2010 Ford Taurus (SHO) Pricing Details

Ford has yet to release an official press release with the 2010 Ford Taurus and Taurus SHO pricing details but we’ve done some digging and have found the prices on the SE, SEL, Limited and SHO models.

All 2010 Ford Taurus models are powered by a Duratec 3.5L V6 engine that produces 263-hp with a maximum torque of 249 lb-ft. The base level Taurus SE model will come with a standard 6-speed automatic transmission with prices starting at $25,170 (excluding taxes and registration fees).

The 2010 Ford Taurus SEL and Limited models offer SelectShiftAutomatic with shift control paddles mounted on the steering wheel. Prices for the Taurus SEL and Limited models start at $27,170 and $31,710 respectively. All-wheel-drive is available as an option.

Ford says that the advanced twin-turbo EcoBoost 3.5L V6 will also be available on the Taurus at a later date.

The 2010 Ford Taurus SHO, powered by a 3.5L twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6 making 365-hp and a peak torque of 350 lb-ft, starts at $37,170. The engine is mated to 6-speed 6F55 SelectShift transmission (with paddle-shifters) with a sophisticated all-wheel-drive system.

The Taurus SHO also takes full advantage of a multi-link SR1 rear suspension design which enhances driver control. EPA-estimated fuel-economy comes in at 17/25 mpg (city/highway).

Well, that’s it for the pricing details. You can check out the full list of options after the jump.

+ 2010 Ford Taurus SHO Road Test
+ 2010 Ford Taurus SHO Official Debut
+ 2010 Ford Taurus SHO Preview for Chicago 2009
+ 2009 Detroit Live: 2010 Ford Taurus

2010 Ford Taurus Standard and Optional Features:

Adaptive Cruise Control allows the driver to set the vehiclecruising speed while using radar technology to monitor traffic travelling up to 600 feet ahead, automatically adjusting Taurus speed to help maintain a safe distance between vehicles.

Collision Warning with Brake Support is a new active safety feature, enabled by Adaptive Cruise Control. This system uses a radar sensor to detect moving vehicles ahead and provides a visual “heads-up” warning signal transmitted across the base of the windshield and an audible warning when slower moving traffic is detected ahead. The system also pre-charges the brakes and engages an electronic brake assist to help the driver stop more quickly.

Intelligent Access with Push-Button Start, a new Taurus feature, allows the driver to enter the car and start the engine by simply carrying the fob as they approach and enter the vehicle.

SecuriCodeTM Keyless Entry Keypad enables vehicle access by unlocking the driver’s door using a five-digit code on the new keypad system flush-mounted in the driver’s side B-pillar.

MyKeyTM allows parents or fleet administrators to activate a restricted driving mode. When enabled, MyKey features a Persistent Belt-Minder® with Audio Mute until safety belts are buckled, an earlier low-fuel warning, and consistently engaged AdvanceTrac® stability control, Blind Spot monitoring, Cross Traffic Alert and Forward Collision Warning. Additional programmability includes restrictions on audio volume, limiting top speed to 80 mph and speed chime warnings at 45, 55, or 65mph.

Auto High Beams/Rain-Sensing Wipers harness sensor technologies to switch headlights to high intensity when no other vehicles are detected, in a range of up to 500 feet for taillight detection, and up to 2,000 feet for oncoming headlight detection. Rain-sensing wipers use an advanced optical sensor to detect the intensity of rain and/or snowfall to adjust wiper speed.

Easy Fuel® Capless Fuel Filler System is an industry-exclusive feature that self-seals without a traditional fuel cap.

Blind Spot Information System (BLIS®) consists of two multiple beam radar modules, one each per rear quarter panel. When an approaching vehicle enters the defined blind spot zone, an indicator alert provides warning to the driver in the corresponding side view mirror.

Cross Traffic Alert uses the existing BLIS radar modules to sense oncoming traffic when slowly backing out of a parking spot. This industry-exclusive system functions only while the vehicle is in reverse and warns when cross-traffic appears within three car widths.

Ford SYNC® is the fully integrated, in-vehicle voice-activated communications and entertainment system, with 911 AssistTM, Vehicle Health Report and GPS-based features including business search and call completion. SYNC connects to MP3 players, iPods, memory sticks and PDAs. SYNC’s 911 Assist will place a call to a local emergency operator in the event of an air bag deployment incident. The latest version of SYNC adds Traffic, Directions and Information, providing turn-by-turn route guidance, and the ability to access content by personalized favorites such as region, subject matter or sports team.

Voice-Activated Navigation System with SIRIUS® Travel LinkTM uses an 8-inch screen to present a birds-eye-view map with 3D landmarks. The system responds to voice commands for destination programming and route selection. In addition, it provides enhanced route guidance features such as street name announcements and detailed freeway exit, turn and ramp position lane guidance. The screen can be personalized with up to 32 pictures, sized up to 1.5 MB each. The system also incorporates the SIRIUS Travel Link, offering availability of current weather and ski conditions, a five-day forecast, local fuel pricing by cost per gallon and brand, sports scores and movie listings.

