Specs look good, car itself looks good, loaded with damn near every technology feature available, FINALLY Ford is even engine wise with the competition (large 6 cylinder putting out well over 300hp..like Nissan and BMW), AWD, 20 inch tire/wheel package available, performance package option with stiffer suspension and different rear differential for faster acceleration, current technology 6 speed transmission.

Sounds like a winning formula.

Cons: Price is insane for a Taurus, even an SHO. $46k including all the features I consider a must have for me. And it's still based on a FWD platform.

Some of the early test reviews arent all that great from the handling and acceleration aspect, due to the size and weight. And I wouldnt get a brand new one anyways. I cant ever see myself getting a brand new American car again...the depreciation hit on that first year to two years is incredible. Also, I dont trust the first model year of any new car, especially one with a new engine design/new transmission design. Often there are bugs to be worked out.

Is it based on the full-sized platform? If so, I wouldn't go near it.

46???

And it's still based on a FWD platform.

And it'll be nose heavy. Two reasons why I'll never own one.

46k can get you a mighty fine hooker. Just ask Elliot Spencer :P

46k can get you a mighty fine hooker. Just ask Elliot Spencer :P

It's Eliot Spitzer you moron.

When the Focus RS comes here from the UK I'll get that

When the Focus RS comes here from the UK I'll get that

That's an over-priced FWD compact car. :yuck:

from CNET

"Timed runs
More impressive is what you can do with this engine. We found a lonely, straight country road and set about doing some timed runs. For the first run, we left the car in its normal automatic mode and stomped the gas pedal. It took off without drama, the car's standard all-wheel-drive moving torque from front to back. The transmission let the tach needle brush 6,000rpm before each shift and the car hit 30 mph in 1.9 seconds. 50 mph only took 3.8 seconds, while the run to 60 mph came at 5.02 seconds. That is fast, and some time could probably be trimmed with a more rigorous testing procedure. "

And it'll be nose heavy. Two reasons why I'll never own one.

Nope.The opposite.

from CNET


"Taking the Taurus SHO onto a winding country road, we quickly get the feeling that the car is out of its element. Its high sides make it difficult to judge the narrower parts of the road, and how close the car is to the occasional cliffs dropping off the outsides of the turns. The SHO incorporates a special sport suspension, with unique springs and shock absorbers that does a great job of keeping the car composed in the corners. It doesn't wallow or lean, but the car shows a tendency to slide sideways, mostly from the back"

It's Eliot Spitzer you moron.

I never paid attention to the guy nor his name, only heard about him so I was going off what it sounded like. All I know was he paid some very fine @ss hookers to blow him and he got caught and now a blind man is now running NY

I like the focus rs. don't really like fwd vehicles, but rwd are out. The focus RS has an appearance package that I find appealing. and 305 HP for a small compact is respectable.

I'd rather drive that than an SRT-4 or Civic.

Heres a focus RS that's properly detailed. The white looks amazing.

http://www.detailingbliss.com/forum/f47/09-frozen-white-focus-rs-10118.html

And a focus ST in blue:

http://www.detailingbliss.com/forum/f46/gleaming-kleen-ford-focus-st-10057.html

after seeing that I would Definetely buy the focus RS...though in a racing blue, black, or silver color. Looks very clean, unsure why they wouldn't bring them to America......

My dad has thinking about getting a SHO but there are none around at any dealerships to test drive yet, I'm gonna wait a couple of years and see if the aftermarket hops onboard then i want to get ahold of a boosted MKS

Heres a focus RS that's properly detailed. The white looks amazing.

http://www.detailingbliss.com/forum/f47/09-frozen-white-focus-rs-10118.html

Considering going from an LS to a Focus?!?

Amazingly insane.

The Taurus is ugly as sin and who wants an AWD wheel drive car that has torque steer. It's too expensive and in 2 years you could probably pick them up for half the price.

All things even, AWD has better traction/acceleration/handling than FWD or AWD. As far as ugly, the SHO looks pretty good to me:

http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/jalopnik/2009/02/2010-Ford_Taurus_SHO.jpg

Some of the early test reviews arent all that great from the handling and acceleration aspect, due to the size and weight.

Keep in mind that all of the new reviews only tested the base SHO, not the SHO with the performance pack (upgraded brakes, tuning, etc.).

I like the EcoBoosted MKS better myself. :)

All things even, AWD has better traction/acceleration/handling than FWD or AWD. As far as ugly, the SHO looks pretty good to me:

http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/jalopnik/2009/02/2010-Ford_Taurus_SHO.jpg

That's not a bad lookin' car right there :cool:

don't forget to get the back-massaging seats.

Yea it is nice. But it is alot of money.

Also is it just me, or are all of new cars looking the same...

All new cars are getting that horizontal looking front with the headlights that bleed off to the sides. With alot of straight lines.

