Technical characteristics of the car Ford Taurus I-VI generations

         


This Ford car was introduced in 1985 and has been produced in the USA since 1986 years to the present. A total of six generations were released. Taurus is one of the oldest models in the Ford line. This model was also produced under the Mercury Sable and Ford Taurus SHO (a more powerful version of the car).

The Taurus has had a profound impact on the American automobile industry and the Ford Motor Company throughout its history. This includes new technologies, design solutions, and other innovations. In total, more than 7 million units have been produced since 1986, making it the 5th best-selling Ford vehicle in the United States.

In the early 2000s, Taurus was strongly pushed out of the market by Japanese cars, and in 2007 they decided to close production and switch resources to other sedan models - Ford Five Hundred and Fusion. However, in 2010 they decided to revive the Taurus name, and in 2013 they did a restyling of the latest generation. Today, the closest competitors of the car are BMW 5 series, Honda Crosstour, Kia Optima, Infiniti M, Nissan Teana, Mazda 6, Opel Insignia, Peugeot 508, Skoda Superb, Suzuki Kizashi, Subaru Legacy, Toyota Camry and Volkswagen Passat.

First generation


Ford Taurus I Sedan. Front view 
Ford Taurus I Sedan. Front view
The Ford Taurus was introduced in 1985 as a model 1986 years and was produced until 1991 years, gradually replacing the mid-size Ford LTD. It was the company's second front-wheel drive car. The rounded shape made this car more economical, which also contributed to the success of this model. Chrysler and General Motors soon began producing cars with similar shapes, wanting to cash in on the success of the Taurus.

The first generation was produced with two engines - V6 (3000 cm³ or 3800 cm³) or inline four (2500 cm³), as well as with both a manual 5-speed and an automatic 4-speed gearbox. The body in two versions - a 4-door sedan or a 5-door station wagon.

Ford Taurus I Wagon. Front view 
Ford Taurus I Wagon. Front view
The Taurus developers made a breakthrough not only in design, but also in the interior of the car. Many ideas that first appeared in those years are still relevant and used. A very comfortable interior, an informative dashboard, and many adjustments allowed you to customize the car for yourself in order to focus as much as possible on the road. For the first time, a very rich variety of equipment and options was offered.

In 1986, about 200 thousand cars were sold, by 1989 sales had exceeded the million mark, and in total the first generation was sold in more than 2 million copies. In general, the car was well received by both Ford fans and critics.

Second generation


Ford Taurus II Sedan. Front view 
Ford Taurus II Sedan. Front view
The second generation of the car left behind the manual gearbox and the four-cylinder in-line engine. Only the automatic gearbox and the V6 petrol engine remained. The design was also updated. All body elements were redesigned, except for the doors. But overall, the car remained similar to the previous generation.

Ford Taurus II Wagon. Front view 
Ford Taurus II Wagon. Front view
The interior has been significantly redesigned. A new, more convenient dashboard has appeared, the main controls of the car have been placed to the left of the driver. The radio control buttons have been placed on the right, so that you can control without taking your eyes off the road. The dashboard has also been redesigned to accommodate the front passenger airbag. Taurus is the first car of its kind, which comes with dual airbags as standard.

During the production of the second generation, 1992 to 1995 around 1.4 million copies were sold that year.

Third generation


Ford Taurus III Sedan. Front view 
Ford Taurus III Sedan. Front view
The third generation of Taurus was produced from 1996 to 1999 years. It was a complete redesign of the car. The shape of the car was based on an oval, possibly inspired by the Ford logo. The car was aimed at wealthier buyers. The exterior began to contain more upscale touches, such as chrome wheels, chrome dual exhaust pipes, and a stylized badge with the word "Taurus" instead of the usual letters in previous generations.

The interior was also heavily modified to be even more comfortable. The dashboard was slightly wrapped around the driver, all the main controls were placed for easier access and were made so that they could be recognized by touch. Climate control and radio were combined into a common control panel, installed in the center of the dashboard. Another new feature was the center console between the two rear seats.

