Test Drove A 08' Taurus Today: Conclusions

[joihan777]

Test drove a Taurus with my dad today.

 

He wants to trade in his Prius. He r-e-a-l-l-y likes the fuel economy (40's) but bemoans the utter lack of power. Plus now that he shuttles grandkids around he wants something safer.

 

Here are our shared conclusions:

 

Pro's:

-Fantastic space. Lotsa room front & back seats. Wish there was a wagon with fold out jump seats though.

-Ingress/egress. Real easy on the knees. Smart move there.

-Engine. Accelerated very well, quiet & smooth. The Duratec 35 is definitely a plus.

-Transmission. Very slick, and properly adapted to conditions. (in city & flat run on hwy)

-Fit & finish. Ford has come a l-o-o-o-n-g way in this department. On par with the better imports. Nothing looked out of place or unaligned. The only problem was the color (see below).

 

Con's:

-Interior. WTF?!?! Dash only comes in a big slab of dark? Duh, nicer cars come in two-tone dashes, where the top is darker to reduce the glare and the bottom accents the interior. Ford kept the dash one big block of color....ughh. Felt like the 70's. Even much cheaper cars look better. And the dark tone of the wood stickers just called your attention to it. Ford, take a clue from the Lincoln guys... even just a little!

-Suspension. This one is a call. It was smooth as can be on all kinds of roads and on the highway, but it leaned like the HMS Typsee in moderate curves. A sport package is really needed!

-Dealership. So friggin' typical. They tried several methods. Most annoying was the "Introduce so may salesman the customer will have no choice but to succumb to the onslaught" technique. The buy or bye attitude came through also. To top it off it didn't help that the primary guy repeatedly insisted that the 08 Taurus had a CVT. It kills me that some of you hardworking Ford employees are sometimes represented by complete buffoons.

 

All-in-all, my dad said he liked it, but he's not sure if he likes it enough to give up his Prius.

What stuck out for him the most was the [good] space & engine and the [disappointing] dash scheme & leaning.

[Roadrunner]

Clarification

 

I need to clarify about the single interior color statement -- there's more than one interior color available.

 

There is not just a dark gray interior with wood accents. There is also a tan interior with wood accents that looks outstanding; the color is called Camel.

 

Also, there is a two-tone interior now, at least for interior door trim on the Limited.

 

Here's light stone gray, the third interior color for the Taurus:

Edited October 27, 2007 by Roadrunner

[Ralph Greene]

Check out the Sable. Same price basically, but our Lincoln/Mercury dealership is way nicer to deal with than Ford dealerships of the past. They treat you with respect. When I bought my wife's Montego from our local L/M dealership, it was more like a business discussion. We arrived at a price quickly, and then it was just a matter of me deciding whether to pay cash, finance, or lease. I just couldn't take any more of the "how much of a payment can you afford" type of selling from the Ford dealerships.

[P71_CrownVic]

There is also a tan interior with wood accents that looks outstanding; the color is called Camel.

 

There's an interior color called Camel? When they look at that color, it reminds them of a dirty, spitting animal. Wow.

[ANTAUS]

If the salesperson tells me there's something, that I know is incorrect, I tell them to prove it to me...You see them taking out their product guides, and amazed how little they know of their vehicle. These are the same people I use to make a deal because obviously, they are stupid and don't know what they are dealing for.

[Traveler]

There may be something to that suggestion for buying a Mercury, specifically from an exlusive Lincoln-Mercury dealer. From what I've seen you can expect a more personal customer service experience and quicker service minus the Ford brand. Because Lincoln and Mercury doesn't have the sales volume of the Ford brand, they also often times do not have an overwhelmed service department.

[BORG]

I'm dedicated to Lincoln/Mercury, the sales experience is significantly more enjoyable.

[regfootball]

the dealer i bought my 500 has exceptional salespeople. they are one price and have non commission educated sales assistants. my best experience ever buying a car. Don't judge Ford, judge the dealer.

 

if he wants a wagon, why didn't you look at the taurus x? the dash is slightly different and it has the rear jump seats.

 

the cvt tranny is no longer offered.

 

it's up to you to seek out a dealership whose employees know what they are talking about.

 

Your dad abandoning the prius confirms what i have been saying all along. the prius only end user benefit is good mpg. that alone, once it wears off, is not enough to satisfy what people want in a car. I would really push your dad and emphasize all the great things the taurus line has to offer. unmatchable utility, safety, value and reliability. AWD....great mpg (i get just shy of 30 on road trips in my 500) .

