Looks good. Damn good.
Now this is a flagship.
Chock full of technology and a few exclusive features, the redesigned 2010 Taurus promises to live well at the top of Ford's lineup.
The Taurus has truly lived the life of a prodigal son in the Ford family. After years in rental fleet lots and even a brief stint incognito with another name, a new Taurus has emerged, connected more to the ground breaking 1986 model than anything from this century.
It's better than anyone could imagine, and it arrives this summer at the same starting price as the 2009 model -- $25,995.
The large sedan shows a confident, aggressive exterior with a power dome hood, a unique three-bar grille and crisp clean lines cutting across its body.
The sedan's shape seems to stretch the car along the horizontal plane, making it appear more stable.
Ford lowered the roof and raised the car's shoulder line -- to give it a more athletic look -- and will offer 17-inch to 20-inch wheels on it.
Ford has also added a few colors to the new Taurus, such as Candy Red Metallic Tint, White Platinum Metallic, Steel Blue Metallic, Gold Leaf Metallic and Ingot Silver Metallic.
The Taurus will be powered by Ford's 3.5-liter V-6 mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. Ford will include optional paddle shifters for the driver who wants to control the 263-horses under the hood.
Of course, the Taurus will do some of the driving as well -- with its adaptive cruise control that monitors the traffic in front of the car and automatically adjusts the car's speed. Integrated with the cruise control, the collision warning with brake support system automatically provides a heads-up warning on the base of the windshield that traffic ahead is moving too slow. The brakes are pre-charged to assist with quick stopping.
Additionally, the driver won't have to reach to turn on the wipers or adjust the high beams, as both of these features are automatic as well.
Ford promises unsurpassed fuel economy but has not released final EPA figures. The 2009 front wheel drive Taurus, with the same engine, reaches 18 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway.
However, Ford plans to add its turbo charged V-6, known as EcoBoost, to the Taurus later in the year, promising more power and better fuel economy.
The interior of the new Taurus feels luxurious and spacious. The cool blue lighting makes the all new instrument cluster easy to read and the gentle slant of the dash adds to the car's sophisticated design.
The dual cockpit put all of the controls right at the driver's fingertips but the voice activated Sync systems means the driver will rarely have to reach for anything.
The driver's seat includes six-way lumbar support and rolling massage. The seat cushion features Active Motion, which continuously moves to help enhance circulation. The movement is subtle and would be a welcome addition to anyone who has to make a long haul.
The Taurus also comes with blind spot detection on traffic filled highways as well as cross traffic alert, a system that detects oncoming traffic when backing out of a parking space -- just park between two SUVs and you'll discover how much you appreciate it.
Sync will also be upgraded to include turn-by-turn directions, 911-assist, traffic updates and business search. Sync will still let the driver operate his cell phone and personal music device by voice.
There are other pieces to this Taurus that it never had before: Push button start, keyless entry, Easy Fuel capless fuel cap and Ford's new Smart Key that allows parents to give their kids their own key to the car with programmed speed limits and volume settings for the Sony branded stereo.
The sheer number of technological advances on the 2010 Taurus is impressive. But each piece adds to the driving experience, making the Taurus better piece by piece inside and out.
More importantly, the Taurus had to have broad shoulders to show consumers what the brand stands for and what the future of Ford will be. The Taurus answers those questions.
Raise the flag, this ship is ready.


