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2008 Ford Taurus New Owner Reports
This is the place where 2008 Taurus owners can dish about their car.
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Mark.
I personally find the Taurus Limited a much more compelling automobile than a Lincoln MKZ - not that those things are flying off dealer lots either. My point is that the new Taurus strikes me as the best and most competitive Ford sedan in years. Anyone looking for a safe, great driving, high quality family sedan should have the Taurus on their list. Don't you agree?
Mark
Once we get through Job 1 and get into to Job 2 the inventory will increase and the car will begin to turn good numbers.
Adding this car to go along with the Fusion and Edge is nothing but fantastic for Ford.
Too early to tell if the long term reliability will be a problem - the 500 has been average according to what I can read while the Subie has been much better than average.
A couple of things that I have learned already - Ford says the car runs on regular and the owners manual defines regular as 87 octane. In Colorado Springs regular is 85 octane and mid-grade is 87. We will have to see if 85 will run without detonation. The other item that kept me on the edge was transmission control. Two fwd positions are available - D and L. There is also an OD kill button on the LH side of the shifter. According to the book when you turn OD off you turn on a hill mode in which the computer senses the need for downshifting for engine braking. That's not really what I would like but the wife is okay with it. If one selects L, the computer downshifts as far as it is safe for the engine. I tried it once on a test drive and the tach really winds up in a hurry.
Overall, Ford has done a good job.
Report back in a month or two and let us know what you think. Mine will be in soon.
Sync is wired into every electrical system in the car. IT could never, ever, ever be installed after the car was built.
There are a lot of future features that are not going to be launched right away. Those features will be available to previous owners through software updates. Remember Sync uses your cell phone. Therefore, it is capable of doing anything OnStar does--OnStar has built in cell phone--if there is software for that feature.
You should drop that lying idiot sales person who should have at least asked. (Stupid salespeople give the rest of us a bad name).
Sync is STANDARD on Job 2 Limiteds and Eddie Bauer T-Rexs and optional on SELs.
Mark.
The best part about Sync is how EASY it is to use. Even if you hate technology, you will be able to use it. It will respond to your voice with no training required.
When I say easy to use, I am comparing it to the Nissan Bluetooth feature.
visit www.synchmyride.com to see more.
Just keep in mind that Sync uses YOUR phone and is only able to provide the features that your phone supports. Also if your phone gets bad reception in a certain area, you will get the same bad reception with Sync.
Mark.
In cruise way up near 10,000 feet the transmission downshifted all the way to 2nd or 3rd to maintain speed up a long hill (I am guessing as there is no indication which gear it is in).
All in all a very positive drive in a new car.
Glad to hear you are liking the new wheels!
We only drove the car for about 20 minutes on mostly back roads and 10 minutes on the freeway. Very nice ride and tight, responsive steering are the two things that impressed me the most.
When getting on the freeway I was surprised at how fast and smoothly the car reached 60 mph with out stomping on the accelerator.
The wife was impressed and that is a good thing, but we didn’t buy.
I made a promise (damn me) that no new car until we get new carpet and that should come late winter or early spring.
This car drives much more "expensive" than it's price! It is very quiet and refined and has good fit and finish. The engine is very strong and sounds great when pushed and is silent when not. The Taurus is competitive against sedans costing thousands more, IMO.
Two things are holding back sales in my opinion - it looks frumpy and Ford's marketing and advertising is miserable.
I do wish that Ford would install a telescoping steering wheel on the next update of the Taurus. Either that, or change the adjustible pedal range so that they could be adjusted further away for guys with long legs.
I agree with your assessment 100%. We have about 1900 miles on our AWD Limited and love it. The only thing I would like to see is a telescoping steering wheel. When my legs are comfortable my arms have to stretch to far for long term comfort. When my arms are comfortable my right leg is crammed against the hard side of the console.
Other than that we love the car - solid, roomy, drives nicely, and the engine loves to go.
We are averaging about 20 mgp in town. Best I have seen on the road is 23. I assume that my get a bit better with more miles. The engine was very tight when new.
I continued to be impressed with the driving experience in this car. High speed driving into a stiff wind and the lack of wind noise is remarkable. This car is a very quiet, smooth and capable cruiser! With 2000 miles on the clock, the engine has freed up and performs very strongly. It is quicker than my Lincoln LS V8 in the low and mid range. The transmission is also exceptionally smooth. I appreciate the fact that it doesn't have to downshift for moderate hills when crusing. I drove an AWD Edge last summer and it couldn't seem to maintain 6th gear when cruising if there was much of any incline. The Taurus is much better in that regard.
Now for some negatives: Yes, this car really needs a telescoping wheel. Also, as smooth as the transmission is, I would prefer more control of the lower and middle gears. While driving home, in a blizzard, the interstate traffic was moving between 10 - 30 MPH and there was lots of unnecessary shifting up and down. I would have preferred manual control. The same is true in heavy traffic situations around town. Most owners probably don't care about this but I am a control freak, I guess.
