2010 Ford Taurus First Look

There was the 1986 Ford Taurus, Motor Trend Car of the Year and pioneer of the modern jellybean sedan. In the subsequent 22 years, leading-edge styling and modern technology were overcome by Hertz-lot anonymity.

With a big push from CEO Alan Mulally, the 2010 Taurus has been redesigned to target aspirational buyers once again. Families go elsewhere for their utilitarian transport these days -- mostly to crossover sport/utilities. The new Taurus looks longer, lower, and wider, because it is lower, at least, and its styling borrows side surfacing from the rear-drive Interceptor concept, which proved too costly for Ford to build in these trying times. Overhangs are shorter than the Lincoln MKS's. Like the '10 Fusion, the new Taurus mixes the North American three-bar grille design with Ford of Europe's three-trapezoid lower fascia.

Inside, the dash borrows the Mustang's dual-binnacle look, with the optional navigation's screen between the binnacles. A high-center console enhances the personal cockpit feel. Materials, textures, and sheen, at least on the show car, set a new standard for Ford sedans.

While the new competition includes the Chrysler 300 and Hyundai Genesis, the new Taurus remains front-drive based. It will come with only a 3.5L V-6 -- though an EcoBoost engine is inevitable -- and six-speed automatic. All-wheel drive will remain optional. A new SHO version looks like a stretch.

By the time it goes on sale in the summer of 2009, the Taurus X and Mercury Sable will be history. Design chief Moray Callum describes it as Ford's new flagship: "Only in the U.S. do you get full-size cars that are not premium," the Scot says.

SE and the popular SEL trim levels may not be premium, but the Limited will have a Mercedes-like list of standard and optional features, including adaptive cruise control, pushbutton starter, automatic high beams and rain-sensing wipers, heated second-row seats, ambient lighting, forward warning and collision mitigation, head-up display, blind-spot radar, 2400-song jukebox, Sony audio system and Sync with new features including interactive traffic directions and real-time shopping, the kind of spur the economy needs. Some of these features will be available on lower-level models, as well.

The SE and SEL models should be priced only a bit higher than the '09 Taurus, but it seems a loaded Limited could easily breach $40K. Ford is confident, though, that buyers won't cross-shop the MKS.

Chief engineer Pete Reyes says the target was to make the new Taurus Ford's quietest car. Acoustic laminated glass will contribute. Claims of the Taurus' sport-sedan prowess are a bit harder to believe. The sculpted steering wheel includes palm swells and "F1-style paddles," all the better to wheel a reworked chassis that features bigger anti-roll bars, better damping, and bigger brakes. The car is convincing in every respect, save for the sport-sedan claims. It'll take a good first drive to convince us of that.

Reyes, who came to the Taurus program after working on the F-Series Super-Duty, says Ford developed the sedan in the computer and built only one round of prototypes. That compressed development time down to about two years (much of what you don't see is heavily based on the MKS).

While that '86 Taurus went from fresh to stale too quickly, Ford plans to update models more often, with a 3-6-9-12 strategy. Cars and trucks will get a new look every three years. They'll be significantly revamped under the skin every six and will be all-new in 12-year cycles.