The Plan: to drive nine hundred sixty to two miles between 20 am Friday and one hour Sunday morning . The goal for me and my partner Patrick music, familiar to my blog readers of our usual indefensible to try to organize, learn and perform new songs in a two-hour window, to spend Saturday afternoon at Wooten Woods , a "Bass (pronounced" base ") and Nature Camp" sixty miles west of Nashville, TN, jamming with Victor Wooten. The loadout two men two to six feet, five guitars, two basses, a Two-Rock Gain Master 35 amplifier, as well as clothing and accessories. Candidates available for rent: Chrysler 0, VW Passat, Ford Taurus
Well, duh
I would have chosen the Taurus based on the single trunk; even after the restyling 2010 model year, the largest sedan Ford has kept a truly impressive amount of space in the trunk. There are very few cars on the market where you can put in the guitar case as indicated above, and that includes my old Lincoln Town Car. But the Taurus has more to offer a spacious trunk. There are almost six years, I attended the press preview for this car and was impressed by the calm and composed way the Taurus was on the highway. "Ninety-five percent experience Lincoln MKS about sixty percent of the price" was my verdict. Like a car with which serious burns highway mileage in a short time, the Taurus really excels.
The problem should there be one, would be in what is traditionally come to the Taurus during the refresh mid-cycle. In 1986, Taurus has impressed everyone from the buff books to buyers with materials and quality - but in 1992, Ford took an ax to the thing and reduce costs across the dashboard for removal the rear center armrest. The new-for-1996 model was elegant and expensive looking, but Ford coupe features eighteen just months after its introduction. (A mid-1996, Ford introduced the "G Taurus" a bare-bones, cheap palliative for Taurus base prices under nineteen great. I am a Ford dealer at the time and I suggested to customers that the Taurus G was the "choice of discrimination, or discrimination, gangsters.") the 00 Taurus has been an even more blatant approach to poverty-spec to the platform 1996 with drum brakes and interior fabric that would shame a 82 Escort.
was distinct possibility, therefore, that when the teenager business "manager" brought my 2015 Taurus Limited around I find it a happy-shadow herself. The fact that Ford has struggled to maintain sales volume for the model ever since 2011 not reassured me on the subject.
The first impressions were good. The facelift in 2013 was both minor and tasteful. As always the case with Ford cars D-platform, I never really aware of the size of the Taurus until it parked next to something else. It is 202 inches long on a wheelbase of 112 inches and is about 61 inches high against a width of 76 inches; closer to an S-Class with a class E in the overall scheme of things. The strange proportions and elevated seating position are mainly to blame here. It is simply not shaped the same way that most sedans.
By creating this car from the bones of the old Five Hundred, Ford rolled the dice on an avant-garde interior design which has been made even more impressive by the refresh mid-cycle. No fresh cut here; on the contrary, from the center console for window switches mounted on the door feels distinctly premium and a clear cut above what Toyota and Honda have to offer in this price range. The difficulty is that the Taurus is more spacious than the Agreement. Rather, the large center console and dashboard slope combine with the roof down to produce the distinct impression that you, the driver, took to a very long an d narrow cockpit. As an F-104 Starfighter or something. It really feels like you are sitting on top of the Taurus, rather than him, a feeling that is not helped by the relatively low beltline compared to the elevated seats. Very different from everything else in this class; the closest non-CUV analogy that comes to mind is the Rolls-Royce Ghost, which offers a similar ergonomic layout. A minor drawback, shared with the rest of Ford D-platform cars, is the form of Tetris floor. Im sure its very good for safety - these are cars that are remarkably well in crash tests - but it can be annoying because there are very few places to simply rest the foot for long journeys
As Lincolns in recent memory, there is the odd combination of a tactile capacity center console and the pressure control screen MyFordTouch-touch. The Navigator I tested last year were switch snaps in place of the old capacity of platelets so I look for the next Taurus to do the same. Not that there will be be a "next Taurus" in the US, mind you. [Note: We’ve heard that it’s on, then it’s off, then on again. Anyone from the Blue Oval care to chime in? -DK]
The current generation of MyFordTouch is fast, accurate, and far superior to competing systems, in my semi-impartial advice. It certainly manages phone integration better than my 2014 Accord did. The new configurable dashboard is nice but without Apps track you get in the Mustang he feels very castrated and workaday. The Limited stereo-equipment standard is adequate but not sparkling. There is a Sony system optional, but if you want her stellar in t his vehicle, youll need to get the version that tells MKS on the trunk.
The Taurus easily pass the sit-behind-me test. It is more spacious for passengers in the back that people in the front, because the center console does not encroach. It is probably very comfortable for criminals; one in six is ​​a Taurus Police Interceptor sales.
The 3.5L Duratec 288 horsepower is spectacular but effective in this application and changes of the 6-speed automatic-D platform are both quiet and discreet . Select "S" allows limited and delaying transmission control from a rocker switch on the gear lever, but if you need to move forward traffic summoning the kickdown blur satisfactorily landscape . There is a t wo-liter EcoBoost available in society a little more money, but there is a ridiculous choice unless you are obsessed with fuel economy on the highway. Not that you want to buy a Taurus fuel economy, even with the two liters. This car weighs more than two tons and the front surface of an Imperial Star Destroyer. I observed 24.5 MPG average 80 mph running through Kentucky and Tennessee and about 22 driving around town. My manual Accord Coupe did better on both counts, as the Avalon V6.
Although the handling and braking are both perfectly acceptable in the Euro Ford influenced modern fashion, where it really shines is in Taurus long distance driving. I made the trip from Columbus to Nashville two dozen times over the past four years in machines ranging from my Porsche 993 at a Chrysler Town & Country, and Taurus terrain beat for comfort and low tired. It is exceptionally quiet, side winds do not care, and it follows exceptionally well on a road with low quality. It is easily e qual or exceed the mid-luxury Japanese offers in this regard. It is much better than my Accord, including the quality and the amount of noise inside.
The trip from Friday evening to Ohio Tennessee seemed to fly by. The next day, Patrick and I spent seven hours in a variety of jam sessions. Victor took an interest in me and gave me three important pieces of feedback ". Thats a good sing ..."
(Referring to a song in which I both sang and. played guitar)
"do not let your guitar business on the table, it is now people eating their lunch."
"Do you hear how loud your amp is? I should not tell you to turn down, man. Respect other musicians."
He also signed my Fodera YYS, to my immense pleasure. I think were still friends. At one point, he agreed to an octave line Wes Montgomery-style I played. I think this because I had my amp really turned low and he wanted to encourage this behavior. I think Im allowed back, although it because I negotiated th e issue with the wife of Victor Victor and not himself. You must know where your strengths are in this world.
Leaving Wooten Woods at 20 hours Ohio, after a day of playing my heart does not exactly fill me with joy. Yet the Taurus was a worthy companion on the way back. Few cars are less tiring to operate on long journeys. No, its not fast, it is very modern in its packaging, but compared to a car that can earn these accolades (such as, for example, a BMW M4) I would take this Taurus for a long trip in a heartbeat.
Equipping a 2015 limited to the standard of our rental car would cost $ 32,230. For that money you get a set of reasonably complete equipment, including the front seats that are both heated and cooled, but you really want a few options in addition to this: the sunroof and the mirror of self-Sun driver. Another few big gets you control the stereo and Sony laser cruise but at that point you can start thinking about a Lincoln MKS. It is best to kee p the sticker under $ 35k and pull to a flat thirty transaction price. At this price, this is a good car and a good value.
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