At Ford's 2008 model preview at the Dearborn Proving Ground, we had the opportunity drive the newly-reborn Taurus back-to-back with its immediate predecessor, the Five Hundred, and the differences were immediately apparent. Side-by-side, the Taurus is clearly an update of the Five Hundred, retaining the same profile and stance, but the Taurus now has the face it should have had all along.
The three-bar grille gives the Taurus a look that fits in with its stablemates and sets it apart from the competition.A lot of detail work was done on the Taurus and Sable for 2008 to ramp up the refinement levels and bring them to the head of the class. One example is visible on the side mirror housings. The top of the housing has a row of notches that manage the airflow around the mirror. The notches reduce the aerodynamic drag of the mirror and also reduce wind noise dramatically.
Continue reading our driving impressions and see the video after the jump
It should come as no surprise that the Taurus and its siblings perform well on crash tests. The platform was developed from the Volvo P2 architecture that provides the basis for the original S80, as well as the S60 and outgoing V70. The Taurus has just earned itself five-star ratings in all of the NHTSA's tests, and the IIHS recommends the Taurus as a Top Pick. Seeking to capitalize on that success, the advertising boffins have whipped up a new tagline: "Rated Safest Car In America." Our spines tingle with delight. Our write-in suggestion of "Saves Your Arse" apparently has gone unheeded.
The Ford Five Hundred was so under-promoted by Ford that we don't recall any tag line. No matter. Seeking a return on its investment, Ford has given the revamped Five Hundred the Taurus moniker and a raft of upgrades. The hope is that the Taurus name isn't totally bankrupt, even though the DN101-based last generation was allowed to die on the vine. The new 3.5 liter V6 helps out by not only bumping power, but the horrid NVH of the 3.0 liter has been replaced by a hearty growl, instantly making the car feel better. It's a roomy, well put together car that drives well, for a reasonable price, so perhaps buyers will find the safety scores a persuasive argument.
click above image for desktop-sized pics of the 2007 Mercury Montego
Alas, Montego, we hardly knew ye. Of course, the large sedan from Mercury is not going away, but being relaunched as the Sable with a new schnoz,larger engine, and some interior upgrades. The Montego name will once again drift off into obscurity like its Torino-based forebear. While the Sable picks up where the Montego left off, it would be foolish to think the Montego is a dud. The 2007 Montego Premier AWD is a big car, with some dimensions exceeding the Grand Marquis. With a bump here and a nip there, the Montego would make the best Marquis ever. As it is, the Volvo-donated architecture underneath the Montego makes it a very modern driving sedan that belies the comfort-sized dimensions.
Episode #57 is a breezy little number, clocking in around 32 minutes long. Though on the short side, it's action-packed! We recap the Chicago show, paucity of activity and all. For starters, we return to one of our favorite subjects recently, the impending Pontiac G8. Let's just say it's even better up-close. Next, we ruminate over the all-new Scion xD and xB. The little Toyota offspring were all that happened on the second day of the show, and the aging boomers there were thrilled with the updates to these cars. Nothing like nailing your target market, eh? Before wrapping up for the night, the boys take a ride through the return of the Taurus and Sable nameplates, and how successful that move may prove to be. Capping Podcast 57 is the one bit that's not Chicago-related; the upcoming unveiling of Dodge's Demon roadster at the Geneva show. It looks nice, but we're dubious that it has any production plans, though this is Chrysler, which is capable of turning a show car into reality better than most. Enjoy the 'cast!
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Making both a bold and simple move, Ford's North American boss Mark Fields confirmed this morning what we already knew, that the Taurus and Sable brands will be resurrected for 2008.
Fields, delivering the keynote address at the Chicago Auto Show this morning, said the Ford Five Hundred nameplate will be dropped in favor of the venerable Taurus badge. The Freestyle crossover vehicle will also be renamed the Taurus X, and Mercury Montego will switch to the Sable nameplate. All three vehicle will be introduced to the press later in the day, though we were first introduced to the new "Taurus" in Detroit.
Fields said only four in 10 consumers were aware that Ford offered a vehicle called the Five Hundred. Yet the Taurus nameplate, which was killed last year, had built up 20 years of strong brand recognition and was recognized by 80 percent of shoppers. Fields also said Taurus was Ford's third-best-known brand behind F-Series and Mustang. During the early '90s, the Taurus was America's best-selling car five years running. About seven million Taurus models were sold in 21 years, and Ford estimates nearly 3.5 million are still on the road.
Check out more of our thoughts, a complete transcript of Mark Fields' speech, and VIDEO of him delivering the announcement after the jump.
Click the image above for the Autoblog Five-Hundred gallery
In the news, at the water cooler, and in your favorite auto magagine, there is no shortage of advice for Ford Motor Company. Advice for new engines, better marketing, and rear drive architectures come flowing in at all angles. Most of the advice seems to center around the need to balance design, safety, horsepower, and business realities to make vehicles that you and I will want to buy. But vehicle names? A recent Detroit Free Press article is one of many that seems to think name recognition is perhaps more vital than it really is. As we reported today, it looks like Ford is listening to the calls for the recasting of the Taurus name, after all. In the end, do we really care what the vehicle is called? We probably care a lot more about what the vehicle can do and how it looks.
