The fifth generation of the Ford Taurus is an automobile that was manufactured and marketed by
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...
for the 2008 and 2009 model years. Marking the return of the nameplate after a hiatus of less than a year, the revived
Taurus
Taurus is Latin for 'bull' and may refer to:
* Taurus (astrology), the astrological sign
* Taurus (constellation), one of the constellations of the zodiac
* Taurus (mythology), one of two Greek mythological characters named Taurus
* '' Bos tauru ...
is a midcycle revision of the
Ford Five Hundred
The Ford Five Hundred is a full-size automobile that was manufactured and marketed by Ford from 2004 to 2007, and debuted as a 2005 model year vehicle. Deriving its nameplate from the ''500" suffix used by Ford on the Custom 500, Fairlane 500 an ...
full-sized sedan. After its retail withdrawal following the 2007 model year, the
Crown Victoria
The Ford Crown Victoria ("Crown Vic") is a full-size sedan that was marketed and manufactured by Ford. The successor to the Ford LTD Crown Victoria, two generations of the model line were produced from the 1992 to 2012 model years. The Ford ...
was replaced by this generation of the Taurus, making it the flagship Ford sedan for the first time.
Along with the revived Taurus, the
Ford Freestyle
The Ford Freestyle is a crossover utility vehicle that was sold by Ford from 2005 to 2009. Largely marketed as the successor to the Ford Taurus station wagon, the Freestyle was the CUV counterpart of the Ford Five Hundred and Mercury Montego fo ...
wagon/CUV was rebranded as the Taurus X. In a similar rebranding, the Mercury Montego adopted the Sable nameplate; no Mercury version of the Taurus X was marketed, nor any Lincoln version of the fifth-generation Taurus. As with the Five Hundred, the fifth-generation Taurus was sold exclusively as a sedan. For the first time, all-wheel drive was offered as an option.
The fifth-generation Ford Taurus was assembled in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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(
Chicago Assembly Chicago Assembly (sometimes referred to as Torrence Avenue Assembly) is currently Ford Motor Company's oldest continuously operated automobile manufacturing plant. It is located at E. 130th Street and Torrence Avenue in the Hegewisch section of Chi ...
) along with the
Mercury Sable
The Mercury Sable is a range of automobiles manufactured and marketed by the Mercury brand of Ford Motor Company. Introduced on December 26, 1985 as the replacement for the Mercury Marquis, the Sable marked the transition of the mid-size Mercury ...
. The fifth-generation Taurus was marketed in North America, South Korea, Mexico, and the Middle East. Outside the United States, Canada, and South Korea, it retained the previous Ford Five Hundred branding.
For the 2010 model year, the
sixth-generation Taurus made its debut, which became the final generation produced (outside of China).
Design
As a rebranded and modified Ford Five Hundred, the 5G Taurus featured an engine with 30% more power; a front
facelift
A facelift, technically known as a rhytidectomy (from the Ancient Greek () "wrinkle", and () "excision", the surgical removal of wrinkles), is a type of cosmetic surgery procedure used to give a more youthful facial appearance. There are mul ...
; chrome-trimmed, fender-located faux engine vents; revised tail lights; and increased sound-absorption measures, including foam pellets expanded into the A-pillars and a new sound-absorptive material, marketed as ''Sonosorb'', used throughout the body. The 5G Taurus used a new
six-speed automatic transmission (jointly developed with General Motors), in contrast to the
Aisin
is a Japanese corporation that develops and produces components and systems for the automotive industry. Aisin is a Fortune Global 500 company, ranked 359 rankings. Aisin is a member of the Toyota Group of companies.
Aisin was founded in 1965 ...
six-speed used in the Five Hundred, and was no longer equipped with the CVT.
Handling was revised by re-engineering the front end – transferring the weight of the engine from the subframe directly to the chassis via hydraulic mounts – increasing front suspension travel by 10 mm (10%) and retuning the suspension.
Exterior
![Ford Five Hundred -- 09-07-2009](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/Ford_Five_Hundred_--_09-07-2009.jpg)
The exterior of the 5G Taurus is largely carried over from the Five Hundred, apart from a revised front fascia with a three-bar grille, headlights, and fog lights; revised tail lights; roof-mounted
satellite radio
Satellite radio is defined by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)'s ITU Radio Regulations (RR) as a ''broadcasting-satellite service''. The satellite's signals are broadcast nationwide, across a much wider geographical area than ter ...
antenna; and chrome-trimmed, fender-located faux engine vents. Each trim level featured new wheels.
