2008 Ford Taurus Review

[Roadrunner]

If you want to raise a stink:

http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/sect...ategory=contact

[regfootball]

i left my .02 worth -reg-

[jpd80]

Well the biggest problem with that is all the D3 related cars out there...like the MKS, Flex, Lincoln Flex and whatever else they decide to do on it...

 

If Ford is planning on a Huntsman based Mustang along with other RWD in NA, they shuoldnt have any problems supporting a large RWD sedan and a FWD/AWD Sedan.

Agree,

CD3 keeps delivering with over 32,000 sales last month while D3 again struggles to get 12,000.

Let's hope the D3 vehicles you site don't suffer the fate of Taurus, a good car not being bought.

 

Irrespective of FWD aspirations, the GRWD is needed on Ford's showroom to fill other product gaps.

This is a very worthwhile opportunity for Ford to consolidate the RWDs onto one platform, something

that helps other regions in the Ford world and actually saves money.

 

On a separate note,

Aussie Falcon sales last month were 2,853.

Total Falcon based products (Falcon, Ute, Fairlane/LTD/Territory) were 5,308.

Total FoA sales were 8,818.

In a country of 20 million that's reasonable with an overdue Orion coming year.

[LincolnFan]

Agree,

CD3 keeps delivering with over 32,000 sales last month while D3 again struggles to get 12,000.

Let's hope the D3 vehicles you site don't suffer the fate of Taurus, a good car not being bought.

 

Irrespective of FWD aspirations, the GRWD is needed on Ford's showroom to fill other product gaps.

This is a very worthwhile opportunity for Ford to consolidate the RWDs onto one platform, something

that helps other regions in the Ford world and actually saves money.

 

On a separate note,

Aussie Falcon sales last month were 2,853.

Total Falcon based products (Falcon, Ute, Fairlane/LTD/Territory) were 5,308.

Total FoA sales were 8,818.

In a country of 20 million that's reasonable with an overdue Orion coming year.

 

Ouch... more than 50% of FoAus' sales are from the Falcon (and variations).

 

And for Pcsario and his gang, Australia has the C1 Focus.

[jpd80]

Ouch... more than 50% of FoAus' sales are from the Falcon (and variations).

 

And for Pcsario and his gang, Australia has the C1 Focus.

Yeah, for a long time was FoA was called the Falcon Motor company.

They're starting to get better sales of Focus and relaunching Mondeo at the end of this month.

Falcon sales will really rocket next year with new model in march.

 

The Taurus deserves better press than this article, blaming this car for Ford's past mistakes is wrong.

[DCK]

Well Instead of cutting the Taurus, like some are suggesting, Ford needs to restruture so they are able to make a profit on a vehicle who only sells 60k units a year.

[FordBuyer]

Some auto review periodicals are strictly enthusiast oriented, and Autoweek is one of them. Motor Trend used to be Domestic oriented, but it too has grown into enthusiast oriented magazine and seems to benchmark BMW type vehicles when it reviews vehicles. The new Taurus has gotten good reviews from many reviewers, but it will probably not get good ones from those who are enthusiast only.

 

The new Taurus has seemed to have gotten off to a very slow start. I would still like to see more SEL's on lots and less loaded Limiteds. It's a nice car and should be able to find an audience it can depend on. Keep the price around $23,000-24,000 range, and it becomes better. I just don't think $30,000+ Limiteds are going to fly out of dealer lots. I still don't think Ford has the correct mix yet. The Ecape sells well because you can buy nice one for about $22,000 sticker. Ford needs to do same with Taurus. Most of Taurus on lots should be in $23,000-24,000 range. Most of the Taurus on dealer lots in reality are in the $29,000-32,000 range.

 

Ford wants tomake the Taurus a high end Fusion and I don't think that is going to work. I don't think Ford can sell 10,000 $30,000 Tauruses/month. But I do believe Ford can sell 7,000 SEL Tauruses with about $23,000-$24,000 sticker and maybe another 2,000 Limited models/month. I think that is realistic number most months.

 

Price point is going to be important on the Taurus, and I don't think Ford has found it yet. I would like to see Ford advertise it as much on price point as safety and roominess. Advertise the SEL more and show how a nicely appointed one can be had for about $24,000. I personally would not pay $30,000 for a Taurus. $25,000 would be my limit. Ford should have this figured out by now. You can't shoehorn customers into unrealistic upscale price targets.

 

Now the target audience for the TaurusX is different. The audience there is upwardly mobile younger marrieds with lots of kids. They will pay $30,000+ for CUV. That vehicle should do OK with advertising and nice lease rates.

 

The more I think about it...maybe Ford should have kept Taurus mix to almost all $24,000-25,000 price point and for those who wanted to spend $30,000+ for all the bells and whistles, let them choose the Sable and include adaptive HID lights and other luxury features. A Taurus shouldn't cost as much as a Sable. After all, it doesn't look like many are popping for the $30,000 Taurus Limited where I bet most buying Sable want Premier model. I really don't think Ford is capable of selling many $30,000 Tauruses. The price point is just too high for a Ford car.

