We are aware of the login problems affecting the forums, and appreciate your patience as we work on a fix.
Did you recently purchase a new Tesla, Rivian or Lucid vehicle directly from the manufacturer and willing to share how your experience compared to previous vehicle purchases made through a traditional dealer? A reporter would like to speak with you; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 2/19 for details.

Ford Duratec vs Vulcan

mrl11777mrl11777 Member Posts: 154
edited April 2014 in Ford
I am in the market to buy a 2000 Taurus wagon, and it seems that most of them have the Vulcan. I have a 98 Taurus with the Duratec and love it, and I also have a soon-to-be retired 92 Taurus wagon with the Vulcan, and that one has given me 130k miles of very good service.

I am asking for your opinions. Is there any real good reason to hold out for a wagon with a Duratec.? Or, is the current Vulcan still pretty good (in fact, is it better than the one put out in 92?)?

I look forward to hearing for you all.

Comments

  • fish8fish8 Member Posts: 2,282
    I'd personally go with an Accord or Camry. I have a '99 Mercury Cougar with the 2.5 Duratec. The engine is great.
  • corsicachevycorsicachevy Member Posts: 316
    My advice to you would be based on the kind of driving you intend to do. The Vulcan V6 is quite a little iron horse. It seems to be the last thing that breaks on a Taurus. In that regard it is a wonderful motor. However, it doesn't exactly set the world on fire with it's performance. I would recommend this engine if you planned on doing a lot of steady speed highway driving. It will be reliable, efficient and it's power deficit will not be apparent. If you do a lot of stop-and-go driving or two lane back road adventures, I would suggest the Duratec only because it offers more power, sounds better and would make your driving experience more enjoyable. It is also imporatant to note that Ford does not charge a great deal more for the Duratec engine.
  • harmarharmar Member Posts: 94
    When looking for a '99 Sable, I noted Consumer Reports recommended the Duratec. So I found a '99 Sable with a Vulcan and test drove it to see what it was like. Unimpressive to me. Noisy, especially when kicked down to pass, and lacking the power I wanted. The Sable GS I got has a Duratec, and I'm happy to have it.

    I've driven Taurus rentals with the Vulcan through PA. Pulling up PA's hills definitely goes better with my Duratec.

    My brother has a Taurus with the Vulcan, and he's had all kinds of problems with it.

    Finally, mileage appears to be roughly equal in them.

    If you intend to stay where you now live and were happy with the mileage and power in the Vulcan(s) you've had, you'll likely be happy with it in the '00 model, too.

    Best wishes with your decision.
  • mrl11777mrl11777 Member Posts: 154
    I ended up with a 2000 Taurus wagon with a Vulcan. There were no used wagons out there that had Duratecs. My 98 Taurus sedan has the Duratec and it is great, but the Vulcan is completely adequate. The car I replaced was a 92 Taurus wagon, also with the Vulcan, and back then it had 140hp, vs today's 155hp. The old wagon never felt out of breath, even when climbing the interstates of New Hampshire with 5 people and a canoe on the roof, so I think that this one will do. From an aesthetic sense, the Duratec has a much better sound, and the acceleration is a blast, but I think that I just end up wasting gas because it is too much fun to leadfoot around in the Duratec.
    For what it's worth, my 92 was retired with nearly 140,000 and it ran fine (and did not use any oil between 3000 mile changes) and the Duratec has 37000 miles on it and it has been flawless.
This discussion has been closed.