Detroit 2009: Ford Taurus

Happy New Year 1986...er 2009! Ford is hoping for a year like 1986 all over again, the year the very first Taurus debuted.  The original design proved to be a smash hit, positioning Ford for top-selling success with the vehicle throughout the 1990's. However with a focus on the profitable truck segment, Ford left the sedan to languish without much investment as competitors advanced.

Continued sales declines led Ford to discontinue the vehicle in 2006, about the time Boeing's CEO Alan Mulally was brought in to lead the company. Mulally then instituted a crash program to first, rebrand Ford's slow selling Five Hundred as the Taurus, and secondly, to then begin a marathon development program with the goal to produce a class leading full-size sedan worthy of the Taurus name. Ford’s Global Product Development System enabled the vehicle to be developed in a record amount of time. Out of this, the car dubbed "Superman" Taurus was born.

On the exterior, Ford's designers pulled off an impressive feat, mixing the different design philosophies of Ford North America and Ford Europe to create this handsome sedan. The Kinetic design language of Ford's European arm is prevalent in the headlights, combining that look in with a tamed interpetation of the American style 3- Bar grille. Towards the rear is where you see American influence, with hints of Ford's Interceptor concept in the rear C-pillar and tailights.

While not revolutionary like the original, the design of the 2010 Taurus works extremely well. Overall, the design offers a sleek, yet distinctive look.

Inside is a drastic departure from the previous generation model, with a double hooded design giving way to a cockpit-like feel. The overall look is really quite impressive, offering a unique atmosphere that is set apart from others in this class. The curve of the dash is set apart from the upright orientation of the current model, and nearly every vehicle in it's segment.

Clearly the 2010 Taurus is intended as the Ford brand's technological flagship, with every option available. One of those technologies is Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with collision warning and brake support system. The Taurus is the very first Ford vehicle to be equipped with this option. Ford recently demonstrated this technology on the Lincoln MKS, and the company has plans to implement the technology widespread across the vehicle lineup by 2012.

Riding on the same Volvo-developed D3 platform as the Lincoln MKS, Ford's Duratec 3.5 does duty as the only engine available at launch time for the Taurus. The V6 provides 263HP  and 249 ft lbs of torque. Ford's twin-turbo EcoBoost equipped version of the engine is slated for the vehicle as well, however no details have arisen on when we might see that.

So that's the rundown on the new Taurus, the very best vehicle Ford can produce. The team worked overtime to create a class-leading vehicle.

Will that be enough though? Rarely does one car turn a whole company around anymore, and the full-size segment isn't nearly as high volume as the mid-size category the original Taurus fit into at it's launch in 1986. On top of that, the car's launch faces a difficult economy headed into 2009.

The news here is that, unlike in 1986, Ford has a competitive lineup of vehicles spanning the different segments. One of those is the new 2010 Fusion, which is much closer to the original Taurus for all intents and purposes. Starting at the same $25,995 list as the current model, the Taurus looks to be a great value, just like the original. It's almost as if Ford continued developing the car all these years and it has been brought to this point.

So with this vehicle, the Ford team accomplishes their mission; giving the Taurus name a car befitting of it's success.