The 2008 Ford Taurus X is essentially a relabeled version of last year's Freestyle, but with the new name comes a new look and several improvements. Thrust off the line is strong, and charging up highway on-ramps is now more easily accomplished. Drives great! What are the differences between the Ford Taurus SEL and SHO? Where its sister sedan model, the 2008 Taurus (formerly the Ford Five Hundred), is a unique, high-riding, remarkably roomy sedan, the Taurus X with a choice of six or seven seats distinguishes itself much less in the sea of wagon/crossover/SUV models that offer all-wheel drive. For better or worse, Ford has realized that four out of five car buyers have heard of the Taurus, which sold almost 7 million units in the nameplate's 21 years on the market, and the same couldn't be said of the slow-selling Five Hundred. In fact, Ford says there are more than 500 changes. and at 6'2" I found the car to be very comfortable. I have owed numerous vehicles during my lifetime from klunkers to luxury. Please check your email for confirmation. This isn't a finely balanced system, but it does produce satisfying bass. From the closed liftgate, I measured 9.5 feet to the dashboard and more than 11 feet to the base of the windshield. So Ford has dusted off the Taurus tag after a one-year hiatus and rebadged the Ford Five Hundred. Theres a well in the floor behind the 50/50-split folding third-row seat that contributes to the Taurus Xs 15.8 cubic feet of cargo volume. The presence of Sync makes the rest of the Taurus X's control layout seem dated, but families should find its capabilities useful just the same. However, materials quality is hit-or-miss. The steering wheel tilts but doesnt telescope, a shortcoming. The continuously variable automatic transmission also was poorly received. They're also less than impressed with the clear lenses of the taillights, saying that change is "something a lot of automakers resort to when they need to spice things upsimpler red taillights seemed more fitting for a large family car. Genuine Ford Accessories will be warranted for whichever provides you the greatest benefit: 12 months or 12,000 miles (whichever occurs first) or the remainder of your Bumper-to-Bumper 3-year/36,000-mile New Vehicles Warranty. The restyle and rename were a chance for Ford to fix some of this stuff. A New Group of AdultsNow that the Taurus has assumed the Five Hundred's spot in the Ford lineup, it competes in a segment that's apt to be perused by older shoppers more inclined to full-size cars from domestic brands. ConsumerGuide agrees about the smoothness of shifting, but says it "can be reluctant to downshift for passing." The interior's a bit drab, but it's pieced together well, and there's plenty of storage space in the console and door panels. They credit the "multiple airbags -- two in front, side impact and curtain airbags that deploy in a rollover -- and one of the strongest structures in the industry, courtesy of Volvo." That they didnt now suggests that they never will. You Asked for More PowerOf all the modifications Ford has made to turn the Five Hundred into the Taurus, none are as important as those under the hood. Have questions about warranties or CPO programs? continuously variable automatic transmission. Providing further reassurance is the Taurus X's perfect five-star scores in all front- and side-impact crash tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Research the 2011 Ford Taurus SEL in Gastonia, NC at Tindol Ford. Better still, more muscle doesn't seem to have hurt fuel economy: 18 EPA mpg city and 28 highway, albeit a lackluster 16 in our test. ", One area where reviewers are slightly more positive is in the ride and handling. Available transmissions include: 6-speed automatic. In addition to the backrests, the whole chair adjusts forward and back, allowing you to share legroom with the third row. Even the head restraints raise high enough. Overview 4.7 (58 reviews) The good: Crash-test ratings Price Ride and handling balance Backseat space Trunk space Child-seat accommodations Driving visibility. FWD. According to Edmunds, the extra 60 horses are a definite improvement over "the slow-as-snails Five Hundred." View all are a little too small for my liking or perhaps I'm showing my age. What are the differences between the Ford Taurus Limited and SEL? that car buying is the way to go. Around town it gets 15 to 19 MPG. 4-wheel anti-lock disc brakes. Though the cars. Stability control, power-adjustable pedals and rear parking sensors are optional. The Used 2008 Ford Taurus X comes with all wheel drive, and front wheel drive. The 2008 Ford Taurus comes in two editions: a base SEL and an up-level Limited. The rest of the reborn Taurus, like its Mercury Sable counterpart, is reworked Five Hundred (or Montego), with more front-suspension travel, some localized chassis stiffening, and lots of sound-deadening material. While the great outward visibility might be very reassuring to little old ladies who like to watch The Golden Girls on cable, the satisfaction of the height-challenged Estelle Gettys of this world might be balanced by the consternation of the statuesque Bea Arthurs, who will find that their hair brushes the roof of a car that supposedly has best-in-class headroom. No problems at all. In addition, some reviewers report that "stalks for wipers, turn signals are still too far from the steering wheel." The front-wheel-drive Taurus X starts out at $26,615 reasonably equipped, though the lack of a standard folding third row is puzzling. 