Okay, what's the catch?

"KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time" (kngt) 01/07/2019 at 12:22 • Filed to: Unnecessary Car Shopping, taurus, ford taurus, taurus SHO, ford taurus SHO

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As a daily driver- Reliability? Resale? Bad fuel economy? interior?

Tripper > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 01/07/2019 at 12:22

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Interior is poop, and it would appear that resale isn’t great. Not sure about the others.

random001 > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 01/07/2019 at 12:23

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I’ve had the non-SHO as rentals.  I felt like the interior was cramped a bit for as big as the car is, but I’m 6'4" and long everywhere, so try it yourself...

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > random001 01/07/2019 at 12:24

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Shouldn’t be a problem at 5'11". My only consideration is I can sit behind myself without hitting knees or head inside.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 01/07/2019 at 12:24

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It’s a sedan. I need an SUV for my 7.5 mile round trip commute and the occasional take the family to the movies day.

WiscoProud > random001 01/07/2019 at 12:25

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6'5" checking in. I feel your pain. 

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 01/07/2019 at 12:26

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Ah, but that’s a specific use for you. As a sedan it’s pretty big and and I prefer sedans (no kids yet) . The explorer is basically the SUV version of this right?

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 01/07/2019 at 12:26

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Interior sucks. Panel fitment sucks more. Feels claustrophobic inside (said the Miata owner). Perfectly fine cars if you don’t care about that, though. My dad has a base model and he loves it.

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 01/07/2019 at 12:29

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Hmm. The guages and Infotainment seem fine but I am seeing acres of hard plastic here. Wanted to confirm it is better or worse in real life.

Arrivederci > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 01/07/2019 at 12:30

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Agree with Tripper - interior is wayyyyy dated at this point in its run and cramped for the exterior size of the car.

Great drivetrain and people may think you’re a rozzer, so that might be fun.

Given the prices you’ve found, I think you know the answer on resale.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > random001 01/07/2019 at 12:30

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massively thick doors, and a big center console make the driver’s space much smaller than it should be. It does have the largest trunk in class tho.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 01/07/2019 at 12:31

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i could do that and I’m 6'2". But i did hit my right knee on the center console .

random001 > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 01/07/2019 at 12:31

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Yeah, that would do it.

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 01/07/2019 at 12:31

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Giant car outside, tiny inside. We have a customer that already lost a 5k turbo.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 01/07/2019 at 12:32

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the catch  is you could buy a PPV version for half that.

random001 > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 01/07/2019 at 12:32

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Can be tuned to pump out around 500 HP, though.  Some nut did it with his Flex (same....everything) and it was amazing.

CalzoneGolem > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 01/07/2019 at 12:35

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Sedans are stupid. 

Steve in Manhattan > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 01/07/2019 at 12:36

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Had a ‘97 SHO and loved it, but this is altogether different. Negotiate hard on the price, and get the bumper-to-bumper ... you know.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 01/07/2019 at 12:37

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The answer, no.

I’ve looked at a few. At 5'7" ( on a tall day ) and 150lbs, the rear seats were cramped, even set for me.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 01/07/2019 at 12:37

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With a tiny opening that you can’t fit much through.

Source:

Tested a few, can’t fit a stroller through the opening without breaking it down.

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 01/07/2019 at 12:37

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Looks huge and spacious though.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 01/07/2019 at 12:37

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I was actually being sarcastic, and yes the exploder is the suv version of this car and is not my favorite vehicle. We have a 2015 XLT exploder at work I’ve driven thousands of miles. Ford infotainment sucks, gas mileage sucks, it’s smaller on the inside that it should be, the fuel tank is tiny for a 19 mpg car, and the AWD system is lame sauce.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > CalzoneGolem 01/07/2019 at 12:39

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*Modern sedans are stupid

*FIFY.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 01/07/2019 at 12:42

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I drove a 2010 model for 5 years. I had to replace both turbos around the 80-90k mark. One went not too long after the other. Other than that it was completely trouble-free, only regular maintenance.

Daily Driver: it was my daily and it was an awesome car with plenty of power on tap, but do not expect it to feel sporty. The AWD system was pretty good though, felt confident in the snow and even let you kick the tail out in turns.

Reliability: i suppose I addressed that above. Something else to watch would be fluid replacements on PTU and RDU (power take off and rear transfer case equivalent).

Resale: Mine was worth around $10 to $11k when I totaled it. Bought it for $22k in early ‘13.

Fuel Economy: My commute was around the 20mpg mark with a mix of city and hwy. On a road trip at highway speeds (75ish) you can coax just under 30mpg out of it, realistically.

Interior: Decent, from the drivers perspective it’s quite a bit better than the pic you shared in this thread, that’s a particularly bad angle, haha. The seats are nice, the suede in them is nice and I found the overal fit/finish pretty good and I liked the layout. So aside from the hard-plastics, that again aren’t as prominent seeming to me as they are in your picture below, I quite liked it.