[96 Pony]

I like the new Taurus. I have seen a few around here, although they all had bar codes on them. The braces grill, as I call it actually looks good and proportional on it. The interior is far and above what the Impala and Avenger have IMHO.

 

They did a good job of revamping the Five Hundred. I have one reserved at Hertz for when I go home Christmas. I am really looking forward to checking it out.

 

At this point, however, Taurus should be used as a placeholder for the next big thing. GM and Chrysler are spanking Ford's ass in this market. It's time to for Ford to bite the bullit as they did in 1985, take a risk and drop the Crown Vic and bring out the Interceptor.

 

If not the Interceptor then they need to get creative with the Taurus. Because at this point it isn't near being a competitor against GM and Chryslers full sized cars.

[NickF1011]

Makes sense to me.

 

Yes, since offering one car to cover two segments did them so much good. Once the Fusion and Taurus gain even a small foothold, their combined sales and profits will put the 86-06 Taurus to absolute shame.

[NickF1011]

Well Instead of cutting the Taurus, like some are suggesting, Ford needs to restruture so they are able to make a profit on a vehicle who only sells 60k units a year.

 

If Ford can keep plugging away with the Taurus, it should eventually get far past 60K units a year. It's not a bad product. Is it a perfect product? Nah, but several other more for-from-perfect vehicles sell better. If Ford continues with their strides in quality and safety, it will catch on.

 

I think most of the problem is just brand image itself. Who wants to buy a Ford? Especially a new model Ford that nobody knows anything about? I think people are still remembering the Escape and Focus launches and all of the recalls they had. If Ford was still building vehicles like that, I would stay away from their new models too!

[Pioneer]

Yes, since offering one car to cover two segments did them so much good. Once the Fusion and Taurus gain even a small foothold, their combined sales and profits will put the 86-06 Taurus to absolute shame.

 

 

With the CV still in the picture, the Taurus and Fusion are covering one segment, one at the very bottom and one at the very top. And, how long do we wait for this foothold? With the way the things are going, we will have flying cars by the time Ford offers anything competitive.

[NickF1011]

With the CV still in the picture, the Taurus and Fusion are covering one segment, one at the very bottom and one at the very top. And, how long do we wait for this foothold? With the way the things are going, we will have flying cars by the time Ford offers anything competitive.

 

Well, if Fusion stays where it's at and Taurus gets even close to the Fusion's volume, you're looking at over 20K units a month. That's pretty conservative looking at the long-term prospects of both vehicles, don't you think?

 

I wouldn't really consider them covering one segment either. Not even close. If I was looking for a midsize sedan, I wouldn't even glance in the Taurus's direction. It's a fullsize car, without question. You may get SOME overlap, but you get that in ALL segments. For the most part, a buyer is going to be looking for midsize cars or fullsize cars though. I doubt too many Ford salespeople get people coming in and test-driving both the Fusion and Taurus on the same visit.

[96 Pony]

This whole discussion is bullshit. Talking about combining Fusion and Taurus' numbers blah blah blah.

 

Where is the frikkin Bold Moves?

 

The Fusion is an awesome car. Snap it up a bit and you have a solid winner.

 

Taurus - going to take some time. Suffered an unbelievable downfall. Possibly the worst downfall of any automobile in history. I guess the "flash-in-the-pan" definition could be applied to Taurus.

 

BUT - overall, the new Taurus is a good package. Work it, work it . . .

 

And bring out the gd Interceptor and call it Thunderbird!

[danup]

Well, if Fusion stays where it's at and Taurus gets even close to the Fusion's volume, you're looking at over 20K units a month. That's pretty conservative looking at the long-term prospects of both vehicles, don't you think?

 

I wouldn't really consider them covering one segment either. Not even close. If I was looking for a midsize sedan, I wouldn't even glance in the Taurus's direction. It's a fullsize car, without question. You may get SOME overlap, but you get that in ALL segments. For the most part, a buyer is going to be looking for midsize cars or fullsize cars though. I doubt too many Ford salespeople get people coming in and test-driving both the Fusion and Taurus on the same visit.

 

Admittedly they were both used, but when I was replacing my 98 Maxima the salesman put me in a Fusion and a Five Hundred. The Five Hundred was a nicer car, but the engine was just not meant for a car that size, that purported to be that upscale, so I ended up with a Fusion.

[NickF1011]

This whole discussion is bullshit. Talking about combining Fusion and Taurus' numbers blah blah blah.

 

Where is the frikkin Bold Moves?

 

The Fusion is an awesome car. Snap it up a bit and you have a solid winner.

 

Taurus - going to take some time. Suffered an unbelievable downfall. Possibly the worst downfall of any automobile in history. I guess the "flash-in-the-pan" definition could be applied to Taurus.

 

BUT - overall, the new Taurus is a good package. Work it, work it . . .

 

And bring out the gd Interceptor and call it Thunderbird!

