First Shots: Ford Taurus ST

Mondeo inspired

by Clinton Deacon
October 6, 2008 3:00 PM
Filed Under: American, Ford, Spy Photos

This week we caught several clear photos of Ford's high performance Taurus prototypes and we caught them not far from Ford’s headquarters! Although it’s wrapped in camouflage, there is no mistaking as to what this is. Photos of a clay version leaked months ago, proving this is the real thing.

Carrying over styling cues from Ford’s stylish European Mondeo, this all-new Taurus will hopefully add some much needed excitement to the Ford lineup. These particular prototypes are of the high spec model and it packs the 3.5L, twin turbo V6. We hear it should be good for around 350hp. Only AWD versions will be available and we expect it to be fitted with Ford's new SR1 (Shock Ratio 1) suspension system that is currently used in the Lincoln MKS.

Expect some special chrome accents on the front end, twin pipes out back and 20 inch wheels on all four corners. While some think this super-sedan will wear the "SHO" nameplate, a few unidentified but well-placed sources have informed us to expect a euro-inspired "ST" badge. We will know for sure in early 2009.

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Comments

"fords stylish mondeo"? are you for real. its boring as hell!

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by asif | October 6, 2008 4:40 PM

Personally, I think the Mondeo really is stylish. The problem is that the Taurus is based on the larger Volvo platform S80. And, if you read between the lines... they say that the revamped Taurus is taking styling ques from the Mondeo. That's like putting a 50 yr old overweight guy in the same tuxedo as a 20 yr old athletic guy and trying to pass them off as the same.

My take - The styling will be an improvement over the current Taurus but it won't be enough to attract those who prefer the true Euro models. Also, this this is going to be a heavy porker, ala Chrysler 300. They'll need 350 hp just to keep up with a sub-300 hp Japanese sedan. The the gas mileage is not going to be pretty (like the Chrylser 300).

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by rickyb | October 6, 2008 5:06 PM

Except, the D3 platform is modular and can be easily transformed to fit the market it is competing in. Didn't you see the clay model? This Taurus should actually look pretty decent. The only thing that worries me is the SR1 suspension. Ford got the hardware right, but the tuning in the MKS is "questionable", to say the least. If they can tune in a quality ride and sporting body control, they should have a hit! And, while 18/25 for the 300 isn't great, I'd hardly call it poor.

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by benz_man | October 6, 2008 6:00 PM

Benz - Don't get me wrong, I'd like to see Ford pull off something good. I just don't put a lot of faith into models or renderings these days. I also find the D3 to be a "chunky" platform, even in it's smaller sizes.

As for the mpg on the 300, you must be looking at the RWD 2.7l for those numbers and that's not a very peppy engine, and for that level of performance, 18/25 is not good fuel ecomony. Even the Chrysler 3.5 isn't as motivated as the Ford 3.7 and that drops to 17/24. To get decent performance on a 2 ton chassis, you're forced to go up to a HEMI which drops you down to 15/22. I just think that's getting down into truck territory.

Hopefully, the Big 3 can apply some lessons learned to decrease weight and improve mileage. I'm holding off at least a couple of more years just to see if we see improvements.

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by rickyb | October 6, 2008 8:15 PM

..the side windows look small..

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by phobos | October 7, 2008 2:27 PM