 

Your dad may just love a Taurus X with the chrome and carbon dash accents and the dark dash / light colored door accents and contrasting perf leather. Show him the fold flat front seat and split folding third row. Show him the crash test scores with the taurus line saying 'best full size car'. Did i mention 'ward's ten best engines'?

 

Then, show him how easy it is to dent the sheet metal in his prius. with ford, you can at least lean against the car and not dent it.!

 

taurus X would be the perfect vehicle for your dad's needs i bet!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

5/60 roadside.........

 

SYNC...........

[BORG]

I find there is a big difference in initial satisfaction and long-term satisfaction. Most people buy cars because they fall in love after a quick walk around or test drive. But over time, that wears off and either the car has the goods, or it doesn't. The Taurus is definitely one of those cars that rewards the owner over the long term by providing carefree and capable performance in a large variety of situations. I don't think anybody can be disatisfied owning a Taurus. I remember my Taurus which I didn't want at first, but learned to love after 6 years of superb service.

[armadamaster]

Check out the Sable. Same price basically, but our Lincoln/Mercury dealership is way nicer to deal with than Ford dealerships of the past. They treat you with respect. When I bought my wife's Montego from our local L/M dealership, it was more like a business discussion. We arrived at a price quickly, and then it was just a matter of me deciding whether to pay cash, finance, or lease. I just couldn't take any more of the "how much of a payment can you afford" type of selling from the Ford dealerships.

 

Check out the Grand Marquis, it's cheaper than the Sable and with anything resembling maintenance is good for 300k miles or more.

[NLPRacing]

Check out the Grand Marquis, it's cheaper than the Sable and with anything resembling maintenance is good for 300k miles or more.

 

Problem is, nobody wants to nor will they drive the same car for 300K...

[BORG]

Problem is, nobody wants to nor will they drive the same car for 300K...

 

I never EVER believe this nonsense. It's one thing for a drivetrain to last, it's another thing for the entire vehicle to last. How many people like driving around in a vehicle with bulbs burnt out in the dashboard, broken speakers, a trunk lid that refuses to close, broken windshield wiper stalk, failing cruise control switch, warning lights on the dashboard, buggy ABS, leaking heater core, etc... there is More than just the drivetrain to be considered. I had a high mileage car, it wasn't the drivetrain that was faulty, it was everything else!

[FordBuyer]

I never EVER believe this nonsense. It's one thing for a drivetrain to last, it's another thing for the entire vehicle to last. How many people like driving around in a vehicle with bulbs burnt out in the dashboard, broken speakers, a trunk lid that refuses to close, broken windshield wiper stalk, failing cruise control switch, warning lights on the dashboard, buggy ABS, leaking heater core, etc... there is More than just the drivetrain to be considered. I had a high mileage car, it wasn't the drivetrain that was faulty, it was everything else!

 

Also, the more options or standard equipment you have on a vehicle, the more to go wrong as vehicle ages. It used to be said never keep a luxury vehicle long since there is more to go wrong after three or four hard winters. Electronic glitches start as connections fray and swithces get worn out. As vehicles get more standard equipment that used to be options, those who keep car 10 years or so will have more wrong with it near end of their use of it. Usually five or so good winters will put ABS light on, and most will not spend the money to fix a sensor. A vehicle goes through so much as far as elements and extreme temperature changes, many things are bound to go wrong over time. The more features you have, the more to go wrong, and most are so cost prohibitive to fix vehicle owner just drives without them once warranty is over. Listen to the car shows on radio and caller after caller is calling in with something that doesn't work anymore like rear window defroster, power window that works no more, rear wiper doesn't work, power door locks don't work, traction control doesn't work, ABS light on, check engine light on, HVAC controls inoperative, blower motor quit working, tire pressure monitor light won't go off, stereo radio no longer works or is all static, electric outside mirrors no longer work, fuel gauge won't work, speedometer quits working, seat adjustment broke, and on and on and on.

[Ralph Greene]

So true. If you want to keep a new car a long time, make sure you get the plain version to begin with. I'm trying to get a lot of miles from my low option plain beater 98 XLT Explorer, but if it was a Limited or Eddie Bauer to begin with, I wouldn't even try.

 

It also may partly explain why vehicles like Toyota, etc are losing some of their claim to reliability. When they were plain, simple, and cheap cars, they ran forever with few problems. But load them up with all the options, and introduce many variations in the manufacturing process, like American cars , and their reliability goes down.

[Ralph Greene]

Check out the Grand Marquis, it's cheaper than the Sable and with anything resembling maintenance is good for 300k miles or more.