When Allan Mulally took over at Ford, he found himself wondering why the company would spend hundreds of millions of dollars over 20 years to build the Taurus name only to drop it because it didn't start with an F. The Five Hundred very well could have been the Taurus from the start, but it wasn't. Lets be honest, the Taurus wasn't the Taurus for almost half its lifespan. We loved it, then we liked it, then finally, we rented it. The product was stale. The name got stale too, mostly because it became synonymous with Hertz, so Ford decided to drop it.
Keep reading for more thoughts on what's in a name.
Peter Horbury is responsible for the design strategy and execution of all Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury products in North America. At this year's Detroit Auto Show, one of the unquestioned stars on the floor was the stunning 400-horsepower Lincoln MKR. We sat down with Peter in Detroit to talk about the 4-door coupe and how it's going to influence Lincoln's designs over the long term. We also touched on the latest iterations of the Ford Five hundred and Focus and how he'll continue the progression toward a unified corporate look for the oval. Peter's very charming, and he's passionate about restoring the grandeur to the Lincoln brand. Based on the MKR, we'd say he's definitely got a handle on things. Read on and decide for yourselves. It starts below and continues after the jump.
Peter Horbury - Ford Executive Director of Design, North America North American International Auto Show January 8, 2007
Autoblog: Peter, thanks for sitting with us today. The MKR is obviously one of the big stars of the show this year, and there are several elements there that have generated a lot of conversation in the enthusiast community. Talk to us a little bit about what your approach was when you took on the MKR project.
Peter Horbury: Okay. Well, the MKR's here really to establish Lincoln's new DNA which we're actively pursuing in the studio now on production projects. So really, we could choose I suppose what type of car on which to demonstrate this, and of course 4-door coupes seem to be just the right, perfect car for Lincoln eventually. So this is what we've done; produced a car which carries Lincoln's new DNA but also a lot of the cues that Lincoln had from its past. And all of the design details or design cues that we're using will appear -- they're about to appear – on the new Lincolns very soon, and for the next few years. So here we are with all of them on one car.
After the debut of the Interceptor and MKR, the redesigned Focus and Five Hundred got lost in the buzz, so now, we finally bring you live shots of Ford's people movers. Enjoy. -Ed.
Before trotting out its three concept cars, the Ford Motor Company took the opportunity at the Detroit Auto Show to publicly unveil the redesigned 2008 Focus and Five Hundred.
Much has been written of the Focus' controversial new styling. In person, it seems uninspired, with several features that don't seem to work well with each other. What's with that triangular vent on the front fender - was this an attempt to share design language with the new Super Duty? The good news is that the interior appears relatively nice for an economy car, and the new Ford/Microsoft Sync feature will be available. The car also lost 60 lbs during the redesign, which is almost unheard of nowadays.
The first thought upon seeing Ford's press shots of the Five Hundred was that the new front end had a flat squashed appearance, but in the flesh, it appears to be proportioned properly. The new sheetmetal probably won't end complaints about the sedan's bland styling, however and the interior is also a bit undistinguished. Obviously we didn't get to sample the new Duratec 35 powerplant, but potential buyers will likely find that to be the most significant change.
Click the vehicles name below to view the full gallery.
For 2008, Ford has addressed many of the major issues that were preventing the Ford Five Hundred from being the sales leader that they had hoped for. Horsepower and styling were the two major complaints, and both have been improved dramatically on the latest iteration of the full-size sedan.
In the horsepower department, the 2008 Five Hundred will gets a 30% increase in power over the Taurus-carryover, 200 HP 3.0 Duratec V6 with which it was previously laden. Motivation is now provided by the corporate 3.5-liter Duratec in its first PZEV application for Ford with a V6, sending a full 260 horsepower and 245 ft/lbs. of torque through a new six-speed automatic transmission to either the front wheels or all four with the optional all-wheel drive system. The six-speed automatic also improves acceleration with shorter gearing and closer gear spacing, and provides increases fuel economy by up to 7% according to Ford.
With the power issue put to bed, Ford turned to the styling. The previous model redefined the word boring, with very few styling elements that were even remotely interesting inside or out. The new model has several exterior and interior design elements that align the Five Hundred with the new Ford design direction that started with the Fusion and will carry through the entire line of vehicles.
Press release is after the jump.
Check out all the debuts and galleries from the Detroit Auto Show here.
Just when it seemed that we would never see the Taurus again, new Ford Motor Co. CEO Alan Mulally says that he was a big fan of the Taurus and even rented one on a recent business trip to check it out. His feelings date back 20 years to a research study he was doing on Ford's production system for Boeing. He has also publicly stated that the Five Hundred "should have been the next Taurus."
Over the 20-year run of the Taurus, Ford invested literally hundreds of millions of dollars building brand equity in the name, then just walked away. It's nothing new with automakers; look at what GM did with the GTO, Camaro and Firebird. The GTO has come and gone and the Camaro comeback is well underway as a completely new car; can the Firebird be far behind?
Mulally took a whimsical shot at the name game this week when he said he was still looking to drive his Lincoln Zephyr. Not to be outdone by the new guy, Ford's sales analyst chief George Pipas made a Freudian slip by referring to the Zephyr in this week's sales call.
We say go ahead and bring back the Taurus name, but not on the Five-Hundred. Hopefully there will be a new, rear-wheel drive large sedan in the product pipeline soon that will need a name, so save it for that. Besides, the name "Taurus" evokes images of charging bulls and, if you think about it, wasn't appropriate for a plebian front-wheel drive sedan.
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