The Ford Taurus is a large, quiet sedan that is designed for its role as a family sedan
. The base engine is a 3.5L V6; a 3.5L twin-turbo V6 is the only optional engine. The base 3.5L V6 produces two hundred sixty-three horsepower at six thousand two hundred fifty revolutions per minute, and musters two hundred forty-nine pound feet of torque at four thousand five hundred revolutions per minute.
The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the base engine will deliver eighteen miles per gallon on the city cycle and twenty-seven miles per gallon on the highway cycle. The 3.5L V6 is capable of hitting the quarter mile mark from a standstill in sixteen and three-tenths seconds at a speed of eighty- nine miles per hour; zero to sixty acceleration comes in at seven and nine-tenths seconds. In comparison, the 3.5L V6 twin-turbo is rated at three-hundred sixty-five horsepower and returns seventeen miles per gallon in city driving and twenty-five miles per gallon on the highway. The twin-turbo powerplant is only available on the Taurus SHO model. All wheel drive is also available on the SHO model; all other models drive the engine's power through the front wheels. The Taurus is outfitted with a six speed automatic transmission; this is the only six speed automatic transmission currently available on a vehicle in the Taurus' class. Other standard features found on the Taurus include manual air conditioning, anti-lock brakes, a power driver's seat adjuster, and a standard trip computer. The Taurus received a four star rating by the U.S. Government in rollover crash testing.