New Ford In My Driveway

[C & A s Dad]

I picked up my new 09 Taurus last Tuesday. One 300 Mile round trip last week and a 400 mile day today. This thing is what Old Timers called a "road car". Super quiet on the road, great seats that sit up high similar to a truck or suv and the 3.5 is so smooth you cannot tell if it is running at idle. It averaged 28.2 mpg on the first tank which included some city driving. Today's 400 mile run averaged 30.9 but the run was all interstate. Not bad for a 265 HP car this size.

 

My counterpart that I was with today has a new Camry. We went to lunch in it and there is no comparison between the two cars. The Camry seems about a ft shorter, the interior is not nearly as big, the seats are practically on the floor and although it was smooth, the road noise realy surprised me. However, he is of the opinion that you must drive an import to be cool.

 

Of course I am not opinionated or bias in anyway when it comes to American Iron. ;)

[Darkanion]

That's cool about the car, but...

 

[svensk]

Wasn't that the furd 500? Didn't that tank so they renamed it the taurus?

[dietz4ibanez]

Didnt they stop making the Taurus and 09 is the first year that it is released or did they not stop making the taurus for fleet?

[geektoad]

The current Taurus is the rebadged/ refreshed 500.

[Nick The Great]

I am definitely a GM guy but I am very proud of the strides GM and Ford have been making in the past several years. Just like a lot of things in life, they just needed a kick in the pants to get going. Congrats on the new car!

[C & A s Dad]

The name 500 meant something to some old guys because of Ford's use of it in the 60s on the Galaxy 500 and the Fairlane 500. However, the prime target drivers of today did not recongize the name so in 08 Ford made a few slight changes and renamed it the Taurus. It now has a 6sp auto with a 263 HP multi valve DOHC V6 that will literally scream when called upon. The engine revs and shifts some fast and seemless that it is really surprising and a little scary if you are not ready. The engine won Ward's top 10 engine award for whatever that is worth.

 

The styling of the car is questionable but for a road car for people who travel as I do, I am not sure there is anything out there in it's price range that can compete with it for space, comfort, MPG, performance and handling. Hey, I sound like a Ford comercial.

 

Don't worry, there are still 3 GM vehicles in my garage. The Ford is a Company supplied car but I would have been hard pressed to find something better even if I was providing my own car.

 

Oh yea, one of the younger guys that works for me is about to give up his 3 year old Camry and order a Taurus. He said the Camry may be cool, but when you drive 4,000 miles a month, you are looking for comfort.

[omegafiler]

My friend has a 500, before they fixed the name, and he's quite happy with it. Not a bad car and at least it's not an import. But congrats on the new ride, definately need some pics - even if it's not a GM!

[2000DV4.8]

He said the Camry may be cool, but when you drive 4,000 miles a month, you are looking for comfort.

 

 

Since when is a frickin CAMRY cool?

 

I too am glad to see Ford doing better, American cars in general are on the rebound, and competition is what makes companies make better products.

[OUMike]

Personally I really dig the Taurus. I always thought the Five Hundred was nice looking and was definitely surprised when they renamed it Taurus/Sable. I'm anxious to see if Ford goes ahead with the 2010 Taurus SHO.

 

[DofD]

Congrats on the new car. May it give you many good miles.

 

GM and Ford are making really good strides at producing good quality vehicles of all types. Imports had the the quality image for so long that many people can't see that the field for quality and value is pretty much even know, if not even tilted towards GM and Ford.