Sony® Audio components deliver sound from a variety of sources, with an AM-FM tuner, SIRIUS Satellite radio, CD, DVD audio and an integrated 10 GB hard drive for storage of up to 2,400 songs. This package also includes an available 12-speaker premium audio system.

Multi-Contour Seats with Active MotionTM are available - on an industry-exclusive basis - for driver and passenger, integrating a six-way lumbar support and subtle rolling pattern massage. The bottom cushion features Active Motion technology, providing minute but continuous movement, stirring a change of muscular activation helping a driver avoid back pain.

Side Protection And Cabin Enhancement (SPACE®) Architecture is comprised of a hydroformed cross-car beam embedded in the floor between the door frames, providing additional strength in the side of the vehicle. In the event of a side impact, the beam helps pert crash forces away from the occupants. A strong roof cross member and side impact door beams work with the floor-mounted tube to further improve side impact protection.

Personal Safety SystemTM is designed to reduce the risk of injury to the driver and front seat passenger in the event of a moderate to severe frontal collision. Sensors note right front occupant weight, safety belt usage, outboard seat belt tension and seating position to optimize air bag deployment force for occupant safety.

AdvanceTrac® electronic stability control predicts the vehicle’s intended path, using sensors to detect and measure oversteer and yaw, while continuously monitoring vehicle speed, throttle position and steering wheel angle. When the system senses a loss of wheel traction, engine torque is reduced and braking is applied in conjunction with the standard Anti-lock Braking (ABS) system. The system also incorporates traction control to aid drivers when operating the vehicle on loose or slippery surfaces.

SOS Post-Crash Alert SystemTM is an integrated technology that automatically unlocks the doors and activates the emergency flashers in the event of an air bag deployment.

Gallery: 2010 Ford Taurus SHO

2010 Ford Taurus SHO Road Test

The Ford Taurus SHO returns with an impressive twin-turbo 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engine, faithfully following the same formula for a sleeper performance sedan that gave the original SHO its cult status.

The 1990 Ford Taurus SHO was never really in Ford's plan. Instead, Ford had things lined up for a two-seat sports car, but the project died and the company found itself with a bunch of snarling Yamaha V6 engines on its hands.

Unable to send them back, Ford did what any hot-rodder with a pulse would do. It wedged the V6 into its mainstream four-door sedan, tweaked the suspension and beefed up the tires, and thereby created a factory-built sleeper, a high-performance car in civilian clothes.

Of course it worked. Sales of the 1990 Taurus SHO were surprisingly strong and the SHO variant earned a regular place in the Taurus lineup.

But an undercurrent of hot-rod cool is an essential part of the sleeper formula, and Ford broke the spell when the third-generation 1996 Taurus came out looking like a Dr. Seuss contraption from Whoville. Annual SHO sales slumped to 3,000 units by the time it all ended in 1999.

It's Ba-ack
But now there's a new 2010 Ford Taurus, with fresh sheet metal and a new interior designed to resuscitate the cool factor. And this time the 2010 Ford Taurus SHO has been part of the Taurus recovery plan from Day One.

SHO stands for super high output, of course, and the debate over whether it's cooler to pronounce it "S-H-O" or "show" will no doubt begin anew. Either way, the standard-issue, 263-horsepower 3.5-liter Duratec V6 found in the regular 2010 Taurus doesn't have sufficient sauce for such a car.

Enter the first production application of Ford's EcoBoost V6 engine. "EcoBoost" is Ford-speak for the use of smaller turbocharged engines instead of thirstier, normally aspirated ones of a larger displacement; a turbo-4 in place of a V6 or, in the case of the Taurus SHO, a twin-turbo, direct-injection V6 in place of a V8.

It's by no means a new idea, as one staffer we know well purchased a Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe with a turbocharged 2.3-liter inline-4 back in 1983.

New and Vastly Improved
But this time around the concept benefits greatly from two decades of engine control advancement and turbocharger development.

Each bank of the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 gets its own Honeywell GT15 water-cooled turbocharger and electronically controlled wastegate. They're set to pressurize the intake charge up to 12 psi above atmospheric before handing it off to an air-to-air intercooler for additional densification. Meanwhile, a direct fuel-injection system squirts a fine mist of unleaded into the combustion chambers at the most opportune moment, further cooling the intake charge and allowing a healthy 10:1 compression ratio.

The result is 365 hp — just over 104 hp per liter — on 93 octane. Ford claims the system isn't running on the ragged edge, so even those of us in deprived 91-octane states should hit this number. The EcoBoost mill will run on 87 octane regular, too, but the output will fall off a bit.

You could argue that the EcoBoost V6's torque curve is an even bigger deal, as the peak of 350 pound-feet arrives way down at 1,500 revs and holds steady all the way up to 5,250 rpm. Turbo lag? What lag?

Lest we forget the "Eco" side of the balance sheet, we should point out that the new engine is claimed to use fuel at 17 mpg city and 25 mpg highway — the same mpg rating as a standard AWD Taurus with the 3.5-liter Duratec that makes 102 fewer horses.

