#Ford Taurus -- I cross the Louisiana-Texas stateline under cover of darkness. The next morning as I'm fueling up at a truck stop in Longview, two middle-aged couples notice our Gold Leaf 2010 Ford Taurus Limited and I hear them clucking to themselves about how the car looks better than last year's Taurus. These are the only people who will comment on my 2010 Taurus during the entire road trip.
"That's the 2010, isn't it?" one of the men asks me. Then, nodding in his wife's direction, he says, "You should go look at that car," as if to imply there's a strong chance she'll be getting a brand new Taurus this summer.
But this isn't a Nissan GT-R I'm driving, and she doesn't have the courage (or more likely, the interest) to come up and pepper me with questions. Had she asked, though, I would have commented on the car's pleasant ride and general feeling of refinement.
But I also would said that the two-ton sedan is a little short on passing power, even with a 3.5-liter V6 rated at a respectable 263 horsepower at 6,250 rpm and 249 pound-feet of torque at 4,500 rpm. The car's six-speed automatic transmission usually needs to drop two gears for authoritative passing, and it's not especially quick to do this. Also, it could definitely be smoother during full-throttle upshifts.
Erin Riches, Senior Editor @ 1,226 miles
fuhteng says:
07:15 AM, 06/24/09
First! And while 263 hp used to be enough back when cars didn't weigh as much as a small moon, it just isn't quite enough now.
So does this mean IL will be getting a SHO for their long-term blog?
brn says:
07:21 AM, 06/24/09
I've been wondering what the grill looked like up close. Now I know.
Bugs are probably the worst part of road trips.
"And while 263 hp used to be enough back when cars didn't weigh as much as a small moon, it just isn't quite enough now."
263hp used to be enough when people didn't expect to hit sixty in seven seconds. Take this car back in time 20 years and people would comment on how quick it is.
stingray454 says:
07:50 AM, 06/24/09
Poor dragonfly. Those are my favorite insects: they don't bite people, they eat mosquitos, they look cool, they have reciprocating wings, and they're so big they scare a lot of people.
firstwagon says:
08:21 AM, 06/24/09
I looked up the original Taurus from a 1986 magazine and it weighed a super light 2863 lbs.
Even adding 300 lbs or so for safety stuff, it would still be a rocket with 263 hp.
The Taurus doesn't need more HP it needs less weight.
estreka says:
08:42 AM, 06/24/09
Erin, I grew up in a little town called Nacogdoches, about 50 miles south of Longview. I can tell ya, there are some serious driving roads down there in the Pineywoods. Too bad you had the Taurus.
alman08 says:
08:43 AM, 06/24/09
If this car is really really really quiet and stable during high speed driving (70mph - 90mph)with excellent stopping power, in my opinion, I can justify the added weight, given the increase in size over the previous generations Taurus. I read somewhere that sound deadening materials can add a lot of weight to a car, and better suspension systems will do the same as well.
So far again, this car looks very promising on paper... we shall see in a couple of years.
brn says:
08:56 AM, 06/24/09
Here's an interesting table of old 0-60 times:
http://buzztrader.com/articles/qmtimes/qm-ford.html
Yea, different places measure differently, but it gives you an idea.
This Taurus is a lot quicker than the old ones.
1487 says:
10:50 AM, 06/24/09
yeah cars today are faster while getting better mileage in spite of weighing more. We cannot go back to the days of 2800lb midsize cars due to safety regulations and high levels of content.
firstwagon says:
10:57 AM, 06/24/09
and huge bloated bodies (the cars I mean, not the drivers)
billt9 says:
02:57 PM, 06/24/09
In 1986 the magnificent Ford Taurus 2.5-liter 90 hp, 3 speed automatic got 18/24 mpg.
I wish they build cars like that today.
Today's cars are too heavy. Who needs a 200+ hp engine. That's insane.
07mx5 says:
09:07 PM, 06/24/09
i live in texas. I can't ever get the front end of my car clear of bug guts. it's SO annoying!
zoomzoomn says:
04:36 AM, 06/26/09
PETA will surely be calling you for posting a picture of such a massacre! :) I think that they are startinga "stop driving now" campaign as we post!!!
zoomzoomn says:
05:03 AM, 06/26/09
"By brn on June 24, 2009 8:56 AM" ...
That link is awesome and should serve as a reminder to all as to just how fast the average car is now! My behemoth Nissan Armada would blow away all but the fastest cars from the 60's, 70's and 80's. That is just wierd, really. Cool, but wierd. Begs the question...how fast is fast enough? Or, maybe not!