2011 Ford Taurus: What's New

Vehicle Overview
The 2011 Taurus is available in SE, SEL and Limited trim levels and is offered with front- or all-wheel drive. The Taurus competes with the Buick Lucerne, Chrysler 300 and Toyota Avalon. It is also available as a high-performance model called the Taurus SHO.

New for 2011
There are no significant changes.

Exterior
The Taurus has a sleek sheet metal that bestows a sporty look on Ford’s flagship car. The new grille and front bumper combination is reminiscent of Ford’s European cars.

The sporty look continues around back with the trunklid and taillights. The trunklid’s forward-swept design recalls old wooden speedboats, but the look doesn’t translate particularly well on land. Exterior features include:

• Standard 17-inch wheels
• Standard body-colored door handles, front and rear bumpers
• Standard chrome grille and chrome-tipped exhaust
• Optional 18- and 19-inch wheels

Interior
The Taurus has room for five on front bucket seats and a three-person rear bench. The Taurus’ backseat is big, but it feels like the roof is encroaching more on rear passenger space compared with pre-2010 models.

Additional features include:

• Standard air conditioning
• Standard power driver’s seat
• Standard tilt/telescoping steering wheel, cruise control and a CD stereo
• Optional Sony six-CD audio system
• Optional leather seats
• Optional power-adjustable pedals
• Optional moonroof
• Optional heated and cooled front seats, heated rear seats and power rear sunshade

Under the Hood
The 2011 Taurus is powered by a 3.5-liter V-6 that makes 263 horsepower. The V-6 drives a six-speed automatic transmission.

The Taurus’ maximum towing capacity when properly equipped is 1,000 pounds.

Safety
Safety features include:

• Antilock brakes
• Side-impact airbags for the front seats
• Side curtain airbags
• Electronic stability system
• Optional rear parking sensor
• Optional blind spot warning system and collision-prevention system

Taurus SHO
Ford revived an old trim with the Taurus SHO–it stands for Super High Output–which effectively caps the Taurus lineup from a performance and luxury standpoint. The SHO swaps the Taurus’ standard drivetrain for a twin-turbo, direct-injection 3.5-liter V-6. It’s one of the first engines in Ford’s EcoBoost initiative, which forgoes larger engines for smaller turbocharged ones that purportedly get better gas mileage.

Taurus SHO’s EcoBoost makes 365 hp and 350 pounds-feet of torque. It works through a six-speed automatic transmission with standard all-wheel drive and steering-wheel paddle shifters.

Other changes are fairly subtle. Among them are various SHO badges, 19- or 20-inch wheels, dual exhaust pipes and a rear spoiler. The suspension and steering response have been sharpened, too. Beefier brakes, more responsive steering and a higher-threshold sport mode for the electronic stability system are part of an SHO Performance Package.