Tune: Get it. Really wakes the car up, still doesn’t make it sporty, but it makes it quite a bit more fun to drive. I personally got one from Unleashed tuning, A+ response-time is why I went with them. You get gobs extra power and a more aggressive shift-map when you step on it. One that holds torque to the shift-points instead of letting it taper off. At lower throttle inputs the car remains very well behaved.

What did I replace it with?: a 2012 A6, the notable difference there is that it feels faster even though it’s actually .1 seconds slower to 60 and .1 seconds slower in the 1/4 mile STOCK. On top of that I had my SHO tuned. But the A6 is just a more nimble car with a sportier chassis and that’s why I assume it feels faster. On top of that the A6 with 3.0T (supercharged) is highly tuneable as well.

Again, for a daily driver / highway cruiser it’s a fantastic car. I enjoy it and the A6 in their own right. Also, k eep in mind the interior space is similar to the Fusion, so that’s an option as well, especially the Sport model!

CalzoneGolem > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 01/07/2019 at 12:43

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Can you tell me one sedan that would not be better as a wagon hatch or lift back?

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 01/07/2019 at 12:45

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Looks are deceiving .

DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 01/07/2019 at 12:45

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They’re alright. It’s a Ford, you’re not gonna get the finest in materials no matter what you spend. If you really want something like this with good materials, go buy an MKS or a Cadillac XTS V-Sport. Otherwise, you can definitely live with it.

I drove a fully loaded Limited at work and I was really surprised at how well-equipped it was for the price, features you’d only expect in something like a BMW or Mercedes from that time period. Can’t imagine the SHO is much different...we had one at work but it was gone before I had a chance to drive it (and horrendously overpriced at that).

TL;DR: The Taurus is fine, it’s not perfect, the SHO is a 365 bhp version of one. Don’t let the interior materials stave you off of trying one though.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 01/07/2019 at 12:46

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Yea, I don’t get it. The Charger is bad too, for as big as these cars are the interior space is terrible. The Taurus is by far the worst though.

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! 01/07/2019 at 12:46

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Is an equivalent MKS with the 3.5 EB a better car? As in the more “luxurious” interior make it better? does it have all the same performance bits?

Looks much better inside but outside is proper grand pa’s car

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/737478263/overview/

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars 01/07/2019 at 12:47

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5k is waaaay off the mark, these run about $1700 installed new by a dealer. And that didn’t happen to me till the 80k miles mark. It was also the only thing that broke on my SHO in 5 years of ownership.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > CalzoneGolem 01/07/2019 at 12:47

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My current daily. I have more than enough trunk space, making it a wagon would just add space I cannot safely use without strapping all my cargo, so it’s of no use to me. It would also add a hatch that I now have to ensure I have enough room to open when parked, an issue I don’t have with a trunk.

It also would have tacked on more weight and taken away some visibility, which would have hurt mileage and made it less enjoyable to drive.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s 01/07/2019 at 12:49

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The Charger feels more cramped inside than my Acclaim. It’s one of the reasons we decided to just keep what we have.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > random001 01/07/2019 at 12:50

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I drove one for 5 years (SHO) and I’m 6'1" and didn’t feel cramped. But I will concede, the interior space is smaller than you’d think it is. As a passenger my cousin (6'6") was always fine.

The most telling stat of all is that the Fusion has similar interior space.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 01/07/2019 at 12:50

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that goes for most modern sedans. “coupe” rooflines and short trunk  lids don’t make for easy access.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 01/07/2019 at 12:51

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Starting in ‘16 the Taurus/Sploder gets Android auto, so that’s a great reason to only shop for those.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 01/07/2019 at 12:52

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I just find it very funny when my little midsize has more interior room and a more useful trunk than a modern fullsize, while cracking off low 30s in mixed driving....

DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 01/07/2019 at 12:52

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The “luxuries” the interior has are mostly just the addition of more padded materials to cover up the hard plastic. You do get a pretty bomb THX sound system though. Power is just about the same, I believe the 2010-2012 models had about ten less overall bhp but 2013 and on put out the same numbers.

You can discern for yourself, there’s a bit of a difference between the pre and post-facelift interiors.

2010-2012:

2013-2016

I’ve gotta say from personal experience, I don’t really like Lincolns, but I would probably own an MKS. It’s a big old-fashioned luxury car in a sense but it has modern technology just where it’s necessary.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > random001 01/07/2019 at 12:52

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low to mid 400's (at the crank) is very easily and cheaply attainable, 500 however, that’s where a LOT of money is spent and weaknesses are quickly uncovered.

random001 > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 01/07/2019 at 12:56

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Yeah, it was an article i read at some point.  I don’t know how long that thing lasted, but man...it sure looked fun while it lasted...