 

Well, I wouldn't really call a solid decade of good Taurus sales a "flash-in-the-pan", but the end result was the same -- Ford abandoned it for too long and it's going to take quite some time to build it up again. If it continues to be a reliable, safe car, it will eventually see success. The public may be pretty blind, but eventually they know a good thing when they see it. A bit less sedate styling and a few more upgrades to the interior and it may make people finally take notice.

 

In regards to the "flash-in-the-pan" 300 I referenced earlier, I will give it its just dues if sales momentum continues through to the next full redesign. I just hope its refresh wasn't underwhelming enough for people to get bored with it. I want to see it succeed. After all, Chrysler is American again.

[FordBuyer]

I was at Bill Brown Ford recently, and of the about 100 Tauruses on lot, I counted only 7 SEL's and three of them were tagged. All the SEL's stickered for $23,000-24,000 range and all the Limiteds stickered for $29,000-32,000 range. When Ford gets the mix right, the Taurus should sell better. The best way to buy a new Taurus is to get the SEL with low base price and then buy the options you want like heated seats, and the like. Much cheaper that way. The Limited automatically sticks you with expensive chrome package and other options you may not care about it along with high base price. Ford can take the chrome package and stick it. $695 for plastic chrome wheels is waste of money. You could get Sync and satellite radio for that money.

[P71_CrownVic]

The largest amount of damage Ford did to this car (not the "Five Hundred" or the "Taurus"...just the car) is rename it Taurus. The problem with the Five Hundred was not the name, it was the lame looks and lame engine. The current Taurus is what the Five Hundred should have been from the outset, and I think that people still associate the name "Taurus" with a car that Ford neglected since 2000. And this renaming thing is not only limited to the Taurus. What was Ford smoking when they started naming Lincoln automobiles with random letters? Lincoln is supposed to be a prestigious brand, but with names like that it is a joke. Renaming a vehicle after one year shows weakness, as Lincoln did with the Zephyr.

[suv_guy_19]

Lincoln is supposed to be a prestigious brand, but with names like that it is a joke. Renaming a vehicle after one year shows weakness, as Lincoln did with the Zephyr.

 

 

Yes, and sales reflect that weakness....

[P71_CrownVic]

Yes, and sales reflect that weakness....

 

Well, looking at every other month of 2007 (Jan, Mar, May, and July) and 2006, the MK-whatever sales have been pretty much the same as the Zephyr. A difference of about 100 a month.

 

And yes, changing the name of a brand new car after one year shows weakness. What else would you call it?

[NickF1011]

And yes, changing the name of a brand new car after one year shows weakness. What else would you call it?

 

I would call it a change in strategy. Better to implement a strategy as quickly as possible than waiting years to do it, no?

[UltimateX]

The Zephyr was a great name, and it is an actual name unlike the MK? or any of the other competitors. 32x, CTS, A6, RL, what kind of name are these, I like really proper names not letter-letter or number-number.

[NickF1011]

The Zephyr was a great name, and it is an actual name unlike the MK? or any of the other competitors. 32x, CTS, A6, RL, what kind of name are these, I like really proper names not letter-letter or number-number.

 

Again though, it goes back to stressing the brand over the nameplate. People have little recognition of alpha-numberic names, so they just tend to say what brand they own instead: "What kind of car do you have?" "A Zephyr." -or- "What kind of car do you have?" "A Lincoln."

[6t5frlane]

The largest amount of damage Ford did to this car (not the "Five Hundred" or the "Taurus"...just the car) is rename it Taurus. The problem with the Five Hundred was not the name, it was the lame looks and lame engine. The current Taurus is what the Five Hundred should have been from the outset, and I think that people still associate the name "Taurus" with a car that Ford neglected since 2000. And this renaming thing is not only limited to the Taurus. What was Ford smoking when they started naming Lincoln automobiles with random letters? Lincoln is supposed to be a prestigious brand, but with names like that it is a joke. Renaming a vehicle after one year shows weakness, as Lincoln did with the Zephyr.

 

 

Nobody knew what a " 500 " was but most people know the Taurus name. Smart move Ford

[Edstock]

Nobody knew what a " 500 " was but most people know the Taurus name. Smart move Ford

 

Ford marketing shot itself so many times in the foot, there are no toes left.

 

So, the turnaround is going to take time. The good news is that Ford has the product on the showroom floor and in the pipe-line to do it. It's just too bad that Twin Force and Getrag and active suspension and CGI 4+ liter diesel aren't here right now.

 

My only fear with future Ford product is that the bean counters will force the use of the cheapest door/window technology. Lumpy, way- out-of-flush side windows suck; they disturb the eye from catching the overall shape of the vehicle.

[suv_guy_19]

Again though, it goes back to stressing the brand over the nameplate. People have little recognition of alpha-numberic names, so they just tend to say what brand they own instead: "What kind of car do you have?" "A Zephyr." -or- "What kind of car do you have?" "A Lincoln."

 

 

Besides, Zephyr does not sound good, but old.