First Drive: 2010 Ford Taurus SHO

The return of the high-powered daily driver on par with the V8 offerings of upscale competitors at a fraction of the price. Quite possibly the “sleeper of the year”.

After driving a 2010 Taurus Limited the prior day, Ford set us out to drive in the twisty roads of northeast North Carolina. Switchbacks, steep inclines, and awe-inspiring views in the SHO. These are not a set of roads you want to send a group of journalists out on unless you are completely sure your car will stack up.

And the SHO does. All of our complaints from the previous day’s drive (slow steering, okayish acceleration) became a distant memory. As we bustled up and through the mountains it was almost too easy to forget we were behind the wheel of a four-door full-size sedan. The EcoBoost V6 is strangely un-turbo like. Only once did we catch the faintest whiff of wastegate noise. Low-end torque is so abundant, turbo-lag is a complete non-issue.

With all the standard features of the Taurus Limited and a blatant heap of power- we were coddled in comfort at the same time we carved up with glee some of the tightest roads we’ve driven on. It’s the same experience you would have only expected out of a BMW or Audi- except your driving a Ford… and a Taurus to boot. Suddenly everything we knew about what this segment should be turned fuzzy.

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