Power to the Pavement
No previous SHO could have put this much power and torque to the ground without wrenching the steering wheel out of the driver's hands. (In fact, the previous iterations of the SHO accomplished this feat with more than 100 horsepower less.)

But here the 2010 Ford Taurus SHO gains an advantage from the dowdy Ford Five Hundred on which its chassis is based, and that's because the new SHO has all-wheel drive. The Haldex system is nominally set to a torque split of 55 percent front/45 percent rear, but it can shift 100 percent to the front or rear wheels as necessary.

It also has a new six-speed "select-shift" 6F55 automatic transmission with shift paddles on the steering wheel. The standard SHO final-drive ratio is 2.77:1, but a shorter 3.16:1 gear is available with the optional SHO Performance package.

Our first taste comes in the rain on narrow, wet roads, but this only serves to highlight how well it all works. Acceleration is impressive, whether launching from a standstill or booting the throttle out of slippery corners. The SHO simply hooks up and goes, pressing our backsides deeper into the seatbacks than any previous SHO could.

Another IL staffer has driven the EcoBoost V6 in a Lincoln MKS on a drag strip, and the combination produced a quarter-mile run of 14.1 seconds at 103 mph. This makes us believe the SHO might be good for high 13s and a 0-60-mph run in the range of 5.5 seconds. Time will tell, of course, but the SHO might prove quicker than a BMW 535i xDrive, another all-wheel-drive machine with a twin-turbo, six-cylinder engine.

Bigger and Heavier
At the same time, the sheer size and weight of the 2010 Ford Taurus SHO flies in the face of the "Eco" part of this car's equation. At 202.9 inches long and 76.2 inches wide, the 2010 SHO is a true full-size sedan wearing size 14 double-wide shoes. It also weighs 4,368 pounds, between 100 and 400 pounds more than its AWD competition.

We were plagued by wet weather during our drive, making it difficult to judge the SHO's limits. It seems to follow commands obediently and remains bang-on the desired line. There's a hint of understeer and we get an occasional sense of the SHO's substantial mass, but the picture gains no further clarity from the electric power steering (EPS), an SHO exclusive. The EPS generates an appropriate level of steering effort in corners, but the buildup feels somewhat artificial.

Nevertheless, the body doesn't roll very much and cornering stays pleasingly flat thanks to springs that are 15 percent firmer, new damper tuning and a front antiroll bar that's 1mm thicker, but none of this makes rough roads tiresome, even though our test car wears the optional 245/45R20 summer tires instead of the standard 19-inch all-season rubber.

A SHO with the Performance package was unavailable, but its even firmer rear springs, even firmer dampers and larger rear antiroll bar should make the rear end more cooperative when you toss this car into a corner.

Every 2010 Taurus gets upgraded brakes, with larger front rotors, complemented by bigger calipers and a more powerful master cylinder. Measurements of the SHO's stopping distance will have to wait until we get a test car, but the pedal feels firm and sure in hard stops, while the enhanced antidive front suspension geometry keeps the SHO's nose from sniffing the pavement.

+ 2010 Ford Taurus SHO Official Debut
+ 2010 Ford Taurus SHO Preview for Chicago 2009
+ 2009 Detroit Live: 2010 Ford Taurus
+ 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid Road Test
+ 2010 Chevrolet Equinox Crossover Road Test

Equipment to Match
The 2010 Ford Taurus has an extensive list of available goodies, and the SHO's standard equipment list includes everything found on the top-level Taurus Limited, plus more. You'll find Sync, 10-way-adjustable leather seats with suede inserts, dual-zone automatic climate control, HID headlamps, dual exhaust, push-button start and more. It takes $37,995 to get in the door.

Of course you can get a navigation system for $1,995, and a moonroof, Sony surround-sound stereo upgrade and heated and cooled front seats are packaged for $2,000. Plunk down $1,700 more to get rain-sensing wipers, auto high-beams, a back-up camera, a power sunshade and a radar-based blind-spot monitoring system. Adaptive cruise control and massaging seats are also available.

The SHO Performance package arrives later in the year, but the price is tentatively set at $995. For that you get the aforementioned rear suspension tweaks, shorter 3.16 final-drive ratio and the 20-inch tires, plus tighter EPS tuning, aggressive front brake pads and a full-defeat mode for the standard stability control system. The 20-inch tires are available without the rest of it for $695.

What It All Means
Like the 2010 Ford Taurus itself, the Taurus SHO has grown into a larger, more substantial car with an options list that would flatter any German executive sedan. The EcoBoost twin-turbo V6 engine seems to be the real deal, too, both in terms of horsepower, drivability and thriftiness.

But there's no denying that the 2010 Ford Taurus is large and hefty at precisely the wrong moment. Whether that holds it back or not is a determination that'll have to wait until we test one on home soil in typical conditions.

Still, what we've seen so far makes us certain that the 2010 Ford Taurus SHO is by far the best SHO to date, and it seems to be yet another sign that Ford has its act together.

And that's no happy accident. Let's hope the current economic reality gives the 2010 Ford Taurus SHO the boost it needs.
Gallery: 2010 Ford Taurus SHO