Ford Taurus delivers full-size appeal

Maybe ?Pleener? was right after all.

Elliott Pleener was a buddy I hung with nearly every day in college but haven?t seen since shortly after the dean?s signature dried on my diploma.

He was an unremarkable guy, except for the 1967 Ford Galaxie 500 that he drove. Pleener?s Galaxie was several years old and had been built just as Americans began to embrace smaller, sportier cars. It was one of the last examples of our love affair with full-size ? the bigger the better ? sedans, and stood out like a brontosaurus in the school?s student parking lot.

I drove a tiny Triumph TR4a roadster throughout college, and most of my friends drove something similarly small. Pleener?s Galaxie was nearly 5 feet ? almost 37 percent ? longer than my Triumph.

He was constantly teased, tormented and mocked for driving a dinosaur. We asked if he had to turn off the car?s engine when he refueled so the gas pump could keep up.

We suggested he should ditch his spare tire and just carry a friend?s aptly named MG Midget in the Galaxie?s trunk.

And we wondered if he had to hire a tugboat captain whenever he parked.

Pleener shrugged it all off. He raved about his car?s comfort, roominess and convenience.

I thought about that recently as I was testing the contemporary incarnation of the Galaxie 500, a 2013 Ford Taurus SEL.

Stretching nearly 203 inches from tip to tail, the current Taurus is nearly a foot shorter than Pleener?s 213-inch Galaxie but is nevertheless the largest car Ford currently makes. It?s longer than every crossover Ford sells, including the stretched out Flex, and only a few inches shorter than the huge, truck-based Expedition.

In other words, it?s a full-size domestic sedan, just like earlier generations of Americans ? and Pleener ? used to love.

Drive one for a week and you?ll understand why that love affair existed.

The Taurus is roomy, comfortable and accommodating. Three adults can actually spend an hour or more in its cabin without getting claustrophobic or applying for a marriage license. They can easily get into the Taurus without first taking yoga lessons and exit after a long trip without immediately seeking out a hot tub or a tube of Bengay.

The Taurus? cabin is quiet, too. Facing serious competition from redesigned sedans such the Chrysler 300, Hyundai Azera and Toyota Avalon, Ford wisely worked on reducing road, wind and mechanical noise inside the 2013 Taurus? cabin. It now ranks among the quietest mainstream sedans available.

Sharp looks inside out

To these eyes, it?s also one of the best looking. The Taurus? mid-generation refresh includes a redesigned interior with higher quality materials and, on the outside, new front-end styling, new taillights and a redesigned trunk lid.

Underneath that lid is the kind of cargo space that used to endear full-size sedans to millions of buyers. Although not quite as cavernous as the 1967 Galaxie?s, the 2013 Taurus trunk looks like Texas compared to its competitors. Over 33 percent roomier than the Toyota Avalon?s and 25 percent larger than the Chrysler 300?s, smart mobsters will choose the Taurus? trunk for transporting bodies.

It will make a decent getaway car, too, thanks to handling and fuel economy that would embarrass the full-size behemoths of the 1950s, ?60s and early ?70s. The all-wheel drive Taurus SEL I tested is not a sport-touring sedan (buyers seeking one should check out the SHO model), but it handles significantly better than my old Triumph.

The Taurus SEL?s suspension is tuned more for comfort than carving curves, but it delivers a calm, composed ride that prevents the big sedan from ever feeling cumbersome. Tweaked steering and braking systems deliver better road feel and control than last year?s model.

Given the Taurus? size and full-time AWD, I was impressed with its fuel economy. The big Ford averaged nearly 22 mpg over seven days and squeezed a few additional miles from each gallon during a long highway trip.

An optional ($995) 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder EcoBoost engine delivers comparable power and even better fuel economy. But it isn?t offered on AWD Tauruses.

Maybe full-size cars would have remained popular had AWD been available on them years ago. At the very least, it would have given Pleener more justification for his taste in transportation.

***

NUTS AND BOLTS

What is it? 2013 Ford Taurus SEL AWD

What's it cost? Taurus is available in SE, SEL, Limited and sporty SHO versions with starting prices ranging from $26,600 to $39,200. SEL AWD test car's MSRP climbed from $30,650 to $35,240 with options and delivery fees.

What I liked best: If big American cars were always this good they wouldn't be nearly extinct.

What I liked least: It suggests Pleener may have been right all along.

Who's it for? Anyone who remembers the best qualities of large American sedans.??

Important numbers: 3.5-liter, 24-valve V-6 produces 288 hp, 254 lbs-ft of torque. 6-speed automatic. 112.0-inch wheelbase. 4,196-lb. curb weight. 18 city/26 highway mpg (EPA). 20.1 cu.ft. trunk. 0-60 in 7.0 seconds (stopwatch).

Source: http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/breaking-news/index.ssf/2012/11/ford_taurus_delivers_full-size.html

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