Credit Alan Mulally, who became president of Ford a little more than a year ago, and asked why the mid-size Taurus sedan had been renamed Five Hundred.
Taurus, he reminded, was a well-known nameplate that at one time outsold every passenger car — evenToyota Camry and Honda Accord.
After picking himself up off the floor when told Five Hundred gave Ford a name starting with “F,” Mulally revived Taurus for 2008. Ditto for the Freestyle crossover, now Taurus X.
Having tested the 2008 Taurus sedan (Transportation, Sept. 9, 2007), we now check out the X, offered in SEL and Limited trim in front- or all-wheel-drive. We drove the AWD Limited.
Changing names solved only one problem. Folks also didn’t like the look of Five Hundred or Freestyle, and they howled that the 3-liter, 203-horsepower V-6 powering both snored.
So Taurus and X sport new front ends with large three-bar chrome grilles that have proved popular on the mid-size Fusion sedan and Edge crossover.
And a 3.5-liter, 263-h.p. V-6 spirits the crossover away from the light or past the Camry lingering in the center lane.
But the more-lively 3.5 growls when accelerating. If the X was a high-power derivative from Ford’s Special Vehicle Operation, the growl would be tolerable. Instead, it’s just irritating.
The quicker V-6 needs to be quieter because drivers equate quiet with quality.
Ride is bump-free, but you may need to brace on the center armrest in corners at speed to compensate for station wagon-like body lean. Yeah, station wagon. Just like the duck, if it looks like a wagon and acts like a wagon then it’s a wagon.
Minivans replaced those oh-so-unfashionable wagons, and now crossovers are elbowing out the equally gauche minivans in the hearts and minds of those who haul a DVD entertainment system and iPod instead of a potty chair and crib.
The AWD system is an on-demand unit that sends torque to whichever wheel needs better grip when it detects slippage. AdvanceTrac stability control and traction control are standard (weren’t even offered on Freestyle) for added security on twisties or slipperies. On snow-packed roads X rates an “S” for security. But it costs you at the pump: Fuel economy is 15 m.p.g. city/22 m.p.g. highway with AWD versus 18/28 with FWD.
X comes with three rows of seats. Second row offers very good head and above average knee room if no one is in the third row and you can slip Row No. 2 back a few inches. If someone is in No. 3, knee room in the middle is tolerable.
Pull a strap and lever to fold and flip second-row seats to open a spacious aisle to row three. Too much work? Press a button and watch the seats fold and flip on their own. Returning the seat to its upright position is manual labor, however.
Third-row knee room is decent if those in the second row can slide forward; tight if they can’t.
If the headrests are lowered all the way in the back rows, the bulge at the top of the seat bites your upper back. Ouch.
Large consoles between seats in the first two rows offer storage, cupholders and power plugs. The front console also has a hard-to-reach coin holder. Useless.
Limited comes with perforated leather seats to prevent slipping or sticking. But seats are too flat, bottoms too short for thigh support, and bolsters too slim to hold you in place in aggressive driving. Fashion gone too far? The cargo hold is a deep well in back. Good room for suitcases or gear. Pull straps to fold and flip third-row seats into the well — sorry, no power assist here — to create a large, flat cargo floor. Second-row seats also go flat for even more space.
For the first time you can get a power hatchlid to make loading/unloading less of a chore.
Taurus X offers Sync as standard. That’s the system developed with Microsoft that provides voice-command compatibility with portable digital media players and most Bluetooth-enabled phones. Tech challenged, we literally called on Sync for its easy-to-activate radio and navigation systems ($1,995), though, honestly, saying “radio on” hardly requires four years at Harvard.
Press a button and say “help,” and the navi screen lists all of Sync’s “vital” services — among them the golf course. Why? Now, that would require a Harvard degree.
The AWD Taurus X Limited starts at $32,185. Along with power windows/locks/seats/mirrors and air conditioning, nice touches are huge windows all around for great visibility and minimal blind spots, bottle holders in the doors, a covered stowage pouch in the top of the dash, iPod/cell phone/MP3 holders in the front console, heated rear seats (part of an $825 ultimate package with the power hatchlid), DVD entertainment system ($995), power adjustable pedals ($255) and power moonroof ($960).
Taurus X sales are running about 25 percent ahead of the Freestyle. Name change help? Perhaps. But our money’s on the new engine and styling.
2008 Ford Taurus X Limited AWD
– Length: 200.3 inches
– Wheelbase: 112.9 inches
– Engine: 3.5 liter, 263 h.p. V-6
– Transmission: 6-speed automatic
– Fuel economy: 15 m.p.g. city/22 m.p.g. highway
– Price as tested: $38,755
– Add $750 for freight.
THE STICKER
– $32,185 Base
– $1,995 Navigation system
– $995 DVD entertainment system
– $960 Power moonroof
– $825 Ultimate package with second-row bucket seats, power liftgate
– $695 18-inch chrome wheels
– $650 Auxiliary climate control
– $255 Convenience package with power adjustable pedals
– $195 Sirius satellite radio
PLUSES
– Revised styling.
– Upgraded engine.
– New name
– Three rows of seats, easy to fold second (power) and third rows.
– AWD available.
– Stability control, traction control and side-curtain air bags standard.
MINUSES
– Mileage rating.
– Back-biting head rests.
– Growling V-6.
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Read Jim Mateja Sunday in Transportation. Contact him attransportation@tribune.com.
