Ask the Car People.SM


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 47 of 54

#456 of 530 Re: Its the Look [jimmy2x] by juxto

Nov 21, 2007 (11:30 pm)

Replying to: jimmy2x (Nov 15, 2007 12:19 am)
Could not agree with you more, jimmy2x. My father bought a new Taurus in 2001. He said it reminded him of a flathead ford he had owned in the 50s and his only beef was it didn't have an 8 track player. He is now 80 years old and is shopping for a new car (has almost 40k miles on his taurus). I took him to look at the taurus and he says it reminds him of that old flathead ford he had, but thought the 2008 taurus was an "old man's car" and wondered why ford doesn't round the front ends like the other manufacturers.

#457 of 530 Re: Its the Look [juxto] by brucelinc

Nov 22, 2007 (2:54 pm)

Replying to: juxto (Nov 21, 2007 11:30 pm)
You gotta love an 80 year old man who won't drive an "old man's car!" I hope I feel the same way when I am his age!
 
It comes down to priorities. I fully understand why lots of people would resist the Taurus because of it's looks. That is a real shame for Ford because there is no other segment of the market where they have a model as competitive as the Taurus based on criteria other than exterior appearance. I would go so far as to say it is best in class in many areas - room, ride, quiet, overall feel, value.
 
It is kind of like the plain chubby girl in high school who was smart, could cook, had great personality and a heart of gold - but never got asked to the dance.

#458 of 530 Re: Its the Look [brucelinc] by thegraduate

Nov 22, 2007 (9:54 pm)

Replying to: brucelinc (Nov 22, 2007 2:54 pm)
It is kind of like the plain chubby girl in high school who was smart, could cook, had great personality and a heart of gold - but never got asked to the dance.
 
With rebates now, you might say that she's made herself cheap so other guys will crank her up!

#459 of 530 Re: Its the Look [thegraduate] by brucelinc

Nov 23, 2007 (8:34 am)

Replying to: thegraduate (Nov 22, 2007 9:54 pm)
Yes, and those other guys will come to find out the plain chubby gal can be a lot more entertaining than they expected! She wants to be loved and will give a lot of love in return!
 
Seriously, I don't think the Taurus body lines are so bad - it is just so blasted tall compared to other sedans. The roofline is about 5-6 inches higher than most and it makes the car look less sleek. On the upside, the seating position and ease of entry/exit make this car more user-friendly than many others.

#460 of 530 Re: Its the Look [brucelinc] by barnstormer64

Nov 23, 2007 (9:20 am)

Replying to: brucelinc (Nov 23, 2007 8:34 am)
, I don't think the Taurus body lines are so bad - it is just so blasted tall compared to other sedans
 
That's one of its VIRTUES.

#461 of 530 Re: Its the Look [barnstormer64] by gregg_vw

Nov 23, 2007 (10:51 am)

Replying to: barnstormer64 (Nov 23, 2007 9:20 am)
The lines aren't bad, but they are plain...some would even say dowdy. A tall sedan does not have to look plain. SUVs are all tall. They don't necessarily look shorter than they are (like the Taurus does) just because they are tall. Nothing dowdy about the Rolls Royce, and that sure is tall. The Avalon is tall, but doesn't look nearly as ill-proportioned as the Taurus/500.
 
Ford could have done a better job with the height. They have already done better with the MKS. The MKS would have been even better had they chopped a couple inches off the front overhang and added it to the wheelbaxe instead. The diminuitive wheelbase on the Taurus empasizes the tall, tippy look. Without increasing the length an iota, they could have added at least a couple more inches to the wheelbase. In sum, with a few tweaks on the proportions, and a healthy dose of interesting style and it could have been a winner, rather than an also-ran.

#462 of 530 Ford, Toyota, Honda by autowrite

Nov 23, 2007 (11:14 am)

I love my 2002 Odyssey. I just put in a rebuild transmission at 180K kms (1st time); but the vehicle is soooo comfortable compared to anything I owned before and has that zip. My dealer does extras at 'no charge'.
Who said Honda & Toyota pay less than USA. No, they pay more to the factory floor, to keep their employees happy & keep them from going over to the BIG3; without a union.
My previous vehicle was a 1992 Taurus, long-stoke. Lasted 276K kms. But, had brake problems, rear fender rust, 3 wiper motors, 2 turn sign counsols, 2 door motors goine. I traded it when the power brakes disappeared.
A firend is looking to buy either a Prius or a 2008 Taurus. Will the Prius start in sub-aero winter weather for many times in the Canadian winter, parked outside. He currently has a 2000 Taurus SEL. Maybe I should tell hime to keep it as he has had no problems in 230K kms.
Tell me if I'm wrong, but isn't the Fusion & Edge based on the Mazda6?
The biggest seller in Canada is the Honda Civic. I don't know what the biggest seller is the USA, but I don't think it's the Fusion as someone montioned that works for a Ford dealer.
It's interesting that the Infinitis are great vehciles along with the Hondas but the Nissans don't do well even thoought Infiniti is really a Nissan with more accessories and power. Maybe the French Renault people who own Nissan have something to do with it.

#463 of 530 Re: Its the Look [gregg_vw] by brucelinc

Nov 23, 2007 (2:56 pm)

Replying to: gregg_vw (Nov 23, 2007 10:51 am)
The Avalon is tall, but doesn't look nearly as ill-proportioned as the Taurus/500.
 
I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The Avalon is about the last car in the world I would call stylish. It's WB is a couple of inches shorter than a Taurus and it is a couple of inches lower but it looks every bit as ungainly, if not more so, to my eye. The Charger has better overall proportions but it has a face that only a mother could love. I think the Buick Lucerne is about the best looking full-sized car. The Impala isn't bad, either. I loved the Chrysler 300 when it first was introduced but it has not aged that well.
 
Opinions of styling are like butts - everybody has one. In any case, I have already conceded that few will buy a Taurus based on it's striking beauty.

#464 of 530 Re: Its the Look [brucelinc] by gregg_vw

Nov 23, 2007 (3:45 pm)

Replying to: brucelinc (Nov 23, 2007 2:56 pm)
I wouldn't call the Avalon stylish either. My point was the Avalon doesn't look nearly as tippy and bulbous as the Taurus. Tall cars can be drawn any number of ways. The first generation Avalon was plain to awful looking, but sold on Toyota reputation and value for the money. The second was bigger, roomier and even more ungainly looking than the first. But it was roomy, pushing the sides almost upright to get every interior inch.
 
The current generation actually has some style by comparison, even if it isn't your cup of tea (it's not mine either). Anyway, in the opinion of the marketplace, it's not doing too badly. Of course Toyota has been able to sell frumpy cars. (Ford didn;t have the reputation to be able to do the same.) Thank God Toyota is now including some styling too! In another couple generations, you might actually like the Avalon.

#465 of 530 Re: Its the Look [gregg_vw] by barnstormer64

Nov 24, 2007 (10:25 am)

Replying to: gregg_vw (Nov 23, 2007 10:51 am)
A tall sedan does not have to look plain.
 
I suppose not. But what's wrong with plain? (After all, the Camry was pretty plain).
 
Nothing wrong with plain, IMO. In fact, I suspect it helps keep the car off the "got to steal" list, and thus insurance rates are kept lower on it.

Messages Page 47 of 54

To POST a message, please Sign In.

Advertisement

Browse by Category

Browse by Vehicle
   View All Vehicles

Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
View All Topics

Edmunds Community

Advertisement