It’s too big on the outside given its interior dimensions, it’s less fuel efficient than vehicles larger inside (Mazda6, Accord, etc.), it only offers greater heft and more steel and such than the Fusion, V6s are being abandoned in family sedans for 90% of the sale 4 cylinders, which this doesn’t offer, and it’s about 12% too expensive based on its MSRP.

This is competing with the Avalon and Maxima? Really?

You can get a Hyundai Genesis, which looks better and has more content, even in the lowest trim model, for 30k, at a few of the no haggle volume dealers. The Genesis is more powerful, has a better interior, better warranty, is most likely much quieter and roomier – and that car is not even remotely close to being a volume seller. I think Hyundai is selling 1,000 per month, if that.

This car will end up being heavily discounted or it will rot on the dealer lots. Ford will also be forced to fleet sell it just to keep the line occupied.

And watch for the Lincoln cannibalization…it’s going to be a problem for Lincoln.

This is the wrong car, with inefficient interior space given the outside dimensions, at thousands too much, for these times.

24k to 28k should have been the price range for the non-SHO version.

Well, unless you’re of the anti-domestic mindset that they have to underbid everyone all the time.

It’s a very handsome car in person, and while the SHO is pricey…it’s a very complete car in terms of space, performance, and overall usability. I think that’ll stand out.

Unless it is B-O-F and RWD with decades and millions of miles proven under it’s belt, it doesn’t hold a candle to a CV or GM.

But this isn’t 1986, and the new Taurus is playing in a pool far too deep and dangerous. Either this car needs to be capped at $30k, or the MKS needs to go. Ford’s branding is so bad they’ll actually make a Ford that costs the same or more than a Lincoln!
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Thank you Sajeev! Hit it right on the head with both above comments. This Taurus is too expensive, and considering the bottomless R&D pit the Volvo D3 platform has been for Ford the last five years, the price can only go up.

Ford is rolling the dice on competing for the elusive Avalon buyer while they should be concentrating on keeping their existing Panther customers and trying to get some of those lost ones back. Fleets will not buy the Volvo D3 for a Panther replacement and if the elusive Avalon buyers don’t jump immediately on board Ford is going to find themselves totally out of the fullsize car arena that they once owned in a hurry.

I am no whiz bang car guy, but I think maybe a lot of the hype about the future being small very efficient cars is too narrow. I suspect an important piece of the future is about the traditional highway cruiser comfort car, ie Taurus, Avalon, etc, reengineered and eventually achieving good highway mileage in the mid 30’s to 40 mpg. That will sell to many old and younger duffers and seems achievable.

Which is not to say I don’t do it. :)

And, for the rest of our readers, I’m not referring to just leaving your foot on the pedals as you bend in to the turn 30mph short of the tires’ capability; I mean the kind of maneuver where a light brush with the left foot steps the tail out.

You’re getting jerked around by dealers. Trade in value for the 2006 4 cylinder (you didn’t state 6 vs 4) SE with standard transmission is $9500. Obviously that assumes average appearance and mileage.

high resale on Fusions?? REALLY??? Tell that to my 2006 Fusion that is worth next to nothing now. I bought it used last year for $12.5k (SE, 5 speed, sunroof, 6 CD changer)…yeah…I know, it’s a manual. But now it’s worth about $6k for trade. And this is only a three year old car. Sure, Ford might be making great strides, but I’m not sure I’ll soon buy another just for the abysmal resale alone. Hell, my son’s 1997 Tercel is holding up better in resale than the Fusion…

Jack, you don’t much seem to like trail-braking. Is that in general, or just a public roads sort of thing?

As a D258 development driver and a motorcyclist, I’ve been more than a little interested in BLIS’s ability to detect motorcycles in the blind spots. (BTW, Fusion, Flex, and MKT use the same system.) Over the past year I’ve satisfied myself that BLIS is more than sufficiently sensitive to bikes. The ONLY bike that I can recall it not detecting was a Ducati 1098 going about 20 mph faster in the same direction I was, in the outer wheel track of the left lane, so he wasn’t in my blind spot for very long. You’ll still need your mirrors to scan for squids.

My wife bought an AWD fusion, and it really is a hoot to drive, even with only 221 hp. If the Taurus is a 5/4 model of the fusion, it should be a good seller. I’m sure the 365hp taurus SHO is enough pep for 99% of drivers, and the other 1% are likely candidates for the cuffs anyway. There is a video on youtube of an ecoboost 3.5 MKS doing the quarter faster than an SVT lightning at 111mph through the 1/4 mile

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pe2hAalVyYU

It is Volvo’s AWD system. It is front wheel biased but capable of sending 100% of the power to rear wheels.

If it’s the same one that’s in the Fusion, I can attest that it is great for snow traction but does not do much for dry handling.

In all seriousness, Ford’s abandonment of naturally aspirated DI technology hurts here. This car screams out for something in between the plain-Jane D35 (a decent engine that can’t compete with Maxima or even Avalon acceleration, largely due to weight, and AWD models will be even heavier) and the EcoBoost which is only available on the too-expensive SHO. Something around 300 bhp sounds about right. Or else make EcoBoost a $1500 option across the board.

While the previous gen Mazda6 (and the current one for that matter) and the Fusion do ride on the same platform, it has upgraded and refined over the years. Considering it was a strong platform to begin with, what’s wrong with keeping it? Basic chassis/platform/suspension design for mainstream cars hasn’t changed a ton in the past decade.

The current Fusion rides as nice as any Accord and has better driving feel than any Camry, has an interior that matches them in fit and finish and quality, has engines with just as much power with the same or better fuel efficiency, has more interior space (vs Camry, the Accord is huge), more trunk space than both, just as nice a reliability record, all the tech gizmos plus more, and the best bluetooth/iPod/Nav setup on the market.

Yes, it will still be a while before the Fusion is the benchmark that the Asians strive to match just as the original Taurus was, but that is due to consumer doubt over troubles of Ford cars of the past, not the current models. It took Honda and Toyota a while to build the reputation they have today, and it will take a while for Ford to gain its reputation back where it comes to passenger cars. As long as they are all as nice as the new Fusion and Taurus though, it should be very steady progress.

FYI Fusion for that matter outsold CamCord and Ford outsold Toyonda in the past two month (April and May) in the US.

Thanks for the laugh – made my night. And i agree with you and Monty. If we were in the market, would certainly give Ford a serious look. FWIW, with all the hate for the Taurus, I had an ‘04 for a company car. Beat the crap out of it up and down the NJ Turnpike, GS Pkway, and many worse roads for 100K in 4 years. Never whimpered.

Homie don’t do no CVT.

To me at least, the Taurus is the better looking car. At least from the front.