2008 Ford Taurus Review

What We Drove

Ford offers the renamed 2008 Taurus, previously known as the Five Hundred, in two trim designations, each available with front- or all-wheel-drive capability. For this evaluation, Ford provided our editors with a pre-production 2008 Taurus Limited AWD model dipped in Dark Ink Blue paint and sporting a Medium Stone leather interior. Added to the $28,695 base price was a Limited Convenience Package ($475), a power sunroof ($895), Advance Trac traction control ($495), a touch-screen navigation system ($1,995), Sirius satellite radio ($195), and destination charges ($750). Put it all together and you arrive at a grand total equaling $33,500.

Performance

Under the hood is a respectable 3.5-liter V-6 engine brandishing 263 horses and 249 lb.-ft. of torque. Those figures translate to acceptable performance during routine drives, with a well-modulated throttle offering smooth starts when the light turns green and sufficient giddy-up-and-go for quick merges. This creates the type of car that allows you to turn off, or neglect, all senses and simply operate it without issue – perfect for those who don’t appreciate the art of driving. The six-speed automatic transmission, sans a manual-shift function or sport mode, also serves to keep the excitement level down. We recorded a disappointing 15.6 mpg over several hundred miles.

Handling

For everyday commuting, a task the Taurus’s target audience may view as a car’s primary responsibility, this big Ford fits the bill with a soft ride and compliant suspension. This is a comfortable cruiser, one reminiscent of past oversized domestics.

With vague steering system, excessive body roll, grip-averse Pirelli P6 tires, Big Brother-like traction control, and fade-prone brakes, the ’08 Taurus proves less than capable on twisty roads, but that matters little since buyers of this particular sedan are more apt to find themselves enjoying daily commutes than tearing up canyons.

Visibility

As a rather large sedan with a commensurate amount of glass, the 2008 Ford Taurus grants its occupants a clear view of the outside world. The greenhouse is expansive, pillars narrow, and rear head restraints retract so as to not infringe on rearward visibility. Ample side mirrors aid in the overall effort as well, working with rear quarter windows to alleviate stress associated with merging at highway speeds. Another bonus found in the Taurus is an SUV-like feel from the driver’s seat. Riding high on its AWD platform, our tester boasted that elevated ride height sought by so many of today’s car shoppers.

Fun to Drive

“Fun” doesn’t exactly capture the Taurus’s demeanor – we’d say a better term would be pleasant. Power from the V-6 engine is adequate, the handling is fine for everyday driving by those who view vehicle ownership as a necessity and not a privilege, and the still-bland styling is more effective than any blood pressure medication your doctor might prescribe. It hardly gets the adrenaline pumping, but in terms of doing what a spacious family sedan is supposed to do, the Taurus can be considered a success. But fun? No.

Front Comfort

Hand it to Ford for delivering one heckuva comfortable sedan. Our Limited AWD tester featured leather-clad power front buckets that were wide and soft, though at the same time supportive as we spent hours stuck in traffic. Without any true side bolsters, these seats, along with all other aspects of the Taurus, are by no means sporty, but that shouldn’t come as a big shock to most shoppers. No, the Taurus is built to be cozy cruiser, one with wide and padded sills, padded armrests, leather trim on the shift knob and tilt steering wheel, and generous amounts of passenger room.

Rear Comfort                                                                                       

Adjusted for shorter drivers, there are copious amounts of leg and foot room in the 2008 Ford Taurus; adjust for a taller pilot and it shifts to just a little less copious. Head room is on par with the other measurements, and the padded sills and armrests simply add to the comfort level. That being said, not all is perfect for rear passengers. The bottom of the bench seat feels flat, while the firm backrest provides the sensation of a constantly-engaged lower lumbar support – great for those who like it, but not so much for those who don’t.

Interior Noise

Interior noise is one area where we see a need for improvement. While you won’t go deaf from all the clatter inside the new Taurus, you and your passengers will definitely notice some wind noise at highway speeds and the unrefined engine note at higher revs. The droning sound of the V-6 reminds one that this is a mainstream Ford and not a Lincoln or other premium/luxury model. At about $33,000 loaded, shoppers shouldn’t necessarily expect the Taurus to be tomb quiet, but calling for a bit more refinement and sound deadening material would be well within reason.

Loading Cargo

Whether you’re a mobster looking to transport former acquaintances or a teenager using Dad’s car to sneak all your friends into the drive-in, the Taurus’s trunk will easily meet your needs. Open up that rear lid and you might catch yourself saying, “Wow.” If moving bodies isn’t your thing, there are gobs of room for more luggage than you probably own, countless grocery bags or birthday presents for sextuplets. Utilize the split rear seat to toss some skis or lumber into the mix. The liftover height is a bit high, but the lined lid includes handles and the hinges don’t close down on cargo.

