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What Are Your Thoughts on the Return of the Taurus/Sable?

530 messages,  Last post on Aug 22, 2008 at 11:00 PM

You are in the Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable Forum.

What is this discussion about? Ford Five Hundred, Ford Taurus, Mercury Sable, Future Vehicle, Sedan, Wagon

Messages Page 35 of 53

#340 of 530 Re: Dealers Dumping Ford [jeyhoe] by jmn1

Oct 07, 2007 (2:44 pm)

Replying to: jeyhoe (Oct 07, 2007 9:45 am)
I disagree.
You said the Accord is fabulous. How? And how does the Subaru beat it? Before he got a 2008 Taurus (a remarkable car), my brother had a Legacy (2006) that wouldn't stop blowing chunks. I think that the new Camry, the Chrysler, and the new/dead GM vans (to get the drift, but the Pontiac SV6 especially) look like hot dogs with bites taken out of them. I wonder how things would be looking now if they had called the US Fusion 'Taurus', called the Five Hundred 'Crown Victoria', ditched the current Crown Vic, and made the 2008 Focus a sedan (budget), a true station wagon (to compete with Subaru and VW), a coupe (to compete with Maxima, Accord, and CAMRY Solara, even the Yaris), and the hatchbacks. The two-door to compete with the VW Golf and come with more upfit options than a Scion(which, unfortunately, as we must remember, is a TOYOTA), and the four-door to compete with the Honda Fit and Dodge Caliber. If we were talking Toyota, I'd say ditch the Scion nameplate and make it Toyota-Scion xB or tC. That would be just like how Saab has Saab 9-3x or 9-7x, all different models. The Taurus' competitors all get okay mileage, so Ford should engineer a hybrid (like TOYOTA)... but, as for the return of the Taurus, its a nice car, as I remember from the 80's (a nice car for then) and possibly legendary. Afterall, its got the largest runk of any sedan sold in North America, and if I am correct, bigger then the Crown Vic (21.2 cubic feet vs 21) and in the world.

#341 of 530 Taurus? by mschmal

Oct 07, 2007 (5:54 pm)

The problem with Taurus is that peeps aren't going to pay 30k+ for the pleasure of owning a TAURUS!
 
Still, until there is some advertising, its hard to tell.
 
I just wish the car was more exciting. The 300 has lots of compromises. BUT ITS EXCITING!
 
Remember, mediocrity breeds contempt.

#342 of 530 Re: Dealers Dumping Ford [jeyhoe] by ronsmith38

Oct 07, 2007 (6:09 pm)

Replying to: jeyhoe (Oct 07, 2007 9:45 am)
Ford would have been wiser to retain the Montego name for the Mercury. (Maybe Crown 500 for the Ford)

#343 of 530 Re: Dealers Dumping Ford [jmn1] by gregg_vw

Oct 07, 2007 (6:16 pm)

Replying to: jmn1 (Oct 07, 2007 2:44 pm)
Excuse me, jmn1...I totally understand the "I disagree" part, but what you say beyond that gets a bit obtuse. I do agree the 80's Taurus was legendary for it's time. But the big trunk on the the current one being a segue?
 
You propose some reasonably rational changes that Ford could have done in the past (woulda, coulda, shoulda), but they didn't. Instead they did this conservative 500/Montego thing and then "let's make the decent-but-poor-selling 500 a Taurus" move (why not, it was worth a try?....the 2008 500 would have sold even WORSE than the dismal 2008 Taurus sales), but it didn't light any fires.
 
Ford is f*****d, unless it can design ASAP some models like the 80's Taurus/Sable and Thunderbird, relevant to today. I sure don't know how to do that. Doesn't look like anyone at Ford USA does either (see Ford Europe for talent that should not have been kept under a bushel).

#344 of 530 Why the bad sales? by exalteddragon1

Oct 07, 2007 (8:24 pm)

Hi, I have not participated in a while.
 
I'm so curious as to the bas sales... This car has all the goods to compete. I think the style of both the taurus and sable are exiting, but the commercials i see reek of 'safety' and other boring stuff. I don't get it.
 
This thing has 263 hp, its got chome on the SIDES, its got the largest rear seat, the largest trunk, the best price, and for those who need it AWD. What is so hard to sell?
 
Sell it as exiting, because I think people should see that side of it. What do you think?

#345 of 530 Re: Why the bad sales? [exalteddragon1] by bobber1

Oct 07, 2007 (9:20 pm)

Replying to: exalteddragon1 (Oct 07, 2007 8:24 pm)
It's premature to call Taurus sales lack luster. It's just the beginning of the 2008 sale year and sales have barely begun. Most of the professional reviews have universally been positive for this car and consumers just need to cross shop. That's what I did.

#346 of 530 Re: Why the bad sales? [bobber1] by gregg_vw

Oct 08, 2007 (6:02 am)

Replying to: bobber1 (Oct 07, 2007 9:20 pm)
Sell it as exiting, because I think people should see that side of it. What do you think? First off, I think the typo is apropos. Lipstick on something that is boring to dumpy in profile doesn't make it exciting. Exiting is more like it.
 
And to your point bobber, when a good car appeals to consumers, sales take off and it often gets in short supply fast. The 08 Taurus has been for sale since May, and this is nearly five months later. You call that barely begun?

#347 of 530 Re: Why the bad sales? [exalteddragon1] by jeyhoe

Oct 08, 2007 (6:57 am)

Replying to: exalteddragon1 (Oct 07, 2007 8:24 pm)
I get excited when I see the commercials with Jill Wagoner sitting in the backseat of the Montego, oops, Sable. Unfortunately, she is not optional equipment so the Mercury remains boring.

#348 of 530 Re: Why the bad sales? [jeyhoe] by jmn1

Oct 08, 2007 (1:06 pm)

Replying to: jeyhoe (Oct 08, 2007 6:57 am)
Good point, all of you.

#349 of 530 Re: Why the bad sales? [jeyhoe] by savetheland

Oct 08, 2007 (5:41 pm)

Replying to: jeyhoe (Oct 08, 2007 6:57 am)
I find new Sable weird looking : from front (like bloated Milan), from side (like bloated Passat) and from back -because of white taillights. Montego was more elegant and name was more decent (who came up with name like “Sable” anyway?). In general proportions of both new Taurus and Sable are wrong – tall big cars, like someone took VW Passat pumped up. If it was lower and wider – it would have nice elegant proportions like Passat. While Passat’s proportions work for compact sedan it does not work for full size sedan.
 
And interior - weird looking door panels, cheap black plastic center stack with flimsy buttons, weird looking gauges. What Ford designers smoke at work?

Messages Page 35 of 53

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