2009 Ford Taurus

After a short, ill-conceived time as the Ford Five Hundred, the Ford Taurus is again ready to regain its rightful place in the Ford lineup and America’s heart. Introduced in 1986, the Taurus was regularly Ford’s and, often, America’s best-selling car. But a radical redesign for the 2005 model year and an unnecessary name change caused what should have been the all-new Taurus to become the Ford Five Hundred. The old-platform Taurus continued to be built, mainly for commercial fleets. However, for 2008 Ford dropped the Five Hundred designation and appropriately renamed the full-size sedan the Ford Taurus.

2009 News

The 2009 Taurus is very closely related to the Volvo S60 and XC90, as well as the Lincoln MKS. It’s built in Chicago, Illinois. The list of enhancements for 2009 is short but significant. Joining traction control, Advance Trac Electronic Stability Control (ESC) is now standard. ESC helps drivers maintain control in urgent maneuvers and on slippery roads. Also new: If an accident is unavoidable, the standard post-crash alert system activates the emergency flashers and honks the horn if the airbags deploy or the safety belt pretensioners activate. If nearby folks didn’t know you’d just had a smash-up big enough to set off the airbags, this will let them know. Let’s continue on the Taurus’ safety features.


Halogen headlights enhance the driver’s view at night. The Taurus has two full-length side-curtain airbags that are designed to protect occupants in rollover accidents and secondary impacts. Front seat passengers have additional side airbags. An extra steel tube under the front seats helps reduce injuries in side impacts. Four-wheel discs with anti-lock brake system (ABS) are standard as well. The combination of these safety features allowed the 2008 Taurus with the then-optional electronic stability control (now standard) to win the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety’s coveted “Top Safety Pick” award. The Taurus scored the IIHS’ top rating in every crash test. In testing by the U.S. government, the 2009 Taurus scored the top five-star rating in every category except for rollover, where it received a four out of five rating.

Performance

All Taurus models are powered by a strong 263-horsepower 3.5-liter V-6 engine. The four-valves-per-cylinder double overhead cam, Ohio-built powerplant produces a peak of 249 pound-feet of torque, thanks partially to variable intake camshaft timing. It’s coupled to a six-speed automatic transmission. The Taurus is available in either front- or all-wheel drive. The EPA rates front-wheel drive models at 18 miles per gallon in the city and 28 mpg highway. AWD models get 17 in the city and 24 on the highway.


The 2009 Taurus is available in five trim levels: the newly added base SE, the up-level Taurus SEL and SEL AWD (all-wheel drive) and the top-of-the-line Limited and Limited AWD. The base SE's equipment includes an AM/FM/CD audio system, six-way, power-adjustable driver's seat and 17-inch-diameter aluminum wheels. New for 2009, the up-level Taurus SEL and top-level Limited come with SIRIUS satellite radio as standard equipment. SIRIUS is an option on SE models. Satellite radio is spectacular for long drives through rural and sparsely populated areas. A six-month subscription to SIRIUS is included with the option (service not available in Alaska and Hawaii).