Quick Drive 2011 Ford Taurus SEL FWD

[gm4life]

2011 Ford Taurus SEL FWD (Rapid Spec 401A)

The Story...

Last Saturday I spent the day in a family members 2011 Ford Taurus SEL FWD Rapid Spec 401A with the 3.5L Duratec 35 V6 and six speed select shift automatic. This Taurus listed for $28,895.00 and was painted in Kona Blue Metallic with 18 inch alloy wheels, along with a long list of great features, that I will talk more about next.

The Features & Interior...

As an American car fan, but one who prefers GM some of things I have to say are hard for me to accept but I must. The Taurus SEL with the Rapid Spec 401A which adds Sync and rear parking assist is a great fullsize FWD sedan full of many neat features. Lets start with the Sync it performed like a champ, super easy to use and was a true tool especially for a road warrior! The dual zone automatic climate controls were fairly easy to use and worked great, and the multi-line radio screen display was bright and easy to understand. The center stack was full of many widgets enough to keep any pilot busy, all buttons were arranged logically and functioned well. The seats were covered in nice material and were very supportive and comfortable. The gauge cluster looked very cool and was easy to read. The shifter had a nice quality feel to it and the steering wheel as well. The materials used on the dash and the door panels were impressive for a sub 30K car and many were "soft" not the typical hard plastic used in domestic cars years ago. Over all the interior from the "flowing" center console to the sharp looking silver/gray trim with black cloth it was clearly a winner. Did I mention the huge truck and rear seat?

The Drive...

The 2011 Taurus SEL is clearly no CTS or CTS-V and nor should it be, but for a large fullsize FWD sedan it certainly was impressive. The car took corners with confidence, and was always pretty responsive to driver input. The 3.5L DOHC six was a joy to ring out up to the 6,500 rpm redline, and paired with manual paddle-shifters it provide a pretty good driving experience. Once again spot on for a fullsize front driver. The car launched with authority, and really moved when you would drop the hammer. At 80 mph the car is a delightful cruiser and passing was a total breeze with the big twin cam six which would rev right up and serve up 263 horses on driver command. The six speed automatic shifted crisply and never seemed to be in the wrong gear, and paddle-shifters were fun as well. If this car was scored on powertrain alone it would be an A, because it was pleasure to drive. Along with the responsive steering and sporty but not overly firm ride the SEL is a clear winner.

My Final Thought...

The 2011 Taurus left me impressed with what the folks at the blue oval can do. They seemed to have hit the market spot on just like Chevrolet did with the Impala back in 2000. I must say compared to the current Impala the Taurus is a far superior car. The interior features, powertrain and stlying just can't be matched by the current Impala any longer. GM needs to take the Taurus as a seriously threat and build a car even better than it, if they seriously want to win in this segment and not just on price alone. Which brings me to the best news of all GM has some great vehicles to battle with in the market place, and something to shoot for. If I was in the market for a fullsize sedan lets just say it would be on my short list. Now if asked the question would I buy one? That all depends on how much extra one would cost over an Impala.

Any thoughts, ideas or comment are always welcome!

Please someone tell me I am crazy liking and now preferring a Ford product!

*Note the photo above is not of the actual vehicle, but looks just like it.*

Edited October 31, 2010 by gm4life

[regfootball]

it's pretty amazing when you consider how far the 'taurus' has come.

taurus now, is a quality ride, it's come a looooooooong way. great writeup.

[ocnblu]

Nice article, gm4life. These new Tauruses are definitely eye-catching. I love the attitude of the car... it has a swagger that has not been present in big Ford sedans since the late 60's, imo. A great American product.

Please post pictures when you bring yours home. If you wait for GM to bring a credible Impala to market, you'll be an ol' man.

[A Horse With No Name]

He's already an "old man" but then so am I.

It's an impressive car, and an excellent write up!

[ZL-1]

Interesting read! Love the blue color.

[Robert Hall]

I had a black one in So Cal in July for 3 days, really liked it...it's a car I could live with day in, day out I think...would make a great commuter car.

[Guest John]

I have a 2011 taurus sel does the steeringwheel buttons light and outside mirrors light shift consol light and last do the door handles light

[Guest Guest]

Do the steeringwheel outside mirrors door handles and shift letters on consol light up?

[Drew Dowdell]

I'm pretty sure the shift letters do.