2008: Ford: Taurus: Limited Sedan 4-Door: . View pictures, specs, and pricing & schedule a test drive today. The 21-cubic-foot trunk is massive (bigger than the Crown Victoria) and the Taurus' 60/40-split rear bench and front passenger seat fold flat, allowing items up to 9 feet in length to be transported inside the car. My Taurus X SEL was equipped with all-wheel drive, the heavier of the two drivelines, so its reasonable to expect the front-wheel-drive model to be as quick or quicker. Test drive Used Ford Taurus at home in Penfield, NY. ", Similarly, ConsumerGuide says, "audio and climate controls comprise many look-alike buttons and sometimes hard-to-read electronic displays, all set too low for easiest use. On the upside, it and many other options are served a la carte, not locked into packages with other features you might not want. The Pacifica has less. MyRide says these changes "pay perceptible dividends compared to the Five Hundred, and the overall experience is one of refinement and quality." VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan, PRICE AS TESTED: $30,755 (base price: $27,595), ENGINE TYPE: DOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injection, Displacement: 213 cu in, 3496ccPower (SAE net): 263 bhp @ 6250 rpmTorque (SAE net): 249 lb-ft @ 4500 rpm, DIMENSIONS:Wheelbase: 112.9 in Length: 201.8 inWidth: 74.5 in Height: 61.5 inCurb weight: 3862 lb, C/D TEST RESULTS: (Ford made some upgrades and renamed it after concluding that people didnt know what it was). Just as important, the V6 still preserves this car's green-friendly identity, because fuel-efficiency has improved 10 percent and the air emissions are so squeaky clean that the Taurus qualifies as a Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (PZEV) in California. Its been a wonderful car and I love it. Theres little, One of the main complaints about the Freestyle and Five Hundred models was that they were underpowered. Although it offered a large cabin and an impressive ride and handling balance, the Five Hundred was let down by weak engine performance and a lack of refinement. In addition to the backrests, the whole chair adjusts forward and back, allowing you to share legroom with the third row. I had originally intended to purchase a Honda Fit from the used car dealer. Combined MPG: 19. combined. I did some homework and bought the car a few days later with just over 80k on the engine. Any person depicted in the stock image is a model. ", ConsumerGuide says that the 2008 Ford feels "steady in sweeping turns, especially with AWD" but reports "moderate body lean" in "tight low-speed corners" because of its height and weight. Available transmissions include: 6-speed automatic. Edmunds lets you track your vehicle's value over time so you can decide when to sell or trade in. Move up to the Limited and you'll get 18-inch wheels, leather upholstery, a power passenger seat, front seat heaters, a memory system for the driver seat/mirrors, dual-zone automatic climate control, an upgraded audio system with a six-disc CD changer, heated mirrors with puddle lamps, and an analog clock. To me someone who was ferried to day camp in a Ford Country Squire station wagon it still looks like an overgrown wagon. Accordingly, engineers have thoroughly revised the suspension tune, so there are new dampers and springs, while revised shock towers increase front suspension travel by 10 percent. We bought this car with 136000 miles and had it 2 weeks and took a 4300 mile trip to Florida. The liftgate itself is the most common location and not always within reach. The SEL comes with 17-inch alloy wheels, automatic headlights, two-tone exterior paint, privacy glass, air-conditioning, a six-way power driver seat, an in-dash CD changer, a leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls, full power accessories, cruise control, a trip computer and heated mirrors. Search from 6 Used Ford Taurus cars for sale, including a 2008 Ford Taurus SEL, a 2015 Ford Taurus Limited, and a 2015 Ford Taurus SEL ranging in price from $17,950 to $25,950. Shop with Edmunds for perks and special offers on used cars, trucks, and SUVs near Miami, FL. Tony was smart, well read, funny, irascible, cantankerous, opinionated, friendly, difficult, charming, honest, and eminently interesting to be around. With a six-speed automatic (the unloved CVT is no longer available) powering the front wheels (all-wheel drive is also offered), the Taurus hustles to 60 mph in 6.8 seconds, 1.1 seconds quicker than that uninspiring test car of '05. Guess the Edge replaced it. Everything inside is set up with