Ford Taurus III Wagon. Front view 
Ford Taurus III Wagon. Front view
The Taurus body types remained the same as before. The engines remained only 3-liter petrol V6 (Vulcan V6 and Duratec 30), automatic 4-speed gearboxes.

Despite all the efforts of Ford, this model was unable to repeat the success of previous generations. The oval body design was not to everyone's taste. In 1997, Taurus lost its bestseller status in the United States, and the palm of primacy was intercepted by Camry toyota company.

Fourth generation


Ford Taurus IV Sedan. Front view 
Ford Taurus IV Sedan. Front view
The fourth generation was produced from 2000 to 2007 year. Many elements of the "oval" design were replaced with rectangular ones, popular in the second generation. Ford also took the path of reducing the cost of the car for greater competitiveness. So they replaced the rear brakes with drum brakes, removed the dual exhaust system, and cut many small features. Taurus received a more conservative appearance, more similar to the first two generations in the hope of increasing the attractiveness of the car.

The interior was also redesigned to take into account the successes of the first generations, although many features from the third generation were carried over. The instrument panel was again straight, instead of curved, the concept of a common control panel for the climate and radio was carried over, but the design became "square" and was again placed in the center, instead of slightly turning towards the driver. The center console between the rear seats remained, but was also redesigned.

Ford Taurus IV Wagon. Front view 
Ford Taurus IV Wagon. Front view
The body shape, engine and gearbox remained unchanged from the previous generation.

Despite all measures, Taurus sales were falling, as they could not withstand competition from Japanese sedans. Ford decided to stop producing these cars. The last sedan rolled off the assembly line on June 25, 2004, and the station wagon on December 8, 2004. Retail sales stopped in 2006.

Fifth generation


Ford Taurus V Sedan. Front view 
Ford Taurus V Sedan. Front view
This generation was completely new after production ceased. The new Taurus is based on the Ford Five Hundred, which was significantly redesigned for 2008 model year. Ford decided to assign the Taurus name to this model, as it has a long and successful history and popularity among buyers. More than 500 changes were made to the Five Hundred model, including a new appearance, and also received a new Duratec 35 V6 3500 cm³ engine with a power of 263 hp, a new Aisin AW automatic transmission.

Sixth generation


Ford Taurus VI 2010 of the year 
Ford Taurus VI 2010 of the year
Produced with 2010 years to the present. It was first seen in 2009 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The Taurus performed well in test drives and the press was pleased with the new features of the car. Some of them are all-wheel drive, cross-traffic alert, collision warning, blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, push-button start, heated front and rear seats, and others.

Ford Taurus VI. Restyling 2013 of the year 
Ford Taurus VI. Restyling 2013 of the year
The design was also liked by many, but the Taurus is criticized for the lack of interior space and reduced visibility despite its full external dimensions, compared to its closest competitor - Honda Accord.

IN 2013 the sixth generation of Taurus was updated in 2015. Cosmetic changes to the exterior, new engines, and new technologies are evident. The most noticeable exterior changes are the new front end with sharp angles and restyled headlights. The rear end has not changed much, and the interior has been left as it was.


Seventh generation


Форд Таурус VII. Front view 
Форд Таурус VII. Front view
In April 2015, the seventh generation Taurus was presented at the Shanghai Auto Show. This car is produced and sold only in China by Changan Ford, since Ford will only produce SUVs for the United States. This full-size sedan is based on the Ford CD4.3 platform, which is also used for the Lincoln Continental limousines. The length of the Ford Taurus VII body is 4996 mm, width 1878 mm, height 1503 mm, wheelbase 2949 mm and curb weight of 1707-1875 kg.

Форд Таурус VII. Back view 
Форд Таурус VII. Back view
The car was equipped only with petrol engines of the following characteristics: four-cylinder with a volume of 1.5 liters (1499 cm³, 181 hp) and 2.0 liters (1999 cm³, 245 hp), as well as a six-cylinder V-shaped volume of 2.7 liters (2694 cm³, 329 hp). The gearbox is only automatic six- or eight-speed.

A two-liter engine and an eight-speed automatic transmission appeared in 2019 after the release of the model's restyling.







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