Article Comments - 2008 Ford Taurus First Drive

43 messages, Last post on Jan 28, 2008 at 12:33 PM

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What is this discussion about? Ford Taurus, Sedan

Article comments for First Drive: 2008 Ford Taurus - For better or worse, Ford has realized that four out of five car buyers have heard of the Taurus, which sold almost 7 million units in the nameplate's 21 years on the market, and the same couldn't be said of the slow-selling Five Hundred. You can't buy the kind of brand awareness the Taurus has. Well, actually you could, but Ford estimates it would cost a half billion dollars. (more)

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#5 of 43 Doomed by zjev Jun 21, 2007 (5:52 am)
No, no, no! Oh no, Ford is going to stay in trouble financially. I'm sorry but re-designing a crummy car and throwing a troubled name onto it is not the recipe for success. Who are they fooling? First of all they say that most people recognize the Taurus name. True, but who wants to remember the last decade of the boring rental car Taurus! They killed the Taurus with the '96 re-design and the only good Taurus vehicles were in the 80's and early 90's. This new 500 Taurus is going to flop again because it's styling is boring, powertrain barely competes with competitor's OLD models, no standard traction control for a $23k car, etc. Good luck Ford, you will need it. Replies to this message: exalteddragon1 (Jun 21, 2007 11:00 am)
#6 of 43 Re: Doomed [zjev] by exalteddragon1 Jun 21, 2007 (11:00 am)
Replying to: zjev (Jun 21, 2007 5:52 am) Taurus Name: This was a good move for Ford, b/c most peope recognise it and you know what? Many tauruses are still around pushing 100K miles. Although Many people remember it as an unreliable/rental queen, many more remember it as simple and cheap transportation. Many people were upset that the name was going away, and now many will be curious to stop by a Ford Dealer. Styling is boring: Im sure your Toyota Avalon is Sooo much more exiting. This car has more chrome outside and in, it even has fender vents (this is the chrome on the front side) that we usually see in more expensive cars. No, styling this time around is anything but boring. Powertrain: 260hp is plenty good for this car. Why the toyota is faster with just 8 more horses is astounding, but its not much faster, not anymore. The Taurus will have no problem in merging, passing, and a little horse play every now and then with 260 hp. More is alwayse better, but this is not bad at all. And bieng PZEV rated, it may be cleaner than the Avalon and Azera engines. Also, this car loaded comes in at 5K less than the Avalon, and has more room especially more luggage space. With the lack of power and interrior noise level complaints removed, with improved styling and still a good price tag, I think ford is going to sell quite a few of these sedans!
#7 of 43 Faster competition. by mschmal Jun 21, 2007 (11:16 am)
The Taurus is very heavy. That extra mass is the struture that makes it the safest full size car in america. Notwithstanding same, if you are deciding between the Taurus and the Avalon based on 0 to 60. You are weird. Mark Replies to this message: bigmayne (Jun 21, 2007 2:21 pm)
#8 of 43 Re: Faster competition. [mschmal] by bigmayne Jun 21, 2007 (2:21 pm)
Replying to: mschmal (Jun 21, 2007 11:16 am) WOW! the Taurus is awesome! I dont even give Ford a second look until now, and this is coming from a Toyota owner. It is amazing how they went from the forgettable dowdy 500 to a terrific looking automobile with few enhancements. I believe with the 500's above average reliability, that will get the Taurus some needed respect, if not higher resale value. Who cares about 0-60, 260 horses is more than adequate, also the Avalon takes premium fuel versus regular for the Taurus. With these enhancements, Ford has corrected its wrongs and finally has a true competitor. I think Alan Mually was smart when he decided to revive the Taurus/Sable nameplates. These newly reincarnated legends will sell!
#9 of 43 The ugly "brick plate" radio by whateverdude Jun 21, 2007 (3:23 pm)
It IS ugly, but on the other hand if I actually had this car I'd be grateful, because the design makes it easier to replace. Sure, stock car stereos have gotten better but they will never be able to compete with the latest and greatest aftermarket decks, and unforunately car stereos that are integrated into the dash (or worse, integrated with other car controls) require expensive aftermarket mounting kits and adapters (and if it's not a car that sells in great numbers there's no guarantee one will even be available).
#10 of 43 SHO me the money! by orkman2072 Jun 21, 2007 (6:07 pm)
I think Ford might make another good move here by bringing back the Taurus SHO. They could hand the project over to SVT and have them tune it up a little, maybe drop a Mustang V8 into the engine compartment, and I think a car like that could find a nice niche in which to compete.
#11 of 43 A Chance to Drive It by stevede1 Jun 21, 2007 (8:28 pm)
I was able to drive the new 2008 Taurus SEL as a rental, courtesy of Avis, for about 200 miles this week. The rental agent didn't even know they had one in stock. Maybe they shouldn't have put on the line yet. It only had 28 miles on the odometer when I got it. I stopped by a dealer to get some info. The sales people hadn't seen one yet, but were told some were heading their way in a few days. I have an older 2004 Taurus. This car is so much better than the 2004, there is no comparison. I'm impressed with the car. While the styling is somewhat plain looking, the handling, ride, low noise level, seating, trunk space and overall performance is great. The transmission shifts smoothly and there is plenty of power to accelerate and climb steep hills. For the money, it's a bargain. I think it will sell well compared to its predecessor. I have to agree with the reviewer. For a fleet car, I think customers will choose it over the other cars in its class.
#12 of 43 SHO Taurus. by mschmal Jun 22, 2007 (7:46 am)
Actually if they are thinking about an SHO, it would probably be through adding direct injection and a turbo to the 3.5 as Mazda does with the Mazdaspeed and CX-7 Mark.
#13 of 43 Re: Article Comments - 2008 Ford Taurus First Drive [KarenS] by dturr Jun 22, 2007 (9:08 am)
Replying to: KarenS (Jun 20, 2007 9:30 am) Ford need to learn that anything that does not achieve at least 20mpg is a waste of time, how long before gas is $5 and $6 a gallon? Control the pricing your cars going for volume means deals in two or three years time but what about residual value on a new car bought in 2008 in three years it will be worth 0 Replies to this message: newcarforme (Jun 22, 2007 9:56 am) exalteddragon1 (Jun 22, 2007 11:10 am)
#14 of 43 Re: Article Comments - 2008 Ford Taurus First Drive [dturr] by newcarforme Jun 22, 2007 (9:56 am)
Replying to: dturr (Jun 22, 2007 9:08 am) That's why leases are great!