All things even, AWD has better traction/acceleration/handling than FWD or AWD. As far as ugly, the SHO looks pretty good to me:

http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/jalopnik/2009/02/2010-Ford_Taurus_SHO.jpg

It does look pretty good. But are those tiny-looking things 20" wheels?! The thing is a behemoth!

I think those are the 19 inch wheels. 20's come on the performance package version

I still want to know if it is based on the 500/Taurus platform from before. If so I don't want one of those old man boat-cars.

Has Acura styled headlights. The front end looks kind of like a TL.

Drove one very briefly. Salesman wouldn't let me get on it at all. I think he was scared of it. Kept telling me how ridiculously fast it was. ????? I didn't like it. It was HUGE and what really killed it for me was the waistline is so high that even I at 6' would have a hard time at a drive through. It's like your sitting on the floor like some stupid ghetto kid. As much as I dislike my LS at times, it's still worlds better as a car I can live with from day to day. I honestly think my next new car will be a WRX or a used M3. Have to say though that the Coyote motored Stang looks interesting. They need to make it in a 4 door! 8^)

http://www.popularmechanics.com/blogs/automotive_news/4322127.html

http://www.popularmechanics.com/blogs/automotive_news/4322127.html

A Chrysler 300C costs $40K and more than the SHO? You got to be kidding me, no wonder Chrysler went bankrupt. Plus the interior of the 300 sucks.

I still want to know if it is based on the 500/Taurus platform from before. If so I don't want one of those old man boat-cars.
No.
It's on the same platform as the Lincoln MKS.

No.
It's on the same platform as the Lincoln MKS.

Per Popular Mechanics Article...

"The SHO a big car that stretches nearly 17 feet long and hugs the pavement with 4368 pounds of metal. That size, however, has endowed the car with a roomy, full-size rear bench seat and a massive trunk that measures 20 cubic feet. And underneath the SHO is a derivative of the front-drive Volvo S80 platform used in the previous Taurus and Ford 500 as well as the new Lincoln MKS. But you would never know this was the same old chassis. Ford has done a remarkable job reinventing the Taurus into a much sportier, quieter and better riding car."

No.
It's on the same platform as the Lincoln MKS.
Actually, the answer is yes. The SHO is on the D3 platform, which is the same platform as the Five Hundred/Taurus (and the MKS, MKT, and Flex). If you're talking about the '07 Taurus, the answer would be no, but it is the same as the Five Hundred, which was renamed Taurus in '08. Or was it '09?

To back pedal a bit-

It's the same Volvo derived platform.
But it's not the same car. They've tweaked it considerably.
It has more in common with the MKS than the last old 500/Taurus.

Nobody was praising the 500 for it's driving dynamics.

To back pedal a bit-

It's the same Volvo derived platform.
But it's not the same car. They've tweaked it considerably.
It has more in common with the MKS than the last old 500/Taurus.

Nobody was praising the 500 for it's driving dynamics.

The suspension has been "tweaked considerably" but the D3 platform is what it is and the new SHO has not been universally praised for its driving dynamics. Per Car and Driver:

"Highs, Lows, and Verdict

Highs: SHO-worthy engine, effortless acceleration, quiet refinement, low-profile performance.

Lows: Dull steering, tame handling, brake fade, big-boy curb weight, occasionally too adult for us.

The Verdict: An agreeable car that mixes horsepowerful bliss with occasional moments of boredom."

I'm not sure why C&D reported such bad braking results. I wonder if they had a weaker pre-production model.

On other website reviews, the braking seems pretty decent.

actually, a lot of the reviews slammed the brake PADS. Said they were easy to cook. The Performance Package pads are different, however, and worked fine in the reviews that tested a car with this option

Brakes look way too small for such a heavy car, IMHO.

The brake pad issue with the Taurus reminds me of when Law Enforcement started using the Dodge Intrepid for patrol vehicles. The brakes were literally catching fire under heavy use.

The brakes on most patrol units are the same as the "regular" cars. The agencies don't take into account the extra 300+ lbs of electronics, trunk full of emergency hardware, and the weight of some of the cop's egos, (that was a joke, see how this works?), and the harsh life those cars endure day in, and day out.

There is a reason high performance cars have BIG brake rotors with multi piston calipers. It's not for bling, folks. But most agencies can't justify brake upgrades, especially when a brake job costs them less than a couple of hour's worth of city/county/state's mechanic's time, and a few bucks for new parts.

I still want to know if it is based on the 500/Taurus platform from before. If so I don't want one of those old man boat-cars.


Yes, and it includes the Volvo's on that platform as well.

The D3 platform explains why the car is so tall. I was side by side with an MKS going down the highway yesterday. The car looks good except for the height. My eye level in the LS was about even with the top of the doors on that car. Too tall for my liking. Command seating = fail.

idk...doesn't look too bad but when all is said and done you still drive a ford tarus

yup....the infamous grandma car...just the sho is grandpa on roids :P

plus for the price of that taurus sho i could get a very good german car......like an e class or a c class amg (50k)