest safety technology, including adaptive cruise control, collision warning with brake support, and a blind sport information system with cross traffic alert. Infotainment options include Ford’s Sync voice-activated communications system, a Sony surround-sound audio system, massaging seats, and voice-activated navigation with real-time traffic updates. Read the rest of this entry »