The Ford Taurus is due for a redesign for the 2016 model year, but before displaying Americans their new version of the one-time bestseller, Ford unveiled the Chinese-market Taurus at the Shanghai auto show.
In every of its prior redesigns, the Taurus debuted a radically various styling path but that’s not the case right here. This 2016 Taurus is an evolution of the existing auto, with a bit of Ford Fusion thrown in. Importantly for the Chinese marketplace, the wheelbase has been stretched by some 4 inches, opening up rear-seat room. (Today’s Taurus has been criticized for providing rear-seat accommodations that are no far better than the mid-size Fusion.) For China, the new Taurus gives energy-reclining rear seats with obtainable power lumbar and massage, and the fold-down center armrest features controls for the HVAC, seats, and audio program.
The automobile is powered by Ford’s 2.7-liter EcoBoost V-6, an engine we know from its application in the F-150 pickup, where it makes 325 horsepower and 375 lb-ft. That engine would be a likely candidate to replace today’s naturally aspirated, 288-hp, 3.5-liter V-6 in the Taurus. The 240-hp, 2.-liter EcoBoost 4 is likely to continue, but we’ve found that engine to be overburdened by the car’s mass.
This is the first Taurus to be sold in China, and Ford describes it as “designed particularly to meet the requirements of the Chinese market place,” so we don’t know how well it predicts the U.S. version. But a roomier cabin and the adoption of the 2.7-liter turbo V-6 would be welcome changes for our industry as nicely.
New Taurus for Us? Nope, It is for China