 

Anyone who likes the Crown Vic or GM, should love the new Taurus and Sable. More room inside, better transmission, more features, bigger trunk, seats fold more ways, more rear seat leg room, better lighter more powerful engine, better fuel economy, better acceleration, and no reason at all they shouldn't last as long as the panther cars in normal passenger car use.

 

And....if you drove both back to back, in a sedate way like both their supensions are designed for, it's difficult to tell which is front wheel drive and which is rear wheel drive. Drive them aggressively, and I bet the newer FWD cars will out handle the old cars....if both on stock suspensions. The newer cars are just better for their intended market....which to me would include panther owners.

 

The panthers, with their heavy BOF construction, may make better police cars, especially with a couple hundred more HP, but that's about all they are better at. And I personally think the panther cars look OK in their latest styling. MHO

Edited October 28, 2007 by Ralph Greene

[taxman100]

So true. If you want to keep a new car a long time, make sure you get the plain version to begin with. I'm trying to get a lot of miles from my low option plain beater 98 XLT Explorer, but if it was a Limited or Eddie Bauer to begin with, I wouldn't even try.

 

It also may partly explain why vehicles like Toyota, etc are losing some of their claim to reliability. When they were plain, simple, and cheap cars, they ran forever with few problems. But load them up with all the options, and introduce many variations in the manufacturing process, like American cars , and their reliability goes down.

 

I agree with you 100 percent. If my wife's Toyota was one with a lot of extras, we'd be dumping it around now - it is turning into yet another little front wheel drive tire eating, buzzy, rattletrap.

 

However, since the only power options are windows, locks, and cruise, we will keep it until gas either goes back to $1.50 a gallon, or it becomes intolerable to drive.

 

I also understand why people buy the vehicles they buy - being in debt and buying disposable products is the new American way of life!

Edited October 28, 2007 by taxman100

[Traveler]

Anyone who likes the Crown Vic or GM, should love the new Taurus and Sable. More room inside, better transmission, more features, bigger trunk, seats fold more ways, more rear seat leg room, better lighter more powerful engine, better fuel economy, better acceleration, and no reason at all they shouldn't last as long as the panther cars in normal passenger car use.

 

And....if you drove both back to back, in a sedate way like both their supensions are designed for, it's difficult to tell which is front wheel drive and which is rear wheel drive. Drive them aggressively, and I bet the newer FWD cars will out handle the old cars....if both on stock suspensions. The newer cars are just better for their intended market....which to me would include panther owners.

 

The panthers, with their heavy BOF construction, may make better police cars, especially with a couple hundred more HP, but that's about all they are better at. And I personally think the panther cars look OK in their latest styling. MHO

 

 

If you drove both in a sedate way, then yes, I would bet it would be hard to tell the FWD from the RWD. Push both hard, however and I'd disagree that the FWD car would do better. In fact, I bet it would do decisively worse. First of all, FWD has the tendency to understeer and there is no throttle steering a FWD car. If you drove the Taurus hard the same way you'd drive the Vic hard, the Taurus probably would wind up cooking its brakes and plowing into a curve. Just a guess. There is indeed a reason why Panthers make better police cars. When driven aggressively, most law enforcement will prefer RWD, because quite simply, the only thing the rear wheels are doing back there is holding the rear end up and contributing probably 20% of the braking on a FWD car.

 

The Taurus does have its advantages in the interior and the cargo, but the Panthers do, too. The Panther has more width which gives noticably more shoulder and hip room whereas leg room is very close to the Taurus. The trunk, likewise, is very close in volume, but the Panther's trunk is arguably more useful to swallow large items compared to a more lengthy, but more shallow Taurus trunk. The shelf of the Crown Vic allows for storage of a full size spare that impedes little on the deep well in the trunk. The Taurus (to my knowledge) doesn't offer a full size spare and could not store it without significantly altering the usage of the Taurus trunk.

 

As for the folding rear seats...that could be a security flaw. With fixed rear seats, not only are they often times more comfortable, but they aren't as likely to be broken through. While the back seats may lock on the Taurus, that isn't an issue with the Panthers. I feel reasonably secure in locking my trunk and keeping people out of it, including service techs.

 

As for power, I still think the Crown Vic w/ HPP will give a Taurus a run for its money. With the HPP, you've got a car that run 0-60 in about 7 seconds flat. The Taurus will not be much better than that. The documented differences in HP rating is offset by the differences of torque rating, especially accelerating from a dig. I would love to run a brand-new Taurus just to see the difference myself.

