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I have put enough kilometres on the Taurus SHO now to get a good opinion on its overall features and drivability. There are a few things that are really bothering me with this vehicle, though none of them have nothing to do with how it drives or its comfort.
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With our salt-covered streets come salt-covered cars, and the Taurus has no trunk handle on the inside to close it — a minor annoyance but it also is very difficult to open the trunk after it pops. The struts on the trunklid are not capable of assisting; perhaps the trunk weights in at 500 lb. I’m not sure but it seems heavy!
One huge annoyance are the headlights, which are barely useful. Ford may as well have just taped two flashlights on the front of the car and called it a day. At first I thought it was due to dirty lenses but after a wash I had the same problem. The bulbs simply do not produce enough light. On dark country roads I can barely tell the lights are on and in the city forget it; I expected much better at this price.
But if it is daytime, there is no problem, the Taurus is beyond smooth. The engine, the transmission, the road noise, all perfectly smooth and quiet. Tromp on the go-pedal and the SHO accelerates like a freight train (but it weighs nearly as much, too, though so don’t get carried away.
I drove the SHO on the track at AJAC’s Car of the Year Testfest event and it performed well but not exceedingly so compared to other vehicles in its entered category “Sports / Performance under $50k”. The Taurus SHO is a fast, smooth tourer — that unfortunately must be parked at night.
