Most of my test vehicles come directly from the manufacturers, but for a change of pace I decided to test drive the 2002 Ford Taurus at the dealership.  Posing as an average customer, I spent an hour listening to the sales spiel and wheeling Ford’s bread-and-butter sedan around town, and came to the following conclusion:  the Taurus is a decent car and a good value, so long as you’re willing to suffer through the sales process to get one.

Don’t worry, it wasn’t your local dealer.  And if your Ford salesperson is as pushy and uneducated about the product as mine was, just keep your eyes on the prize.  The Taurus has been perennial member of the best-seller list for almost a decade.  The curent version received a design freshening in 2000 which sharpened some of its softer edges.

While the salesperson rambled on with tasteless jokes about women drivers and confessed that he knew next to nothing about the Taurus’ option packages or its competitors, I looked the car over and tried to tune him out.  The Taurus’ bodyshell dates to 1996.  The once-controversial, ovoid design has been “mainstreamed” somewhat over the years, with the round back window being squared off, and the taillights given a more trapezoidal treatment.  The front end has received a mild freshening, and a more angular look that gives the Taurus more of a family resemblance to the smaller Focus.  The long look and pulled-back headlamps must be a good look for a family car; the 2002 Toyota Camry’s design bears more than a passing resemblance to that of Ford’s mainstay.  The Taurus seems like a more physically substantial car than an Accord or Camry, however, thanks to sculpted bodysides which result in a “high-shouldered” look.  Five- or seven-spoke alloy wheels are available, and all of the Taurus’ wheel options look good.

That feel is carried into the interior, as the door closes with the solid ‘chunk’ of a nice, heavy American car.  The materials leave a bit to be desired; many of the plastic interior parts seem low-budget.  On the other hand, the Taurus also feels like a car that will stand up to the ravages of toddlers, pets, and whatever else might have to go inside.  The seats are comfortable enough for long trips, and folding rear seats are a trunk-expanding option.  My salesman at the dealer was happy to point out the cruise control and optional heated outside mirrors, but failed to know or remember to show me the unique, optional flip-fold front seat which allows for a third passenger or a console up front.  He also wasn’t sure about the availability of side airbags (they’re optional) or a CD changer (it’s a six-disc, in-dash unit, and it’s also optional).  He did know that the Taurus is newly available with adjustable gas and brake pedals, but it took him a while to find the switch, which is buried just out of sight of the driver.

Under the hood, Taurii can be had with a choice of 3.0 liter V6 engines, a reliable overhead-valve (OHV) motor whose origins date back to the Eighties, and the high-tech 24-valve “Duratec.”  We drove the base OHV motor, and have this recommendation:  Get the much smoother, 200 horsepower Duratec.  The OHV V6 is just a bit underpowered in this 3,336-lb car.  It sounds old and labored under acceleration, and freeway on-ramps were a bit of a struggle.  Even the salesman thought so, and tried to steer me into the “peppier 24-valve model.  This car lacks get up and go, because it’s only a 16-valve,” he pointed out.  It took several minutes of arguing with him before I could explain to him that the OHV engine couldn’t possibly be a 16-valve motor, since it had six cylinders (automobile engines generally have two or four valves per cylinder).

Eventually, some crafty demonstrations with a calculator convinced him he was wrong.  I didn’t even try to ask the salesman about the car’s underpinnings, although he was happy to show me the tops of the MacPherson struts under hood.  Luckily, I already knew that the Taurus features fully independent struts up front and a “Quadralink” independent rear.  On the road, it feels a bit more ponderous than the light-footed Accord, but it’s less harsh than the Chevy Malibu, its main domestic competitor.  On the freeway, it feels solid and comfortable, just like a family car should.  The Taurus doesn’t like to be pushed hard through the corners, and understeers noisily to make this fact known.  Anti-lock brakes are optional on low-line models and standard on wagons and high-line cars.

My salesman read the window sticker to me, but admitted he didn’t know much about the Taurus line.  It wasn’t a confidence-boosting experience, to say the least.  Don’t hold that against the Taurus, though.  The Taurus SE model I tested stickered for just $20,308, which compares nicely to cars like Camry and Altima–it’s a bit cheaper, in fact.  With the more powerful 24-valve Duratec engine and the higher equipment levels of the SEL or SES models, it’s a match for any of the competition from Japan or America.  Ford dealers also have an array of cool aftermarket options like trunk organizers, safety kits, and remote-start key fobs.  And remember, Ford’s got over three thousand dealers nationwide, so if you get a bad one like I did, that’s no reason to cross the Taurus off your list.

Specifications:
All specs are for the 2002 Ford Taurus SE, which we tested.
Length:     197.6 in.
Width:        73.0 in.
Height:        56.1 in.
Wheelbase:    108.5 in.
Curb weight:    3336 lb.
Cargo space:    17.0 cu.ft.
Base price:    $19,560
Price as tested: $20,308
Engine:     3.0 liter OHV V6
Drivetrain:     four-speed automatic, front wheel drive
Horsepower:     155 @ 4900
Torque:     185 @ 3900
Fuel capacity:    18 gal.
Est. mileage:     20/28