Hemborg Ford Inc.

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• Summary

Walk Around

In the design change from Freestyle to Taurus X, Ford has completely redone the front end, with a large three-bar horizontal grille that fits in better with the Ford family look of the Focus, Fusion, Edge, and the coming Flex. The hood, fenders, headlamps and driving lamps are all new, with a bit more bling around them here and there. From the dashboard rearward, though, it's pretty much carried over from the Freestyle, because it was a pretty solid package to begin with.

Likewise, the Edge-clone taillamps, rear quarter panels and decklid have been redone, and the rear bumper has been rejiggered to feature exposed dual exhaust tips. The roof rack has been strengthened and reinforced to carry more load.

Interior

2008 Ford Taurus X

The Ford Taurus X cabin has a light and airy feel, an important feature. Inside are bucket seats front and rear, each with center consoles, offering roomy accommodations for four, while large windows everywhere lend an open feeling. EPA-rated passenger volume is 146 cubic feet. Taurus X seats up to seven people.

Cargo capacity is generous, with a 15 cubic-foot space behind the third row, 47 cubic feet behind the second row with the third-row seats folded, and 86 cubic feet with all the seats folded down, according to EPA measurements. The power liftgate makes loading easy. And the Taurus X has a relatively low load height when compared with other crossover SUVs, which makes loading and unloading heavy objects easier.

The second- and third-row seats are very easy to flip, fold, and reset. The second-row seats slide fore and aft and recline for an extra measure of flexibility.

Overall, the interior ambience is modern, nicely laid out and, the materials are reasonably good throughout. The well-crafted seats, panels and other accommodations have a quality feel, as do the instruments, controls, shifter, seats, console, and dashboard. The wood applique on the center stack looks like a slapped-on afterthought, and it's particularly noticeable because it's the only wood-like material inside the vehicle's front compartment.

An auxiliary plug for iPods and other MP3 players comes standard and is located inside the center console.

The Motorola Sync system offers integration with all Bluetooth-enabled phones and music players, including iPods, via electronic and USB 2.0 connections. This system has received positive reviews from everyone we've talked to who has learned how to use it. The Sync system has the ability to have text messages read aloud, voice recognition for control of both phone and music functions, and phonebook transfer. The system is upgradeable for future players and for additional functionality down the road. Sync is optional, but if you're into wireless connectivity, we highly recommend opting for it.

The Taurus X is quiet. It moves down the road with a minimum of wind and tire noise for a vehicle in this price class, and the absence of noise allows you to better enjoy its in-car entertainment and communications features. We liked that, and took it as a mark of quality.

Overall, we found the Taurus X to be very comfortable, easy to use and get familiar with, and very flexible in terms of its interior layout, space utilization.

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