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What Are Your Thoughts on the Return of the Taurus/Sable?
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Comments
The proof to me is in how they drive . . and it's no contest!
I think they should have just called the Fusion, "Taurus,", renamed the Focus ,"Fusion" and called the Five Hundred, "500" (number is on badges, not words).
Ford's got the hang, but they need an edge- like the Freestar. All it really needed was 2nd-row power windows, and a split third-row. Maybe headlamp washers.
Oh, and TAURUS X is a ****** name. I hate it. Maybe 'Ford 500 Fantasy.'
I have owned foreign until I just bought my 2008 Ford Taurus, and the fit and finish is better than any toyota or honda I drove, and looks and feels like a VW/Audi product in some respects. There are some shortcuts and issues, which cars in this price range all have. Some point out that the Taurus has no manual shift capabilites with its new 6 speed automatic. Well, others have the same issue (Accords never had it - not even the new 2008), so why is it just a Ford issue? How many people are out there manually shifting their automatics. (I had this in my previous 2 Audis and VW, but only used it to see what it was like, then never touched it again.)
I think Ford is doing the right thing using he Taurus name, as long as they keep it up to date, and do mid cycle and totally new vehicles on the same rotation as the competitors. Otherwise, they will not be able to maintain the momentum they are building with recent offerings. Even Ford reliability ratings are up in consumer reports (the Lincoln MKZ/MKX which use the same engine/transmission/all wheel drive system as the Taurus is the second ranked overall in recent reliability ratings by consumer reports just behng the Lexus ES350, and the Ford fusion/Mecury Milan is not far behind that.)
I am really shocked I bought a Ford, but this car reminds me of my Audi A6 V6 I owned from 1999-2002, with a relaxing drive and steering like it is on rails. The Parelli P6 tires can get noisy on concrete roads, but there is little difference, if any, betweem the 17s and 18s I drove. (I have the limited with the 18" chrome clad wheels and AWD).
Everyone has a preference, and some may not like the understated interior of the Taurus, but it is consistent with my previous cars (Audi and VW). Plus, I just do not care for the silver and grey painted plastics that Honda, Toyota and Hyundai are using, as it looks and feels very cheap. Especially the radio cover in the Avalon. (I doubt you'd ever see that on a Lexus!)
As lacking as the name Five Hundred was, I would prefer that they kept it.
I just hope that Ford continues to follow they Path they started with the Fusion and the Mustang. Each year there is improvements in the Fusion...(more standard equipment) and Mustang (more interior options, more wheel options).
I think Ford is learning that you have to make things better constantly.
Ford is even making improvements in the middle of the model year. For 2007 Fusions, Job 2 featured upgraded structure to get better IIHS crash scores.
I think Alan M. is going to force Ford to do things in a new way. He has the clout and I think that every body that might have stood in his way got a "buy out" (Ford Speak for s***t canned).
Mark
1) Transaxle seal
2) Transaxle seal
3) Tighten door handle
4) Engine hose
5) Replace rear springs.
I will admit, though, neither my 2001 or 1999 Taurus were frugal with fuel. My 1999 got 13 MPG (empty, 50/50 highway/ city), and my 2001 only gets 20/23 city, highway, the latter being 95% highway. The former, 100% city.
When is Ford going to admit that, as good as the Taurus might now be, people don't want to buy it? It is about as boring a car as anyone has put on the road in the past few years. No grill or engine change will fix the overall tepid aura it carries.
Dusting off the Taurus/Sable names smacked of desperation. This car (like the 2000 and newer Monte Carlo) is a bit too large and Ford's deplorable habit, practiced thru the decades, of offering a new nameplate that is underpowered and lacking interior refinement (Escort, Tempo, Contour, Focus), is suicidal.
Mark.
So, Mulally's first "Bold" move is a failure. A dismal failure. What's next? I've read that he wants all Fords the world over to look alike and be basically the same. Ummm, and just what does that being to the party? I mean, who the h__l cares? Most Americans never get to Europe. This is another waste of money fiasco if u ask me. It might have worked with Boeing - I mean a tarmac is a tarmac whereever u go. But roads are different the workd over. Americans have different needs for their cars than Italians just based on the roads alone. Why make cars the same the world over? It dont make any sense.
On the personal side, I think the Taurus/Sable might be the best family sedans out there right now. They're big inside and trunk, they ride and handle well, they've got good safety scores, the engine now is up to the task etc etc. Yet sales are down. Why? Here's a few guesses:
* There are more men than just myself who wont buy a car named after a furry rodent whose claim to fame is it makes a nice neck wrap for riche women.
* Americans are not as stupid as Ford marketing (and AM) think. We KNOW the Taurus is not "ALL NEW". To me the name change feels like a sleight-of-hand move designed to fool the consumer.
* The new Accord is fabulous. Anyone who cross-shops is not likely to buy anything else. Unless the have to have AWD.
* The Camry is ... well it's a Camry. And u can get a hybrid for not much more that gets over 30mpg.
* The Subaru beats the Ford head-to-head.
* If u want style and panache, you get a Chrysler 300.
So who's going to buy the Ford? Again, I think the car is quite nice. The best in some ways. But still second rate overall.
