OSU 4 SHO
SHO Member
I walk into my local Ford dealer and off to the right sits a new Taurus. I didn't know it was a SHO until half way through the interior analyzing. It was black exterior, and black/black leather/suede interior. I immediately sat inside without looking much at the exterior. Just for reference I am 6'6" and 340lbs. Here are some of my thoughts:
1. With a sunroof, I had enough headroom to fit comfortably
2. I had enough shoulder room (B pillars usually destroy my comfort level in sedans)
3. Leg room was inexplicably small. There is absolutely NO reason for the seat not to go back farther. None. This translated into making an overall comfortable cabin, uncomfortable, because my legs were bent too much and I felt like I was in a MUCH smaller can than it really is. I have no doubt it could be modified to work, but when the seats in a VW Rabbit/Jetta/GTI etc go back MORE than enough for me, its inexcusable for a very large car not to have ample leg room. There was at least 5" of vacant space after all of my seat adjustments got me into a comfy position, so its not physical room. Some idiot said, yup, thats enough travel, lets limit the potential buyers over something as stupid as not letting the seat go back 2 more inches. Its very frustrating when this happens, there is no excuse.
4. The seat back was extremely comfortable, very wide seats up by the shoulders (common area where seats curve in for shorter people that makes most seats uncomfortable for tall people. The lumbar was very nice, just a very firm, supportive seat back. However it didn't translate into a quality bottom seat. The bottom or butt part was very small, and very flat. It was way too short, and offered very little support.
5. The dashboard and cabin layout looked very nice. At least as nice as my VW GTI with regards to materials and fit and finish (yes, I said it). I can not agree with the materials rivaling Lexus and Audi though. While the look of them might, the touch and feel does not. In an Audi, when you push on the plastics, they don't squeek (experience from a 2001 S4, 2005 S4 and 2006 A4, about 10 total years with those 3 cars), they don't push in, and they don't feel as cheap. When I pushed and felt the various parts of the cabin, some were solid, some pushed in a bit and some squeaked. If an Audi is a 10, the new Taurus is a 8. (very good in my opinion, a pleasant surprise to say the least)
6. I didn't particularly care for all of the doors used on the console. There were 4 I think. It just made the interior a bit too busy and "corny." While some may argue it looks better, I personally do not think it does. I like my cup holders visible, and doors are prone to breaking after extended use. Also felt that some of the buttons were hard to reach, and in unintuitive locations. The ergonomics of the console as a whole was not nearly as thoughtfully laid out as VW or Audi's usually are (I do understand the new A6 had issues with this very same thing).
6.5. With all of that said, I sat in a Fusion Sport after it and it was remarkable how nice it made the Taurus look and feel. Wow was it bad, shockingly bad. It made the Taurus feel like a Bentley.
7. The back seats were surprisingly big, however they didn't have enough head room for me. My GTI does, but its a hatchback with a squared off rear end. I can see why the ass end of the Taurus is so high, the rear seats are elevated from the fronts, which was unusual.
8. The paddle shifters were laughably ugly and very large. I have mentioned it before that I hate the push button style shifters, and I still do.
9. The doors shut with a solid thunk, and the trunk used the quality hinges that don't take up any trunk space (something the new A4 stopped doing). One thing I did notice though is the part of the front door on the side of the window where the vertical trim piece is that covers up 1/2 of the B pillar was VERY flimsy. The windows were down and when I got out of the car, I grabbed the door around that pillar to shut it and the trim piece pulled away a bit, and made a cracking noise lol. Needless to say I thought I ripped the damn thing off. The other side wasn't nearly as flimsy, but I could definitely see that being an issue down the road.
10. A few small changes and the car would be almost perfect. Let the front seat travel about 2" farther. Change the paddle shifters to a more integrated design like in the DSG equipped GTI's. I could live with the numerous doors on the console and the ergonomic issues if those 2 things were fixed. If I nit pick even more, I would ask for a 3 spoke steering wheel and door sills that say SHO instead of Taurus.
Overall I give the interior a 7/10 (8/10 if the seats went back far enough and a 8.5 if they added a 3 spoke wheel with DSG style paddle shifters).
The car had the 402A pack I think, navigation and something small for a sticker of 42,500 ish.
