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"FacebookPinterest\n\n People are always asking me, \"What are your favorite cars that you've driven recently?\" And I'll name a few like the new Nissan Z Roadster, the new Mercedes Benz E-Class Coupe, the Ford Taurus. And that's when the uh-huh's turn into WHA's? Yes, the Ford Taurus is one of my favorite new cars. (Did I just write that? Wow. I did.) Partially because I always root for the underdog, but mostly because the Taurus is a solid sedan that, if you covered up all of the Ford badging, you probably wouldn't be able to guess it's a Ford let alone an American car.\n\nFirst, some history. The Taurus that you remember, back in the mid eighties and early nineties, was America's best selling car. In fact, it was sort of cool. Futuristic even. So much so that when they were looking for Detroit cop cars of the future in Robocop, they chose...the Taurus. And you have to admit, with that matte black paint job? Not bad. (Remember, this was 1987.)\n\nFacebookPinterest\n\nBut then, as the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry quickly took up more sedan marketshare, the Taurus, for some odd reason, got uglier and crappier and then, Ford thinking that the Taurus brand was too far tarnished, discontinued it and replaced it with not one, but two sedans: the Five Hundred and the Fusion. Yeah, we barely remember the Five Hundred either. Could Ford have come up with a more anonymous name? 499 or 501 would have been better. Even Probe would have been preferred if they hadn't used that one up in the 90's.\n\nSo realizing people really just wanted a better Taurus, the Five Hundred was re-renamed the Taurus and finally, in 2009, Ford's made up for its missteps with the first Taurus that I haven't been ashamed to be seen in in nearly twenty years.\n\nWith a lower roof, higher beltline, and the option for huge 19 inch wheels, it looks downright muscular and from some angles, Audi-esque. Even the suspension feels German\u2014tight and sporty, not the mushy, bouncy feel preferred by grandmas. And with a price range of about $25K to $37K, it has features you'd normally find in cars that cost almost twice as much: adaptive cruise control, blind spot warning, and massaging seats; these are designed more to keep your back comfortable on long hauls rather than put you in a state of karmic bliss.\n\nSeriously\u2014the Taurus is one of the year's biggest surprises and successes. And it's not just my humble opinion: Ford Taurus sales were up 141% last month.\n\nFacebookPinterest"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.gq.com/story/gq-test-drives-the-2010-ford-taurus>