Ford will unveil the 2013 Taurus today at the New York auto show, but some automotive writers are already unimpressed with many of the changes, and say that some aspects that needed a refresh – such as interior space – were ignored.
“There's nothing revolutionary in the new Taurus, aside from the fact that Ford has been able to renew its full-size sedan twice in the same time GM has let the Impala turn into rental-car compost,” writes Jalopnik. “Instead, Ford has made scores of small changes — from adding MyFord Touch into the revised dash to full LED tail lamps — meant to keep the Taurus from going stale.”
One of the Taurus’ biggest updates is underneath the hood. “The base 3.5-liter V-6 returns, but it gains 27 horsepower, to 290 hp, and is more efficient, Ford says. The current V-6 gets 18/28 mpg city/highway,” reports Kicking Tires. They add, “An all-new turbocharged four-cylinder joins the lineup. Ford says it will get at least 31 mpg on the highway. It's rated at 237 hp but makes 250 pounds-feet of torque, just a few behind the base V-6’s 255 pounds-feet. Both engines are teamed to six-speed automatic transmissions.” In a press release, Ford claims that this 31 mpg city/highway rating makes it the most fuel-efficient model in its class, and is possible thanks to powertrain features like electric power-assisted steering, smart battery management and aggressive deceleration fuel shutoff.
To enhance performance, Ford also added torque vectoring control, which makes the vehicle more maneuverable when rounding corners at high speeds. Curve control – a braking feature Ford has developed – is also new, and slows the Taurus if the driver enters a curve too quickly.
“Inside, there are a number of small revisions to cabin materials, but the biggest addition is the instrument cluster with digital displays and the optional MyFord Touch multimedia system — it’s standard on the SHO — that we’ve seen in the new Explorer and Edge SUVs,” says Kicking Tires. The Taurus also adds park assist technology and a new heated steering wheel to its features list.
Shoppers after something with better performance should check out the Taurus SHO, which Ford has also updated. For 2012, Ford has focused on enhancing performance by giving the SHO larger brakes, torque vectoring control and electrically power-assisted steering. The SHO keeps its 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6, which makes 365 horsepower and 350 pound feet of torque.
Ford made both the SHO and the base Taurus look sportier. The base model gains a muscular hood, larger wheels and LED tail lamps, while the SHO has a black mesh grille, SHO badges and 19-inch premium plated wheels.
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