Ford's chief designer
Peter Horbury
Peter D. Horbury (born 27 January 1950)Uzel, Susan, ''The Yorkshire Post'', "Profile - Peter Horbury: Vice president’s lifelong hobby of making cars better by design", 29 Nov 2011 accessed 1 May 2020 is a British car designer who is Executive V ...
noted that the Five Hundred's styling had been problematic, and said of the front and rear facia modifications: "when we did the face lift, and it became the Taurus; it didn't set the world on fire, either. If you remodeled either end of the
Sydney Harbour Bridge
The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge in Sydney, spanning Port Jackson, Sydney Harbour from the Sydney central business district, central business district (CBD) to the North Shore (Sydney), North Shore. The view of the bridg ...
, I'm sure you’d still know what it was."
Interior
As with the exterior, the interior of the 5G Taurus is largely carried over from the Five Hundred with subtle differences such as darker simulated woodgrain and new
steering wheel
A steering wheel (also called a driving wheel (UK), a hand wheel, or simply wheel) is a type of steering control in vehicles.
Steering wheels are used in most modern land vehicles, including all mass-production automobiles, buses, light and ...
. Ford relocated the wiper switch from the left side (as with the Five Hundred) to the turn signal stalk on the right side, as has been the design of every Taurus since its 1986 introduction.
The interior featured a revised radio faceplate with
chrome trim around the buttons, a new double-tiered bin in the center console, and a new shifter design. Notably, the 5G Taurus features Ford's
SYNC system, developed by
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...
, which accepts voice commands and can connect the driver's
cell phone
A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link whil ...
s and MP3 players to the car, while organizing personal information.
Models and engines
The 5G Taurus was offered in SE, SEL, and Limited trim levels. The SE retailed around $24,000 US$, with the middle option SEL at $26,000 and the Limited at $30,000.
This generation of Taurus uses the 263-hp 3.5-L
Duratec 35
The Cyclone engine, also branded Duratec, is Ford Motor Company's latest DOHC family of gasoline V6 engines introduced in 2006. The Cyclone succeeds Ford's previous V6 engine families, including the Canadian built Ford Essex engine introduced in 1 ...
V6, which replaces the
Duratec 30 3.0-L
V6. The
Five Hundred/Freestyle's
ZF-Batavia CVT, which had a maximum torque capacity of , is also replaced with a
Ford-GM joint venture six-speed automatic capable of withstanding the Duratec 35s additional torque. The
Aisin
is a Japanese corporation that develops and produces components and systems for the automotive industry. Aisin is a Fortune Global 500 company, ranked 359 rankings. Aisin is a member of the Toyota Group of companies.
Aisin was founded in 1965 ...
AW six-speed automatic that was used on FWD Five Hundred and Montegos was also replaced by the
GM-Ford 6-speed automatic transmission
General Motors and Ford Motor Company cooperated in 2002 to create a new automatic transaxle, designed for transverse engine applications in cars. The companies jointly committed to investing US$720 million in their manufacturing plants to supp ...
.
Taurus nameplate
The fourth-generation (4G) Ford Taurus was manufactured concurrently with a larger, new front-wheel drive sedan, the Ford Five Hundred and was discontinued in late 2006 for model year 2007. After discontinuation of the 4G Taurus, the Five Hundred, which did not perform to expectations,
was rebranded as the 5G Taurus.
Autoblog
A spam blog, also known as an auto blog or the neologism splog, is a blog which the author uses to promote affiliated websites, to increase the search engine rankings of associated sites or to simply sell links/ads.
The purpose of a splog can be ...
and
The Truth About Cars
''The Truth About Cars'' (TTAC) is a blog covering automobiles, automotive products and the auto industry, begun in 2002 featuring a mix of automotive reviews, editorials and news. It is home to the annual Ten Worst Automobiles awards, which are ...
expressed disappointment that Ford let the Taurus nameplate decline.
MSNBC
MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and political ...
interviewed many Ford workers who felt that Ford unjustly abandoned the car that had done so much to revitalize Ford and the US industry. In an October 25, 2006 ''USA Today'' editorial, "How Ford starved its Taurus", it was noted that while the Japanese stick with their popular models and keep them up to date and competitive, (such as the
Toyota Corolla
The is a series of compact cars (formerly subcompact) manufactured and marketed globally by the Toyota Motor Corporation. Introduced in 1966, the Corolla was the best-selling car worldwide by 1974 and has been one of the best-selling cars in ...
, which has been in continuous production since the 1960s), the Detroit automakers regularly abandon established models in search of "the next big thing".
After taking the position as CEO at Ford,
Alan Mulally
Alan Roger Mulally (born August 4, 1945) is an American aerospace engineer and manufacturing executive.
