2012 Ford Taurus Review
A capable sedan that could use a dose of personality.
Reviewed by Automobile
on 11/11/2011
Overview
The Taurus is one of those cars that is commonly seen on U.S. roads but that you hardly ever notice. It suffers from anonymous styling and middling performance, and yet its sales numbers are pretty good. The redesigned Taurus that went on sale two years ago took over for the even more uninspiring Five Hundred, which had itself replaced the previous Taurus. Confused yet? Well, suffice it to say that the Taurus nameplate isn't likely to disappear again any time in the near future. Compared with the old Five Hundred, the Taurus's exterior sports a higher beltline, a lower roofline, and a more aggressive grille and headlights. The interior has a nicely designed center stack and materials that display a high level of fit and finish. The Taurus is a technological showcase for Ford, with available features such as a collision warning system, automatic high-beams, voice-activated navigation, multicountour seats with ActivMotion, a rearview camera, and a blind-spot warning system, among others. Under the hood is the same 263-hp V-6 as last year's. For a dose of driving excitement, the SHO returned to the Taurus lineup in 2010 in all-wheel-drive form sporting Ford's EcoBoost V-6 -- a twin-turbocharged direct-injection unit that produces 365 hp. There is an optional performance package for the SHO that includes twenty-inch wheels, performance tires and brake pads, and specially calibrated steering. ... Expand full summary 
The Range
Drive: Front-wheel, 4-wheel
Trim Levels: SE, SEL, Limited, SHO
Body Style: Sedan, 5-passenger
Engines: 3.5L V-6, 263 hp, 249 lb-ft
3.5L twin-turbo V-6, 365 hp, 350 lb-ft
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Passenger Volume: 102.2 cu ft
Cargo Space: 20.1 cu ft
What's New
It has been two years since the redesigned Taurus was introduced, and it hasn't seen any notable changes since then. The only thing to report for this year is that integrated blind-spot mirrors are standard across the line and there's one new color, ginger ale metallic.
Exterior
Interior
Performance & Handling
Safety
Front, side, and side curtain air bags are standard, as are ABS, traction and stability control, a tire-pressure monitoring system, and programmable MyKey. Integrated blind-spot mirrors are standard, and BLIS (Blind Spot Information System) is optional on the Limited and the SHO. The SOS Post-Crash Alert System is standard, and a collision warning system is optional.
EPA Fuel Economy
All: 16-18 mpg city/25-28 mpg highway
You'll Like
- Lots of available features
-
Roomy trunk
-
Available all-wheel drive
You Won't Like
- Anonymous styling
-
Ho-hum performance
Sum Up
![]()
A capable sedan that could use a dose of personality.
Collapse full summary 
Choose a submodel below for Rebates, Prices & Reviews:
|
|