practicality in mind. Now in 2008, Fords changed the Five Hundreds name toTaurus. MPG. We drove ours for 208,000 miles and then sold it to a neighbor who still has it - with over 250,000 on the odometer. Though the cars platform comes from Fords Swedish brand, Volvo, they didnt carry over this usual Volvo feature. It was an overstatement in the sedans case, but the Freestyle was borderline; fill it with people or cargo and take to the hills, and youd find acceleration wanting. Fans of the new look include the reviewer at MSN, which says the 2008 Ford "looks dressed up on the outside, with eye-catching taillights and headlights and a grille reminiscent of the one on Ford's popular and smaller sedan, the Fusion." In addition, newly standard stability control neatly adds the missing piece to the safety roster. A slight irritation is the new V6's noisy and unrefined engine note at higher rpm, along with the six-speed automatic's reluctance to quickly downshift. The improvement is evident immediately in the Taurus X . They praise the brakes for having "fine overall stopping control" and like the AWD option for driving on "wet and snowy roads." Sync can even read incoming text messages aloud through the speaker system. Options, depending on the trim, include a navigation system, a rear-seat DVD entertainment system, rear-seat climate controls, second-row automatic flip-forward seats, a moonroof and a power liftgate. When Ford dropped the Taurus from its lineup in 2007, it marked a fast fall for the sedan from the very top of the market. The Taurus X is just the right height for ease of entry and exit. The elasticity of "all-new" gets a test here, as Ford stretches the words to surround this large front-drive sedan, known previously as the .css-xtkis1{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#1C5f8B;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;font-weight:bold;}.css-xtkis1:hover{color:#000000;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}Five Hundred. Though my knees were raised somewhat, I was as comfortable as Ive been in almost any third row in a vehicle of any size. Two captains chairs are the standard second row, but a 60/40-split three-seat bench is a no-cost option. Going & StoppingOne of the main complaints about the Freestyle and Five Hundred models was that they were underpowered. Motor Trend finds the interior "cavernous," and Edmunds likes the fact that "Legroom is plentiful in both the front and rear. Automobile reports that it "provide[s] that commanding view of the road that SUV owners were always going on about." Ford: Taurus: SEL Sedan 4-Door: 3.5L . These efforts make the Taurus as tranquil as a Toyota Avalon at 30 mph. However, with very few exceptions, everyone I put in the second row noticed and griped about the lack of inboard armrests on the captains chairs. Pros: It's been totally reliable. The Taurus X is hands down my favorite car. I replaced the alloy wheels with a black aftermarket wheel which draws lots of compliments , retaining the corroded OE wheels for the dedicated snow tires. Once you have identified a used vehicle It would have been hot back when people cared less about image and didnt think twice about buying minivans, or even when there were few car-based models with three rows of seats. The car was frequently downshifting for more power. A deep 16-cubic-foot cargo well provides a good deal of space for groceries even with all seats upright. Personal safety system-inc: seat belt pretensioners, load-limiting retractors, driver seat position sensing, crash severity sensing. Reviewers like the 2008 Ford Taurus for the quiet and comfort of the ride, though some quibble about the quality of interior components. For a safe family car, the 2008 Ford Taurus is hard to beat, especially when the optional electronic stability control feature is added. Overall, they consider the profile of the 2008 Taurus to be the same as the Five Hundred, which they consider "a good thing since the Audi-inspired shape is clean, smooth and well proportioned. That, the large switchgear, and a comprehensive package of airbags, stability control, and available all-wheel drive make the Taurus one of the safest cars on the road. For help comparing the various Ford Taurus trim levels or to learn about the various options and packages, talk to the team at Berglund Ford in Salem and Berglund of Bedford, Virginia. The Taurus has performed well, with no mechanical issues thus far. -- the 2008 Ford Taurus X crossover wagon was born. Find aused certified pre-owned Fordfor sale. Specifications VEHICLE TYPE: PRICE AS TESTED: $30,755 (base price: $27,595) ENGINE TYPE: DOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injection Displacement: 213 cu in, 3496cc Power (SAE. With 18 mpg city and 28 mpg highway for the front-wheel-drive version and 17/24 mpg in all-wheel-drive versions, MyRide calls the 2008 Taurus's mileage "good if not stellar." . When you park the car or pull it into the garage is when you realize this is a full size car.
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