Even powering a car this size and this heavy, it proves rather flexible and is capable of many a feat of acceleration and re-acceleration alike.

The automatic six-speed transmission with paddle shifter responds well to requests, and in full automatic mode easily and discretely changes gears. In manual mode, though, the response time isn’t as quick as I would’ve like, which in some conditions is a disadvantage. All is quickly forgotten, however, once you’re back in automatic mode.

And even if we did have a few reservations, let’s just say that the twisty Carolina roads lent themselves rather well to a few dynamic tests, which the Taurus undertook without flinching. And which the optional Haldex all-wheel drive system easily mastered.

The Taurus is quite a car, as much in its basic SE incarnation as in its high-end SEL one.

Technology à gogo
Other than fun driving and a more inspired design, the new Taurus emerges from its ashes cloaked in the fashion of the day and featuring a slew of technologies unique in this segment. Obviously, keyless access, always coupled with Ford’s digital keyboard, is still offered but has been improved.

It’s paired with systems like MyKey, adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring copied off Volvo’s BLIS, rain-sensing wipers and an improved version of Sync not only featuring better voice activation but also including, in the U.S. at any rate, a GPS-like guiding system that can find the cheapest gas around.

Revolutionary? Maybe not. But the Taurus is quite a car, as much in its basic SE incarnation as in its high-end SEL one. For a car this size it definitely stands out, in every sense of the word. A successful rejuvenation for Ford that restores a bit of the prestige of a name that has been rather mistreated over the years and which will land in our dealerships next August.




Photo Credit : Marc Bouchard, Ford