The Ford Taurus is a full-sized car that is available in front- or all-wheel drive. It has been produced continuously for two decades, making it the fourth oldest Ford model that is still available. It is also the fifth best-selling Ford model in North America in Ford's history. The original Taurus was a landmark design for not only Ford, but the entire American automotive industry. It was a hugely important vehicle that brought many new inventions and features to the marketplace.
Front-wheel drive is standard and all-wheel drive is optional. The engine is a 3.5-liter 24-valve DOHC Duratec V6 with 263 horsepower and 249 pound-feet of torque. Fuel economy is an estimated 18 mpg city and 28 mpg highway.... View more The Ford Taurus seats five.
There are six generations of the Ford Taurus. The first generation was in production from 1986 to 1991; it was a very anticipated release. The second generation was in 1992-1995; it gained an automatic engine and 6-cylinder engine. The panels on the body, minus the doors, were redesigned. From 1996-1999, the third generation was produced and the Taurus was completely redesigned; it got a new oval shape, which was controversial with critics. The interior was entirely redesigned as well. The fourth generation was produced from 2000-2007. The oval design was discontinued in this generation and the interior was more conservative. Production on the Taurus was stopped at the end of 2006 until a new CEO took over in 2007. The fifth generation from 2008 to 2009 got a power upgrade. Finally, the six generation, in 2010, had a host of new features like all-wheel drive, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, and collision warning.
The interior of the 2011 Ford Taurus has many innovative interior features. The 2011 model offers ice blue lighting, which not only looks cool, but also makes everything easy to read at night. It also offers one of the quietest interiors on the market. Ambient lighting is available in seven colors and five dimmer levels. The vehicle is available with leather-trimmed heated and cooled front seats. It offers a 6-speed automatic overdrive transmission.
The 2010 Ford Taurus was the winner of the first-ever Edmunds.com Technology Breakthrough Award". The 2010 Taurus SHO was named "Car of the Year" by Esquire magazine. It also received top safety ratings from the Insurance Institute. NADAguides.com awarded the 2010 Ford Taurus SHO as the "Car of the Year". The 2010 Ford Taurus won Kelley Blue Book's "Best Resale Value Awards" for the full-size car category. The Ford Taurus was named the "2010 International Car of the Year". View less
