2013 Ford Taurus SHO Review
All-wheel drive high-speed grand tourer
By Shahzad Sheikh
It’s a handsome thing the new Ford Taurus, especially since the 2013 update with the new hexagonal family grille and styling tweaks. You see more of these saloons out on the roads now, and the tough, boxy stance combined with the sharp-edged modern styling is certainly appealing. Best looking of all though, is obviously the SHO version with its 19-inch wheels, blacked-out grille mesh and subtle bootlid spoiler.
Compared to the rest of the range it’s also got all-wheel drive as standard with a six-speed transmisison, sports-tuned suspension, ‘curve-control’ traction and stability systems, and a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 ‘EcoBoost’ engine putting out 365bhp and 350lb ft of torque from 1500rpm up to 5250rpm. The Eco bit is the decent 14L/100km considering this engine will whip this 1981kg beast from rest to 100kph in 6.3 seconds and onto a restricted top speed of 215kph.
It’s packed with kit including leather and suede upholstery, power everything, reversing camera and sensors, SYNC and MyFord Touch screen and button controls. In short it’s heaving with kit and all this can be yours for AED180,000 ($48,900). Prices start at AED99k ($26,900) for the regular Taurus with the 288bhp 3.5 V6.
How is it inside?
That’s a lot of car for the money, and believe me it feels it. This is a big bruiser, that’s for sure. It’s a suitably comfy cabin, inviting and well laid out with a pleasing and configurable instrument panel, giving a very high-tech feel, further enhanced by the central monitor.
Ford has clearly been working on improving and tweaking this system, as it was far easier to live with and operate than the previous time I tried it in the similarly equipped Ford Explorer which left me a little confused. I still prefer some sort of haptic feel that’s missing from most of the buttons in the big Ford, but it seems easier to figure out now. Over the shoulder visibility is a bit restrictive, and makes you thankful for the blind-spot assist.
Whilst it’s very spacious and comfortable up front, rear space is just about adequate, though considering the size of the car, I might have expected a little more room for my long legs, but I suspect most normal sized adults won’t have much reason to complain. This particular car was fitted with large rear screens which would certainly keep the kids happy.
How is it to drive?
Golly – it’s fast! Remarkably so, as befits the fabled SHO moniker on the back. I really don’t like the way the EcoBoost script along with a green leaf sits just below in the SHO badge – kind of spoils the machismo value methinks. It’s like putting flowers on the gun-turret of a tank.
As you’d expect traction off the line is pretty grunty, but we’re not talking brutal or startling power delivery here, it’s more along the lines of strong and building acceleration. Sounds good too.
Curve control is supposed to brake the car in a corner as it encounters understeer and it also has a form of torque-vectoring which will brake an inside wheel to tighten a cornering line. It all works in principle and thus this is an astonishingly agile thing for something so large. However understeer remains inevitably prevalent though the SHO is happier hunkering into and dispatching long sweeping high-speed bends, rather than being chucked about hard, not that it would shy away from such activity.
Verdict
For the money, the SHO represents a solid and desirable proposition, even if its sport-saloon credentials are not as overt. Where this car would be at its most impressive though is devouring long distances at high speeds, and it would certainly surprise more than a few as the lights turned green.
Performance junkies who are keen to downsize, save a few dirhams, and need to justify their car as a sensible everyday commuter for one person or a family, need look no further. This dashing Ford is for you.
Specs
2013 Ford Taurus SHO
How much? AED180,000 ($48,900)
Engine: 3.5-litre, V6, 365bhp @ 5500rpm, 350lb ft @ 1500-5250rpm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel Economy: 11L/100km
Performance: 0-100kph 6.3 seconds, Top speed 215kph
Weight: 1918kg
Nice review! A question that pops on mind is about the competition here for this particular model. Now that Chevy no longer sells the Lumina, I reckon the SHO squares it up against the Charger.
Somehow it managed to square up against the entire Charger range. How? It’s got a V6 just like the base Charger, power is so similar to the R/T, while the price is more of an SRT! Still, would have been interesting to see a comparison test between them (and any other rival you can think of?!)