Taurus is aimed at drivers who might move family and friends, yet who place a premium on the driving experience and the technologies that make time on the road more meaningful and fun. Exterior design details are sculpted and powerful – from the hood-mounted powerdome that speaks to the strength behind its confident grille to the pronounced fenders and fascia. Bold headlamps combined with recessed parking lamps frame a bold expression of the signature Ford three-bar grille – and the lowered roofline helps make the Taurus more aspirational. Vibrant new colors for 2011 include Bordeaux Reserve Red Metallic, Kona Blue Metallic and Sterling Gray Metallic. Wheels from 17- to 19-inches in diameter fill the sculpted wheel wells and lend Taurus a muscular and athletic stance. The raised shoulder lines provide a confident profile and enable generous trunk capacity.
Inside, a forward-leaning center stack – home to the climate controls, audio components and available navigation screen – flows through the instrument panel and into the center console. This smart design allows for the interior to be formed with unbroken lines to impart seamless quality and craftsmanship. The door panels employ an innovative urethane tooling process providing unique soft texture and identity to surfaces, with visible stitching and a handcrafted appeal. This same process allows for two-tone finishes, enabling model series differentiation.
To match its striking design, the Taurus features sportier driving dynamics. Taurus for 2011 comes standard with the proven Duratec 3.5-liter V-6, generating 263 horsepower and 249 ft.-lb. of torque. This award-winning engine earns a ULEV-II emissions certification and comes paired with a choice of two new six-speed automatic transmissions. The smooth and refined Duratec V-6 helps the front-wheel-drive Taurus deliver highway fuel economy of up to 18 mpg city and 28 highway. Taurus reflects the company’s commitment to deliver the best or among the best fuel economy across the vehicle segments in which it competes. Taurus fuel economy is aided by the use of a two-speed fuel pump and aggressive deceleration fuel shutoff technology.
The Taurus SE offers a six-speed automatic transmission with a grade-assist hill-holding rollback prevention feature, paired with an economical 2.77 final drive ratio. SEL and Limited series Taurus models are offered with SelectShift, featuring race-inspired shift control paddles mounted on the steering wheel. SelectShift offers the convenience of conventional automatic operation, or a manual shift mode that gives the driver manual control over gear selection. The SelectShift transmission enables “match-rev” downshifts and will hold manually selected gears, unlike some competitive transmissions that second-guess the driver. The SEL is offered with a 2.77 final drive ratio, while the Limited series uses a 3.16 gear in front-wheel-drive models and a 3.39 ratio in all-wheel-drive models to provide enhanced acceleration.
Chassis and suspension components are tuned to deliver on the sporty and aggressive design with optimized roll stiffness for cornering control, responsive steering with sharp turn-in and precision accuracy. This chassis tuning of the MacPherson front struts and multilink rear suspension reflects Ford global DNA, defined by responsive steering and handling while maintaining a comfortable ride quality. The 2011 Taurus features the SR1 suspension configuration. Named for its “one-to-one” rear shock absorber ratio, it provides a superior balance between cornering and handling while providing a stable baseline for fine-tuning. SR1 enables the use of 19-inch wheels and reduces vehicle weight to help save fuel. Wind tunnel development time was important to reduce noise and vibration, but it also helps deliver increased fuel economy.
