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Wm. B. Sullivan Realty & Co.
Claudia Hommel
Cabaret Singer
Extraordinaire
Cordell Koland
Car Writer
Weekly Reviews
 2008 Ford Taurus X by Cordell Koland The Ford Motor Company is reviving the Taurus name again after several years' absence. The marketing geniuses finally figured that there was huge, wasted brand equity in the product name that had been an important player for the company since the mid-1980s. And now Ford has revived the name with a vengeance. Ford marketing mavens liked the idea of the brand revival so much that for the 2008 model year, they applied the Taurus name to not one, but to two very distinct vehicles. So now we have the Taurus sedan and the Taurus X, our test vehicle and full-size crossover SUV. Sometimes you just can't get enough of a good thing. The Taurus X is really an updated Ford Freestyle, a forgettable crossover that Ford introduced a couple of years ago. Ford has updated the exterior design and given it a new grill treatment that mimics most of the rest of the Ford line. Despite the visual tweaks, the design seems clunky and unrefined. The two-tone effect delivered by the contrasting color on the lower body cladding and the wheel arches seems to split the profile in half. This might have been a swell visual idea 10 years ago, but it looks very dated now. More successful, however, are mechanical upgrades. The Taurus gets a new 3.5-liter V-6 that develops 263 horsepower. The previous Ford Freestyle had a CVT (continuously variable transmission), which has been replaced by a new smooth shifting six-speed unit. The new V-6 engine provides adequate power. In comparison to other Ford V-6 engines, this one seems relatively smooth during hard acceleration. Ford claims 44 percent better acceleration over the underpowered, outgoing Freestyle. The gas mileage seems competitive as well. Given the heft of the full-size Taurus X, one would not expect great handling and the vehicle lives up to these expectations. The steering is relatively numb without much feedback to the driver. But one should consider most large and midsize crossover SUVs to be the equivalent of a people-moving appliance. Safety is a strong preoccupation of most families and this area of concern is a compelling rationale for the Taurus X. It was rated the safest seven-passenger crossover SUV in America by earning five-star ratings in all four categories of government crash tests and a ŒTop Safety Pick' rating from the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety. Taurus X has Ford's AdvanceTrac electronic stability control. This technology can predict the vehicle's path using a sensor to detect and measure oversteer and yaw (rotation around an axis) by monitoring the vehicle's speed, throttle position and steering wheel angle. When the system senses wheel slip or the loss of traction, it reduces engine torque and applies braking where needed to keep the car tracking safely on its intended path. On the road the Taurus X is relatively quiet. The kids in back should be able to enjoy their movies and cartoons on the entertainment system in relative peace. How the adults will withstand the experience is another questions if the children are not using the headphone jacks. Our test vehicle was set up as a six-passenger unit (other seating configurations are available) with three rows of two seats. And whatever else you can say about Ford's latest SUV, seating is not its strong point. Most of these larger crossover SUVs are probably sold to families and for this kind of transport the Taurus X may be appropriate. The front row seats are adequate, but spartan. The bucket seats in the second row are narrow and not well padded, which may be appropriate for your kids, but will not be appreciated your boss and his/her spouse. And the third row of seating should only be attempted by elementary school children. The major advantage of the Taurus' six-seat setup is that there is plenty of space between the second-row bucket seats so the kids can easily proceed to the third row without any parental assistance. In other words, you do not have to move or tilt any of the second row of seats to step into the third row. Given that the Taurus X has three rows of seating, there is not a whole lot of storage space behind the third row‹four or five fully stuffed grocery bags would pretty much push the limits of its capacity. Vehicle:
Ford Taurus X AWD Eddie Bauer Edition
Price as tested: $36,075 Engine: Type: 3.5-liter V-6 Horsepower: 263 @ 6,250 rpm Torque: 249 lbs.-ft. @ 4,500rpm Fuel economy, automatic transmission City 15 mpg Highway 22 mpg Curb Weight: 4,203 lbs.  Cordell Koland is an automotive journalist based in California's central coast. He can be reached at cordellkoland@oakparkjournal.com |
