Ford Vehicle

Published:”Thursday, November 29, 2007 The Taurus name returns to Canada and I, for one, have no idea why Ford stopped using the name for a couple of years. Perhaps it’s because the power that goes to the light bulb that is supposed to be Ford’s Better Idea suffered from a rolling blackout. Now that the power has been restored, the Taurus is back and selling well.

A Taurus can be ordered in front or All-Wheel-Drive configurations as well as SEL or Limited trim levels so that you can be as comfortable as you want to be. ARTICLE TOOLS Printer friendly E-mail Font: * * * * My test unit from Ford of Canada was an AWD Limited model with leather, heated seats and a host of other items that make driving much easier and more comfortable. In fact there are about 500 changes to the Taurus from last year’s Ford 500, which the latest Taurus is based on.

Change starts with the front grille and fascia which is now quite distinctively Ford with the three band front grille. The crisp body lines are up to date and obviously Ford. If you come up on the rear of the car, you will notice new rear tail lights and a different rear fascia that looks familiar but is quite distinctive. Under the hood, there is a new 3.5 liter Duratec V6 with 30 per cent more power than the previous one.

Total horsepower is now 263 eager ponies that get run through a new six speed automatic before splitting off to each of the four wheels. Internal changes to the engine and transmission improve fuel economy by about 10 per cent over the previous engine/transmission combination used in last year’s 500.