Two For the Road Visit the Ford Taurus Team at the Boulders Resort in Carefree, Arizona June 18, 2007
A Report from Bill Z
What’s in a name? Well, according to Ford when it comes to branding, quite a bit. There’s no doubt that the Ford Five Hundred hasn’t generated the kind of success that Ford felt it would, and they’re laying part of the blame on the lack of name recognition with “Five Hundred.”
The Fairlane 500 was a mainstay of the Ford line-up for a lot of years beginning in 1957 when the 500 trim line was introduced, until 1971 when the name was dropped with the introduction of the Torino. The 500 designation was dormant for over 30 years until 2005 when Ford reintroduced the Five Hundred as their new flagship, sedan replacing the Taurus.
Fast forward to 2007 when Ford realized that they weren’t capitalizing on one of the most recognizable names in the industry, and announced the resurrection of the iconic name, Taurus. They also introduced a new name, Taurus X for the three-row crossover, and they’re bringing the Mercury Sable back to the line-up.
According to Ford, there were nearly seven million Taurus’ sold after its introduction 1985 and the end of production in October of 2006, with almost three and a half million still on the road so clearly Ford feels that bringing the name back will eliminate any need to “introduce” the new model.
Ford is quick to point out that there is a whole lot more than just a name change. The new Taurus boasts over 500 engineering changes that make this car more distinctive, quieter and safer with much better performance. But perhaps one of the most important things Ford can boast about is the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety “top safety pick” rating in frontal offset, side and rear impact crash protection.
While the basic shape of the Taurus is similar to the Five Hundred, the styling has taken cues from the very popular Fusion with the signature three-bar chrome grille, a very neat sculpted hood with accent lines, and a new front fascia that adds to the overall appearance. It’s amazing at how seemingly small inconsequential design changes can make a big difference and case in point is the new taillight assembly on the Taurus. They carry an interesting horizontal theme and along with a new rear fascia that houses dual chrome-tipped exhaust. Chrome side vents, door handles and mirror caps on the high-line models make it look even better and more expensive.
The new 3.5 liter Duratec V6 engine delivers an impressive 260 horsepower, a nearly 30% increase from the previous engine, and an acceptable 245 lb-ft of torque that makes the Taurus a much improved performer over the Five Hundred. The six-speed automatic transmission is very smooth and even with the increase in horsepower and torque, the Taurus delivers fuel economy similar to the Fiver Hundred. The availability of and All Wheel Dive system and electronic stability control make the Taurus even more solid on the road.
You can’t talk about cars today with getting into technology, and available in the Taurus is the Ford Sync voice-activated hands-free communications and entertainment system which fully integrates mobile phones and digital media players. The system was developed in association with Microsoft and will be offered exclusively on 12 Ford and Lincoln-Mercury cars in North America beginning this year.
The IIHS safety rating speaks volumes about safety features built into the new Taurus. With standard side airbags, dual-stage driver and passenger front airbags, seat-deployed side air bags for the driver and front passenger, and Ford’s trademarked Safety Canopy side curtain air bags for both rows, standard and the availability of stability control Ford is confident that the Taurus will be among the safest cars on the highway.
At the end of the day with Ford, I came away feeling like Ford is indeed on the right track with this new iteration of the Taurus. The styling cues are subtle yet have a very good impact on the design of the car. The interior is much nicer and certainly quieter than the predecessor, and much more comfortable. Even the look over the hood is improved and the car just has a more solid feel about it.
While I believe a name is important, I think the product has to perform because the bottom line is, if the product doesn’t fill the need and do it well, the name doesn’t mean a thing. On the other hand, Ford is betting that the name will bring former Taurus owners back into the fold, and once they’re there, they’ll be very happy with this all new Taurus. Only time will tell.