I didn't drive it because it was their only one, and it was in the showroom, and since I am not going to buy one. In a few months when they are numerous on the lots, I will drive one.
Thanks for reading, sorry it was so long.
1. With a sunroof, I had enough headroom to fit comfortably
2. I had enough shoulder room (B pillars usually destroy my comfort level in sedans)
3. Leg room was inexplicably small. There is absolutely NO reason for the seat not to go back farther. None. This translated into making an overall comfortable cabin, uncomfortable, because my legs were bent too much and I felt like I was in a MUCH smaller can than it really is. I have no doubt it could be modified to work, but when the seats in a VW Rabbit/Jetta/GTI etc go back MORE than enough for me, its inexcusable for a very large car not to have ample leg room. There was at least 5" of vacant space after all of my seat adjustments got me into a comfy position, so its not physical room. Some idiot said, yup, thats enough travel, lets limit the potential buyers over something as stupid as not letting the seat go back 2 more inches. Its very frustrating when this happens, there is no excuse.
4. The seat back was extremely comfortable, very wide seats up by the shoulders (common area where seats curve in for shorter people that makes most seats uncomfortable for tall people. The lumbar was very nice, just a very firm, supportive seat back. However it didn't translate into a quality bottom seat. The bottom or butt part was very small, and very flat. It was way too short, and offered very little support.
5. The dashboard and cabin layout looked very nice. At least as nice as my VW GTI with regards to materials and fit and finish (yes, I said it). I can not agree with the materials rivaling Lexus and Audi though. While the look of them might, the touch and feel does not. In an Audi, when you push on the plastics, they don't squeek (experience from a 2001 S4, 2005 S4 and 2006 A4, about 10 total years with those 3 cars), they don't push in, and they don't feel as cheap. When I pushed and felt the various parts of the cabin, some were solid, some pushed in a bit and some squeaked. If an Audi is a 10, the new Taurus is a 8. (very good in my opinion, a pleasant surprise to say the least)
6. I didn't particularly care for all of the doors used on the console. There were 4 I think. It just made the interior a bit too busy and "corny." While some may argue it looks better, I personally do not think it does. I like my cup holders visible, and doors are prone to breaking after extended use. Also felt that some of the buttons were hard to reach, and in unintuitive locations. The ergonomics of the console as a whole was not nearly as thoughtfully laid out as VW or Audi's usually are (I do understand the new A6 had issues with this very same thing).
6.5. With all of that said, I sat in a Fusion Sport after it and it was remarkable how nice it made the Taurus look and feel. Wow was it bad, shockingly bad. It made the Taurus feel like a Bentley.
7. The back seats were surprisingly big, however they didn't have enough head room for me. My GTI does, but its a hatchback with a squared off rear end. I can see why the ass end of the Taurus is so high, the rear seats are elevated from the fronts, which was unusual.
8. The paddle shifters were laughably ugly and very large. I have mentioned it before that I hate the push button style shifters, and I still do.
9. The doors shut with a solid thunk, and the trunk used the quality hinges that don't take up any trunk space (something the new A4 stopped doing). One thing I did notice though is the part of the front door on the side of the window where the vertical trim piece is that covers up 1/2 of the B pillar was VERY flimsy. The windows were down and when I got out of the car, I grabbed the door around that pillar to shut it and the trim piece pulled away a bit, and made a cracking noise lol. Needless to say I thought I ripped the damn thing off. The other side wasn't nearly as flimsy, but I could definitely see that being an issue down the road.
10. A few small changes and the car would be almost perfect. Let the front seat travel about 2" farther. Change the paddle shifters to a more integrated design like in the DSG equipped GTI's. I could live with the numerous doors on the console and the ergonomic issues if those 2 things were fixed. If I nit pick even more, I would ask for a 3 spoke steering wheel and door sills that say SHO instead of Taurus.
Overall I give the interior a 7/10 (8/10 if the seats went back far enough and a 8.5 if they added a 3 spoke wheel with DSG style paddle shifters).
The car had the 402A pack I think, navigation and something small for a sticker of 42,500 ish.
I didn't drive it because it was their only one, and it was in the showroom, and since I am not going to buy one. In a few months when they are numerous on the lots, I will drive one.
Thanks for reading, sorry it was so long.