Build Quality

Our 2008 Ford Taurus Limited AWDtest vehicle was a pre-production unit. We did not assess build quality, as it is our rule to praise or critique this aspect of a vehicle only when it is reflective of what consumers find at the local dealership.

Materials Quality

The incessant calls for soft-touch interior materials are finally being answered by a variety of automakers, including Ford. Inside the ’08 Taurus are numerous surfaces that have a bit of give, as opposed to the shiny, hard bits plastered throughout earlier models. A handful of violators remain, but they’re a smidge harder to find and are employed relatively sparingly. Our Limited model featured leather upholstery, as one might expect from a $32,000 Ford sedan, though the quality felt mid-grade at best.

Styling

Taurus styling. Sounds like an oxymoron. But, it comes as the perfect cure for insomniacs who are afraid of medications such as Ambien – just prop up some pillows facing a Taurus poster and you’ll be out in no time, free to snore and dream about your old car. Like the Five Hundred it replaces (largely in name only), the 2008 Ford Taurus exists as a large and rather unassuming family sedan. The expansive chrome grille lets everyone know they’re looking at a Ford, and the car’s soft lines can hardly be considered polarizing.

Storage

Besides providing plenty of room for passengers, the Taurus ensures that all those along for the ride will have space for lots of personal stuff. Each door includes a pocket with an integrated cupholder, with another two in the front center console and rear fold-down center armrest. That last item also features a storage compartment, while the front center armrest sits atop a dual-level cubby, inside of which is a power outlet and auxiliary audio input (think MP3 jack). Atop the center dash is a deep storage well, and the backside of the front seats include pockets for maps and other gear.

Infotainment Controls

Decked out with a touch-screen navigation system, our Limited AWD test car showcased the best of Taurus infotainment. Clearly-marked and large buttons on the steering wheel were secondary to those surrounding the navigation screen on the instrument panel. All were easy to understand and use. The tuning button should’ve mimicked the volume dial, but that’s a minor point. Without a tilt button, the screen washed out in direct sunlight and, interestingly, trip computer info was displayed in the gauge cluster using a button on the steering wheel. Many competitors incorporate this into the navigation/radio controls, but some drivers may appreciate this more direct access.

Climate Controls

We usually laud the simple and straight-forward approach of climate control dials – one for fan speed, one for temperature, and one for mode. Ford has taken a different approach, placing in the Taurus a setup we’ve seen in other Blue Oval vehicles, one that works in terms of functionality and style. The dual-zone system includes red buttons for increasing temps and blue for lowering, recognizable two-setting heated seat buttons, and an assortment of others that control fan speed, mode, and more. It may require a few extra seconds to learn versus the three-dial design, but otherwise should garner few complaints from users.

Secondary Controls

Finding secondary controls inside the 2008 Taurus is like looking for hay in a haystack. Aside from the auxiliary input jack located inside the front armrest, not one of the Taurus’s controls could be considered hidden. The usual array of power functions are found on the door, with the mirrors controlled by a swivel knob near the A-pillar and a grouping of memory seat buttons next to the door handle. Adjusting the pedals can be accomplished with a button on the left dash, and turning off the traction control or rear park assist system requires a tap of buttons on the instrument panel.

Competition

Anyone shopping the non-luxury family sedan market realizes that there are choices aplenty. With a price ranging from the mid $20,000s to the mid $30,000s, the 2008 Ford Taurus can count the majority of those choices as competition. They include well-established names like Toyota Avalon, Nissan Maxima, Chevrolet Impala, and Chrysler 300. Newer players, such as Hyundai’s Azera and Dodge’s Charger, are attracting buyers, too, and Honda has recently launched the larger and more powerful 2008 Accord. Considering the pros and cons of these trusted four-doors, the V-6-powered 2008 Ford Taurus, with available all-wheel drive, appears to fall smack dab in the middle of the pack.

2^nd Opinion – Beamesderfer

The “new” Taurus almost gave me flashbacks to when I was learning to drive in the early 1970s. Over snow-packed residential streets in Chicago, I very carefully piloted a four-door Torino. After driving that boat-mobile, my Mom’s Toyota Corona Mk. II seemed like a sports car.  As it turns out, the driving experience of the big American sedan exists to this day, complete with modern gadgetry such as GPS navigation and satellite radio. Ford took the Five Hundred, which was by all accounts mediocre, and morphed it into what is now a Taurus. More important than any cosmetic changes are…

2^nd Opinion – Chee

Psst: you don’t have to buy an SUV to get utility with your vehicle. All you need is Ford’s improved Taurus, with its immense trunk (big enough for two bikes), spacious interior and comfortable chairs. It’s not perfect, sure – but it’s an excellent upgrade over the large but bland and weak-kneed Five Hundred. Of course, you can’t buy that model anymore, so who cares…but it does show that Ford is making progress where it counts. The name change itself ought to make more people aware of the car, though we’ll never know if that makes any real difference in terms…