SHO Me: Ford Taurus SHO @ 2009 CAS

Description

MORE CHICAGO AUTO SHOW @ INSIDELINE.COM: www.edmunds.com It's been 20 years since the first Taurus SHO won over enthusiasts starved for an American performance sedan. With a sassy-looking new Taurus launching for 2010, Ford thought it was time to revisit one of the bright spots in its recent sedan history and relaunch the high-performance version of the big four-door. The good news: This new version does not have a dinner platter affixed to its trunk lid like the catfish-shape '96 SHO did. The bad news: Well, there's no manual transmission option as there was for the first two generations of the SHO. But in place of the four-speed automatic that soiled the third-generation SHO, the 2010 model uses a sophisticated six-speed automatic, which can be shifted manually via steering column-mounted paddles and will even give a little goose to the throttle on downshifts. This tranny is bolted to — wait for it — a twin-turbo, direct-injection 3.5-liter V6 that makes 365 horsepower at 5500 rpm and 350 pound-feet of torque at 3500 rpm. The engine wears Ford's EcoBoost badge and is a slightly juiced version of the engine that will be available in the Lincoln MKS and MKT this year. Not coincidentally, one platform underpins all three vehicles (as well as the Ford Flex). For the first time in the SHO's history, the 2010 model will come standard with all-wheel drive, the same Haldex system that will be optional on the standard Taurus. Ford expects this setup to deliver 25 mpg on the <b>...</b>

Keywords

2010, Ford, Taurus, SHO, 2009, CAS, Chicago, Auto, Show, motor, car, Edmunds, Inside, Line, performance, SVT

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