Topic: Test Drive: 2010 Ford Taurus SHO

[ovr50]

Actually, my '08 535xi weighed in at 3950 pounds, not 4100. Not a big deal, just minor correction.

The new '11 MY might be a bit heavier, but don't know as doesn't exist in "xi" form yet.

[John MacDonald]

Good writeup, but for an extra $1K I can get my hands on a BMW 335i xDrive. For another $500 or so, an Audi S4. Sorry, Ford, but the value proposition just isn't there.

So true.  But both of those vehicles are compact/midsize vehicles and the Ford is a full size.  If it was my money and I wanted performance with a solid family size vehicle I would go for the Subaru Legacy GT, or even the VW CC with the V6.

[John MacDonald]

Congratulations on a well written report. 

This car is a great highway cruiser. Four people can cruise in style, including 4 Golf bags and luggage.  The trunk is huge!   I took it on some twisty roads and was surprised by how nimble it was.  The suspension is tight enough for spirited driving yet comfortable overall.  I have a BMW as well and my wife and I decided it will be the SHO that goes on the next Appalachian run. It's a sporty sedan with a high driving position and enormous trunk, not a true sports sedan that is light, super nimble (and a tiny trunk).

People should be aware that the car can be a gas guzzler in city driving.  Frequent stops and starts can easily drop the gas mileage to 12 MPG in the winter.  The same as any other heavy AWD vehicle.  Highway cruising easily gets 24-28MPG on REGULAR.

My negatives are the lack of HID lights and the waste of space with the large central shifter console.  A few storage cubbies should be built into this.  The key FOB is extremely cheap looking as well.  Visibility could be better but its not bad. Cross traffic alert and rear-view camera make up for it.

As far as the price whining goes, NOTHING comes close for the $$ if you truly compare the HP, AWD, level of luxury equipment and size (especially rear seat comfort and trunk). 

A great sleeper car

Subaru Legacy GT, even though it gives up 100HP it goes from 0-60 in almost the same time (5.5 seconds).  Oh and did I mention it has a better warranty, is about $10,000 cheaper and gets better fuel economy.  The trunk is smaller and there is a little less room but unless you're a obese person you shouldn't have any trouble fitting into the new Legacy.  Oh and it's a standard so a lot closer to a true sports sedan than the SHO.

[Shnak]

Interior volume:
Taurus - 102.3 cubic inch
535 - 99.1 cubic inch

You know how big 3.2 cubic inch is? About the size of a clementine.

I am guessing you are talking about cubic feet.

Anyhow, the 300 lb heavier, RWD 7 Series is 106 cubic feet. No difference, right?

Obviously I'm wrong here. In the hopes of making an argument, I looked up actual volume numbers and read cubic inches instead of feet. So yes, Taurus is much bigger than 535.

[Shnak]

Actually, my '08 535xi weighed in at 3950 pounds, not 4100. Not a big deal, just minor correction.

The new '11 MY might be a bit heavier, but don't know as doesn't exist in "xi" form yet.

Hmm odd. Maybe it's the 535xi wagon that weighs 4100 pounds?

[Benhaze]

Shnak, regardless of what any given car weights, in this case, weight is not a critical factor for the highway fuel economy that was reported. Weight has a much more significant impact when the vehicle is accelerated. Therefore weight is an important factor in city driving or every time the vehicle goes under acceleration. You may not know but between Toronto and Detroit, the landscape is sooooo ever flat. I'm pretty sure it's the same for most of the distance between Chicago and Detroit.

The most important factor at highway speed on a flat surface is the vehicle's drag coefficient (cd). The next important factor is the coefficient of rolling resistance which is determined by the tire design and pressure.

A fuel economy of 10L/100Km in winter at 120 km/h is actually very good and is similar to what I have observed from a Honda Civic with 90 HP to my 275 HP Speed6 and several other cars in between (weight and size).

[350Zed]

It's a "fairly heavy car" at 4,368 lbs???

Ya... and Rita Macneil is a fairly big woman.

Between this and the price, I'm not surprised there's so few of these on the roads.  This size, weight, and price make more sense for a Lincoln, which is why there's so many more new MKSs driving around than Taurus's.

[Benhaze]

It's a "fairly heavy car" at 4,368 lbs???

Ya... and Rita Macneil is a fairly big woman.

Between this and the price, I'm not surprised there's so few of these on the roads.  This size, weight, and price make more sense for a Lincoln, which is why there's so many more new MKZs driving around than Taurus's.

MKZ is the Lincoln equivalent of the Fusion. You probably meant MKS. 

[350Zed]

It's a "fairly heavy car" at 4,368 lbs???

Ya... and Rita Macneil is a fairly big woman.

