silvrsvt Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 I was honestly more surprised by some of the posts on page 1 than the fact that Taurus came in last place. If you look at it objectively, Taurus really has some flaws that would matter to large car buyers - e.g. cramped interior I never heard anyone complain about the interior on my SHO...I don't have any issues sitting in the front or back seats of it, BUT I'll be the first one to complain about the horrible foot wells in the car...I can never seem to find a good comfortable place to keep my feet when I'm driving (with the cruse on) The center stack is wide, but all the other Ford products I've been in recently have been the same way. One thing I find really interesting is new Escape vs the old Escape...the seats are alot harder in the back in the newer seat and the ride is a bit stiffer. The Passenger side seat is a bit more cramped than the older car mostly due the to shape of the dash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoonerLS Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 E.T. phoooone hooooome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 The guiding philosophy behind GM interiors: "Well, it's different. I guess." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 BTW: Griping about interior space in the Taurus is baffling to me.... My parents have a 2012. Aside from the narrow but deep footwells, I really have no idea where the shortcomings are. I've been in other large cars and, in fact, drive a large car on a daily basis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 BTW: Griping about interior space in the Taurus is baffling to me.... My parents have a 2012. Aside from the narrow but deep footwells, I really have no idea where the shortcomings are. I've been in other large cars and, in fact, drive a large car on a daily basis. To be perfectly honest, the Taurus "looks" like it should have more room in it. The 2013 Fusion "feels" like it has the same amount of room in a smaller package. The Taurus also gets banged because of the rear view out of the car...the car has a huge ass on it and its kinda hard to see out the back (not a huge issue with the rearview camera I have). I'm used to judging how close a car is to rear when the headlights disappear from my view in the mirror...that happens alot sooner on the SHO vs other cars I've owned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Oh are they still making the Impala for fleets? or is there going to be another Impala Classic for that? I believe they will continue making the current Impala as a "Classic" model for a while. Anybody else notice that the midlevel Taurus (SEL) was matched up against the top-spec Impala (LTZ), Avalon (Limited), and 300 (S) before being dinged for having the fewest features of all the cars? I'd have a better time stomaching this comparison if it were fair to begin with. Exactly the point I was going to bring up - of course it won't have many of the features on the other cars - it's a low-contented mid-range model going against contented high-range models of the other cars. At the very least mention that it has all these options available on higher trims or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Rosadini Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Regardless of any real shortcomings I don't see how they can make a comparison when there is such a disparity in price. A truly objective person would give consideration to the price differential when he/she formed an opinion. I have to believe that someone who might NOT be very objective could get a negative feel from the "lesser" vehicle. As for me, yup, sure do miss the visibility that my old 2007 CV Sport had. And I sure do miss the footroom too. But with almost 50,000 trouble free miles on the 2010 SHO, and mileage that hardly ever gets below 22, it might be time for a new avatar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BORG Posted June 5, 2013 Author Share Posted June 5, 2013 (edited) The Fusion feels very cramped compared to the Taurus, for me anyway. But the Taurus/MKS has one fatal flaw, unusually cramped and shallow footwells. So all that space is great, but not if you have to sit in the backseat to drive the car and strain yourself to reach the steering wheel. Edited June 5, 2013 by BORG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownriverResident Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 (edited) xxx Edited June 5, 2013 by DownriverResident Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 I still dig the Taurus. I think it is quite a looker. I park next to a SHO every day....I do admit it shows it heft quite a bit when parked next to another smaller car. The hood is a good 8" higher then the hood on my car. But, I actually like that. It definitely gives a sense of solidness and safety. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoonerLS Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 The Fusion feels very cramped compared to the Taurus, for me anyway.I've not been in a '13 Fusion, but I didn't feel cramped at all in the '10 Fusion I had as a loaner a few years ago. The Taurus didn't exactly feel cramped, but it felt a bit tighter than it should. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mettech Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 The Fusion feels very cramped compared to the Taurus, for me anyway. But the Taurus/MKS has one fatal flaw, unusually cramped and shallow footwells. So all that space is great, but not if you have to sit in the backseat to drive the car and strain yourself to reach the steering wheel. Agree.. I think the Taurus is a fine looking full-size car. It is space for my feet and legs that is a "no-go" for me. The price point of the Taurus would not have helped it with the performance test: (MPG, braking, 0-60..) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 that's strange...I've been in both in the 2013 Fusion and Taurus, and I'll admit that the Fusion is far better sorted in general seating position and space vs the Taurus. The biggest issue I have the Taurus is that there is this weird hump that is near the front of the seat if you have the seat all the way back and I can't find a good place to keep my feet comfortable due to that (normally sit with my legs bent parallel with the firewall with the cruise control on) Also I have no problems reaching the steering wheel...then again it does telescopes and tilts too on my car...and I have adjustable pedals. Only thing I don't get is why it doesn't have an electric parking brake either...it doesn't release when its put into drive or reverse...does the Fusion or MKS have that option? