Fresh off the press: 2010 Ford Taurus.. Might be worth a look

[Gregster]

Here is the official 2010 Ford Taurus... amazing what you can get when you let the Europeans design a car. I must say this is one amazing looking Ford.. It's 1986 all over again

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/01/00_2010taurus_live.jpg
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/01/03_2010taurus_live.jpg
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/01/24_2010taurus_live.jpg

Here is the other cool part...


Underneath the powerdome hood will be one engine at launch: the now familiar 3.5L Duratec V6 producing 263 hp and 249 lb-ft of torque. Ford has confirmed that a twin-turbo, direct-injected EcoBoost 3.5L V6 is on its way, but hasn't specified availability yet. That engine will produce big V8 power, somewhere in the range of 355 horsepower, and is expected to return decent fuel economy for a full-size car.

The base Taurus SE will come with a run o' the mill six-speed automatic, while uplevel SEL and Limited models get a six-speed automatic with SelectShift that adds shift paddles to the steering wheel. Ford says SelectShift will match revs when downshifting and not automatically upshift when you hit the redline. Of course, as before, the Taurus can also be had with either front- or all-wheel drive.

And here's the best news – the 2010 Taurus will have the same $25,995 base price as the 2009 model. That's a good move by Ford for what appears to be a very good car. We'll let you know our final judgment when we get behind the wheel of one in the near future.Wow... The Buick LaCrosse a few days ago, now the Taurus. It seems the Americans are crawling back up the ladder. Now they just have to sell some cars

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/11/detroit-2009-ford-reveals-2010-taurus-party-like-its-1986/

[bmwqc]

The styling doesn't look much different from the current Honda Accord.


Here is the official 2010 Ford Taurus... amazing what you can get when you let the Europeans design a car. I must say this is one amazing looking Ford.. It's 1986 all over again

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/01/00_2010taurus_live.jpg
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/01/03_2010taurus_live.jpg
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/01/24_2010taurus_live.jpg

Here is the other cool part...

Wow... The Buick LaCrosse a few days ago, now the Taurus. It seems the Americans are crawling back up the ladder. Now they just have to sell some cars

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/11/detroit-2009-ford-reveals-2010-taurus-party-like-its-1986/

[bmwqc]

I should add that there's nothing wrong with the current Five Hundred based Taurus. One of the most spacious sedans on the market and is available with AWD too. Styling sells for sure, but that can only take the manufacturer yeah far. Detroit needs to put a little more quality back into their products if they expect to survive.



The styling doesn't look much different from the current Honda Accord.

[Phil]

Detroit needs to put a little more quality back into their products if they expect to survive.

Quality surveys (JD Power) and analyses (Consumer Reports) show that, on average, Asian carmakers are at the top, Americans are mid-pack and Europeans are last.

Of these, believe it or not, Mercedes is the worst of any major automaker especially because of failed electronics.

Perceptions are still otherwise but luxury brand buyers have no patience for failure and will vote with their feet and checkbooks next time around.

There's an interesting article in this month's Consumer Reports about what ails Detroit but reliabilty is only an issue with ex-Mercedes brand, Chrysler.

Personally, I buy American or Asian for transportation and European for fun.

Phil

[Emre]

Ford has confirmed that a twin-turbo, direct-injected EcoBoost 3.5L V6 is on its way, but hasn't specified availability yet. That engine will produce big V8 power, somewhere in the range of 355 horsepower, and is expected to return decent fuel economy for a full-size car.I wonder why they didn't go with the 4.0L engine from the Falcon XR6 Turbo.

[Andrei]

Of these, believe it or not, Mercedes is the worst of any major automaker especially because of failed electronics.


VW has very interesting issues with electrical stuff.

http://www.maistrenko.org/pics/Ex-pepper.jpg

Yeah, it has (well, had) VW electrical bits.

[Gregster]

50 000km's service on a VW is have a fire supression system installed.

As I said before, Good thing the Cayenne didn't catch on fire in the Place Ville Marie parking garage.

The Pepper will be missed though :(

[Emre]

Looks like I'm a bit out of the loop. When did that happen, Andrei?

[Andrei]

Dec 19 around 3:30 - 4pm on Cathcart Street downtown. Electrical fire.

Those things burn very well.

The only Porsche worth buying for me now is a 911. Even if it bursts in flames the driving experience is worth it.

Back to bimmer land now. X5 3.0 diesel. No towing with that.
I'll get a 2500HD Chevy/GMC with a 6.0 gasoline motor and that should do very well for towing and cost very little. And Gregster promised a Brooks&Dunn front license plate for it. I'll get a 24 sticker, too.

[Gregster]

A Brooks&Dunn plate is a must for any pickup truck :) Just like "Free Candy" written on the side of a white panel van is a must.

[bmwqc]

The performance of the diesel X5 is quite impressive. Wow! 425 foot pounds!


Dec 19 around 3:30 - 4pm on Cathcart Street downtown. Electrical fire.

Those things burn very well.

The only Porsche worth buying for me now is a 911. Even if it bursts in flames the driving experience is worth it.

Back to bimmer land now. X5 3.0 diesel. No towing with that.
I'll get a 2500HD Chevy/GMC with a 6.0 gasoline motor and that should do very well for towing and cost very little. And Gregster promised a Brooks&Dunn front license plate for it. I'll get a 24 sticker, too.

[Gregster]

could use a chip... :p

[bmwqc]

A chip for what? The performance is already significantly better than the gas 3.0 version and only slightly inferior to the 4.8L. At only a slight price premium to the gas 3.0, I forsee the diesel X5 to be a big hit (unless the greedy govt decides to extract even higher taxes from diesel fuel).



could use a chip... :p

[johnmdanskin]

2500hd with the gas engine is an impressive tow vehicle. With4wd the snow capability is also very impressive. It is also a very comfotable long distance driver for conveniencw you can park at nearly any airstrip Get the crew cab for people and storage. Make sure to break in the axle before towing. 500mi. Really.

[Gregster]

2500hd with the gas engine is an impressive tow vehicle. With4wd the snow capability is also very impressive. It is also a very comfotable long distance driver for conveniencw you can park at nearly any airstrip Get the crew cab for people and storage. Make sure to break in the axle before towing. 500mi. Really.

now that gas is super cheap you can drive the pick up around town!
But really you need some nice wheels on the truck. 18s are too small. Yes I know this is coming from me but trucks look nice with bigger wheels.

My boss had 30s on his ram.
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s119/turntwomotorsports/philstruck.jpg

[Emre]

http://www.pistonheads.com/pics/news/15166/smart_unimog-L.jpg

[Gregster]

Andrei's new oil burner is very impressive. It's quick, not just quick for an SUV but quick period. The acceleration kinda snaps your neck back... I like that :D. The ride quality is excellent, unlike American SUVS that use shock/springs off ox carts in a corner the X5 is stable.

It also makes nice circles in snow :)

[bmwqc]

Andrei's new oil burner is very impressive. It's quick, not just quick for an SUV but quick period. The acceleration kinda snaps your neck back... I like that :D. The ride quality is excellent, unlike American SUVS that use shock/springs off ox carts in a corner the X5 is stable.

It also makes nice circles in snow :)

I had the opportunity to try out an 08 X5 3.0 recently. I was surprised at the nimble handling considering the sucker weighs over 4500lbs. And the pickup was not bad. I can only imagine the diesel must be significantly stronger (at least in torque).

[spazzboy]

I look forward to the SHO version. It brings back fond memories, having previously owned an '89.