Sign In Join 



2008 Ford Taurus New Owner Reports

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

You are in the Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens

What is this discussion about? Ford Taurus, Sedan


Messages Page 9 of 11
1
...
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Prev
Next
Last
Go To Msg #
Search This Discussion

#75 of 103
Re: 2008 Taurus SEL New Purchase [thegraduate] by brucelinc
Jun 29, 2008 (7:06 am)
Reply

Replying to: thegraduate (Jun 28, 2008 7:27 pm)

Wow! Other than me not really being a Honda guy, your review could have been written by me! I agree with everything you said. Your folks got a great deal and the car is a tremendous value, IMO. I hope they enjoy it as much as my wife enjoys ours.
 
On another Edmunds board, you asked about oil changes. There is no oil life monitor but the recommended intervals are 7,500 miles for normal or 5,000 for "special" service. (lots of idling, slow speeds, stop & go, etc.) The car comes with synthetic blend 5W20 oil. It has a timing chain - not a belt.
 
Thanks for the well-written review. After you drive it more, please share your comments.
#76 of 103
Re: 2008 Taurus SEL New Purchase [ronsmith38] by thegraduate
Jun 29, 2008 (7:07 am)
Reply

Replying to: ronsmith38 (Jun 29, 2008 6:44 am)

All we could find were four speakers (the ones in the door). What am I missing here, because it sure sounds better than a 4-speaker stereo!
#77 of 103
Re: 2008 Taurus SEL New Purchase [brucelinc] by thegraduate
Jun 29, 2008 (7:08 am)
Reply

Replying to: brucelinc (Jun 29, 2008 7:06 am)

Thanks for the info about oil changes and the timing chain, and I'll share more the more I get to drive it.
#78 of 103
Re: 2008 Taurus SEL New Purchase [thegraduate] by bobber1
Jun 29, 2008 (5:09 pm)
Reply

Replying to: thegraduate (Jun 28, 2008 7:27 pm)

Nice review on the Taurus. I agree with everything but the motor comments. Since I own an 08 Taurus and an 07 Honda Odyssey I think am qualified to comment..
 
I think the 3.5 Vtec Honda engine is much quieter than the 3.5 Ford engine when it's at idle. It whispers whereas the Ford has a growl(which I kinda like).
 
However Ford has done an awesome job of putting sound deadening materials around the car and it's much quieter then the Honda on the open road.
 
I've got 17,000 miles on my Taurus and really like this car. It's a great highway cruiser with a lot of room.
#79 of 103
Today I took my by marsha7
Jul 01, 2008 (6:42 pm)
Reply
2004 Crown Vic in for some warranty work on the window (new motor) and my loaner car was a 2008 Taurus Limited...Crown Vic had 99,400 miles on its 100K mile warranty, had to get some stuff fixed while I could...
 
I was quite surprised at the size of this car, much larger than my 2000 Sable, and certainly much more powerful...
 
Drove well at 80 mph, comfortable car, nice sound system...took awhile for the A/C to cool the car, seemed like the fan was blowing at high speed, you could hear the fan, but the air coming from the dash vents was not of high volume, almsot as tho some of the volume was going elsewhere...
 
When stepping on it from a stop, there was a definite pull to the right, which I attributed to torque steer, but on the road, the car ran straight...brakes were very touchy, but I like that, as you can NEVER have too much brake power...
 
Back seat was roomy, car was well laid out...my main complaint, if it is one, is that the adjustable lumbar support was manual instead of electric, like my Crown Vic...
 
Only drove it during daylight, so I have no idea how well it does at night...among the hundreds, no, thousands of vehicles I have considered to replace the Crown, this could be one of them...still have to check Lucerne, LaCross, Malibu, Impala, and maybe a 2 year old DTS where the first owner took the depreciation hit...
 
Knowing the Sable is the Taurus' stablemate, what are the minor differences between them, even if only cosmetic???...are there any REAL differences, such as sport suspension that may be available on one but not the other (My Crown Vic has the LX Sport package, for example, whch was NOT available on the Grand Marquis, a true difference between them, plus the Grand Marquis had a Driver Info Center whereas my Crown Vic only had an overhead compass in the same place)...???
 