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s 01/07/2019 at 12:57

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I test drove one last week didn’t feel cramped at all . Could it be a lot more? yeah but apart from ducking a little to get it (Because of that sloped roof), it was fine. The 300 has a more upright roofline so it’s even better for headroom

random001 > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 01/07/2019 at 12:58

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I think it was primarily an issue with the super tall beltline, and the seat being sunk down.  I’m willing to admit that it could be that, because I’m tall, I’m used to having a certain amount of myself up high, and it didn’t happen in the Taurus.  So I drive old things without that fancy pedestrian protection crap....

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > random001 01/07/2019 at 12:59

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Yeah, having owned one for about 5 years I certainly read about my share of crazy builds. It’s like any other platform though, you get get those first few gains cheaply and gain SECONDS on the 1/4 mile. Then you all of a sudden have to throw $5k at it every time you want to potentially gain .1 to .3 seconds. If whatever experimental thing you are doing actually works, haha.

Personally I kept it simple with a tune and had downpipes ready to install, but then it got totaled :(

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 01/07/2019 at 13:00

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It was fine at 5'11" and I am not thin by any measure. S ure, the view out is cramped but I didn’t have a problem with the amount of space, per se. Of course I have never sat in an Acclaim to compare. But I will say that the 2018 midsize sedans- Accord/Camry/Mazda6 all which I drove had lot more legroom but they still have strong sloping rooflines and headroom takes a hit.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > random001 01/07/2019 at 13:00

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yeah, the Taurus does have a particularly high beltline. I couldn’t tell you if my A6 does, I might just be used to it now. I just remember the SHO being my first car that all of a sudden that change was REALLY felt.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 01/07/2019 at 13:05

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modern cars for the large part are little bunkers that are meant to make you feel safe. I prefer to be able to stretch my legs, and see the outside. 

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 01/07/2019 at 13:12

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I felt the same way about my old 91 Civic. People always asked me how I could drive such a tiny car, because I’m kinda tall. Thing is I had plenty of room in that car, other than being low it didn’t feel small. It felt spacious and open, unless I had another grown man in the passenger seat.  then it got a bit cramped. That effect was kind of nice when you had a girl in the passenger seat tho. 

T he design of cars, and increased safety standards have both hurt interior space. Thicker doors took away a lot of space, but also windshields are more raked/ swept back, and pillars are also much thicker. All of which rod interior space. Not to mention higher window lines that just make the car feel even smaller.

In summation new cars are bad mmmkay.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 01/07/2019 at 13:14

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Your example also made me think about the 80s and 90s GM cars too. Like the Buick Century/Old Cutlass . By modern standards those are Compact cars on the outside but take one for a spin and they seem plenty spacious. 

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 01/07/2019 at 13:19

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They are cramped for as big as that car is. When I sat in one at the autoshow the leg room felt similar to , maybe just slightly larger than ,   our Matrix which is a much smaller car.

random001 > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 01/07/2019 at 13:40

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For a long time I really really wanted an ecoboost Flex...

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > random001 01/07/2019 at 14:50

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Yeah, that’s a cool car in a lot of ways, quirky, uncommon, awd and fast.

Jayhawk Jake > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 01/07/2019 at 15:42

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From my recollection of being in one the dash is surprisingly high as is the belt line. It’s like Camaro levels of bad visibility and cramped interior. 

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 01/07/2019 at 16:04

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We loved our 1990 Century.

It was a Custom with the 3300/4-speed combo. Plenty of power/torque, excellent mileage, and more room inside than anyone could ever need.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 01/07/2019 at 16:06

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I look at it like this, I prefer being able to see and being aware when I’m driving to being safe, but more likely to be in a crash because I can’t see.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 01/07/2019 at 16:50

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Same. 

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 01/07/2019 at 16:54

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Most people here don’t understand that logic.

Monkey B > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 01/07/2019 at 17:44

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my friend has one and he likes it enough...he didn’t choose it as he got a great buy from his parents but he likes it. I find the width of the center console a bit odd making it feel smaller, but it’s not claustrophobic feeling. I work for a Ford dealer and the owner drives the Lincoln version whenever they get a nice used one...he chooses them more than any other model.

Honestly, you can probably get the Lincoln version for less than a SHO. They look nicer, are nicer inside and will have a more DD friendly comfort in the ride along with feeling slightly more premium . I can’t speak to how trouble free they are, but I don’t really hear anything negative regarding so that’s a plus.

JMKarstetter > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 01/08/2019 at 01:52

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Hi there! I own a 2015 SHO and I have to say this, find something else. These cars are fun, but other than the tunes the aftermarket isn’t great, they tend to have issues, and the interior is cramped for a car as big as it is. They are massive cars, but if you have kids, the rear leg room isn;t great unless you are under 5'10". There are more things, but I would honestly get something different.