Big Bull: 2010 Ford Taurus Limited

For the first time since the aero-shaped original made its debut in 1985, the Ford Taurus has become big news again.

There are three important reasons why:

1.    This is the first new Ford to reflect the input of CEO Alan Mulally.

2.    This is the first new Ford to arrive since the company forsook government assistance and still dodged bankruptcy -- unlike General Motors and Chrysler.

3.     The 2010 Taurus represents the latest American entry into the full-size car segment where Detroit needs to stake a new claim if it is to regain credibility in the marketplace.

From an engineering and design standpoint, the Taurus is a success. It is stylish, contemporary, and functional. But it will face fierce competition because it is relatively large, relatively heavy, and relatively expensive.

The original Taurus was a middleweight that contended for the most popular car crown with Accord and Camry, and in some years sold around 400,000 units.

The 2010 Taurus is a heavyweight (more than 4,000 pounds), which goes against other full-size vehicles such as the Toyota Avalon and Chrysler 300. Ford (F) would like to sell just 80,000 a year.

The new Taurus has more bling than the old one, including extraneous vents in the front fenders and a superfluous character line on the flanks. The new lower profile is a plus and the Taurus has a raked stance that makes it look faster when it is parked.

The interior is first-class all the way: high-grade materials, smart layout, highly visible controls. Following Mulally's dictate that all Fords have similar driver interfaces, the Taurus also comes with Formula One-style, steering-wheel mounted gear shift flippers, perhaps not needed for a car mostly driven by patrons of the Early Bird dinner. Electronic navigation features, like blind-spot detection in the rearview mirrors, are extremely helpful and should be standard equipment for everybody.

On the road, the Taurus drives like a big car. The chassis feels like it is made out of rebar and the chunky seats wouldn't be out of place in a men's club. My test car suffered from a ticklish accelerator pedal but otherwise purred on the highway, without ever suggesting it was interested in anything athletic. Its trusty 3.6L Duratec V-6 delivered 22 miles per gallon in mostly highway driving. Those craving excitement are advised to seek out the SHO, with its 3.5L turbocharged V-6.

With delivery charges, my ingot silver metallic test car carried a base price of $31,170 that rose to $38,080 with a couple of options. The 2010 Taurus isn't going to ignite the world the way its ancestor did, but it should draw some shoppers back to Ford showrooms. If they postpone their visit until next year, they will see some more eagerly-awaited new Fords, like the Focus and Fiesta.