I have always been able to get a bit better mileage on the highway than the EPA estimates but I did not with the Taurus. The best we got was from Minneapolis to Des Moines - 27.2. Granted there was wind out of the southeast, traffic was moving at 75-80 and the car only had 1000 miles on it so maybe that was a pretty tough test. Around town (50/50 freeway and traffic) the trip computer shows 21.
In conclusion, I still maintain that this car is an awesome value and is competitive with cars costing thousands more.
Sales picked up nicely in December - over 10,000 units if you count both the sedan and the Taurus X. That is still a pittance compared with the Impala. It blows my mind that Ford does not advertise or market this car. They don't hesitate to throw rebates and dealer cash at it but they don't spend a dime informing potential buyers of it's attributes.
Several members of my extended family have last generation Taurus's. While visiting them over the holidays, not one of them were aware that the new Taurus was an entirely different car. They couldn't believe the difference between the old and new. Not just my family but all of the old Taurus owners will eventually buy a new car. If Ford would make people aware of the new one with an innovative marketing campaign, sales would improve dramatically. IMO.
In the meantime, there are good deals to be had on a heckuva good full-size sedan.
Mark.
Where is your dealership?
Any thoughts as to why there is no interest?
Any idea why Ford is not advertising the new Taurus?
I test drove one in Tacoma, WA and thought I was in heaven, but I have been driving a Explorer for the past 14 years.
My kid graduates from college this year so I hope to redirect funds from tuition to a car and at the moment the wife wants the Taurus
I work at a large Ford dealer in conservative affluent NJ Suburbs. Test Drive the Ford Edge, and you will understand why no one is buying the Taurus. People are trading in their Explorers in DROVES for the new Edge.
The Taurus is the most boring sedan design on the road today with the possible exception of the new Sebring.
The 2010 Taurus goes on sale summer of 2009 and according to Alan Mulally, it will be the car that Ford should have introduced in the first place in and I hope its worth the wait!
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080127/COL14/801270660/1014/BU- - - SINESS01
Mark
I have not given the Edge much thought because it gets less MPG than the Taurus and MPG is going to be a big issue in my next purchase. It would however be a great replacement for our 1993 Explorer.
I would hate to think of the Taurus as Ford’s answer to the Buick, however, do turn 60 this year, but Im a long way from “Buick status” ( I have looked at the Buick, but mpg and price keep me away)
May I ask who these reporters are? I see these from time to time and never know what they're really about!
Just curious!!!
The Taurus has a big interior and high crash ratings. Is the firm ride part of the Volvo platform tradition? I will take the firm, stiff ride over the "boaty" ride of my step-father's Mercury Gran Marquis anyday.
Nope, but they offer 28 MPG highway, which is darn good in my opinion, and very competitive.
Is there added safety in having AWD in dry driving conditions?
Not much of one; handling may be slightly better (and I mean SLIGHTLY), but the type of system used isn't supportive of canyon carving (as in the Acura RL Sedan and MDX Crossover); instead, its for slick conditions. It also hurts fuel economy. I don't think (just my opinion here) that AWD is as beneficial as people think, since it does nothing to help you stop, but instead helps you get going. I'd get ESC and avoid the AWD.
Is the firm ride part of the Volvo platform tradition? I will take the firm, stiff ride over the "boaty" ride of my step-father's Mercury Gran Marquis anyday.
Few people will call the Taurus firm; controlled maybe, but quite soft. Drive a Fusion, that'll show you firm.
What car companies make engines with cylinders that cut off at high speed to save fuel?
I have not seen these interior colors in the Sable or Taurus brochures or online. They all have the darker wood trim. Has anyone else seen this light wood trim in a Sable or Taurus? My wife and I actually like the color, maybe better than the dark wood trim.
The only negative that resulted from the drive is the driving position - I could not find a position that was good for both my arms and legs - when good for my arms my right leg was jammed against the console and when good for my legs, my arms were stretched in an uncomfortable position. Either more pedal adjustment is required or a telescoping steering wheel. Other than this we found the car comfortable, quiet, and very roomy. The body is tight - the only rattles were due to loose items in the cup holders or door pockets and this was the case whether we were on interstate or rough local roads.
These are trips running up and down I-65 from Birmingham to the Gulf Coast.
Also, did the 3800 GM have AWD?
I am very pleased with this mileage. I give a lot of credit to the 6 speed transmission and overall gearing. Cruising down the interstate, it is turning about 1000 RPM less than my Lincoln LS at the same speed. I also give a lot of credit to the 3.5 engine for having sufficient low end torque to pull that tall gearing without a lot of downshifting.
No doubt the FWD model uses less fuel than AWD. Added weight, rotational mass, and friction make a difference.
Again, I like the Taurus except for the driving position issue. I also think it should do better in the economy arena.