Between this and the price, I'm not surprised there's so few of these on the roads.  This size, weight, and price make more sense for a Lincoln, which is why there's so many more new MKZs driving around than Taurus's.

MKZ is the Lincoln equivalent of the Fusion. You probably meant MKS. 

Yup... fixed.

[goonboy]

Who on earth would pay nearly $50,000 for a Ford Taurus?   
 
I would go for the V8 Genesis over the SHO any day.  Superior sound system (one of the best on the market), better resale value, more refinement, superior warranty, possible better craftsmanship/build quality, and way better looking inside and out.  The SHO is a decent looking car (front at least), but the back is plain ugly.  The SHO looks like it is worth less than it actually is, while the Genesis looks and drives like it is worth much than it actually is.

There is a reason why the Genesis won car of the year and the SHO didn't. 

[Erik]

Who on earth would pay nearly $50,000 for a Ford Taurus?   
 
I would go for the V8 Genesis over the SHO any day.  Superior sound system (one of the best on the market), better resale value, more refinement, superior warranty, possible better craftsmanship/build quality, and way better looking inside and out.  The SHO is a decent looking car (front at least), but the back is plain ugly.  The SHO looks like it is worth less than it actually is, while the Genesis looks and drives like it is worth much than it actually is.

There is a reason why the Genesis won car of the year and the SHO didn't. 

Also a reason why the Taurus outsold the Genesis 2 to 1 last year. And that is Taurus vs combined Genesis sedan and coupe sales.

I won't argue styling, because that is very subjective and I actually like the looks of both of them.

Curious to know where you get better resale value from. The Genesis has NOT been a sales success.

Where did you drive the Genesis and the SHO? Did you drive them back to back?

[taurus-scotologist]

[/quote]

Subaru Legacy GT, even though it gives up 100HP it goes from 0-60 in almost the same time (5.5 seconds).  Oh and did I mention it has a better warranty, is about $10,000 cheaper and gets better fuel economy.  The trunk is smaller and there is a little less room but unless you're a obese person you shouldn't have any trouble fitting into the new Legacy.  Oh and it's a standard so a lot closer to a true sports sedan than the SHO.
[/quote]

0-60 time is close to the SHO, ...the 80-120 not so much.

trunk is 15cf  (vs 25cf)
torque is 247 (vs 350)
requires 91 octane (vs. 87)

SHO has 6 speed auto that can be manually shifted
also has cooled seats, massaging seats, heated rear seats, cross traffic alert, Blind spot monitoring, and My key.  SYNC hard drive system is superior to the Subie's.

The Subie is a nice ride but trying to fitting  4  six-footers (non-obese) is a lot easier in the SHO

[rrocket]

The Genesis has NOT been a sales success.

It depends what you determine to be a "sales success".  Hyundai in general is low volume in North America.  So I don't think it will be a success on numbers alone.  90 percent of Genesis purchase are first time customers.  That's a success IMO.  And 40 percent of those come from Lexus, MB, BMW and Porsches.  That's a HUGE success IMO to even get 10 percent of those buyers into a Hyundai....

[Mozeby]

The Genesis has NOT been a sales success.

It depends what you determine to be a "sales success".  Hyundai in general is low volume in North America.  So I don't think it will be a success on numbers alone.  90 percent of Genesis purchase are first time customers.  That's a success IMO.  And 40 percent of those come from Lexus, MB, BMW and Porsches.  That's a HUGE success IMO to even get 10 percent of those buyers into a Hyundai....

What do you mean Hyundai is low volume in North America.  Last time I heard, they were somewhere near Chrysler's and Nissan's sales and ahead of the smaller japanese brands.  The Genesis (sedan) hasn't been selling well, not because it isn't a good car, but because of image.  How many people are gonna plunk down 40-50K on a Hyundai?  I don't care if it's got 500hp and silk carpet.  Image is everything in the Luxury market, and badges sell as much as the car sometimes.  These aren't family sedans where people are mainly looking for value.  If you're willing to spend 40K on a family sized car, then your priorities are obviously different then someone whose buying a Sonata.

[rrocket]

The Genesis has NOT been a sales success.

It depends what you determine to be a "sales success".  Hyundai in general is low volume in North America.  So I don't think it will be a success on numbers alone.  90 percent of Genesis purchase are first time customers.  That's a success IMO.  And 40 percent of those come from Lexus, MB, BMW and Porsches.  That's a HUGE success IMO to even get 10 percent of those buyers into a Hyundai....

