Ford Taurus (fifth Generation)

The fifth generation of the Ford Taurus is a sedan that was marketed by Ford for the 2008 and 2009 model years. Marking the return of the model line after a hiatus of less than a year, the fifth-generation Taurus is a mid-cycle revision of the Ford Five Hundred, making the Taurus a full-size car for the first time. The model line also became the flagship Ford sedan, as Ford withdrew the Crown Victoria from retail sale. The model line was also sold as the Ford Taurus X three-row wagon (a revision of the Ford Freestyle). The fifth-generation Taurus was marketed in North America, South Korea, Mexico, and the Middle East. Outside the United States, Canada, and South Korea, it retained the previous Ford Five Hundred branding.

As the Taurus adopted the D3 architecture introduced by the Five Hundred, several firsts were made to the model line. The Taurus gained all-wheel drive as an option for the first time, along with a 6-speed automatic transmission and a standard overhead-cam V6 engine. In a similar rebranding, the Mercury Montego was replaced by the return of the Mercury Sable; coinciding with the closure of the Mercury brand, this was the final version of the Sable. For the first time, Lincoln did not market a counterpart of the Taurus as the Continental (instead designing the Lincoln MKS from the sixth-generation Taurus).

Ford assembled the Taurus in its Chicago Assembly facility (Chicago, Illinois) alongside the Mercury Sable, Taurus X, and Lincoln MKS (for 2009).

Design

As a rebranded and modified ''Five Hundred'', the 5G Taurus was heavily revised, including a 30% increase in engine horsepower; front facelift; faux fender vents; chrome door handle accents, revised tail lights; and increased sound-absorption measures, including foam pellets expanded into the A-pillars and a new sound-absorptive material, marketed as ''Sonosorb'', used throughout the body. The 5G Taurus used a new six-speed automatic transmission (jointly developed with General Motors), superseding the Five Hundred's Aisin six-speed or optional CVT.

On the 2005-2007 Five Hundred, the roughly 600-lb engine was bolted to a sub frame. With the 5G Taurus, the engine was bolted to the unibody frame rails. By not having the engine bearing on the sub frame, the stiffened subframe could address suspension requirements. Front suspension travel was increased by 10 mm (10%) and suspension was retuned.

Exterior

The exterior featured a revised front fascia with a three-bar grille, headlights, and fog lights; revised tail lights; roof-mounted satellite radio antenna; and chrome-trimmed faux fender vents. Each trim level featured new wheels.

Ford's chief designer Peter Horbury noted that the Five Hundred's styling had been problematic, and said of the front and rear facia modifications: "when we did the face lift, and it became the Taurus; it didn't set the world on fire, either. If you remodeled either end of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, I'm sure you’d still know what it was."

Interior

As with the exterior, the interior of the 5G Taurus is largely carried over from the Five Hundred with subtle differences such as darker simulated woodgrain and revised steering wheel. Ford relocated the wiper switch from the left side (as with the Five Hundred) to the turn signal stalk on the right side, as has been the design of every Taurus since its 1986 introduction.

The interior featured a revised radio faceplate with chrome trim around the buttons, a new double-tiered bin in the center console, and a new shifter design. Notably, the 5G Taurus features Ford's SYNC system, developed by Microsoft, which accepts voice commands and can connect the driver's cell phones and MP3 players to the car, while organizing personal information.

Models and engines

The 5G Taurus was offered in SE, SEL, and Limited trim levels. The SE retailed around $24,000 US$, with the middle option SEL at $26,000 and the Limited at $30,000. This generation of Taurus uses the 263-hp 3.5-L Duratec 35 V6, which replaces the Duratec 30 3.0-L V6. The Five Hundred/Freestyle's ZF-Batavia CVT, which had a maximum torque capacity of , is also replaced with a Ford-GM joint venture six-speed automatic capable of withstanding the Duratec 35's additional torque. The Aisin AW six-speed automatic that was used on FWD Five Hundred and Montegos was also replaced by the GM-Ford 6-speed automatic transmission.

