2010 Ford Taurus Preview

Even if the nameplate has been cancelled, resurrected and bounced around in the recent past, the newest Ford Taurus is a very big deal. Built from the Lincoln MKS platform, the 2010 Taurus will hit the market with a complete redesign- bringing the Ford brand flagship sedan to a whole new level.

The grandpa-cruiser looks are gone- replaced by a strikingly sporty new fascia, an upscale interpretation of the tri-slat chrome grille, and plenty of details to draw the eyes towards.


Scott Tobin, Ford's Vehicle line director in charge of Taurus, said he and his team have taken a 'good isn't good enough' approach to design and quality.

At the time of writing, the 2010 Taurus was only planned with a 3.5 liter V6 under the hood- though we suspect that the automaker's twin-turbo 'Eco Boost' V6 engine will likely be available in the future, too.

Features will abound to help put Taurus back onto the cutting edge it helped defined when originally launched decades ago. Expect adaptive cruise control, heated and cooled seats, intelligent access, MyKey, Sync, Ambient Lighting, a cap-less 'EZ fuel' gas door and a motorized rear sunshade.

Pre-collision braking technology and a full-out backup assistant will be available too. The latter includes Ford's Cross-Path traffic monitor, which alerts drivers if there's a vehicle about to take off their rear bumper as they back out of a low-visibility parking spot.

There's even a new Multi-Contour seat which discreetly changes the shape of the cushion beneath the driver to encourage circulation on long trips. This has benefits on the alertness and safety fronts.

Ford calls the Taurus an 'aspirational' car more so than a family sedan- suggesting that today's family-oriented buyers tend to gravitate towards SUVs or crossovers. It's definitely not your father's Taurus, that's for sure.

Will the controversial name resonate well with today's younger buyers? Will the high-tech new flagship be more of a cut-priced Lincoln MKS when it hits showrooms? We'll find out later this year.