SHOTIME!
Blue oval sedan-addicts
finally get their fix
By Christopher Smith
Times have changed in the 10 years
since the last Taurus SHO rolled off the assembly line. Back then,
the internet was quickly rewriting the rules of pretty much
everything, movie fans were lined up—and in some cases dressed up—to
see the dazzling new special effects in flics like The Matrix and
Star Wars Episode I, and Napster.com kicked off a controversial
revolution in music and file sharing. The country also mourned the
tragic violence at Columbine High School that spring, while groups
of concerned citizens stockpiled food and water in preparation for
the dreaded Y2K bug, as many “experts” thought older electronic
equipment programmed with 2-digit year codes would either
spontaneously combust or turn into Arnold Schwarzenegger when faced
with double zeros.
Meanwhile, the rest of us partied
like it was 1999. Which of course, it was.
Flash forward to 2009. The
domestic auto industry is on life-support, the economy resembles a
sun-baked porta-potty outside Texas Motor Speedway, and though the
machines didn’t explode, somehow Arnold Schwarzenegger did
manage to take over California. If there was ever a need for some
Bold Moves, now would be the time.
Enter Ford Motor Company, and the
reborn, twin-turbocharged, all-wheel drive 2010 Taurus SHO.
“The new Taurus SHO delivers on
the authentic sleeper sedan formula but adds all-new
luxury-appointments, convenience features and technologies to an
unsurpassed balance of power and fuel economy,” said Mark Fields,
Ford’s president of The Americas.
Based on the recently introduced
2010 Taurus Sedan, the new SHO is definitely 21st century
ready with a host of technologies the old SHO couldn’t have even
imagined. Active cruise control, blind spot monitoring, reverse
cameras, climate-controlled 10-way power leather seats with suede
inserts and a massaging function, voice-activated navigation and a
12-speaker Sony sound system are all available options. The SHO
comes standard with all the expected power equipment as well as
Ford’s SYNC ® communications system, push-button start,
a capless fuel-filler system and ambient lighting for the interior.
SHOs will also be dressed internally with liberal amounts of brushed
aluminum and yes, the SHO logo will sit on the passenger side dash
as it did on the first and second-generation cars.
Outside, the new SHO could win the
title as the most subtle of all the generations. From the side,
only the standard 19-inch or optional 20-inch wheels set it apart
from the rest of the Taurus line, until you get close enough to spot
the small SHO badges nestled neatly at the base of the C-pillar.
Keen eyes will also notice the SHO-exclusive body colored mirrors
and silver cornering LEDs on the front fascia. The rear of the
car—which is what most people will see anyway—is where the most
pronounced changes are. A tidy deck lid spoiler extends smoothly
back from the trunk, with dual chrome exhaust tips flanking the rear
fascia. A chrome SHO/Ecoboost badge on the lower right side of the
deck lid adds an exclamation point to the stealthy package.
“Taurus SHO was always a stealth high-performance car,” said Earl
Lucas, exterior design manager for the SHO. “The new SHO builds on
the expressive design of the 2010 Taurus, adding subtle cues that
set it apart.”
The rest of the styling story
is all Taurus, which isn’t a bad thing. The high-boy look to the
car will remind you of a Chrysler 300, though the boxy feeling isn’t
quite as pronounced. The roofline rakes wonderfully back to the
deck lid, which mirrors the roof angle down to the rear fascia.
It’s all very striking and satisfying to see in person; even the
goofy body lines on the rear quarter panels make sense when viewed
in three dimensions. It’s a large car, but Ford has done an
impressive job of making it look sleek at the same time. Once you
spend some time with the car, it’s very hard to believe it’s related
to the outgoing Taurus/Five Hundred platform.
By now you’re thinking “oh boy…
he’s not talking about the guts. I bet Ford just stuck some badges
on a Limited.” The concerns are justified; one of the bigger
mistakes Ford made on the 1996-1999 SHO was power. With only 35
extra ponies from a Duratec-powered V-6 Taurus, performance levels
between the two cars weren’t very far apart.
Considering there is now a full
100 horsepower difference between the 2010 editions, it’s
safe to say Ford didn’t make the same mistake twice.
In true super high output
fashion, the 2010 SHO wields a 3.5 Duratec V-6, boosted to 365
horsepower at 5500 RPM and 350 ft.-lbs. of torque at 3,500 RPM,
thanks to a pair of small Garrett turbochargers that are said to
provide power with no turbo lag. That power will be sent to a
torque-sensing all-wheel drive system by way of a high-capacity
six-speed 6F55 SelectShift automatic with full manual control,
including rev-matching on downshifts. With six gears now available,
the SHO can run a 2.77 final drive ratio as opposed to the 3.74
ratio of the older cars, allowing a better balance of acceleration
and highway cruising. The SHO will use a unique, sport-tuned
independent suspension setup as well as different sway bars and
strut bushings to provide a ride that, while balanced and
comfortable, leans more towards the sport side of the equation. A
special performance package will also be available that features
upgraded brake pads, a recalibrated Electronic Power Assist Steering
for quicker steering response, a special “sport” mode for the
standard stability control system, and a shorter 3.14 final drive
ratio for even quicker acceleration. Performance figures haven’t
been released yet for the car, though estimates in the high 5-second
to low 6-second range for 60 miles per hour aren’t out of the
question.
Pricing for the new SHO won’t
be cheap, but neither will it be out of the ballpark. Ford says a
base model SHO, with all-wheel drive and an enviable list of
options, will start at $37,995. That’s still a few bones more than
a Pontiac G8 GT, but you sacrifice all-wheel drive and a bunch of
options in the process. To find an all-wheel drive in this class
with equal performance, one must look to the Chrysler 300C with a
base sticker price more than a thousand bucks over the SHO. Only
well optioned, all wheel drive editions will be offered initially,
though Ford says it may offer different packages in future models.
In a time of economic hardship,
does a $37,995 twin-turbo full-size sedan make much sense? Ford
execs say the current SHO has been a work in progress for some time,
so it could just be a case of following through on a project that
was too far along to quit. Or maybe, just maybe, we’re starting to
see a glimpse of the old-school Ford. You remember that company…
they bolted turbos and superchargers to Thunderbirds, tuned pickup
trucks to outrun V-8 Camaros, tweaked the handling and power levels
of every day drivers to make them a little more exciting. When the
fourth generation Taurus was retired, nobody ever thought it would
come back. Even when the name was resurrected, the prospect of a
new Taurus SHO seemed as likely as the Detroit Lions winning the
Super Bowl. Ok, so that hasn’t happened yet, but enthusiasts have
been talking about a new SHO for a couple years now, and at long
last Ford is listening. Mustangs are great cars, but a
365-horsepower, twin turbo, all wheel drive Taurus could very well
be the crazy solution to a crazy time. The 2010 Taurus SHO, finally
a bona-fide bold move from the Blue Oval.
Contact
Christopher Smith with questions: chwriting@charter.net
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