The ultimate Taurus rental... just in case
click above image to view a high-res version
While the debate rages on around whether or not returning the Taurus name to Ford's lineup will do anything to help improve sales of this large sedan, we've had our fun imagining what different versions Ford could produce. First there was the Taurus Heritage Edition that actually won over a lot of readers with its nod to nostalgia, and then there was our first post on a possible resurrection of the SHO model.
While we're of the mind that the return of the Taurus will improve sales, or at least not hurt them, there are some who argue that the Taurus is, was and always will be a rental car. For them, Galvin, the artist who rendered our first two Taurus models, has created this, the ultimate Taurus rental car for the new millennium, complete with many square feet of unpainted black plastic, anonymous wheel covers and an offset Blue Oval that lets everyone know the driver is a little off, as well. While we wouldn't go so far as to say the Five-Hundred/Taurus is our favorite large sedan in the segment, we wish it well in 2008 and beyond and hope its future doesn't come to this.
[Rendering courtesy of Galvin]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Bob R. 3:18PM (3/01/2007)
It remind me of the last gen Avalance with all that ugly plastic. I'm happy GM got rid of it on the lastest Avalance.
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Bob R. 3:18PM (3/01/2007)
BTW it would look better without the "RENT ME" sign.
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roadside observer 3:44PM (3/01/2007)
Slow day at Autoblog, spending time photoshopping the Five Hundred/Taurus?
Since the new Camry is already in rental fleets, why don't we give equal time and do this to the '07 Camry, too? Or the Accord?
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JamesBond 4:17PM (3/01/2007)
Ewww, looks like one of those fugly Toyota Echos
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akintz 3:35PM (3/01/2007)
Along w/ #1... What's with the plastic? Between the Avalanche and the previous generation Honda Element... you'd think people would just not use it anymore.
Sure, it's only a rendering and likely wouldn't ever be made... but that doesn't mean someone hasn't already thought about it.
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geo.stewart 3:43PM (3/01/2007)
Its the sedan version of the dodge minivan! base trims on those always include the unpainted black rubber panels. OR maybe its the Element meets the 500= Rental Taurus!
If it drives like a boat, handles like a boat, and has sluggish acceleration, why doesnt somebody create the Taurus Amphibicar?
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Grammar freak 4:04PM (3/01/2007)
The only Ford I can remember with the offset logo was the relatively awsome 92-96 Escort GT. (They should kill the sorry focus and bring back the 'scort while they're at the resurrection game)
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Kowell 3:45PM (3/01/2007)
Well I for one think the plastic do add a "unexpensive rental" feeling to the car..
To me Taurus brings 2 ideas... Rental and company car and the retirement special wich I must admit are 2 rather big market segment. So what if nobody in their right mind and/or between the gaes of 16 and 50 will buy one for personnal use.... Rental companies, little old people and business in need of a cheap medium-sized employee car will jump on it and more than compensate.
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the marais 4:12PM (3/01/2007)
The one pulse upon which the Japanese, with the Accord, Camry, and Altima have their fingers is the market for people who really do not care about cars. My buddy, in the mid-1990s, noted that Saturn's slogan should have been: Saturn: The Car Company for People Who Don't Care About Cars.
People out there (like my mother) really liked the Taurus, even in its last model years (we had a 1996 and then a 2004). She liked that it was cheap to purchase, run, and fix and was SAFE. They are probably millions of people out there like my mom. Alot of those people are attracted to the Japanese models because they are CHEAP and SAFE, and could care less about styling, speed, and electronic gadgets (heck, my mom cannot even figure out how to use her satellite radio in the car).
Witness for your consideration the Taurus: America's last great answer to the Japanese sedans. The Taurus did not really suffer from poor sales, just from poor perception. Ford dropped its commitment to improving it between 2000 and 2004, and it died. Heck, even my mom wants something more exciting than a standard rental car.
But only a little bit more exciting...
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Howard Kerr 3:48PM (3/01/2007)
I guess is a sign of my age, but this rendering reminds me of those Toyota Tercel wagons of the mid to late '80s. Maybe it was only the AWD version that had the HUGE black bumpers. It even had the off-center brand badge, this photo shows.
To make a truely "perfect" rent a car, it could probably use a thick band of black vinyl all along the sides...to ward of parking lot dents.
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akintz 3:55PM (3/01/2007)
"Rental and company car and the retirement special wich I must admit are 2 rather big market segment."
Rentals may be a large segment, but it's just not a profitable one and only hurts the resale value in the long run when they flood the used lots after a year or so.
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Daniel 4:26PM (3/01/2007)
Makes me wish for a return of the Pinto.
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5 Watt 4:31PM (3/01/2007)
I know this was meant to be a joke but the 500 has been the best rental I’ve ever had. It had heated leather seats with a sunroof and a great ride. The back seat was huge and passed all back seat tests with flying colors. If you are vacationing with other adults I would ask for this car by name at the rental counter. And just think I turned down a Taurus to get this.
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epilonious 4:36PM (3/01/2007)
Gosh.
It's like Rental companies wanted something that would be cheap to purchase and repair, seat 4 people and their crap comfortably, and come with an OK amount of power, but not enough to be dangerous. If it was bland that would also mean it was inoffensive.
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antrow 5:10PM (3/01/2007)
I would rather have the rental Tarus then the Cobalt that Enterprise just stuck me with. No power windows and it drives like a 1980's throwback. Never thought I would say this but I miss my Saab 9-3.
Why anyone would buy a Cobalt is beyond me.
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Robert O 4:50PM (3/01/2007)
Anyone who has rented a car in the mid-size class lately (including the recently demised Taurus, not to be confused with the soon to be born-again Taurus 500), will have noticed pretty nice cars. The last Taurus I rented (Nov. 2006) had aluminum wheels and leather seats. Gone are the days of something like the above rendering.
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david 4:50PM (3/01/2007)
5 watt, i too ask for a 500 when renting. great ride, handles very good, comfortable and roomy. thinking about buying one for our place in fl. rental prices are getting too high. thought about a honda, but they rust out too fast.
suggestion for this one; put a mustang cobra engine in it and make it a sleeper.
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thesawzall 4:51PM (3/01/2007)
Should show the passenger side, with no keyhole. That's right, I rented a Taurus once that only had one keyhole on the whole outside. You even had to use the trunk release to get into the boot.
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mojojojo 5:06PM (3/01/2007)
HAHA.. perfect! I love the plastic grill and door handles! And how do you find wheels that ugly...
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poxtomod 5:12PM (3/01/2007)
I actually wonder if the original Taurus sedans benefitted from people with a knowledge/Love of Astrollogy. It might make sense that people willing to follow Astrollogy with there wallets (in news paper and personal astrogical tables compiled for them) may get a kick out of the Taurus moniker. Possibly good luck for such people, or belief that it would be. One in twelve people are of this sign.
Being born under the Taurus sign leans one to practical, reliable and loyal character. All good things people expect from a car. Taurus along with Scorpio are the most sexual of the horoscopes as well. Both are also car names.
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