Vellum Venom Vignette: Ford Taurus X "LITIMED"

Sajeev Mehta
by Sajeev Mehta

TTAC Commentator SupremeBrougham starts us off:

Hi Sajeev,

I found this jem at my local Ford dealer the other day and I thought I’d share it with you so you can share it with the others. It’s a real one of a kind!!!

Sajeev brings it home:

What’s in a name? Let’s first marinate on the irony of someone named “Supreme Brougham”, one of the most imagery-evoking trim levels in automotive history, pointing out the fallibility of the bland “Limited” trim designation. Well then!

I was quite thrilled to see both the Taurus and the Taurus Wagon (i.e. X) come back to market, yet that thrill was short lived. The Taurus’ unique American value (and style, love it or leave it) faded almost the moment Ford installed the typical stick-on floating chrome emblems. First in 2000, then in 2008. But I will spare you my thoughts on how and why I came to that conclusion. Let’s stick (get it?) with the little chrome bits: new age emblems that are too easy to deviate from the original design.

And there you have it: this hunk of dealer inventory enjoyed a quick re-spray for reasons unknown, complete with incorrect emblem adhesion. It’s physically impossible for this to happen at the factory, anyone who’s been on a tour of one know what I’m talking about. So why make these badges? Why not make the ones from yesteryear…over a decade ago?

I personally liked the one piece, somewhat stylish, script writing of the GEN III Taurus, or the original hunk of Taurean goodness. Badges that can’t be screwed up are important, we need to bring them back. Don’t believe me? Have a look at the difficult-to-deface Lexus emblem.

Best and Brightest: your thoughts?

Sajeev Mehta
Sajeev Mehta

More by Sajeev Mehta

Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 39 comments
  • Skink Skink on Jul 10, 2012

    Not only was the person who attached those letters illiterate, but he/she was likely astigmatic, judging by how crookedly they were attached.

  • MadHungarian MadHungarian on Jul 21, 2012

    LITIMED? Is that a law firm that specializes in malpractice cases?

  • EBFlex Garbage but for less!
  • FreedMike I actually had a deal in place for a PHEV - a Mazda CX-90 - but it turned out to be too big to fit comfortably in my garage, thus making too difficult to charge, so I passed. But from that, I learned the Truth About PHEVs - they're a VERY niche product, and probably always be, because their use case is rather nebulous. Yes, you can run on EV power for 25-30 miles, plug it in at home on a slow charger, and the next day, you're ready to go again. Great in theory, but in practice, a) you still need a home charger, b) you paid a LOT more for the car than you would have for a standard hybrid, and c) you discover the nasty secret of PHEVs, which is that when they're on battery power, they're absolute pigs to drive. Meanwhile, to maintain its' piglike battery-only performance, it still needs to be charged, so you're running into all the (overstated) challenges that BEV owners have, with none of the performance that BEV owners like. To quote King George in "Hamilton": " Awesome. Wow." In the Mazda's case, the PHEV tech was used as a performance enhancer - which worked VERY nicely - but it's the only performance-oriented PHEV out there that doesn't have a Mercedes-level pricetag. So who's the ideal owner here? Far as I can tell, it's someone who doesn't mind doing his 25 mile daily commute in a car that's slow as f*ck, but also wants to take the car on long road trips that would be inconvenient in a BEV. Meanwhile, the MPG Uber Alles buyers are VERY cost conscious - thus the MPG Uber Alles thing - and won't be enthusiastic about spending thousands more to get similar mileage to a standard hybrid. That's why the Volt failed. The tech is great for a narrow slice of buyers, but I think the real star of the PHEV revival show is the same tax credits that many BEVs get.
  • RHD The speed limit was raised from 62.1 MPH to 68.3 MPH. It's a slight difference which will, more than anything, lower the fines for the guy caught going 140 KPH.
  • Msquare The argument for unlimited autobahns has historically been that lane discipline is a life-or-death thing instead of a suggestion. That and marketing cars designed for autobahn speeds gives German automakers an advantage even in places where you can't hope to reach such speeds. Not just because of enforcement, but because of road conditions. An old Honda commercial voiced by Burgess Meredith had an Accord going 110 mph. Burgess said, "At 110 miles per hour, we have found the Accord to be quiet and comfortable. At half that speed, you may find it to be twice as quiet and comfortable." That has sold Mercedes, BMW's and even Volkswagens for decades. The Green Party has been pushing for decades for a 100 km/h blanket limit for environmental reasons, with zero success.
  • Varezhka The upcoming mild-hybrid version (aka 500 Ibrida) can't come soon enough. Since the new 500e is based on the old Alfa Mito and Opel Adam platform (now renamed STLA City) you'd have thought they've developed the gas version together.
Next