#Ford Taurus -- On the afternoon of Day 1, our 2010 Ford Taurus road trip takes a timeout, and a professional driver on a closed course takes the wheel. In his/her/its hands, our Gold Leaf 2010 Ford Taurus Limited tops out at 110 mph, so the full-size sedan wouldn't be much of a 'bahn burner. It's the same whether you have it "D" or in manual mode (4th or 5th gear).
It's an arbitrary limit. The engine is running at a relaxed 3,100-3,200 rpm in 6th gear. Perhaps the 17-inch tires on the base SE model have a low speed rating. Or perhaps Ford just wants you to abide by the law.
Erin Riches, Senior Editor @ 580 miles
billt9 says:
05:20 PM, 06/23/09
I like this. Still ridiculous on a family car, but improving.
I don't know why 4-cylinder Camry/Altima/Accords need to go 135 mph. I believe none of them are electronically speed limited. The 4-cylinders are drag limited at around 135 mph.
I propose 90 mph speed limiters on all non sporty cars.
brn says:
05:27 PM, 06/23/09
For liability reasons, Ford has been doing this for a very long time. I suspect they lost a few lawsuits.
clarkma5 says:
05:30 PM, 06/23/09
I object to speed limiters on the principle that I want to do what the car can do. I don't mind much if the limiter is for tires and isn't too far of the car's real speed, but VW and Audi sell cars here in the US that can push into the 160s at least and they're limited to 130. I feel cheated!
uncanny_man says:
05:38 PM, 06/23/09
Riigght... 110 mph is definately abiding by the law...
billt9 says:
05:44 PM, 06/23/09
I propose we do a midterm vote in which Hillary Clinton becomes president and limits all highway speed limits to 55 mph, and all non-sporty vehicles electronically limited to 60 mph.
This will then force us to start building all cities like New York City, leaving plenty of open lands for wildlife.
Given this, at a later date, Squirrels will evolve in the open land into a well organized sentient race, with whom we will go to continental war with. Death to squirrels!
stovt001 says:
05:51 PM, 06/23/09
110 does seem awfully low. I initially suspect it has to do with low speed rated tires, and I have to admit it makes sense for Ford to not spend money on high speed rated tires when you don't exactly buy a car like this to cruise at very high speeds.
gdmstrb says:
08:49 PM, 06/23/09
110 is more than enough, it's not like American drivers have proven that they can handle more. I don't understand the bellyaching here. If you want it off that bad go buy a programer.
brn says:
07:27 AM, 06/24/09
stovt, my car came with 118mph tires and the speed limiter is set to 112. I hit 112 once. I only did it to see what it was like to hit the limit of a speed limiter It was kinda cool (pulled hard at 111, wasn't going to let me do 112.5).
Since then, I've bounced against 100mph a couple of times, but never felt "limited". After all, I don't drive a track car.
I can't say that I'm a fan of the limit, but it's easy to live with.
firstwagon says:
07:57 AM, 06/24/09
110 is beyond the "limit" or ability of 95% of the drivers on the road. Few people realize how fast things happen at that speed and how difficult it is to recover from a mistake.
I think a great idea would be to put 75 mph limiters on all cars which can be turned off if the driver can show he has completed an advanced training course and actually can drive safely at higher speeds.
mahdigga says:
08:09 AM, 06/24/09
Does the speedometer always have a reflective glare as such? I have been noticing in all the pictures and reviews but no-one has mentioned it yet.
roar02ram says:
08:34 AM, 06/24/09
I wonder why the engine's is apparently turning at like 6000 RPM in this photo...
brn says:
09:00 AM, 06/24/09
roar02ram, I'm guessing Erin had it floored to get up to the limit for the picture. Shoulda waited for it to shift. Would have made a better picture.
qualitycontrol says:
12:30 PM, 06/24/09
Considering the fact that the SHO model is limited to 130, maybe it's to distinguish the character of the cars. The base Taurus has most of the SHO's features available as options (including awd) and it has 263hp, which can make for spirited driving, regardless of the chassis's chubby nature. Plus it has 6 gears and a manu-matic mode. Can this thing get past 140 by doing nothing more than removing the limiter? Absolutely. BUT, would you feel safer doing it in this SEL or in the SHO? I know even though it is capable of more, I wouldn't go past 100. In a CTS or Malibu, absolutely and maybe, respectively. But not in any Taurus not wearing a SHO badge.
gdmstrb says:
01:57 PM, 06/24/09
qualitycontrol: So I take it you have driven the car to determine the lack os stability at higher speeds vs. that of a CTS or Malibu?
And chassis' chubby nature? What does that even mean?
billt9 says:
03:07 PM, 06/24/09
a Camry is stable at 130 mph.
Things to check:
1. alignment.
2. tire pressure.
3. tire is anything but a cheap Goodyear Integrity.
The Taurus would be a terrible car if it can't even match a Camry.
qualitycontrol says:
07:15 PM, 06/24/09
gdmstrb: I counsider a 4,000+ lb sedan to be "chubby", even if it is personifying the term. I know the tendency is to build bigger, more powerful cars and stuff them full of technology, but it undoubtedly adds heft and body roll, especially on a sedan like this. I've personally driven the CTS and Malibu, and the cars are all quite similar in weight, power, features and handling, precisely why I referred to them. The CTS has a power and weight advantage, and when I threw it into a corner at 85, I was really shocked. It gripped very well, but since it's a heavy sedan, it had a small amount of body roll. The Malibu was similar, although it doesn't really inspire much confidence driving it near its limits like the CTS. Therefore, I picked these two because I think the Taurus falls in between. I think it would suffer from the same body roll issue, and further I don't think speed would build as smoothly as the Cadillac and Chevy. Do I know this for certain? No. I've never driven it. It's just a hypothesis, and hell, upon driving it, it might turn out to be the best car I've ever driven in my life, and if that was the case, I'd take back everything I said. But I highly doubt that.