The Taurus brand name is very well known in the marketplace, a result of the car’s blockbuster success from introduction and throughout the 1990s. As is the story with many successful Ford products, the car was left to wither whilst new competition eclipsed it. Today, Toyota and Honda are the leading sellers of mid-size sedans. Ford is catching up though, but with the Fusion.

The Fusion is more of a successor to the original Taurus as Ford let the Taurus deteriorate to a point of a discontinuation in 2006. Thankfully Alan Mullaly took the reins and things began to change – the Taurus was coming back, but in a way we had never seen it before.

For one thing, the Ford Taurus is bigger; now a full-size sedan. The original buyers of the Taurus are demographically older and looking for something larger and more spacious.

The Taurus is that car; a vehicle not expected to sell in tremendous volumes like the original. As an overall segment, the full-size American car is dying in favor of crossovers. In order to turn the tides, the Taurus is by all means a stunner, and we had the model that truly surprises everyone with its performance – the SHO. Sleeper? Indeed.

The Ford Taurus SHO doesn’t do a whole lot to announce itself, with subtle badging, 20-inch wheels, dual exhausts and a spoiler. Make no doubt about it, the Taurus SHO is a handsome sedan. It doesn’t take a bold and in your face tack, but it still manages to have a chunky American look. We like it.

Inside, the Taurus most definitely isn’t your typical full-size sedan. It’s downright sportscar-like. The interior is dominated by a thick center console that has a slow and dramatic upward curve.

Driver and passenger are greeted by two hoods on the dashboard. The Taurus has an enveloping, cockpit-like feeling, especially enhanced in our tester by the black colour and carbon fibre and aluminum accents.

Build and material quality is top notch. Panel gaps are tight, and everything was aligned perfectly. The hooded material on the dash is of good quality and soft to the touch, as well as the materials on the door and center stack.
Indeed, the center stack’s layout is extremely clean when equipped with a navigation system. Also, we like that all compartments in the center console are enclosed with carbon fiber covers that click open and shut with a feeling of quality.

The interior feels smaller than the car’s exterior size would give off. Legroom for passengers in the back is good, if a bit tight, but the Taurus offers a comfortable experience for all passengers.

The centerpiece of the SHO and the car’s driving experience is, and you knew this was coming, the EcoBoost powerplant. The EcoBoost is the primary differentiating factor on the SHO over the Taurus Limited, for instance.

By now, it isn’t any secret that Car Throttle loves this engine. At 365 horses, power is excellent and the engine moves the car quickly, clocking at 5.2 seconds in the dash to 60 mph. Rumor has it power could be boosted even further to 400 hp pretty soon.

Behind the wheel, the Taurus SHO offers a refined, composed driving experience. The SHO isn’t exactly a BMW, and that isn’t a bad thing – not every car is meant to be. However, the Taurus is a large sedan that isn’t afraid to be one. We will say that whilst it wasn’t designed as a backroads companion on mountainous roads, the SHO executes corners competently and willingly.

It is a far cry from large American sedans of old that were utterly unpleasant to drive when the road turns narrow.

As a long distance road trip companion, the Taurus SHO shines. The car is fast and comfortable, a vehicle that really eats up the miles. Ride quality was excellent and noise in the interior of our tester was kept to a minimum. It offered a competent, refined driving experience at any rate of speed.

As for sales, the current Taurus is doing quite well for itself in the current market. The car has resonated with customers in a way that Ford intended it to.

The Taurus SHO impressed in its time with us. As a volume manufacturer with the Ford badge, we wouldn’t peg it directly against competitors like the Audi A6 4.2 FSI and BMW 5-Series.

At this point the SHO is more in a class of its own, offering a uniquely American blend of attributes. The Taurus SHO has carved out its own niche in the marketplace. The SHO – and the Taurus – is most definitely back.

Disclaimer: This test vehicle was provided to CarThrottle by the manufacturer for purposes of evaluation

2010 Ford Taurus SHO Gallery

2010 Ford Taurus SHO Specifications

Base Price: $37,170

Body: 4 door Sedan
Mechanical Orientation: All Wheel Drive

Engine: 3.5L V6 twin-turbocharged EcoBoost
Power: 365 hp
Torque: 350 lb-ft
Transmission: 6 speed Automatic

Weight: 4361 lbs

0-62 mph: 5.2 seconds
Top Speed: 133 mph

To really show the differences in V-8 vs. twin-turbocharged V-6, Ford has offered up this new comparison video of the Taurus SHO EcoBoost against the Audi A6 4.2 FSI V-8. While the result was predetermined -- 0.60 numbers don’t lie, it’s still pretty interesting seeing it happen live. It’s all about creating good press, and I think appearing unafraid to make direct comparisons with the competition is a bold thing to do. GM is doing this in new advertisements as well.

Getting down to actual numbers, the $37,995 base-price of the Taurus SHO checks in at $20,000 cheaper than the $60,950 (ouch!) Audi A6 4.2 FSI V-8. The Audi has an engine that is 0.7-liter larger in displacement than the SHO’s, and has 350 horsepower, 15 less than the SHO. The two are different types of vehicles, but the performance chops of the EcoBoost engine are hard to deny.

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Now, things are different at, with Alan Mulally in charge and new products from Ford, Lincoln and Mercury (the lonely Milan) demonstrating the changes.

Perhaps no car better emphasizes the new Ford than the Taurus. It’s almost as if all the bad years of Taurus have gone away, and the new car is the result of years of proper updating and refinement. The SHO is the model that has gotten all the attention, particularly from enthusiasts.

If there has been a particular criticism of the SHO, it’s that it hasn’t been differentiated well enough from its standard counterparts. The only changes on the SHO model are different wheels, a small spoiler, SHO badges and some added chrome detailing on the front end. For those that are paying for a loaded SHO (that ca reach nearly  $50K) this might be a bit concerning.

Car & Driver is reporting that Ford is planning some updates to rectify that for model year 2012. Car & Driver says they suggested some changes on the Taurus SHO like smoked lamp lenses, but were told the car would be updated more significantly than that. The only specific change mentioned though was new wheels. Ford is supposedly waiting until the 2012 model year so the changes don’t look as if they are being done to correct first year mistakes.

Today is the launch event for Ford’s Taurus SHO, a model that car enthusiasts everywhere are drooling over. Driving impressions of the model are still under embargo, but Ford thought it was fitting to release some new pictures of the car to coincide with the event.

Wow! Is that good looking or what? The more I’ve seen of the new Taurus, the more I like it. This car is nothing like the recent cars that have worn this storied name. “Superman” Taurus indeed! I think it was smart to keep the name for the new model given all the press attention that it has received. Initial reactions have been fantastic, with Esquire naming the Taurus it’s first-ever car of the year.

It’s odd that a normally ho-hum family car like the Taurus would be so wanted. The SHO really is becoming an object of desire with people! While a good deal, at $45,175 it will be out of the reach of most though, so this could be a great aspirational vehicle for Ford.

As for the standard Taurus, is the revival of the Ford family car in the American marketplace upon us? Could we really the SHO catching on as a rival to performance luxury brands like BMW?

We’ll have to wait for the answer to that question, but the fact that Ford (and a Taurus!) is even being mentioned in the same sentence as those brands shows that something has changed. Drastically. Welcome back, Ford!