2008 Ford Taurus AWD

Welcome to the Driving Range with Dave Jordan - Your Auto Guide to the South Shore of Nova Scotia. All you need to know about Nova Scotia's South Shore Auto scene.

This week, Dave Jordan checks the 2008 Ford Taurus AWD:

On this late March day as I pulled in to Mahone Auto’s Ford parking lot, the snow was coming down at a rapid pace working up to its crescendo where Mother Nature would ultimately dump another 10 cm on the ground. Having arrived from a harrowing trip in from Halifax – passing two fatal accidents, one causing a section of highway to be closed for several hours – I contemplated the dangers of winter driving and the reasons why people find themselves in automobile accidents. Carelessness, tire condition and poor driving skills top the list. The type of vehicle you drive, however, could make all the difference when it comes to traction and control when the going gets hazardous. Which brings me to the subject of this review, the Ford Taurus (Limited) AWD. Thanks to Mahone Auto for the opportunity to discover the excellent all-weather abilities of this car.

Many of you will remember the Taurus name which has adorned Ford’s mid-sized family sedan since 1985. It was even the number 1 selling car in North America a few years back competing against the likes of the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry for this coveted top spot. As “they” say, all good things must come to an end and so, in this heavily contested segment, the supremacy of the Taurus eventually waned and the Ford marketing folks decided to give the name a rest. So for 2005 Ford retooled and produced a replacement for the Taurus in the form of the Five Hundred.  With different sheet metal and all new underpinnings, the Five Hundred shared little with its predecessor other than the four-door configuration. Based on the well-sorted Volvo (owned by Ford) S80 platform, with new, albeit conservative, styling and some unique features, this mid-sized sedan gave the folks at Ford high hopes for rejuvenated supremacy. With the SUV craze at its peak in ’05, Ford decided to build a car that incorporated some of this segment's most desirable features. So a higher-than-normal seating position, available all-wheel-drive (AWD) and a very roomy interior combined to create an SUV-like atmosphere in a family sedan package. A tall wagon/crossover version known as the Freestyle was also available for those who wanted a bit more flexibility in their daily transportation.

Fast-forward to 2008 and, guess what? The Five Hundred has been renamed Taurus reviving the once familiar moniker, with the Freestyle following suit by carrying the Taurus X badge. In both cases a minor facelift and interior upgrades over the original Five Hundred have been implemented as well as a much-needed increase in engine output in the form of the new 3.5-litre V6. In addition, the original CVT (constantly variable transmission) option has been dropped in favour of the conventional six-speed automatic.

So how does it drive? Well, as you can tell from this article's introduction, the weather the day of pickup was atrocious, so I am happy to report the Taurus delivered me to my destination unscathed. In fact, this car proved to have amazing grip in the worst of driving conditions, with all-season tires no less. Slushy, slippery, covered roads were no match for the combination of AWD and traction control. Gunning it on hills produced only a progressive increase in speed with no tire slippage whatsoever. Stopping was equally impressive with the four-wheel discs and ABS (with brake assists) ensuring straight-line, slip-free deceleration. The remaining two days of driving provided opportunity to assess the Taurus’ composure under much better road conditions. This Ford proved to be a very comfortable, roomy and dynamically pleasing ride. Even though the Taurus is no lightweight (approaching two tons in AWD guise), it handled large sweeping corners with ease and absorbed road imperfections with aplomb. The four-wheel independent suspension, rack-and-pinion steering and dual anti-roll bars all helped keep the Taurus composed and unflappable over frost heaves and other road imperfections. Highway cruising was equally impressive with a smooth, quiet, stable ride even under very windy conditions. The new 3.5 engine produces a respectable 263 HP (up from 203 for the original 3.0-litre unit), making quick acceleration and passing manoeuvres a cinch. Kick down is abrupt with a pleasing V8-sounding growl emanating from the engine and chrome-tipped exhaust. Conversely, the normal progression of gear changes up to sixth is virtually imperceptible in relaxed driving mode creating the sensation that you are piloting a more expensive luxury car. Visibility is excellent as well thanks to the large windows all around and high seating position, while overall comfort was top-notch especially with the multi-position electrically adjustable driver's seat and adjustable pedals. And, thank you, Ford for supplying lumbar support for the driver's seat. My back is very appreciative. Ingress and egress are equally accomplished with ease if you program the seats to glide back when the key is removed and forward, to your pre-programmed position, once reinserted. The inside of the Taurus is exceedingly spacious with enough head, shoulder and leg room in all seating positions to accommodate six-footers in comfort. And the trunk is simply cavernous swallowing my newly purchased wheelbarrow while only having to lower one section of the split rear seat to do so. If you want to carry eight-foot lumber or other long objects, the front passenger seatback folds ahead flat so you can transport these items without having to tie your trunk down. Ergonomically, the Taurus is easy to decipher with all gauges and switchgear within reach and logically labelled.

For 2008 the Taurus (ne Five Hundred) exterior has had some sprucing up with new front and rear-end treatment being the most obvious enhancements. The now familiar chromed horizontal bar front grill and lots of other chrome bits, especially on my trim level (that could cause families of crows to wonder what those gleaming objects might be), are actually done tastefully and add an element of class to the overall look. In fact, if Ford had carried that theme over to the interior and made brushed aluminum trim pieces available instead of the plastic imitation wood, I think the ambience, especially in the darker interior cars like my charcoal grey leather-clad cabin, would be more modern looking and perhaps draw a younger crowd. As is, the interior is an extremely comfortable place to reside with such creature comforts as dual-zone A/C, a great-sounding audio system, power group (including seats) and cruise control but a few of the standard features on all models. In addition there are a multitude of options available either as part of the various trim levels or through the option packages themselves. Heated mirrors, a sunroof, leather, a navigation system and a rear DVD entertainment system can be had as well as Ford’s unique Sync system which allows voice control of your audio system (including remote MP3) and phone, and will even recite (it talks to you) text messages you receive. Cool!

The Taurus AWD is an immensely safe car. Being built on a Volvo platform certainly adds credo to this fact. With five-star crash ratings and all of the standard safety features designed into this car, you would be hard pressed to find a sedan as competent in foul weather conditions as this Ford is. I wager if more people drove AWD vehicles there would be fewer accidents on our roadways.

You can get into a new Taurus for around $31,000 but if you want to go all out and get the fully loaded AWD Limited with all available options, you’ll have to pony up around 45 grand. Worth it? You bet!

Dave’s Auto Archive - The first car built by the Ford Motor Company of Canada in early 1904 was the Model C. A total of 117 cars were made in the first year. Most were two-cylinder Model Cs but a few four-cylinder Model Bs were also built. Both were made in 1905 along with the Model F, a new two-cylinder car.