He is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of the Ford Motor Company. He retired from Ford Motor Company on July 1, 2014. Ford ...
said in an interview with the
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
that he was baffled the Taurus had been discontinued, saying he believed discontinuing the Taurus was a mistake, and that the Five Hundred should have been named "Taurus" from the beginning.
In mid-2007, revamped versions of the Five Hundred and Freestyle were unveiled as "Taurus" and "Taurus X" at the 2007
Chicago Auto Show
The Chicago Auto Show is held annually in February at Chicago's McCormick Place
convention center. It is the largest auto show in North America.
History
Samuel Miles, formerly a promoter of bicycle shows, produced the first "official" Chic ...
.
In a later interview, Mulally said the Taurus name was well known and had positive brand equity, something that would take time and money to give to the Five Hundred.
Variants
Mercury Sable
![08-Mercury-Sable-2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/08-Mercury-Sable-2.jpg)
For the 2008 model year, the Mercury Montego received the same midcycle update as the Ford Five Hundred; in line with the revival of the Ford Taurus, the Montego was renamed the Mercury Sable. Receiving the same 3.5-L V6 and six-speed automatic as the Taurus, cosmetic updates to the Sable were more extensive, with a redesigned front and rear fasciae, larger grille, and clear-lens taillamps. The redesigned interior adopted several changes, including two-tone leather seating, with
hydrographically
Hydrography is the branch of applied sciences which deals with the measurement and description of the physical features of oceans, seas, coastal areas, lakes and rivers, as well as with the prediction of their change over time, for the primary p ...
printed woodgrain in multiple color patterns.
As part of the closure of the Mercury brand, the Sable ended production after the 2009 model year; no Mercury Sable counterpart of the sixth-generation Taurus entered development.
Ford Taurus X
![2008 Ford Taurus X SEL](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/2008_Ford_Taurus_X_SEL.jpg)
Alongside the midcycle update to the Ford Five Hundred/Mercury Montego, for 2008, the Ford Freestyle crossover SUV received a similar update, adopting the
Ford Taurus X
The Ford Freestyle is a crossover utility vehicle that was sold by Ford from 2005 to 2009. Largely marketed as the successor to the Ford Taurus station wagon, the Freestyle was the CUV counterpart of the Ford Five Hundred and Mercury Montego fou ...
nameplate. Sharing the powertrain of the Taurus/Sable, the Taurus X adopted a revised front fascia, similar to the Taurus sedan. In line with larger Ford SUVs, the Taurus X offered an outdoors-themed
Eddie Bauer
Eddie Bauer, LLC is an American clothing store chain headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Eddie Bauer sells its merchandise via retail stores, outlet stores, and online and via phone, with a call center in Groveport, Ohio. Its flagship store is ...
edition for the first time. Following lower than expected sales, the Taurus X ended production on February 27, 2009; while not an official replacement, the
Ford Flex
The Ford Flex is a full-size crossover SUV or wagon that was manufactured by the Ford Motor Company; a single generation was produced from the 2009 to 2019 model years. Introduced as the successor to the Ford Taurus X, the model line also funct ...
is also a crossover SUV based upon the D3-platform Ford Taurus.
Water pump issues
Water pumps on 2008 to 2009 Ford Taurus, 2008 to 2009 Mercury Sable, 2008 to 2009 Ford Taurus X, and 2013 to 2019
Ford Police Interceptor Sedan
The sixth generation of the Ford Taurus is the final generation of the model range manufactured by Ford (in markets outside of China and the Middle East). Introduced for the 2010 model year, the sixth-generation Taurus is the second generation o ...
equipped with the 3.5-L Ford Cyclone V6, 3.5-L EcoBoost V6, and 3.7-L V6 have a tendency to fail and potentially ruin the engine when they do. The water pumps on these engines are internally mounted and driven by the timing chain. As a result, when they fail, antifreeze is dumped directly into the crankcase; mixing with engine oil and potentially damaging the head gaskets and connecting rod bearings. Many of these water pump failures occur without warning, and repairs often cost thousands of dollars as the engine needs to be disassembled or removed from the vehicle to access the water pump. In some cases, the engine will need to be replaced outright. A class-action lawsuit was started against Ford as a result of this issue.
References
External links
Official Ford Taurus websiteTaurus Car Club of America
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ford Taurus (Fifth Generation)
5th generation
Full-size vehicles
Sedans
All-wheel-drive vehicles
Front-wheel-drive vehicles
Motor vehicles manufactured in the United States
Cars introduced in 2007
Partial zero-emissions vehicles
Ford D3 platform
Executive cars