It’s Taurus season! The Taurus is the symbol of power, strength, creativity, and is often compared to the bull. The Ford Taurus is a car that was manufactured by Ford from the mid 80’s to 2019. Introduced in late 1985, six generations were produced over 34 years. From the 1986 to 2009 model years, the Taurus was sold alongside its near-twin, the Mercury Sable. There were also four generations of the high-performance Ford Taurus SHO were produced and the Taurus also served as the basis for the first-ever front-wheel drive Lincoln Continental. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, sales of the Taurus declined and were withdrawn after the 2007 model year. In the 2010 model year, the Ford Taurus was reintroduced.
The early Taurus was a mid-size car, offering front-wheel drive but became a full-size car in 2007 and produced as a four-door sedan throughout the entire production; with a five-door station wagon offered.
The first-generation Taurus was launched in 1985 as a 1986 model to fantastic sales and depand, replacing the mid-size Ford LTD. The release of the Ford Taurus was one of the most anticipated ever, mostly because it was a first in car design and the start of new quality standards for Ford. At the time of the Taurus's debut, Ford had been producing mainly rear-wheel drive cars, while their competitors were offering more front-wheel drive vehicles up to midrange. The Taurus displayed a rounder shape than its contemporaries, often likened to the flying potato. Instead of a grille, the Taurus mainstreamed the grille-less bottom nose. The aerodynamic design of the Taurus made the car more fuel efficient, allowing Ford to meet more stringent corporate average fuel economy standards applied by the government. The Taurus's success ultimately led to an American car revolution; Chrysler and General Motors developed aerodynamic cars in order to capitalize on the Taurus's success.
Like its exterior, the Taurus's interior was ahead of its time, and many features originating from it are still used in most cars today. Its interior was designed to be user-friendly; with all of its controls designed to be recognizable by touch, allowing drivers to operate them without taking their eyes off the road. To further enhance the quality, the dashboard has all the controls in the central area within reach of the driver. The left side of the dash curves slightly around the driver to make controls easily accessible, as well as creating a cockpit feel.
The interior of the Taurus was customizable to fit buyers' needs, with many options and different configurations. On models with an automatic transmission, the Taurus's interior was available in three different seating configurations.
The Taurus was well received by both the public and the press. It won many awards; most notably being named to the 1986 Car and Driver Ten Best List and becoming the 1986 Motor Trend Car of the Year. Over 200,000 Taurus’s were sold during the 1986 model year and the millionth Taurus was sold during the 1989 model year. The Taurus also had a presence in NASCAR, replacing the Thunderbird for the 1998 season and became the first four-door sedan to be approved for competition. The Taurus was eventually replaced in Ford's lineup by the Ford Five Hundred and Ford Fusion sedans. But....
The 2010 Ford Taurus was revealed at the Detroit International Auto Show in 2009. The new Ford Taurus scored well in test drives and the media was excited about some of the new features available in the 2010 Ford Taurus. Some of these features included all-wheel drive, cross traffic alert, collision warning, blind spot monitoring, and adaptive cruise control. The SHO (Super High Output), released in August 2009, was powered by twin-turbocharged, gasoline direct injection EcoBoost 3.5L V6 engine.First revealed at the 2011 New York Auto Show, the Taurus received a mid-cycle refresh for the 2013 model year. The body featured a new front fascia and slightly updated rear fascia with LED tail lamps, as well as all-new wheel options. The SHO model featured revised styling elements. Refinements were made to the 3.5 EcoBoost V6. Power in the 3.5L V6, standard in non-SHO models, was up to 288 hp and got 19/29 MPG in FWD models, while getting 18/26MPG in AWD models. There was a new engine option for non-SHO models, a 2.0L EcoBoost Inline 4 developing 240 hp and 270 lb-ft of torque while delivering a best-in-class 22/32 miles per gallon. All models received upgrades to the steering and braking systems to improve drivability.