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2008 Ford Taurus New Owner Reports

103 messages,  Last post on Nov 01, 2008 at 9:06 PM

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#18 of 103 Week Two by desertrat5 Sep 30, 2007 (4:20 pm)
We put 240 miles on the new Taurus Limited AWD this weekend in a loop up through the Rockies west of Colorado Springs. The overall average was 24 mpg according to the computer. The car ran fine and my first assessment is that Ford has achieved a nice balance between handling and comfort. The transmission hill speed control works as advertised. Just turn OD off and tap the brakes more or less at the speed you want to maintain and the transmission will continue to downshift until it is able to hold the speed. On one long downslope the tach was showing nearly 4000 rpm to hold the car at the required 55 mph. I found the transmission to be responsive to the throttle inputs by downshifting fairly quickly - perhaps not as quickly as some GM automatics I have had but still quick enough.   In cruise way up near 10,000 feet the transmission downshifted all the way to 2nd or 3rd to maintain speed up a long hill (I am guessing as there is no indication which gear it is in).   All in all a very positive drive in a new car. Replies to this message: thegraduate (Oct 01, 2007 11:31 am)
#19 of 103 Re: Week Two [desertrat5] by thegraduate Oct 01, 2007 (11:31 am)
Replying to: desertrat5 (Sep 30, 2007 4:20 pm) It sounds sort of like Honda's Grade-Logic Control. If you apply the brakes on a downhill slope while going at a decent rate of speed, the Honda will shift to third gear as long as you are below, say, 60 MPH (putting Revs deep into 3,000 territory). It will hold the gear until you reach level ground, and it will then go back into top gear (in my case, it's 5th gear).   Glad to hear you are liking the new wheels!
#20 of 103 Four standard mud-flaps!!!! Wowser by cardnal Oct 02, 2007 (10:45 am)
Replying to: thegraduate (Aug 20, 2007 7:23 pm) Is it really true that Taurus cars have 4 mud-flaps as standard fare? That will surely secure its place with average age 60 and the coon/squirrel tail crowd dangling on the radio antennas. Frump and cubby and very non-descript, no matter the quality. The cover of the book does count in sales!!!
#21 of 103 Re: Job 2. [mschmal] by fomocona Oct 02, 2007 (11:08 am)
Replying to: mschmal (Sep 26, 2007 6:32 pm) Good information, Mark. I noticed a typo on the link. The correct site is syncmyride.com. Thanks.
#22 of 103 Test Drive by jkinzel Oct 26, 2007 (6:14 am)
Yesterday, 10/25, the wife and I test drove a 2008 Taurus SEL. I can’t say enough, the car is wonderful. Keep in mind though, that our present car is a 1993 Explorer purchased new and now has 194,000 miles on it, so any thing would be a great ride. We only drove the car for about 20 minutes on mostly back roads and 10 minutes on the freeway. Very nice ride and tight, responsive steering are the two things that impressed me the most. When getting on the freeway I was surprised at how fast and smoothly the car reached 60 mph with out stomping on the accelerator. The wife was impressed and that is a good thing, but we didn’t buy. I made a promise (damn me) that no new car until we get new carpet and that should come late winter or early spring.
#23 of 103 new owner by brucelinc Nov 15, 2007 (6:32 am)
We bought an SEL yesterday to replace my wife's 2001 Taurus. I travel a lot and rent all kinds of vehicles and I had already concluded that the Taurus was the best value in it's class - bar none.   This car drives much more "expensive" than it's price! It is very quiet and refined and has good fit and finish. The engine is very strong and sounds great when pushed and is silent when not. The Taurus is competitive against sedans costing thousands more, IMO.   Two things are holding back sales in my opinion - it looks frumpy and Ford's marketing and advertising is miserable.
#24 of 103 Like my 08 Taurus Dune Pearl Limited by stephen Nov 18, 2007 (8:34 pm)
Leased it three weeks ago for 24 months on a paid in full up front lease. Traded-in was an 07 Pacifica. I've driven the Taurus 520 miles and so far, I'm impressed with it. I like the conservative looks. Whenever I want to drive something more showy, I take the wife's 07 Mustang. One of the things I like best about the Ford automatic transmissions is that on hilly roads, they don't downshift until they have to. My Pacifica had a transmission that was busier than a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs on hilly roads.   I do wish that Ford would install a telescoping steering wheel on the next update of the Taurus. Either that, or change the adjustible pedal range so that they could be adjusted further away for guys with long legs. Replies to this message: desertrat5 (Nov 24, 2007 12:04 pm)
#25 of 103 Re: Like my 08 Taurus Dune Pearl Limited [stephen] by desertrat5 Nov 24, 2007 (12:04 pm)
Replying to: stephen (Nov 18, 2007 8:34 pm) Stephen   I agree with your assessment 100%. We have about 1900 miles on our AWD Limited and love it. The only thing I would like to see is a telescoping steering wheel. When my legs are comfortable my arms have to stretch to far for long term comfort. When my arms are comfortable my right leg is crammed against the hard side of the console.   Other than that we love the car - solid, roomy, drives nicely, and the engine loves to go.   We are averaging about 20 mgp in town. Best I have seen on the road is 23. I assume that my get a bit better with more miles. The engine was very tight when new.
#26 of 103 2000 mile update by brucelinc Jan 01, 2008 (9:13 am)
We drove my wife's new Taurus from Minneapolis to Southern Iowa to visit family over the holidays. The trip included gridlock traffic getting out of Minneapolis, interstate crusing at 80 MPH, twisty two-lanes in southern Iowa, and a good old fashioned blizzard with snow packed roads on the way home. All in all, it was a good test for the Taurus.   I continued to be impressed with the driving experience in this car. High speed driving into a stiff wind and the lack of wind noise is remarkable. This car is a very quiet, smooth and capable cruiser! With 2000 miles on the clock, the engine has freed up and performs very strongly. It is quicker than my Lincoln LS V8 in the low and mid range. The transmission is also exceptionally smooth. I appreciate the fact that it doesn't have to downshift for moderate hills when crusing. I drove an AWD Edge last summer and it couldn't seem to maintain 6th gear when cruising if there was much of any incline. The Taurus is much better in that regard.   Now for some negatives: Yes, this car really needs a telescoping wheel. Also, as smooth as the transmission is, I would prefer more control of the lower and middle gears. While driving home, in a blizzard, the interstate traffic was moving between 10 - 30 MPH and there was lots of unnecessary shifting up and down. I would have preferred manual control. The same is true in heavy traffic situations around town. Most owners probably don't care about this but I am a control freak, I guess.   I have always been able to get a bit better mileage on the highway than the EPA estimates but I did not with the Taurus. The best we got was from Minneapolis to Des Moines - 27.2. Granted there was wind out of the southeast, traffic was moving at 75-80 and the car only had 1000 miles on it so maybe that was a pretty tough test. Around town (50/50 freeway and traffic) the trip computer shows 21.   In conclusion, I still maintain that this car is an awesome value and is competitive with cars costing thousands more. Replies to this message: thegraduate (Jan 04, 2008 12:04 pm) brucelinc (Jan 05, 2008 9:39 am) thegraduate (Jan 05, 2008 8:06 pm)
#27 of 103 Re: 2000 mile update [brucelinc] by thegraduate Jan 04, 2008 (12:04 pm)
Replying to: brucelinc (Jan 01, 2008 9:13 am) Thanks for the thorough post - keep 'em comin'! Replies to this message: brucelinc (Jan 05, 2008 9:39 am) thegraduate (Jan 05, 2008 8:06 pm)

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