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BORG Posted June 5, 2013 Author Share Posted June 5, 2013 (edited) I've not been in a '13 Fusion, but I didn't feel cramped at all in the '10 Fusion I had as a loaner a few years ago. The Taurus didn't exactly feel cramped, but it felt a bit tighter than it should. The Fusion/MKZ fit me like a glove, everything feels just right but there isn't much room to breath. The cowl also feels much higher than most sedans I've driven to date, which makes it feel a bit more claustrophobic. The MKS feels more spacious than the Taurus because the Taurus has a massive center console which does intrude far too much on interior spaciousness. The interior of the Fusion/MKZ simply feels longer, it can absorb my long legs so I can find a comfortable seating position for my torso, but the roof is very low so you have to keep the seat pretty low. The Taurus/MKS is taller, but not tall enough to compensate for the lack of legroom like an SUV. Actually, the cars feel like SUVs with a chopped down roof. It's just terrible packaging, some incredibly bad decisions were made with these cars. It's actually the main reason I did not buy an MKS when it arrived back in the day. I like the car quite a bit, but I can't find a comfortable seating position. Edited June 5, 2013 by BORG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chevys Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 That Impala has the ugliest steering wheel I believe I have ever seen. Chevrolet interiors have going down hill for sometime and I see no improvement has been made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 (edited) The Taurus/MKS is taller, but not tall enough to compensate for the lack of legroom like an SUV. Actually, the cars feel like SUVs with a chopped down roof. It's just terrible packaging, some incredibly bad decisions were made with these cars. It's actually the main reason I did not buy an MKS when it arrived back in the day. I like the car quite a bit, but I can't find a comfortable seating position. Duh its because they ARE CUVs for the most part! The original Five Hundred/Taurus and Sable have a higher roof (and higher seats also) then the post 2010 Taurus. I HATED the seating position in the older models. I drove my parents old 2008 Sable and I felt like I was in teetering highchair because I was up so high in the seating position. The SHO I have now isn't nearly as bad because the seats where sunk down a bit due to the roof getting chopped...you still sit up higher then most cars on the road though. I've been in a Flex and the newer Explorer, and they still have same issues with the narrow footwells towards the firewall on the passenger seat, but they also don't have the teetering highchair feel like the older D3 cars either. Most of the issues your talking about where due to styling changes...I think most everyone will agree that the post 2010 Taurus looks better then the snoozefest the 500/Taurus was..but it was also at the expense of some ot the interior dynamics...but the D3 platform has alot of shortcomings when it comes to that are baked into the design that won't be addressed till it moves to a new platform, and from my short seat time in the Fusion, they've been addressed. The long and short of it is that the shortcomings in the D3 platform weren't that big of an issue for me not to buy one... Most of the issues with cars these days are picking fly shit out of pepper type issues...minor/irritating things that don't seriously impact sales, but can be improved upon the next time. Edited June 5, 2013 by silvrsvt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
351cid Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 I'm 5'11 and have shorter legs. I find our '13 Fusion to fit me fairly well. My wife said the '13 Taurus we drove felt too big on the inside. She also had issues looking over the hood. She's 5'5 and short waisted. Her previous car was a 2005 Five Hundred. If the choice would have been mine; I'd taken the Taurus (actually a Mustang GT, but grand kids in car seats don't fit). It's her car, so it was her choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mettech Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 I'm 5'11 and have shorter legs. I find our '13 Fusion to fit me fairly well. My wife said the '13 Taurus we drove felt too big on the inside. She also had issues looking over the hood. She's 5'5 and short waisted. Her previous car was a 2005 Five Hundred. If the choice would have been mine; I'd taken the Taurus (actually a Mustang GT, but grand kids in car seats don't fit). It's her car, so it was her choice. Never underestimate the power of BENADRYL on cramped and unhappy children. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordmantpw Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Never underestimate the power of BENADRYL on cramped and unhappy children. Or duct tape... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papilgee4evaeva Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Never underestimate the power of BENADRYL on cramped and unhappy children. Or duct tape... If I tried either of those with my first child, my wife likely wouldn't have let me have another one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANTAUS Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Usually when I must drive with my bestfriend children, she "allows" them to pick radio stations, WHY...I have no clue, u never give kids options. So when I take the wheel they "request'< and I just open the back windows as we are flying doing 70 on the highway. I can tell you after 5 minutes of them finding the rush wind and hum of it, they fall asleep easily. Or just blast the stereo to MY music does it. No need for Duct tape Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Mine just watch "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" for the 800th time. Thank god for those Bluetooth headsets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PREMiERdrum Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 If I tried either of those with my first child, my wife likely wouldn't have let me have another one. They both work on wives, too. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papilgee4evaeva Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 They both work on wives, too. Fortunately, on our next road trip, I think my wife will sleep a whole lot for two reasons: 1) She's a teacher 2) She'll be almost 8 months pregnant Would be nice to have a big, comfortable Taurus to drive her in though... (staying on subject :reading: ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordmantpw Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 Mine just watch "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" for the 800th time. Thank god for those Bluetooth headsets. Amen! What a wonderful surprise when I found out that the headsets from the video system in the Flex work with the aftermarket system in my truck! Of course, then they decide they have to YELL over THEIR headphones so that we can hear them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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