washingtonpost.com's view

THE WARNING came in the fourth paragraph of a four-page press release on the 1996 Ford Taurus SHO. Buyers of this car, the release said, “are predominantly male, more affluent and have attained higher levels of education than the traditional Taurus buyer.”

It continued: “They appreciate the excitement of driving. Because they love driving, they tend to be more knowledgeable about cars than typical car buyers.”

And the clincher: “Their tastes have matured since their days of low-slung, two-door sports cars. Comfort, near-luxury features and refinement are now important parts of their driving experience.”

What Ford’s publicists should have said was this: “If you like this car, beware. You’re getting fat, approaching middle age and spending too much time at the office. If you love this car, get help. You are overweight, hypertense and locked in middle-aged crisis.”

Hmph. I think I’ll call my doctor. I absolutely love this Taurus SHO.

Background: The Taurus SHO was born in 1990 as a compromise — an auto for baby-boomer dudes for whom some of the boom had gone.

They are a frustrated lot, these men. They would like nothing better than to be in a Porsche 911, BMW Z3 or some equivalent sports machine. But even with their incomes, they can’t afford those kinds of wheels. Their automotive libidos have been arrested by mortgages, school tuitions and common sense.

So Ford came up with the Taurus SHO (Special High Output), to give boomer dudes a taste of what they want along with a healthy serving of what they need, the latter being value, family space, safety and reliability.

Ford has done an admirable job of reaching most of those goals in the 1996 Taurus SHO.

For example, the new car runs with a V8, instead of the V6 in the predecessor. The 3.4-liter, 32-valve, double overhead-cam V8 was developed jointly by Ford and Yamaha. It is rated 235 horsepower at 6,100 rpm, with torque rated 230 pound-feet at 4,800 rpm. By comparison, the SHO’s old 3-liter 24-valve V6 was rated 220 horsepower at 6,200 rpm, with torque rated 200 pound-feet at 4,800 rpm.

But more cylinders and horsepower aren’t the new engine’s only distinguishing factors. It’s also quieter, smoother and linked to a standard, electronically controlled, four-speed automatic transmission. Taurus SHO models used to come with standard manual transmissions, but Ford jettisoned the SHO’s stick shift.

Standard equipment on the new SHO includes dual front air bags, improved side-impact protection, a suspension system that adjusts automatically to match road conditions and power disc brakes (vented front/solid rear) with anti-lock backup.

Complaints: Nitpick on fit: Some fit glitches around the speaker enclosures at bottom of A pillars (vertical front pillars that help to frame the windshield).

Praise: Walter Mitty would have been proud. You can relive your youthful fantasies in this car, even though everybody knows that “Ford Taurus” means your day s of carefree youth have passed.

Head-turning quotient: No middle-age bulge here. If you’re trying to lose weight and tone up, attach a photograph of this car to your exercise machine. It’s inspiring.

Ride, acceleration and handling: High aces. Braking was excellent, too.

Mileage: About 24 miles per gallon (16.1-gallon tank, estimated 373-mile range on usable volume of recommended premium unleaded), running mostly highway with empty trunk. Cargo capacity is 15.5 cubic feet.

Sound system: Optional Ford/JBL audio system with six-disc CD changer. Excellent sound reproduction.

Price: Base price on the tested 1996 SHO is $25,930. Dealer invoice on base model is $23,503. Price as tested is $29,380, including $2,900 in options and a $550 destination charge.

Purse-strings note: Compare with Dodge Intrepid, which is based on a similar theme of aging masculinity.

Purse-strings extra: Here are buyer demographics for the SHO provided by Ford’s marketing people: Eighty-n ne percent are men. Median age is 46. Median annual household income is $81,000. Seventy percent hold college degrees. Eighty-one percent are married.