Ford’s tweaked-up Taurus SHO has always been more about offering a blend of luxury, performance and technology appropriate for its times-- and less about delivering the sedan world’s most gut-wrenching acceleration and handling. For its latest incarnation, it recombines today’s latest and greatest hardware and software into a package that does double-duty as a flagship for the brand's EcoBoost engine technology.
Last fall, your writer spent 10 days in the Taurus SHO and came away impressed with its relative value, punchy and very efficient twin-turbo engine, and overall combination of looks, comfort and thrust. On a recent Sunday morning, I revisited the SHO to explore another side of its personality: its performance abilities on a road course.
Lapping a Taurus!?
Despite the early-morning rain, the gates to Toronto Motorsports Park (TMP) were preceded by a half-kilometre worth of modified sport-compacts lined up to partake in various forms of motorized hooliganism. It was the Canadian Sport Compact Series (CSCS) season opener, and Subaru STI’s, Honda Civic coupes, Mazdaspeed3’s and Nissan 240SX’s were filling the parking lot.
So was the Taurus SHO.
Twice the size of any other ride in line, it quickly became the subject of many puzzled glances, pointed fingers and smirks. Unlike most every other machine present, the big Ford was neither an import, nor modified, nor anything close to compact. Several officials near the driver registration area even advised me that the spectator parking was in the other direction.
Big and heavy ain’t all bad
To many, a hulking beast like the Taurus SHO looks as out of place on a circuit as a sumo wrestler in a marathon-- but your writer begs to differ. I’ve always found heavy, long-wheelbase machines offered high-speed stability, predictability, and forgiveness that made learning track driving easier and less stressful.
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| Ford’s tweaked-up Taurus SHO has always been more about offering a blend of luxury, performance and technology appropriate for its times. (Photo: Ford) |
Last fall, your writer spent 10 days in the Taurus SHO and came away impressed with its relative value, punchy and very efficient twin-turbo engine, and overall combination of looks, comfort and thrust. On a recent Sunday morning, I revisited the SHO to explore another side of its personality: its performance abilities on a road course.
Lapping a Taurus!?
Despite the early-morning rain, the gates to Toronto Motorsports Park (TMP) were preceded by a half-kilometre worth of modified sport-compacts lined up to partake in various forms of motorized hooliganism. It was the Canadian Sport Compact Series (CSCS) season opener, and Subaru STI’s, Honda Civic coupes, Mazdaspeed3’s and Nissan 240SX’s were filling the parking lot.
So was the Taurus SHO.
Twice the size of any other ride in line, it quickly became the subject of many puzzled glances, pointed fingers and smirks. Unlike most every other machine present, the big Ford was neither an import, nor modified, nor anything close to compact. Several officials near the driver registration area even advised me that the spectator parking was in the other direction.
Big and heavy ain’t all bad
To many, a hulking beast like the Taurus SHO looks as out of place on a circuit as a sumo wrestler in a marathon-- but your writer begs to differ. I’ve always found heavy, long-wheelbase machines offered high-speed stability, predictability, and forgiveness that made learning track driving easier and less stressful.
 |
| I’ve always found heavy, long-wheelbase machines offered high-speed stability, predictability, and forgiveness. (Photo: Ford) |