No question this Taurus is nothing like my Sable of 8 years ago...
#80 of 103
2008 Sable Gas MPG - Digital Readout vs Observed by ronsmith38
Jul 03, 2008 (10:45 am)
Reply
One of the 2008 Sable reviews on this site by a new owner indicated the digital gas mileage read-out was about 4 mpg higher than what he calculated. Has anyone else experienced this on the Sable or Taurus?
#81 of 103
Re: Differences b/t Taurus and Sable [marsha7] by capella
Jul 03, 2008 (10:00 pm)
Reply

Replying to: marsha7 (Jul 01, 2008 6:42 pm)

Not many differences between the 2008 Taurus and Sable. Obviously, exterior styling is different. Here's what I posted earlier:
 
Here are the differences I could find between the base 2008 Taurus (SEL with no options) and the base 2008 Sable:
  
1) Exterior styling differences that are obvious (grilles, fake side vents on Taurus, none on Sable). I think the Sable has the edge here.
2) The fake wood on the Sable is a "colder" color than on the Taurus. I prefer the warmer feel of the Taurus interior.
3) Sable comes with the analog clock. Base Taurus does not. Edge to Sable.
4) Sable steering wheel spokes are silvery metal-like stuff. Taurus spokes are leather covered. A draw as far as I'm concerned; our son liked the Sable steering wheel better.
5) The interior convenience group on the Sable is $100 less than on the Taurus, and it includes power pedals. However, the price of the base Sable is a few hundred dollars more than the Taurus. Depending on how you equip the cars, the Taurus and the Sable can cost almost exactly the same.
  
The differences are pretty minor. We ended up getting a Taurus mainly because we found one equipped exactly how we wanted it (base model with ESC only), and I didn't like the colder feel of the Sable interior.
 
NOTE: The above applies to the 2008 models, I don't know how Mercury will be equipping their 2009 models, and Ford is changing the trim lines for 2009. All 2009 Tauruses will come with ESC standard. The Taurus model lineup is a little different with the re-introduction of the base SE model along with the SEL and Limited trims. The 2009 base SE is like the 2008 SEL, but with ESC standard. The 2009 Taurus SEL is like the 2008 SEL, but with the addition of the Convenience Package (8 way seat, 6 CD changer, better sound system, etc) and Sirius radio. Limited has more goodies too than the 2008.
#82 of 103
capella by marsha7
Jul 04, 2008 (10:25 am)
Reply
Do you know if there is a package where the adjustable lumbar support is power instead of manual???...yes, I can be lazy at times, plus my Crown Vic is power so I am spoiled...
 
plus, if I were to purchase a 2008 leftover, with the autop market as it is now, maybe the 2009s will come out of the gate with $5000 rebates if no one is there to buy them...
#83 of 103
Re: Manual lumbar on '08 Taurus [marsha7] by capella
Jul 06, 2008 (1:16 pm)
Reply

Replying to: marsha7 (Jul 04, 2008 10:25 am)

Marsha, I've looked at the '09 Order Guide for the '09 Taurus, and I don't see any package or option that allows you to get power lumbar. You can get an 8 way power driver seat (not available on SE, standard on SEL and Limited), and you can get leather seats that are heated in front (this is not available on SE, optional on SEL, standard on the Limited). But as far as I can tell, power lumbar isn't available.
 
We have the 6 way power seat with manual lumbar and the lumbar works great. It's comfortable for my wife (who's under 5' 2") and me (5' 11"). My wife often has difficulty finding seats that fit her and that was one reason we bought the Taurus.
 
I don't know if Mercury has power lumbar for '09, but the '08 Sable was very similar to the '08 Taurus and I don't think it had power lumbar available then.
 
(Note: Order Guide can be seen here: http://www.blueovalforums.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=24437 -- need to sign in as a member to view)
#84 of 103
2008 Mercury Sable by reggieche
Jul 12, 2008 (5:47 pm)
Reply
It's a great car, a lot of car for the money. Powerful 3.5L engine with 6-speed automatic, very good gas mileage for the size. Command seats are a good feature, gives great view and driving comfort - I drove SUV and minivans for the past few years, very similar sitting position. Sound is great, backup sensors work fine.
 
Some very minor issues - hope Ford can improve for future designs:
 
1) Mech. brake pedal is too close to hood lever. Several cases when I released the brake, the hood was opened (I wear heavy boots).
 
2) Minor adjust nob is two far away.
 
3) The trunk needs a latch, or handle
 
4) Continental tires give a little road noise.
 
By saying these issues, this is still a great car for the money, and even better than a lot of cars with much higher sticker price. I would like to recommend this car to whom looking for a family sedan, compare this one againest some Japaneses.

Messages Page 9 of 11
1
...
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Prev
Next
Last
Go To Msg #
Search This Discussion
To POST a message, please Sign In.

New? Join Now!

Forum Tools

Please sign in.
Email Address:

Password:

Forgot Password?

Search Forums

Enter Keyword(s)

Advanced Search

Browse by Vehicle



View All Vehicles
Advertisement
Ask the Community
See What People Are Asking

Browse by Board

Browse by Topic


View All Topics

Today's Chats

Advertisement