2010 Ford Taurus SHO Preview

New 2010 Ford Taurus SHO
THINK OF IT AS THE REGULAR TAURUS SEDAN ON STERIODS

by Marty Bernstein
Senior Editor
Detroit Bureau
The Auto Channel

The photo above is obviously the profile of the rear deck of the new 2010 Taurus SHO … which is the view most people will see as they follow this performance sedan down the road. Especially after a standing start.

The Taurus SHO: It’s great looking. It’s fast. It’s powerful. It’s slick. It’s sophisticated. It’s stylish. Think of it as the regular Taurus (reviewed last week) that’s on steroids. It’s available this summer! And it’s legal.

What’s wrong with it? Nothing. Absolutely nothing! In fact the Show has more of the right stuff for fans of great driving and handling cars than a few European sedans which cost thousands of dollars more.

Even nicer is the fact the SHO has only a few minimal “tells” of what this speedster is capable of. It’s stealth like and stealth lite. Nothing splashy or gaudy.

There are sporty premium painted wheels, with low-profile 19-inch Goodyear Eagle or optional 20-inch Michelin high-performance tires, a deck-lid-mounted spoiler and twin chrome exhaust tips. SHO also features a new version of the Ford’s signature three-bar grille. Even the SHO logo is reserved.

Under the hood dwells a powerful 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 that delivers V-8 levels of power – with 365 horsepower – without compromising its V-6 fuel economy. But it’s torque that delivers the thrust and the SHO has plenty of it too.

The 2010 Taurus SHO features an enhanced six-speed automatic transmission with control paddles mounted on the steering wheel, in combination with a sophisticated torque sensing all-wheel drive system. And for the serious gotta go fast, Ford has a special sport package.

Inside the there are all the features of the regular Taurus with a better looking dash and console.

The seats are very comfortable and available in two tone that are among the best looking I’ve ever seen at this level. Augmenting the look is the contrasting stitching on the seams which gives it a customized look.

The price for all these amazing SHO features and attributes is just $37,995.

Bottom line? Is SHO or the Taurus going to be a COTY – car of the year – winner? Time will tell.