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2011 Ford Taurus SHOThe 2011 Ford Taurus SHO is the best car for you if you want a big, fast, tech-rich sedan at an attainable price.he 2011 Ford Taurus SHO isn’t apt to change in any significant way from the 2011 Taurus SHO. The letters stand for Super High Output and identify the high-performance version of Ford’s full-size sedan. Should you wait for the 2011 Ford Taurus SHO or buy the 2011 Ford Taurus SHO? Don’t wait. The 2011 SHO will be one year closer to a Taurus facelift, which could come as early as model-year 2012. Buying a 2011 SHO gives you more time to enjoy this car before it begins to look like yesterday’s news. And it’ll put you in the midst of a buyer’s market that might weaken by the time the 2011s hit showrooms.
The 2011 Ford Taurus SHO presents itself as a quietly competent large sedan while trudging around town, but lay into the throttle and the 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged "EcoBoost" V-6 comes to life, bringing all 365 horsepower to bear. Suddenly, what was a docile sedan has transformed into a beastly sports car. This isn't a rental-fleet Taurus. The Taurus name has a long and somewhat tortured history. The original Taurus sedan was considered ground-breaking at the time, as was its Taurus SHO companion. But the nameplate eventually slid into mediocrity, taking the SHO with it. When Ford resurrected the Taurus name to replace the 500 moniker on its large family sedan, that didn't do the name any favors. However, when news broke that Ford would redesign the Taurus for 2011--and would bring back a SHO version--there was hope once again. The 2011 Ford Taurus SHO differs greatly from the original. The new car is full-sized, not mid-sized, and there is no Yamaha V-6 under the hood. Nor is a manual transmission available. This modern-day sports sedan matches the twin-turbo V-6 to a 6-speed automatic transmission, and power is put to the ground via an all-wheel drive (AWD) system. The price of entry is a lot higher than it used to be, as well. Base price for my tester was $37,170. That base price includes a reverse-sensing system, a sports-suspension, the Sync multimedia system, a dual exhaust, satellite radio, ambient interior lighting, and a tilt/telescope steering wheel, among other features. Options included the Rapid Spec Package, which consists of a power moonroof, heated and cooled front seats, and an uplevel audio system, all for about $2,000. 20-inch wheels added $695 to the tab, and the voice-activated navigation system adds another $1,995. Multi-contoured seats ($595) round out the options list. Add in delivery ($825) and the final total came to $43,280. |
