Over thirty-some years, the Ford Taurus has become an icon. The base engine is a 3.5-liter V6 making 288 horsepower, and, mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission, and gets a respectable 18 city, 27 highway miles per gallon. The SEL comes with fabric upholstery, rearview camera, Ford Sync with Bluetooth connectivity and a 4.2-inch screen, six-speaker stereo, 18-inch wheels, power-adjustable front seats, dual climate control, and leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob.
A wide center console and a wraparound instrument panel divide the front seat into driver and passenger zones, a design found more often in coupes than sedans standard V6, with its 288 horsepower and 254 pound-feet of torque, moves the Taurus with relative ease. It's responsive and ready to roll at lower rpm, and the 6-speed automatic transmission is geared low in first gear to improve the takeoff.
In crash tests. The Taurus earned the top five-star rating overall, including five stars for both front- and side-impact protection. Likewise, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave the Taurus its the best rating of Good in the moderate-overlap front-impact, side-impact, roof strength, and head restraint (whiplash protection) tests.