2010 Ford Taurus Overview Change Vehicle

This 2010 Ford Taurus review explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the 2010 Taurus, and includes Ford Taurus safety, reliability, and fuel economy information.

Just two years after a major overhaul, Ford redesigns the Taurus. The new car features bolder sheetmetal, a completely redesigned interior, and several new technologies including adaptive cruise control with a collision warning system, a blind spot information system, a cross-traffic alert system, MyKey programmable vehicle features, push-button start, Sony premium audio, massaging front seats, and an Easy Fuel capless fuel filling system. This year also marks the return of the Taurus SHO model. SHO stands for Super High Output, and thanks to a turbocharged 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engine making 365 horsepower.

The 2010 Ford Taurus is available in SE, SEL, Limited and SHO trim levels. The Taurus SE is well equipped, as expected for any full-size sedan with a base price in the mid-$20,000 range. If you want dual-zone automatic climate control, heated side mirrors, satellite radio, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, a compass and outside temperature display, or 18-inch alloy wheels, the SEL is the model you want to buy. The Limited adds chrome 19-inch wheels, leather, wood trim on the steering wheel, 10-way power front seats, a HomeLink universal remote, Sync wireless technology, an iPod adaptor, a nicer stereo, rear parking assist sensors, and additional features.

The Taurus SHO is based on the Limited model, swapping out the chrome wheels and wood steering wheel trim for a meatier leather-wrapped steering wheel and painted alloys. Leather and suede seats are installed, real aluminum decorates the cabin, and the SHO gets a turbocharged V6, a sport-tuned suspension, Xenon headlights, a rear spoiler, and more.

As expected, each model can be equipped with a number of option packages that bring them closer in specification and price to the next model on the price ladder. Massaging front seats are available on all but the SE, and we highly recommend them. The Limited and SHO models, however, are exclusively offered with numerous options that turn a Taurus into a genuine luxury sedan. Heated and cooled front seats, heated rear seats, a power rear sunshade, rain-sensing wipers, a power sunroof, a Sony premium sound system, a navigation system, and keyless entry and ignition are available on these models.

Ford also offers a blind spot assist system that can warn the driver of traffic in the Taurus’s blind spots, a cross-traffic alert system that can warn the driver of approaching traffic as the Taurus reverses from a parking space, and an active cruise control system with collision mitigation braking and brake support. What does this mean? The Taurus’s optional active cruise control employs a radar unit at the front of the vehicle that monitors traffic ahead, automatically maintaining safe following distance by braking and accelerating as necessary. If the system detects that a collision may be about to occur, it sounds a warning and readies the braking system to provide full braking power as soon as the pedal is touched. If the driver ignores this warning, the Taurus will automatically slow itself down in an effort to reduce speed as much as possible prior to impact.

Finally, Ford offers a Performance Package for the Taurus SHO, which includes larger 20-inch alloy wheels with Goodyear Eagle F1 summer performance tires, revised electric steering, improved brakes, a sport mode for the stability control system, and transmission modifications designed to provide more responsive acceleration.

Speaking of acceleration, the 2010 Taurus can be fitted with one of two engines. The SE, SEL, and Limited models all have a 263-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6 engine that’s carried over from last year’s model. It is connected to a six-speed automatic transmission, and some models get a SelectShift version of the automatic complete with what Ford calls “racing-inspired shift control paddles” on the steering wheel. This engine drives the front wheels unless you’ve specified the optional all-wheel-drive system.

The Taurus SHO has a twin-turbo version of this V6, making 365 horsepower and a whopping 350 pound-feet of torque across a flat band between 1,500 and 5,250 rpm. The SHO comes standard with all-wheel drive, the power flowing to all four corners through the SelectShift six-speed automatic.

The Taurus SE with front-wheel drive is the most fuel efficient model, rated 18 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway. The SEL and Limited models come standard with the SelectShift automatic, which drops highway mileage to 27 mpg. Add the optional all-wheel-drive system, and the Taurus is rated 17-mpg city/25-mpg highway. Despite its significant power gains, the turbocharged Taurus SHO matches the standard V6 with AWD at 17-city/25-highway.

Six airbags, stability and traction control, and four-wheel-disc brakes with electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist come standard on every 2010 Taurus. Ford also includes SOS Post Crash Alert technology, which flashes the hazard lights and sounds the horn when an airbag deploys, helping rescuers find the Taurus and administer assistance to the car’s occupants. MyKey is also included on every model, allowing owners to program things like vehicle speed warning chimes, limited top speed, limited stereo volume, and other items intended to keep young drivers safe. Furthermore, Ford offers a number of safety options for the Taurus, many of which are uncommon in a mainstream vehicle.

The Taurus is available with lots of standard and optional safety features, and the underlying structure is robust as well. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the 2010 Taurus receives 5-Star crashworthiness ratings in frontal and side impact testing, and 4-Star ratings for its resistance to rolling over in a skid or crash. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) agrees that the Taurus is safe, calling it a Top Safety Pick for 2010.

Reliability forecasts are also favorable. Both J.D. Power and Associates and Consumer Reports believe the 2010 Taurus will provide better-than-average dependability over time. J.D. Power also named the Taurus the highest-ranked large car for initial quality in 2010.

The only reason to skip the 2010 Ford Taurus when shopping for a full-size sedan is if the styling isn’t appealing to you. Otherwise, it is quite difficult to prepare an argument against the car. Safety and reliability look good, the Taurus is available with AWD for snowy winters, the trunk and interior are positively enormous, and there’s even a resurrected SHO performance model. Additionally, the Taurus can be optioned to luxury car status in terms of creature comforts and technology, which reflects its shared engineering and packaging with the Lincoln MKS. We’re impressed with the 2010 Taurus, and think you will be, too.

By Christian Wardlaw