Ford keeps pushing the envelope by creating a brand and lineup high in demand and always ahead of the competition. They take classic success models and turn them into powerhouses time and time again. The 2011 Ford Taurus Limited (as test driven) is the ultimate package. With a strong, yet graceful exterior look that makes you wonder if it classifies as sporty or luxurious, and jam packed with advanced technology in its class, this vehicle left the drivers at NADAguides fighting for the driver’s seat.
Equipped with a V6 3.5L engine and 263 horsepower under the hood, the Ford Taurus drives smoothly and is very easy to handle. It is equipped with a six-speed automatic transmission with SelectShift. The rear suspension is multi-link fully independent suspension with coil-over shocks and a stabilizer bar and the front suspension is independent, MacPherson struts with rear-facing lower L-arms with a stabilizer bar; this makes for a pretty solid ride. The Ford Taurus gets about 18city/28hwy which isn’t the best fuel efficiency in its class, but unless you want to spend more money, you can’t really beat this at this trim level when compared to other vehicles. As for safety, this vehicle made it a priority with complete airbag coverage, Post Crash Alert System, Rear Camera with Reverse Sensing, Personal Safety System, Safety Canopy for both front and back row passengers, Tire Pressure monitoring system, Blind Spot Monitoring and MYKEY which allows you to set a specific speed and alert you when you hit that speed. Another added safety feature is the Adaptive Cruise Control with Collision Warning which will slow your vehicle and warn you with lights on the windshield if it senses a collision or slower traffic and will resume the previous speed once traffic clears; how is that for advanced technology?!
The overall interior design is very attractive with blue ambient lighting and blue illumination around the dashboard cluster, woodgrain and chrome accents throughout with dark leather stitched seats and side door accents; the Ford Taurus really has a perfect blend of sport meets luxury powered by the best technology in its class. It comes with the option of the SYNC Voice Activated System which I found very intuitive but while the entire system is voice activated for safety purposes it definitely can become a nuisance. The SYNC system controls important settings for things like temperature, entertainment, navigation, phone and much more for convenience. However, it is not voice trained which means anyone in the vehicle can send a voice command; quite the flaw if you have kids or friends that find this kind of thing entertaining. Connecting your cell phone to the SYNC system is extremely easy and connects automatically without a problem each time you get back into the vehicle; some Bluetooth systems require you to connect manually on your phone each time. Connecting your phone allows you to make hands free phone calls, receive and send text messages by voice activation and stream music as well. The Ford Taurus also has a 10GB hard drive to store up to 2,400 songs to enjoy on the 12 speaker Sony audio system.
Getting comfortable in the Ford Taurus wasn’t difficult with 10-way power leather seats, not to mention the added comfort of the heated and cooled seat feature; which by the way has THREE settings for heated and cooled. The Limited and SHO trim levels are the only trims that have this comfort feature, which can also be accompanied by the rear heated seat feature; a definite step above the competition. If you want to take it even further and enjoy the complete package, the Active Motion Multi Contour Seats are available in these trims as well which provide a 6-way lumbar and rolling pattern massage option for front passengers. Dual temperature control also helps create a pleasant driving experience allowing a variety of temperatures to co-exist nicely. Many manufacturers leave the comfort up to the lumbar and power seat adjustments; however Ford keeps in mind all types of drivers by allowing the adjustment of the three things that matter most: steering wheel, pedals and seat. After tilting the wheel as necessary and finding just the right setting for the seat, it was a nice option to be able to bring the pedals forward or set them back further for an even more comfortable driving experience. Another nice feature to note was the rear window power sunshade which provides ample shade for rear passengers at the push of a button.
The Ford Taurus has good looks, unbeatable technology, and has an MSRP that starts at $25,420 for the SE FWD trim and goes up to $38,020 for the SHO AWD. With 6 trims to choose from you are bound to find one you can enjoy for a very long time. For more information on the 2011 Ford Taurus please visit www.NADAguides.com.
