2000 Ford Taurus...Continued

Ford has made the Taurus more than their flagship sedan, with bold departures of design and styling getting launched with new models. They were the first high-volume sedan to adopt lines that emphasized aerodynamics over traditional styling. While the public took a while to get used to the Îjelly bean' cars, they soon saw all other brands adopting the more efficient packaging and Taurus sales boomed. In the last rework, Taurus designers may have gone too far with their interior and exterior emphasis of oval styling cues, but those have been moderated with this revision. What is left focuses on safety, quality, comfort, and convenience.

Comfort and convenience also were top priorities. The new styling was largely dictated by the desire to improve front and rear headroom, increase trunk space, and a new layout for audio and climate-control system controls. "Our goal was to build on the car's segment-leading five-star safety rating and add even more safety enhancements and features. We also took into account customer expectations in the mid-size family sedan segment and worked to improve Taurus' interior roominess, comfort, trunk space, powertrain performance, ride and handling, as well as quality and durability." Mike Zevalkink, Vehicle Line Director, Ford Large and Luxury Vehicle Center.

From the front the new Taurus is identified by larger headlamps and wider air inlet that gives the front end a more substantial look. Ironically, it now uses a larger grille opening and has a more prominent horizontal chrome bar, the same configuration as its Chevrolet competitors. A higher, wider decklid creates more trunk room and new, larger tail lamps give more stopping warning.

Only the windshield, side glass and doors are carried over. All other exterior panels and features are new, including a major revision of the rear portion of the roof, that provides nearly a two-inches of improvement in rear headroom.