2010 Ford Taurus Design Captures Attention, Price Questioned

2010 Ford Taurus Design Captures Attention, Price Questioned

By Michelle Krebs October 6, 2009

The 2010 Ford Taurus is rolling onto dealer lots across the country, and, judging by a flurry of recent posts in Edmunds' CarSpace Forums, its all-new design appears to have captured the attention of the car-buying public.
 
But with no lack of tough competitors out there, will it also capture their business? And is it priced right?

So far so good for the Taurus. It bucked the trend in September, when industry sales fell, but Taurus sales -- at 5,077 vehicles sold -- were 60 percent higher than a year ago and 49 percent higher than August.

"Looks Impressive"

No doubt the car's a hit in the looks department, according to posts on Edmunds.com. Commenting that it "looks impressive" and is even "better-looking than both the (Honda) Accord and (Toyota) Camry," folks seem to agree that the car's striking new shape is "a vast improvement over the 2009," which Ford's own head of global product development recently disparaged as "a Homer Simpson design." 

In fact, many agree that "the Taurus looks to be the best car Ford has produced in a long time."  One person notes, "I'm having a tough time thinking about what I might miss on my '06 (Volkswagen) Passat." And this enthusiasm has a number of folks considering something they'd almost written off -- buying American. "I always preached buy American, and now it looks like I might do just that," says one, while a current Audi driver notes that "if it's as good as the write-ups seem to suggest, I'll buy American again."

But other manufacturers haven't exactly been slacking off the last few years, and some point out that the new Taurus, improved as it is, may still fall short of its competition. "I'd argue that the (Toyota) Avalon has a superior ride, having driven both," says one shopper, adding that "the Hyundai Genesis has a base model option list that is way better than the Taurus." 

After considering the new Taurus, another person decided that the 2010 Subaru Legacy "fits better with my needs and has AWD thrown in." Still another warns, "If Ford thinks exterior sheet metal styling alone is going to trump quality and true refinement... I think they've underestimated the intelligence of buyers in this segment."

"A Lot of Money for a Taurus"

The biggest gripe, though, reagards the price. As one post plainly states, "I like the looks of the new Taurus but think it's really overpriced." Says another,"$25,995 MSRP? See that is why I bought a Subaru." And: "I just wish they would price a well-equipped Limited under $30K and not $35K where Lexus lurks with their ES 350." Others conclude that there are some very nice vehicles to be had for quite a bit less, including the Toyota Camry LE and Ford's own Fusion. A common reaction is: "That's a lot of money for a Taurus."

But many jump to Ford's defense, noting that the new Taurus "is a bargain compared to the Buick Lucerne," especially considering that it offers "more updated tech and features." Indeed, Ford says 95 percent of incoming Taurus orders are equipped with advanced technologies and features. 

The price discussion actually gets a little heated at one point, with one fan demanding, "Please explain to me how the Taurus is overpriced when it's cheaper and better than the Avalon?" And another chides, "If you want a bargain, go buy a Kia." 

The pricing issue may boil down to simple confusion among shoppers about what the new Taurus competes with. According to Edmunds data, those researching the base Taurus SE compared it to the Chevy Malibu and Nissan Altima, which sticker for thousands less. However, those shopping for the upscale Taurus Limited compared it to the following models, all of which cost more:

 

Year Make Model	Style	MSRP
2009 Lexus ES 350	4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl 6A)	$34,470
2010 Lincoln MKZ	4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl 6A)	$34,115
2010 Buick LaCrosse	CXS 4dr Sedan (3.6L 6cyl 6A)	$33,015
2009 Hyundai Genesis	3.8 4dr Sedan (3.8L 6cyl 6A)	$32,250
2010 Ford Taurus	Limited 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl 6A)	$31,170

Still, the collective wisdom is that price concerns will translate into incentives in the not-too-distant future. Indeed, one shopper observes that "FoMoCo is already offering $1,000 off the new Taurus in my area. By winter will it be $2,000?" And another advises: "Wait 6 months... and you'll probably save a bundle."

Meanwhile, pricing doesn't seem to be much of a factor at all with the new SHO version, which is roaring back into showrooms after a 10-year hiatus. Apparently, the SHO's new twin-turbo, 365-horsespower V6 stirs up more than enough excitement to justify its near $40K sticker.

As one enthusiast notes, "In 1994, I paid about $27K for my SHO, so $40K-$42K for a 2009 is right in line with what I would expect," concluding that "if this model is anywhere close to the 1994 it will be a great value." Another found after researching a range of performance vehicles, the "SHO easily filled the wish list" while "nothing else came close... at this price tag."

That said, there is some concern that the SHO seems to have packed on the pounds during its time off, with the new version weighing in at 4,368 pounds. Indeed, one reaction was, "My god it's getting up to SUV weight!"  Still, that didn't stop Inside Line's Dan Edmunds from proclaiming it, in a recent First Drive article, "by far the best SHO to date."

In the end, most agree that the 2010 Taurus is a ground-breaking vehicle for Ford -- a major plus considering that just one year ago the model was widely dismissed as a "fleet queen." As one sums up nicely, "If Ford can get enough butts in their seats, they will turn some heads and make some sales." But only time will tell whether it can provide anything close to the life-saving jolt that the original Taurus delivered to Ford's bottom line back in 1986 -- another time when it really needed one.

And that's the word on the street. -- By Mark Holthoff, Edmunds.com's manager of Customer Support

Photos by Edmunds

1 - 2010 Ford Taurus exterior

2 - 2010 Ford Taurus interior

 

 

Michelle Krebs:  is Editor-in-Chief of AutoObserver.com. Follow @AutoObserver on Twitter.