Is the New Taurus SHO a True Sport Sedan?

I just don't see who in their right mind would buy the SHO. If you need a big sedan, the base Taurus will have plenty of engine for $10,000 less. If you want a true sport sedan, there are plenty of other proven options in the $40,000 price range (not least of which are the G37 or the 335i, both of which have available AWD, too, or even the G8 GXP!) It just doesn't seem that the SHO has the performance chops to justify its hefty price tag.

While not my cup o' tea, the Taurus seems to be an interesting and even compelling executive car, with its size and large feature content. Oftentimes, executives or partners in legal firms get oversize corporate Lincolns or other such snooze mobiles. This car ads a little spice to the equation.

For me, I went ahead and got a G.

This was pointless from the beginning. The G37 is RWD and much lighter and smaller. No one considering an SHO is going to by a compact 335i.

This car should be compared to the 300C, A6, M35X, STS and GS350.

BTW, for $46k you can get a 335i with a handful of options. Be prepared to shell out well over $50k to get comparable equipment to the loaded SHO in this test. The 535xi starts at $51k.

"If you need a big sedan, the base Taurus will have plenty of engine for $10,000 less." -- I agree.
"the Taurus seems to be an interesting and even compelling executive car, with its size and large feature content." -- I agree
"This was pointless from the beginning. The G37 is RWD and much lighter and smaller." -- I agree

I agree with the others who think that the G37 might not be the real competitor for this car.

I am also suprised that Ford hasn't loaded its test fleet with sport package equiped SHO's. Given the cars that it is likely to be compared to, you would think that they would want to stack the deck as much as they can.

The SHO is a different beast than the G37. The SHO is one big honkin family sedan that has a little surprise wen you put your foot down. The G37 is a sports sedan with a little extra room in the back seat.

I thought it was an interesting comparison. As long as you keep the above in mind, I enjoyed reading the article. The G37 won because the reviews were done from the point of view of an auto enthusiast. From the point of view of a family man with an itch to scratch, the SHO would win.

Come now IL, you guys know just as well as we do what has already been said above: this is NOT the comparison test the SHO needed. 1487 nailed it.

bankerdanny is right on the money with the lack of the sport package SHOs. Maybe they had a problem with something and couldn't get a dozen of them out and had to use the standards?

brn, I did enjoy the article too, but it just doesn't make sense. It is almost as silly as the Jeep SRT8 vs the Audi R8. Or why Chewbacca is from a planet full of tiny Ewoks.

fuhten, you're right about it being a silly comparison. The only valid part about is is they're priced similarly (when equally equipped). If you can ignore the bogus comparison, it's an interesting article with some good observations.

IL, let's put the SHO up against a the M45x. I think we'll see the MUCH less expensive SHO put the M35x to shame. It might even embarrass the M45x.

LOL at the comments re: this not being a true comparison.

Let's see if this makes sense. I'm in the market for a 5 series or a M45. Do you think I seriously would pause and ask myself whether I really want an SHO instead, because after all, I just saw a review showing that this SHO was overpriced and was beaten in the performance category by the lesser siblings (3 series or G37) of the car I'm considering?

teekey, I don't know why you'd consider the M45 then, as it'd also get beat by the G37.

Even if you're adamant about buying domestic, there are several other choices with better performance and price.

I think Ford should have not included the SHO in the Taurus lineup and instead made a "hot" version of the Fusion. A hot Fusion would have been more attainable and more fun to drive even fully optioned.

teekey:

If handling is the primary thing you are worried about a smaller car typically is superior to a larger heavier car. As someone else noted, the G37 beats the M dynamically. People buy larger, more expensive cars because they want the space or the prestige they believe comes with having a larger vehicle. If the SHO is pointless because it cant outhandle a G37 you might as well say the same thing for the A6, M, E class, etc.

I surprised no-one is comparing the SHO with a Genesis Sedan.

Ford markets the SHO as a high performance sedan. Its really a cruiser with a motor. Thats the bottom line.

well a comparison to the Genesis might actually make sense so dont expect to see one.