We just finished reading Ford’s press release on the Taurus SHO, and we must say it was a totally meta experience. It’s not often that the first sentence of what is usually a double-speak-laden multipage document describes a car by giving a nod to the nods that your very own publication gave it way back when, but there it was: “The Taurus SHO joins Ford’s growing lineup of performance vehicles for the 2010 model year, building on the legacy of the original, which earned a spot on the Car and Driver 10Best list four years running.” (Okay, technically we only called it out by name in 1989 and 1992, with the full Taurus/Sable line getting the trophy in 1990 and 1991, but who’s to argue with praise bestowed on praise?)
Making its debut at the 2009 Chicago auto show, the all-new factory sleeper sedan will soon be the most powerful (and most expensive at a base price of $37,995) sedan in Ford’s lineup. It borrows its name from the original 1989 Super High Output model, which used a high-strung, Yamaha-sourced V-6 (later models used a Yamaha V-8). Although the engine isn’t entirely bespoke to this most powerful of bulls, it is the most powerful version of Ford’s much-ballyhooed twin-turbo and direct-injected 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6. With an extra 10 hp over the EcoBoost mills in the Ford Flex and Lincoln MKS sedan and MKT crossover, the SHO packs a total of 365 hp and 350 lb-ft of torque. (We’re not sure that that qualifies as super high output, but we’ll let it slide.)
Putting that power to the pavement will be the job of a paddle-shifted six-speed automatic and a Haldex all-wheel-drive system. The transmission can behave as a normal automatic and also offers drivers the ability to enact rev-matched downshifts and to hold specific gears. Ratio changes can be summoned by a squeeze of either paddle for upshifts, with downshifts coming when the paddles are pushed forward. The suspension and steering also have been tweaked for this performance-oriented Taurus, with electronic power steering and new springs, dampers, and stabilizer bars.
An optional SHO Performance Package will offer a different calibration for the power steering, upgraded brake pads, a Sport mode for the stability-control system, and a 3.16:1 final-drive ratio in place of the standard 2.77:1 gearing. The package will also replace the standard 19-inch wheels with 20s wearing summer-performance tires.
Making its debut at the 2009 Chicago auto show, the all-new factory sleeper sedan will soon be the most powerful (and most expensive at a base price of $37,995) sedan in Ford’s lineup. It borrows its name from the original 1989 Super High Output model, which used a high-strung, Yamaha-sourced V-6 (later models used a Yamaha V-8). Although the engine isn’t entirely bespoke to this most powerful of bulls, it is the most powerful version of Ford’s much-ballyhooed twin-turbo and direct-injected 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6. With an extra 10 hp over the EcoBoost mills in the Ford Flex and Lincoln MKS sedan and MKT crossover, the SHO packs a total of 365 hp and 350 lb-ft of torque. (We’re not sure that that qualifies as super high output, but we’ll let it slide.)
Putting that power to the pavement will be the job of a paddle-shifted six-speed automatic and a Haldex all-wheel-drive system. The transmission can behave as a normal automatic and also offers drivers the ability to enact rev-matched downshifts and to hold specific gears. Ratio changes can be summoned by a squeeze of either paddle for upshifts, with downshifts coming when the paddles are pushed forward. The suspension and steering also have been tweaked for this performance-oriented Taurus, with electronic power steering and new springs, dampers, and stabilizer bars.
An optional SHO Performance Package will offer a different calibration for the power steering, upgraded brake pads, a Sport mode for the stability-control system, and a 3.16:1 final-drive ratio in place of the standard 2.77:1 gearing. The package will also replace the standard 19-inch wheels with 20s wearing summer-performance tires.