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2008 Ford Taurus New Owner Reports

104 messages,  Last post on Nov 01, 2008 at 10:06 PM

You are in the Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable Forum.

What is this discussion about? Ford Taurus, Sedan

Messages Page 9 of 11

#78 of 104 Re: 2008 Taurus SEL New Purchase [thegraduate] by bobber1

Jun 29, 2008 (6:09 pm)

Replying to: thegraduate (Jun 28, 2008 8:27 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 104 Today I took my by marsha7

Jul 01, 2008 (7:42 pm)

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 104 2008 Sable Gas MPG - Digital Readout vs Observed by ronsmith38

Jul 03, 2008 (11:45 am)

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 104 Re: Differences b/t Taurus and Sable [marsha7] by capella

Jul 03, 2008 (11:00 pm)

Replying to: marsha7 (Jul 01, 2008 7:42 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 104 capella by marsha7

Jul 04, 2008 (11:25 am)

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 104 Re: Manual lumbar on '08 Taurus [marsha7] by capella

Jul 06, 2008 (2:16 pm)

Replying to: marsha7 (Jul 04, 2008 11:25 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 104 2008 Mercury Sable by reggieche

Jul 12, 2008 (6:47 pm)

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.

#85 of 104 Re: 2008 Mercury Sable [reggieche] by thegraduate

Jul 12, 2008 (8:12 pm)

Replying to: reggieche (Jul 12, 2008 6:47 pm)
2) Minor adjust nob is two far away.
 
What knob? I'm not sure which one you mean.
 
3) The trunk needs a latch, or handle
 
You mean as opposed to the dash-mounted button for unlatching the trunk? This feature is much nicer than the manual pull-handle mounted in the floor of my Honda. Different strokes for different folks, I guess!

#86 of 104 Re: 2008 Taurus SEL New Purchase [thegraduate] by jontyrees

Jul 14, 2008 (2:52 pm)

Replying to: thegraduate (Jun 29, 2008 8:07 am)
The audiophile system should have speakers in the front doors, rear doors, and two 6x9 subwoofers in the rear parcel shelf - you can see the underside of them from the trunk. I'm not sure how many speakers the specs list, but manufacturers always count a coaxial speker with a tweeter and mid as two speakers, so it's probably listed as a 10 speaker system. I'm used to seeing tweeters on the dash or the A-pillars, but the front door speakers are pretty high up, so I guess they didn't feel they needed separate tweeters. I'm amazed at how good it sounds - better (IMO) than the 625w Infinfity Logic7 system in the Azera. I'm a habitual car stereo modifier, but I really don't think I need to alter this one.

#87 of 104 2009 Taurus/Sable by terryd

Jul 16, 2008 (5:21 pm)

Any insight on differences the 2009 will bring. I have procrastinated long enough buying , I think I should understand the new model before taking the discounts available on the 2008.
 
Terry

Messages Page 9 of 11

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