Explorer4X4 Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 (edited) Edmund's automobile news-and-reviews website, www.insideline.com, did one of their First Drive (short, covers the basics) tests on the 2008 Ford Taurus SEL Sedan. I thought it was alright. And some new pictures as well. I thought it was sort of, biased. But still. I liked the last section. Click here for article. Edited June 20, 2007 by Explorer4X4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swenson88 Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 Yeah, definitely some bias, but then again the Taurus isn't really a homerun, it's more like a double whereas the original 500 was a weak single. An improvement, but probably not going to knock the socks off of any mag reviewers or win too many mag comparison tests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
igor Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 the buyers will be judges ... but yeah - Edmunds seems to try to compete with TTAC in the extent to which they can be sarcastic in their reviews. Igor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ASword Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 (edited) I drove a new Taurus sedan AWD a couple of days ago -- and I was very impressed. The car is silky smooth and definitely very quick. Its not fast, but it would outrun my '93 Probe GT in its former stock condition. The transmission is lovely, and the ride is quite nice. The steering felt good, although we didn't exactly take it to the track. Its definitely a big car, but I'm actually shopping for the Taurus X which is probably bigger (although I haven't checked that yet -- update: I checked and the wagon is actually about an inch shorter!). Fit and finish everywhere was good, ergonomics felt nice (especially those adjustable pedals). The only thing I don't like is all the chrome all over the place on the exterior. It looks gaudy to my eye, but lots of people seem to like it. Edited June 21, 2007 by ASword Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoomerjrt Posted June 27, 2007 Share Posted June 27, 2007 Edmund's automobile news-and-reviews website, www.insideline.com, did one of their First Drive (short, covers the basics) tests on the 2008 Ford Taurus SEL Sedan. I thought it was alright. And some new pictures as well. I thought it was sort of, biased. But still. I liked the last section. Click here for article. I hope this renaming does bring people back in I know it will allow Ford to dump alot into fleet, which they said they wouldn't do with the 500. I think the biggest problem with this car it targets the group of buyers who buy and hold for 10yrs instead of flipping every 2-3yrs. Left Michigan and down here in Texas you only see Ford trucks very few cars and the dealer where I took my car for service had over 20 edges on the lot not good for a new lauch. Its import heaven when not tied to the American auto market. When I ask people down here about the renaming they usually laugh and call it there grandparents car and this this the biggest problem with this design!!!! It does drive and ride awesome but this doesn't bring in the buyers who flip cars every couple of years and that the buy Ford needs!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swenson88 Posted June 28, 2007 Share Posted June 28, 2007 I hope this renaming does bring people back in I know it will allow Ford to dump alot into fleet, which they said they wouldn't do with the 500. I think the biggest problem with this car it targets the group of buyers who buy and hold for 10yrs instead of flipping every 2-3yrs. Left Michigan and down here in Texas you only see Ford trucks very few cars and the dealer where I took my car for service had over 20 edges on the lot not good for a new lauch. Its import heaven when not tied to the American auto market. When I ask people down here about the renaming they usually laugh and call it there grandparents car and this this the biggest problem with this design!!!! It does drive and ride awesome but this doesn't bring in the buyers who flip cars every couple of years and that the buy Ford needs!!!! I think you're right to an extent, but I think the whole fullsize sedan market functions that way. Aside from the true big beautiful beasts like BMW 7-Series or MB S-Class, fullsize sedans are generally popular with the older more frugal customers. They keep them forever and maybe hand them off to a teenager in the family or something along those lines. While this doesn't lead to great sales numbers if the Taurus and siblings can hold up well from a reliability standpoint then they can at least help Ford's reputation. And from the looks of the 500/Montego/Freestyle data the reliability seems to be pretty good. None of the fullsize sedans are really hot sellers, the LX sedans are still doing pretty well and the Impala is a great deal, but glorious Toyota doesn't move that many Avalons a year and Nissan's Maxima is pretty slow-selling. The Fusion really hits the heart of the sedan market, the Taurus is bigger but will sell in much smaller numbers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoomerjrt Posted June 28, 2007 Share Posted June 28, 2007 I think you're right to an extent, but I think the whole fullsize sedan market functions that way. Aside from the true big beautiful beasts like BMW 7-Series or MB S-Class, fullsize sedans are generally popular with the older more frugal customers. They keep them forever and maybe hand them off to a teenager in the family or something along those lines. While this doesn't lead to great sales numbers if the Taurus and siblings can hold up well from a reliability standpoint then they can at least help Ford's reputation. And from the looks of the 500/Montego/Freestyle data the reliability seems to be pretty good. None of the fullsize sedans are really hot sellers, the LX sedans are still doing pretty well and the Impala is a great deal, but glorious Toyota doesn't move that many Avalons a year and Nissan's Maxima is pretty slow-selling. The Fusion really hits the heart of the sedan market, the Taurus is bigger but will sell in much smaller numbers. But Ford needs a home run a car that will be demanded not just ok sales. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted June 28, 2007 Share Posted June 28, 2007 But Ford needs a home run a car that will be demanded not just ok sales. They don't need a home run. They just need it to meet expectations. If the Taurus/X/Sable can keep Chicago Assembly humming along, that's all that matters. It's about profits, not total sales numbers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len_A Posted July 1, 2007 Share Posted July 1, 2007 Try the Motor Trend review: Video here, Print Article Here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.