Ford Taurus

Starting MSRP: $23,245
Vehicle type: sedan
EPA fuel economy: city: 17-18 / hwy: 24-28
Available engines:
263-hp, 3.5-liter V-6
Available transmissions:
six-speed automatic

Revived Taurus brings more power, style, safety features
from Ford

The 2008 Ford Taurus features more than 500 improvements that make it more distinctive, quieter, faster and safer than its Ford Five Hundred predecessor. Highlights include new exterior styling, a new powertrain, a new all-wheel-drive system, more standard safety features and structural upgrades to further enchance crash protection.

The new Taurus revives the popular nameplate that ended in 2006. It features Ford's 3.5-liter Duratec V-6 that delivers 263 horsepower -- an increase of nearly 30 percent from the previous engine -- and 245 foot-pounds of torque.

Even with more power and performance, the 2008 Taurus delivers nearly a 10 percent fuel-economy improvement from the Five Hundred and an increase in approximately 2 mpg on the highway.

Taurus is available in SEL and Limited trims.

With standard air bags and available electronic stability control, the 2008 Taurus is rated the safest full-size car in North America and is capable of achieving five-star ratings in all four categories of the U.S. government's crash tests. It also has been named a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety.

Standard safety equipment includes dual-stage driver and passenger front air bags, seat-deployed side air bags for the driver and front passenger, and Ford's Safety Canopy side curtain air bags for both rows. A new steering-wheel design recesses the air bag further from the driver.

The 2008 Taurus also features the most spacious interior of any large sedan, with best-in-class legroom front and rear. With the second-row seats and front passenger seat folded flat, items up to 9 feeet long can fit inside.