 

I still concur that the Taurus is aimed at its audience appropriately, however. Whether or not it will pick up customers from the Japanese companies remains to be seen. I think its good enough to compete solidly, but I know I'm not interested in this type of car so I can't do my part here. Its up to Taurus supporters and those willing to switch from Chevy, Buick, Honda and Toyota.

Edited October 28, 2007 by Traveler

[Ralph Greene]

Hi Traveler....I should know better than pick on a panther. LOL

[Traveler]

hehe.

 

Really I agree with you on a number of points. I still think the Taurus is a great car for its intended market and that's why I've been saying that Ford needs to advertise them more. It doesn't appeal to me, personally and I don't feel that the Taurus is head and shoulders superior to the Vic or Marquis, but it is a fresher face and is definitely more in line with what the typical sedan buyer would want. The Panther is more of a heavy duty sedan and I feel strongly that its the most ideal for hard driving while still offering most of the same attributes that the Taurus buyer will get. Its just not as desirable to the masses as the Taurus has a potential to be. The Panther never will reclaim Accord, Camry or Avalon customers for Ford, but the D3 possibly can. The Panther is the type of car for those who appreciate what a V8 RWD offers in driving and those that like its dimensions. I'm not strongly against the Taurus, because I understand the importance of the car. I'm just in favor of keeping the Panthers around for fleet and in smaller volume for retail.

[Ralph Greene]

Is there some technical, fitment, electrical, or mechanical reason why the aluminum block Mustang or Explorer engines with the Explorer 6 speed auto couldn't be fitted? That's all it really needs to bring it up to date I think. If they can do a Maurauder with 4 speed auto trans and Mach 1 engine, why not the 3 valve with 6 speed auto?

[silvrsvt]

Is there some technical, fitment, electrical, or mechanical reason why the aluminum block Mustang or Explorer engines with the Explorer 6 speed auto couldn't be fitted? That's all it really needs to bring it up to date I think. If they can do a Maurauder with 4 speed auto trans and Mach 1 engine, why not the 3 valve with 6 speed auto?

 

 

Cost...any money put into the panther will just eat into profit margins, unless it absolutely has to be done due to regulations

[Traveler]

Right now, Ford doesn't likely care that much what I, or other Panther owners say. The loudest voice that the Panther has is law enforcement. If they demand more of Ford and Ford wants to maintain that business, they will pump sufficient funding in there I would imagine. I would also suppose that adding the 3v motor and a 6 speed automatic would not involve substantial costs like overhauling the entire car would. If law enforcement and fleet buyers don't mind the looks and the interior, then I'd say Ford would be much more likely to upgrade the powertrain and drivetrain for the sake of maintaining their dominance of the fleet business.

[BORG]

It's not just the optional equipment that goes bad, it's the standard features. My 1996 Taurus was filled with stuff that went bad and was the main reason I gladly got rid of it at 140,000 miles. The drivetrain, Transmission, suspension, etc...held up just fine! But I was sick of the winshield washer switch that worked only occassionally, a leaking heater core, an Engine light I could never extinguish, and a HOST of other things I ended up replacing over the life of the car. Not to mention the lack of modern conveniences like a CD player! Quite frankly, I was just sick of just living with these things until I could get around to fixing them. Enough was enough! I demand my vehicles operate flawlessly in every way and you will never get that in a car older than 5 years. Fortunately those days of putting up with that sort of things are behind me.

Edited October 28, 2007 by BORG

[Roadrunner]

There's an interior color called Camel? When they look at that color, it reminds them of a dirty, spitting animal. Wow.

 

I think Camel is a nice color and the camel is a nice animal (and aeroplane).

 

Personally, it also makes me think of Camel Turkish Silvers, which also is a positive.

[joihan777]

Clarification

 

I need to clarify about the single interior color statement -- there's more than one interior color available.

 

There is not just a dark gray interior with wood accents. There is also a tan interior with wood accents that looks outstanding; the color is called Camel.

 

Also, there is a two-tone interior now, at least for interior door trim on the Limited.

 

Here's light stone gray, the third interior color for the Taurus:

 

I said only the dash was monochrome. The rest of the camel color interior looked great. The interior was nice except for the dash. The dash was too dark to be only one color. The dash needs to be dark on top but the bottom half ought to match the interior. Most of the higher priced imports do this as well as quite a few lower priced cars. To me this was "beancounters gone wild." As a driver, looking at an ugly dash isn't going to cut it for any amount of time.

 

If interior looks don't count, I may as well get a Malibu!

Edited October 29, 2007 by joihan777