Taurus nameplate

The fourth-generation (4G) Ford Taurus was manufactured concurrently with a larger, new front-wheel drive sedan, the Ford Five Hundred and was discontinued in late 2006 for model year 2007. After discontinuation of the 4G Taurus, the Five Hundred, which did not perform to expectations, was rebranded as the 5G Taurus.

''Autoblog'' and '' The Truth About Cars'' expressed disappointment that Ford let the Taurus nameplate decline. MSNBC interviewed many Ford workers who felt that Ford unjustly abandoned the car that had done so much to revitalize Ford and the US industry. In an October 25, 2006 ''USA Today'' editorial, "How Ford starved its Taurus", it was noted that while the Japanese stick with their popular models and keep them up to date and competitive, (such as the Toyota Corolla, which has been in continuous production since the 1960s), the Detroit automakers regularly abandon established models in search of "the next big thing".

After taking the position as CEO at Ford, Alan Mulally said in an interview with the Associated Press that he was baffled the Taurus had been discontinued, saying he believed discontinuing the Taurus was a mistake, and that the Five Hundred should have been named "Taurus" from the beginning. In mid-2007, revamped versions of the Five Hundred and Freestyle were unveiled as "Taurus" and "Taurus X" at the 2007 Chicago Auto Show. In a later interview, Mulally said the Taurus name was well known and had positive brand equity, something that would take time and money to give to the Five Hundred.

Variants

Mercury Sable

For the 2008 model year, the Mercury Montego received the same midcycle update as the Ford Five Hundred; in line with the revival of the Ford Taurus, the Montego was renamed the Mercury Sable. Receiving the same 3.5-L V6 and six-speed automatic as the Taurus, cosmetic updates to the Sable were more extensive, with a redesigned front and rear fasciae, larger grille, and clear-lens taillamps. The redesigned interior adopted several changes, including two-tone leather seating, with hydrographically printed woodgrain in multiple color patterns.

With the end of the Mercury brand, Sable production ended after model year 2009; no Mercury Sable counterpart of the sixth-generation Taurus entered development.

Ford Taurus X

Alongside the midcycle update to the Ford Five Hundred/Mercury Montego, for 2008, the Ford Freestyle crossover SUV received a similar update, adopting the Ford Taurus X nameplate. Sharing the powertrain of the Taurus/Sable, the Taurus X adopted a revised front fascia, similar to the Taurus sedan. In line with larger Ford SUVs, the Taurus X offered an outdoors-themed Eddie Bauer edition for the first time. Following lower than expected sales, the Taurus X ended production on February 27, 2009; while not an official replacement, the Ford Flex is also a crossover SUV based upon the D3-platform Ford Taurus.

Water pump issues

Water pumps on 2008 to 2009 Ford Taurus, 2008 to 2009 Mercury Sable, 2008 to 2009 Ford Taurus X, and 2013 to 2019 Ford Police Interceptor Sedan equipped with the 3.5-L Ford Cyclone V6, 3.5-L EcoBoost V6, and 3.7-L V6 have a tendency to fail and potentially ruin the engine. The water pumps on these engines are internally mounted and driven by the timing chain. As a result, when they fail, antifreeze is sometimes dumped directly into the crankcase; mixing with engine oil and potentially damaging the head gaskets and connecting rod bearings. Some of these water pump failures occur without warning, although most present themselves externally first, by way of a weephole that expels coolant next to the alternator. Repairs can cost thousands of dollars as the engine must be partially disassembled, or removed, to access the water pump. In some cases, the engine will need to be replaced outright, if the warning signs are ignored. A class-action lawsuit was initiated against Ford as a result of this issue, but no settlement was reached against Ford.

References

External links

Official Ford Taurus websiteTaurus Car Club of America

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ford Taurus (Fifth Generation)
5th generation
Full-size vehicles
Sedans
All-wheel-drive vehicles
Front-wheel-drive vehicles
Motor vehicles manufactured in the United States
Cars introduced in 2007
Cars discontinued in 2009
Partial zero-emissions vehicles
Ford D3 platform
Executive cars