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" On Sale Date: Spring 2012 Price: $27,395\u2013$39,200 (including destination) Competitors: Chevrolet Malibu, Chrysler 300C, Toyota Avalon  Powertrains: 3.5-liter V-6, 288 hp, 254 lb-ft; 2.0-liter turbocharged I-4, 240 hp, 270 lb-ft; 3.5-liter turbocharged V-6, 365 hp, 350 lb-ft EPA Fuel Economy (city/highway): 19/29 mpg (3.5-liter V-6); estimated 31 mpg highway (2.0-liter turbo I-4); 17/25 mpg (3.5-liter turbo V-6) What&amp;#039;s New: Ford&amp;#039;s aggressive product development has been keeping its lineup fresh, and the 2012 Taurus is no exception. Although its changes are incremental, these tweaks are crucial to keeping the full-size sedan relevant in a market that&amp;#039;s more obsessed than ever with thriftier fuel economy and downsized footprints. The most notable change is the addition of a new $995 EcoBoost engine option in the form of a turbocharged, direct-injected 2.0-liter 4-cylinder that produces 240 hp and 270 lb-ft of torque. That&amp;#039;s fewer horsepower but more torque than the normally aspirated V-6. Although city fuel economy numbers haven&amp;#039;t been released, the EcoBoost mill breaks the 31-mpg barrier on the highway, which is impressive for a two-ton land yacht.  The 2012 Taurus also gets torque vectoring, which helps it accelerate through corners by braking the inside wheel, and curve control, which uses yaw and steering angle sensors to detect when you come into a turn too &amp;quot;hot.&amp;quot; If you do, the curve control actively brakes individual wheels to scrub off speed, correcting the car&amp;#039;s direction and getting you back on track. Among the Taurus&amp;#039;s performance tweaks is a bigger master cylinder for better brake feel, larger rotors on the top-dog SHO model, and an electric power steering setup with a quicker ratio and rigid mounting for enhanced responsiveness.  Tech Tidbit: The battle to eke out more mpg has yielded plenty of inventive measures by automotive engineers, and the Taurus benefits from that obsession with new active grille shutters. The idea is simple: Movable flaps behind the front grille modulate airflow so that air enters the engine bay when it&amp;#039;s needed most, but can be diverted at will to give the Ford a slippier profile. Driving Character: Facing snowy roads and soupy skies the high-performance SHO variant was the least logical choice in the lineup for our test drive. But there we were, key fob in hand, ready to try our luck with the most powerful sedan in the Ford lineup. The SHO proved to be more competent than expected under these inclement conditions, thanks to its all-wheel-drive system, progressive power delivery, and stability systems. There&amp;#039;s plenty of torque at low rpm, and the 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine never feels taxed under heavy throttle or, even better, when the paddle shifters are tapped, which triggers the six-speed gearbox to drop a cog or two with rev-matched smoothness. Thanks to Ford&amp;#039;s dynamic improvements, this 4343-pound four-door drives like something more than a family sedan. The electric steering system offers enough feedback to encourage enthusiastic driving, and the brakes now have larger master cylinders and larger rotors for more feel and better heat dissipation. While the EcoBoost powerplant&amp;#039;s 350 lb-ft of torque won&amp;#039;t exactly leave you breathless from seat-squishing g-forces, the SHO nonetheless offers brisk, civilized transport in a sharply styled package. Given the sub-$40,000 starting price, we&amp;#039;d say that&amp;#039;s a good deal. But considering that the new 2.0-liter EcoBoost option offers solid performance for thousands less, we say the smart money is on the turbocharged, direct-injected underdog. Favorite Detail: Ford still knows how to build big, comfortable sedans. Even the most performance-oriented version of the new Taurus has a smooth, compliant ride, making it a top choice for road trippers.  Driver&amp;#039;s Grievance: What ever happened to the good old-fashioned tachometer? Ford replaces the analog dial with a multifunction LCD screen that offers a small, animated simulation of a tach. Its laggy response time and pixilated rendering don&amp;#039;t do it any favors. Bottom Line: The new Taurus reflects Ford&amp;#039;s attention to detail, and the new EcoBoost offering surpasses the magical 30 mpg highway figure. These two big developments make the otherwise milquetoast sedan more desirable, but do they elevate the Taurus above the 300C/Avalon/Malibu fray, to the point where it could compete with pricier European offerings from Audi and BMW?  Almost. Although Ford says shoppers most frequently compare the top-line SHO to BMW&amp;#039;s 5-series, the Taurus still lags in a few key areas, including the less-than-premium look and feel of certain interior details. Nonetheless, the refreshed Ford Taurus proves that big American cars can still make a case for themselves, even in a world where gas costs $5 a gallon. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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