2012 Ford Taurus

The Taurus is Ford's flagship that offers full-size car interior dimensions, luxury car interior quietness, a top safety rating as well as advanced technology, to give it's owners confidence on the road.

The Ford Taurus is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States. Originally introduced in the 1986 model year, it has remained in near-continuous production for more than two decades, making it the fourth oldest nameplate that is currently sold in the North American Ford lineup. It has had a more upscale Mercury branded version entitled the Sable (1986–2005; 2008–2009), as well as a performance variant, the Ford Taurus SHO (1989–1999 and 2010–); in addition, it served as the basis for the first-ever front-wheel drive Lincoln Continental (1988–1994). It was a front-wheel drive mid-size car during its first production run, and it is now a full-size car available in front- or all-wheel drive. It is built on the D3 platform since 2006.

The original Taurus was a milestone design for Ford and the entire American automotive industry, as well as a very influential vehicle that brought many new features and innovations to the marketplace. Since its launch in 1986, Ford had built 7,519,919 Tauruses through the 2007 model year, making it the fifth best selling North American nameplate in Ford's history; only the F-150, Escort, Model T, and Mustang have sold more units. Between 1992 and 1996, the Taurus was the best-selling car in the United States, eventually losing the title to the Toyota Camry in 1997. The 1986–1995 Taurus was built on the DN-5 platform, 1996-1999 Taurus was built on the DN101 platform. The 2000-2007 Tauruses were built on the D186 which was a modified DN 101 platform.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, sales of the Taurus declined as it lost market share to Japanese midsize sedans and as Ford shifted resources towards developing SUVs. It was discontinued in 2006, with production initially ending on October 27, 2006, and 2007 being the last model year. Ford had decided to replace the Taurus with the fullsize Five Hundred and midsize Fusion sedans, as well as replacing the Taurus wagon with the Freestyle crossover SUV. However, Ford revived the Taurus name during the 2007 Chicago Auto Show a few months later by renaming two new models that had been intended to be updated versions of the Five Hundred and the Freestyle, the "2008 Taurus" and "2008 Taurus X", respectively. A new model of Taurus was then released for the 2010 model year.

The Third-generation Taurus had a presence in NASCAR, replacing the Thunderbird after the 1997 season. The Taurus became the first sedan to be approved for competition. The first Taurus driver to win the Winston Cup (now Sprint Cup) championship was Dale Jarrett, who drove #88 Ford Quality Care/Ford Credit-sponsored cars owned by Robert Yates. The first Taurus driver to win the Busch Series (now Nationwide Series) championship was Greg Biffle, who drove #60 Grainger Industrial Supply-sponsored cars owned by Jack Roush. In total, Tauruses have won three Winston Cup championships and two Busch Series championships.

First revealed at the 2011 New York Auto Show, the Taurus will receive a refresh for the 2013 model year. The body sports a new front fascia and slightly updated rear fascia as well as all-new wheel options. The SHO model will look different from its stablemates, but power is unchanged from its EcoBoost V6. Power in the 3.5L V6, standard in non-SHO models, is up to 290 hp and is expected to get increased MPG. There will be a new engine option for non-SHO models, a 2.0L EcoBoost Inline 4 developing 237 hp and delivering an expected best-in-class 31 miles per gallon highway. All models receive upgrades to the steering and braking systems to improve driveability. My Ford Touch will also be part of Taurus's Sync system.

The Ford Taurus SHO, released in August, 2009, is the high-performance version of the Ford Taurus. The SHO is powered by Ford's new EcoBoost 3.5L V6 engine. The twin-turbocharged, gasoline direct injection power plant has 365 horsepower (272 kW) and 350 lb·ft (470 N·m) of torque. The EcoBoost V6 achieves the same fuel economy as the base 3.5L V6. The Taurus SHO base price is $37,995 which includes the EcoBoost V6, all wheel drive, upgraded 6-speed automatic transmission and numerous exterior and interior trim upgrades. A fully loaded SHO will be $45,000. There is also an optional performance package on the new SHO, which includes upgraded brake pads, a 3.16:1 final drive ratio (compared to the standard 2.77:1), recalibrated electronic power steering, further suspension tuning, a recalibrated ESC (Electronic Stability Control) with sport mode and summer compound Goodyear Eagle F1 245/45ZR20 tires, albeit to the exclusion of many feature options like Power Sunroof, Heated/Cooled Seats, Multi-Contour Seats, Auto-Sensing Lights and Wipers, Adaptive Cruise Control, Adjustable Pedals, Blind Spot Information System (BLIS), and Satellite Navigation.