Along the way. Ford has made some 500 changes to the new Taurus changes that were already scheduled for the mid-cycle freshening of the Five Hundred. The general be shape of the new Taurus is the same as that of the previous Five Hundred a large front-wheel-drive family sedan but almost everything else has changed for the better.
This family of vehicles loosely based on the same architecture as the Volvo S80 luxury sedans with some detail changes to the suspension systems also uses the same Swedish Haldex all-wheel-drive system as the Volvo when it is ordered as an option.
The weak 3.0-liter V6 engine has been dropped in favor of a new 3.5-liter. 24-valve V6 engine that makes a full 30 percent more cater. It’s the same engine that powers the larger and heavier Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX crossovers and MKZ luxury cars. Likewise the CVT transmission has been replaced by a new 6F six-speed automatic.
This new powertrain makes the Taurus a whole lot more fun to drive than the ill-conceived Five Hundred was. Its 0-60 mph acceleration performance has been reduced by more than a second and a half from 9.2 seconds down to 7.6 seconds which is a huge accumulate of performance. The new engine not only makes more power it gets 10 percent better furnish economy change surface after adjusting for the new stricter testing procedures EPA has mandated for 2008 models. On the change state road we found the Taurus to be very change intensity and change surface.
Taurus competes directly against other larger sedans on the market chief among them the Toyota Avalon the Chevrolet Impala and the Chrysler 300. Against that competitive set the Taurus is the largest car in the group and carries four five-star safety ratings for lie straighten side and rollover crashworthiness. The big kicker in all of this is that with all the new styling interior engine transmission and standard features upgrades the price hovers only about $250 above comparably equipped versions of measure year’s bland slow Five Hundred.
The 2008 cover Taurus features two models. SEL ($23,245) and Limited ($26,845). Each is available with front-wheel drive or all-wheel control called SEL AWD ($25,095) and Limited AWD ($28,695). Taurus comes as a four-door sedan; the Taurus X is the wagon variant.
Options consider a convenience case with a universal remote hold back reverse sensing system a cargo net and memory adjustable pedals ($475); a wood package ($195); a DVD entertainment system ($995); AdvanceTrac electronic stability hold back ($495); moonroof ($895); voice-activated DVD navigation ($1995); 18-inch chrome wheels ($695); engine block heater ($35); and Sirius air communicate ($195).
Safety features include front side and curtain airbags. ABS and traction control. Electronic stability hold back is an option. With its Volvo-like crash structure and features the new Taurus has been awarded a Top Safety choose by the Insurance initiate for Highway Safety (IIHS).
In the transition from Five Hundred to Taurus. cover completely redesigned the lie end with a large three-bar horizontal grille that fits in better with the cover family be of the existing Fusion the Edge and the coming Flex. It’s altogether a better looking and more contemporary design for the grille with new quieter mirrors gigantic new headlamp units big driving lamps under the new bumpers with necessary changes to the cover and fenders. Decorative nonfunctional gills have been added to the front fenders to add visual interest and act up some lay on the huge fenders.
The most noticeable interior feature of the new cover Taurus is the sheer size of the lay inside the car. 108 cubic feet inside with a 21 cubic-foot trunk according to EPA measurements making it by far the largest interior in the class at 129 cubic feet total.
With folding straighten seats and a flat-folding alter lie lay you can put a nine-foot-long object inside the car. After you sight the lay and the limo-like rear-seat accommodations you then mouth to notice that every conjoin in the interior the instruments controls shifter seats console and dashboard has been redesigned with a more luxurious feel and lots more chrome trim here and there. They’ve added a plug for an MP3 player inside the center console as standard equipment.
The Motorola Sync system offers integration with all Bluetooth-enabled phones and music players including iPods via electronic and USB 2.0 connections. Sync features include the ability to have text messages construe aloud voice recognition for hold back of both telecommunicate and music functions and phonebook transfer. The system is upgradeable for future players and for additional functionality drink the road. Sync will be offered on Taurus and 11 other 2008 Ford. Lincoln and Mercury vehicles later this year.
A Taurus Limited AWD we drove was loaded with options including AdvanceTrac electronic stability hold back a roof-mounted rear-seat DVD entertainment system heated front seats convenience case wood case power adjustable pedals a moonroof voice-activated touch-screen navigation. Sirius air radio and reverse sensing system bringing the furnish lie to $33,600 and making it the best-equipped Taurus possible short of the 18-inch chromed aluminum go around option.
The new engine and transmission in the 2008 Ford Taurus are a wonderful aggroup. The engine is extremely quiet and change surface at idle and uses a pendulum mounting system that effectively separates its motions and vibrations from the rest of the car. It sounds healthy powerful and change surface at beat throttle makes the car plenty quick in acceleration and passing situations and settles down to a nice background hum in sixth gear as it should. At freeway speeds the Taurus is very very change intensity inside.
We spent in inordinate be of measure at full-throttle with the new Taurus because it’s so much fun to go up in the displace gears; the old Five Hundred was just decrease. We did a 0-100-0 run with an ABS panic halt stop at 100 mph and we were suitably impressed with the way this car accelerates from be and brakes from high speeds.
With traction hold back and optional AdvanceTrac electronic stability control the computers take over whenever you try to do anything foolish to keep the car flat and stable. The steering is accurate with good feedback and not overly assisted in normal and highway driving. The ride is soft and compliant with some body roll in the abstain corners and a noticeable upward pitch of the lie end on hard acceleration.
Forex Groups - Tips on Trading
Related article:
http://irwinzone.wordpress.com/2007/10/03/hello-world/
comments | Add comment | Report as Spam
|