Lastly, Ford marketing is absolutely the WORST in the business. OK, back to wating for baseball games to begin.
You said the Accord is fabulous. How? And how does the Subaru beat it? Before he got a 2008 Taurus (a remarkable car), my brother had a Legacy (2006) that wouldn't stop blowing chunks. I think that the new Camry, the Chrysler, and the new/dead GM vans (to get the drift, but the Pontiac SV6 especially) look like hot dogs with bites taken out of them. I wonder how things would be looking now if they had called the US Fusion 'Taurus', called the Five Hundred 'Crown Victoria', ditched the current Crown Vic, and made the 2008 Focus a sedan (budget), a true station wagon (to compete with Subaru and VW), a coupe (to compete with Maxima, Accord, and CAMRY Solara, even the Yaris), and the hatchbacks. The two-door to compete with the VW Golf and come with more upfit options than a Scion(which, unfortunately, as we must remember, is a TOYOTA), and the four-door to compete with the Honda Fit and Dodge Caliber. If we were talking Toyota, I'd say ditch the Scion nameplate and make it Toyota-Scion xB or tC. That would be just like how Saab has Saab 9-3x or 9-7x, all different models. The Taurus' competitors all get okay mileage, so Ford should engineer a hybrid (like TOYOTA)... but, as for the return of the Taurus, its a nice car, as I remember from the 80's (a nice car for then) and possibly legendary. Afterall, its got the largest runk of any sedan sold in North America, and if I am correct, bigger then the Crown Vic (21.2 cubic feet vs 21) and in the world.
Still, until there is some advertising, its hard to tell.
I just wish the car was more exciting. The 300 has lots of compromises. BUT ITS EXCITING!
Remember, mediocrity breeds contempt.
You propose some reasonably rational changes that Ford could have done in the past (woulda, coulda, shoulda), but they didn't. Instead they did this conservative 500/Montego thing and then "let's make the decent-but-poor-selling 500 a Taurus" move (why not, it was worth a try?....the 2008 500 would have sold even WORSE than the dismal 2008 Taurus sales), but it didn't light any fires.
Ford is f*****d, unless it can design ASAP some models like the 80's Taurus/Sable and Thunderbird, relevant to today. I sure don't know how to do that. Doesn't look like anyone at Ford USA does either (see Ford Europe for talent that should not have been kept under a bushel).
I'm so curious as to the bas sales... This car has all the goods to compete. I think the style of both the taurus and sable are exiting, but the commercials i see reek of 'safety' and other boring stuff. I don't get it.
This thing has 263 hp, its got chome on the SIDES, its got the largest rear seat, the largest trunk, the best price, and for those who need it AWD. What is so hard to sell?
Sell it as exiting, because I think people should see that side of it. What do you think?
And to your point bobber, when a good car appeals to consumers, sales take off and it often gets in short supply fast. The 08 Taurus has been for sale since May, and this is nearly five months later. You call that barely begun?
And interior - weird looking door panels, cheap black plastic center stack with flimsy buttons, weird looking gauges. What Ford designers smoke at work?
Now, if they could just get their act together and truly redesign the car to appeal to a wider audience, they might get somewhere. Toyota and Honda have shown that model cycles work best if they are limited to four or five years.
A Taurus is a rodent? Hmmmm.
It's basically a Volvo . . . Volvo never appeared "exciting". The Taurus isn't marketed at the crowd who *should* be considering "excitement" as the main criterion for buying a car.
If you want exciting look at the Fusion or Mustang.
Ummmm, I was referring to the other one. But you (hopefully) knew that. When is your next gig at a comedy club?
These are da*n good cars! I have had several 500s as rentals. I also get Impalas and Camrys often. Last week, I had a new Taurus rental in Denver. The difference in power, quietness, and smoothness is night and day between the 500 and Taurus. Based on product attributes, there is no reason why the Taurus is not out-selling the Impala or any other car in it's class. Furthermore, I don't know why more people who buy Camrys aren't taking a look at how much more car they can get for the money. I think the Taurus meets or exceeds anything in its price/size class in just about every way.
My local dealers are advertising SELs for $19,500. That is a screaming deal for this car, IMHO. I am not a marketing guy but it seems to me that Ford needs to put a full court press on getting butts in Taurus seats for a test-drive. When the Montego was introduced, Ford offered me $75 to take a test drive. I don't know what criteria they used in selecting names for the offer but maybe they should do that again with the Taurus. When I drove the Montego, I found it to be slow, lethargic, and lacking in NVH control. They no longer have those problems.
In all the market segments in which Ford competes, I can't think of one where they have a more competitive entry.
You just described my first wife perfectly! I guess that description fits the Taurus pretty well, too. No, it is not a styling sensation. Other than the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger, most of the cars in this class are pretty non-descript.
I would still like to see Ford make a much larger splash with marketing and advertising. This car is too good, despite it's looks, to be selling this slowly. The reinvention and reintroduction of America's favorite family car should have been of highest priority but it seems they are just sitting back with their heads up their butts.
Sable
Mark.
The Taurus rental I drove was in Denver, where the altitude can impact performance. Still, it would break the tires loose on dry pavement from a standing start and it felt strong at all speeds.