The Evolution of the Ford Taurus: A Second Freshening

The new Ford Taurus is actually a second freshening of the car that began its life as the 2005 Ford 500. While it may seem like just another facelift, this revamped model has undergone significant changes to transform it into a more dynamic and engaging driving experience. Gone are the days of a roomy and practical vehicle that was perhaps too boring for some tastes; the new Taurus boasts fresh styling that sets it apart from its predecessors.

One of the most noticeable improvements is the enhanced handling and steering system. The car responds quickly and responsively to driver input, with body lean that is well-controlled and predictable in avoidance maneuvers. Whether navigating tight corners or sudden stops, the Taurus feels secure and confident, thanks to its responsive steering and precise handling. Additionally, the car's ride is remarkably smooth, providing good isolation from road bumps even on rougher surfaces. This is particularly impressive considering the Taurus has 19-inch wheels with low-profile tires – a combination that might otherwise result in a less-than-quiet interior.

However, not all of the changes are entirely positive. One area where the new Taurus falls short is in its fuel economy. While this is par for the course for a large car like the Taurus, it's undeniable that there's room for improvement – especially given the car's size and weight. Fortunately, the Taurus provides smooth and responsive performance from its 3.5-liter V6 engine, which accelerates quickly and smoothly.

The exterior design of the new Taurus has been significantly updated compared to its predecessors. While it retains some familiar features, such as its large grille and sloping front end, it's clear that Ford has tried to give the car a more modern look. Unfortunately, this change hasn't always had the desired effect. One area where the interior styling falls short is in the massive center console that dominates the dashboard. While the controls are generally simple to use, the slope of the console makes certain features, such as the radio control buttons and trip computer buttons, a bit of a stretch.

The console also takes up a significant amount of space inside the cabin, which can make it feel somewhat confined – particularly in the driver's seat. The narrow space between the front seats and the center console creates a sense of disconnection from the surrounding environment, making the car feel less spacious than it actually is. Furthermore, the high Beltline, short rear deck, and sloping rear window all contribute to limited visibility for the rear-seat occupants – an issue that's particularly notable given the Taurus's large size.

Despite these drawbacks, the new Taurus has made significant strides in terms of interior comfort and features. The front seats are remarkably comfortable, with massage options available for those who want a little extra pampering. However, it's worth noting that even the more spacious rear seats don't quite live up to some rivals – specifically Ford's own Fusion sedan, which seems to offer more room for passengers.

In terms of practicality, the Taurus has one major advantage over many of its competitors: a massive trunk space that's perfect for hauling large or bulky items. While this is certainly a welcome feature, it's not entirely clear why Ford didn't opt for a more subtle approach – perhaps by incorporating some clever storage solutions or clever design tricks to make better use of the available space.

Ultimately, despite its imperfections and compromises, the new Ford Taurus remains a very pleasant car to drive. Its quiet, well-appointed interior and responsive handling make it an enjoyable experience behind the wheel, even if it doesn't quite live up to some of its more modern rivals.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enalthough four tons it is all new the tours is actually a second freshening of the car that began its life as the 2005 Ford 500 that car was roomy and practical but was pretty boring this new car has more dynamic styling and a couple of other improvements but there are a couple of compromises one improvement is handling steering is quick and responsive body lean is well controlled and the car is secure and predictable in our avoidance maneuver the car rides well and provides good isolation from road bumps even though our car has the 19-inch wheels and low-profile tires it's also quiet inside except for a little chorus engine noise while accelerating that acceleration comes from a 3.5 liter v6 it provides smooth and responsive performance fuel economy is par for the course for a big car like this our Taurus is front-wheel drive but you can also get all-wheel-drive as an option just like the exterior Ford made the interior styling much more dynamic but that brought some good and bad on the good side there's a lot of soft touch materials there's nice stitching detail on the door panels and on the seats unfortunately this massive center console causes some problems for one thing even though the controls are pretty simple overall the slope of the console makes the radio control buttons and the trip computer buttons a pretty far reach the other thing that console does is it takes up a lot of space in the interior this is a big car but the narrow driver space makes it feel somewhat confined the console takes up a lot of space on the right and the rocker kick panel intrudes on the left another thing that makes it feel kind of confining is the visibility the Beltline is high the rear deck is high and the rear window is short and sloping which makes rear visibility kind of tough the front and rear seats are pretty comfortable our front seats have the massage option where some people thought was neat and others thought it was kind of weird interior space is pretty decent but we're a little bothered that Ford's smaller fusion sedan has more rear seat room but the Taurus does have a massive trunk although we could live without seeing this wiring harness wrapped in electrical tape so although the Taurus doesn't have the most efficient package and visibility could be better it's still a very pleasant car to drive and it's got a quiet well-appointed interior youalthough four tons it is all new the tours is actually a second freshening of the car that began its life as the 2005 Ford 500 that car was roomy and practical but was pretty boring this new car has more dynamic styling and a couple of other improvements but there are a couple of compromises one improvement is handling steering is quick and responsive body lean is well controlled and the car is secure and predictable in our avoidance maneuver the car rides well and provides good isolation from road bumps even though our car has the 19-inch wheels and low-profile tires it's also quiet inside except for a little chorus engine noise while accelerating that acceleration comes from a 3.5 liter v6 it provides smooth and responsive performance fuel economy is par for the course for a big car like this our Taurus is front-wheel drive but you can also get all-wheel-drive as an option just like the exterior Ford made the interior styling much more dynamic but that brought some good and bad on the good side there's a lot of soft touch materials there's nice stitching detail on the door panels and on the seats unfortunately this massive center console causes some problems for one thing even though the controls are pretty simple overall the slope of the console makes the radio control buttons and the trip computer buttons a pretty far reach the other thing that console does is it takes up a lot of space in the interior this is a big car but the narrow driver space makes it feel somewhat confined the console takes up a lot of space on the right and the rocker kick panel intrudes on the left another thing that makes it feel kind of confining is the visibility the Beltline is high the rear deck is high and the rear window is short and sloping which makes rear visibility kind of tough the front and rear seats are pretty comfortable our front seats have the massage option where some people thought was neat and others thought it was kind of weird interior space is pretty decent but we're a little bothered that Ford's smaller fusion sedan has more rear seat room but the Taurus does have a massive trunk although we could live without seeing this wiring harness wrapped in electrical tape so although the Taurus doesn't have the most efficient package and visibility could be better it's still a very pleasant car to drive and it's got a quiet well-appointed interior you\n"