What do you mean Hyundai is low volume in North America.  Last time I heard, they were somewhere near Chrysler's and Nissan's sales and ahead of the smaller japanese brands.  The Genesis (sedan) hasn't been selling well, not because it isn't a good car, but because of image.  How many people are gonna plunk down 40-50K on a Hyundai?  I don't care if it's got 500hp and silk carpet.  Image is everything in the Luxury market, and badges sell as much as the car sometimes.  These aren't family sedans where people are mainly looking for value.  If you're willing to spend 40K on a family sized car, then your priorities are obviously different then someone whose buying a Sonata.

Hyundai only sells about ~400,000 cars a year in America...Nissan and Chrysler outsell it 2:1.

Here's the most recent figures:  http://online.wsj.com/mdc/public/page/2_3022-autosales.html#autosalesE

[Mozeby]

The Genesis has NOT been a sales success.

It depends what you determine to be a "sales success".  Hyundai in general is low volume in North America.  So I don't think it will be a success on numbers alone.  90 percent of Genesis purchase are first time customers.  That's a success IMO.  And 40 percent of those come from Lexus, MB, BMW and Porsches.  That's a HUGE success IMO to even get 10 percent of those buyers into a Hyundai....

What do you mean Hyundai is low volume in North America.  Last time I heard, they were somewhere near Chrysler's and Nissan's sales and ahead of the smaller japanese brands.  The Genesis (sedan) hasn't been selling well, not because it isn't a good car, but because of image.  How many people are gonna plunk down 40-50K on a Hyundai?  I don't care if it's got 500hp and silk carpet.  Image is everything in the Luxury market, and badges sell as much as the car sometimes.  These aren't family sedans where people are mainly looking for value.  If you're willing to spend 40K on a family sized car, then your priorities are obviously different then someone whose buying a Sonata.

Hyundai only sells about ~400,000 cars a year in America...Nissan and Chrysler outsell it 2:1.

Here's the most recent figures:  http://online.wsj.com/mdc/public/page/2_3022-autosales.html#autosalesE

I was including Kia.

[Erik]

The Genesis has NOT been a sales success.

It depends what you determine to be a "sales success".  Hyundai in general is low volume in North America.  So I don't think it will be a success on numbers alone.  90 percent of Genesis purchase are first time customers.  That's a success IMO.  And 40 percent of those come from Lexus, MB, BMW and Porsches.  That's a HUGE success IMO to even get 10 percent of those buyers into a Hyundai....

So hard to find detailed info on this.
Anyhow, apparently Hyundai was expecting sales of 50,000 units per year of the Genesis brand. That was to be a split of 20000 sedans and 30000 coupes. It ain't nowhere close to that, as Hyundai is running around 22,000 for the year, with the majority being the sedan.

[jimbo]

Glad all the Ford haters showed up!
Why can't people compare the taurus to cars within it's class?
Taurus vs Legacy ? WTF?  are you kidding.  I think the legacy fits
in the Taurus's trunk.  God help you if u get t-boned in that little legacy
I would not put my kids in the back seat of any vehicle that weighs less
than 4000lbs.  It's not worth it.   If I remember correctly the 5 series BMW's failed the side impact tests.

This is a big car, probably more in line with a 7 series.   

Seeing lot's of these around, a few SHO models and they look great and
most of the online resources like them too. 

It took people a long time to change their opinion on Hynudai and Kia, I suspect the Ford haters will come around too, but it will take a long time as well.  Hyundai and Ford have two of the hottest lineups around these days.

How 'bout Toyota !!!   Venza, corolla, camry, wow that's an exciting line up!! or Honda's new Craptour, underpowered CRV, ugly civic and fit !!  yikes, that's a lineup of great vehicles...doh! 

So back to the original posts - apples to apples please.   

[Calvin]

Subaru Legacy GT, even though it gives up 100HP it goes from 0-60 in almost the same time (5.5 seconds).  Oh and did I mention it has a better warranty, is about $10,000 cheaper and gets better fuel economy.  The trunk is smaller and there is a little less room but unless you're a obese person you shouldn't have any trouble fitting into the new Legacy.  Oh and it's a standard so a lot closer to a true sports sedan than the SHO.

Aside from the obvious - they're not in the same league etc etc as per Jimbo...the (new) Legacy is also $10,000 uglier than the SHO.   

[Benhaze]

The Genesis has NOT been a sales success.

It depends what you determine to be a "sales success".  Hyundai in general is low volume in North America.  So I don't think it will be a success on numbers alone.  90 percent of Genesis purchase are first time customers.  That's a success IMO.  And 40 percent of those come from Lexus, MB, BMW and Porsches.  That's a HUGE success IMO to even get 10 percent of those buyers into a Hyundai....

Very good point. To bring customers from any of the German brands into a Hyundai showroom is a big success that becomes a huge one if a Genesis is purchased.