2011 Ford Taurus SHO Review and Prices

by Chuck Giametta

Table of Contents
2011 Ford Taurus SHO Review and Prices
2010 Ford Taurus SHO Review and Prices
2009 Ford Taurus SHO Quote
2011 FORD TAURUS SHO BUYING ADVICE

• The 2011 Ford Taurus SHO is the best car for you if you want a big, fast, tech-rich sedan at an attainable price.

• The 2011 Ford Taurus SHO isn’t apt to change in any significant way from the 2010 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 2010 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 2010 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.

2011 FORD TAURUS SHO CHANGES

• Styling: Having been restyled for model-year 2010, no appearance changes of note are expected for the 2011 Taurus SHO. It should continue as a strategically spruced-up edition of the mainstream Taurus. Ford avoids adolescent add-ons like hood scoops or a big rear wing. Instead, it visually distinguishes the SHO from the mainstream Taurus with subtle touches, such as small badges, chrome-tipped dual exhausts, and a modest trunk-lid spoiler. The SHO comes with the same 19-inch wheel and tires size available on other Taurus models, though it has exclusive rights to a Performance Package with 20s on unique alloys. Inside, SHO shares the standard Taurus cabin design with its Mustang-inspired instrument panel and center console with floor shift. Some dashboard trim is unique, however, the pedals have aluminum detailing, and door panels and seats get SHO-exclusive inserts. Taurus is among the largest sedans on the road, but a lowish roofline denies it the headroom you might expect. And rear-seat leg-room isn’t as generous as it ought to be in a car this size.  

• Mechanical: Here’s where the 2011 SHO really parts ways with the tamer Taurus. It gets a special version of the mainstream models’ 3.5-liter V-6, adding two turbochargers and high-pressure direct fuel injection to pump out more than 100 additional horsepower. The 2010 figures were 365 horsepower for the SHO versus 263 for other Taurus models; that sort of gap should remain for 2011. Like every Taurus, the SHO has a six-speed automatic transmission, but it’s specially calibrated and comes with the manual-shift steering-wheel paddles available only on upper-line mainstream Taurus models. Similarly, SHO comes standard with the all-wheel drive system that’s optional on only two of the three mainstream Taurus models; again, it’s adjusted to suit SHO’s performance requirements. SHO has higher effort steering -- with electric rather than hydraulic assist – and tauter suspension tuning for sharper handling and better control. It also includes a button that allows the driver to delay antiskid intervention from the standard AdvanceTrac Electronic Stability Control system. Performance is outstanding for such a large car, with power in abundance and fine control in fast turns. Dynamically, only stopping power is run-of-the-mill.

• Features: The SHO is no stripped-down hot-rodder version of the regular Taurus. It’s a performance-luxury flagship, with standard leather upholstery with SHO-only suede inserts. Xenon headlamps are standard, and for 2010, it was the only Taurus model available with a rearview camera that displayed on the inside mirror. No other Taurus is eligible for the SHO Performance Package option that includes quicker-still steering and stiffer-still suspension. The package also includes a mode to disable the antiskid system altogether, an acceleration-enhancing final drive ratio, and the 20-inch wheels with summer performance tires. SHO buyers can also pick from the regular Taurus options list. Items of note include Ford’s Collision Warning with Brake Support, which warns of an impending impact and applies the brakes if the driver fails to respond. Ford’s Blind Spot Information System with Cross Traffic Alert (BLIS) is an option that warns of hidden vehicles during lane changes or when backing from a parking space. Power sunroof, heated and cooled front seats, massaging front seats, heated rear seats, and multicolored ambient cabin lighting are other extra-cost items. So is a voice-activated navigation system with rearview camera. Standard on the SHO is Bluetooth phone, USB iPod connectivity, and Ford’s Microsoft-developed Sync system that provides real-time traffic, weather, and turn-by-turn directions via audio and dashboard-screen readouts.

2011 FORD TAURUS SHO PRICES

• Ford won’t announce 2011 Taurus SHO prices until shortly before the car goes on sale in 2010. But don’t expect a big jump over the 2010 model’s $37,995 starting price. That represented roughly a $4,000 premium over the next-closest model in the 2010 Taurus lineup, the Limited with AWD. (These prices include Ford’s mandated destination fee, which was $825 for 2010.)

• Options prices ought to remain fairly stable, as well. That means the popular option package that bundles the sunroof, a 390-watt Sony audio, and heated and cooled front seats should again cost around $2,000. The package that includes those features, plus the BLIS system, the mirror-mounted rearview camera, heated rear seats, power adjustable pedals, and a power rear sunshade should again run about $3,000.

• Expect the Collision Warning with Brake Support to remain around $1,195 but to again require that you also order one of the aforementioned options groups. The $1,995 navigation system and $595 massaging front seats came with the same caveat. And for 2010, you needed to spring for the $2,000 sunroof/Sony/heated seat group to get the $995 SHO Performance Package.

2011 FORD TAURUS SHO FUEL ECONOMY

• The Taurus SHO has laudable fuel-economy ratings for a car of its size and performance. In fact, its EPA-estimated 17/25 mpg (city/highway) is the same as an AWD Taurus with the 263-horsepower version of this V-6. That engine, however, is tuned for 87-octane regular-grade gas. Ford says the SHO’s EcoBoost will run fine on 87 octane but recommends higher-priced premium-grade 91-octane or above to extract its full performance.

2011 FORD TAURUS SHO RELEASE DATE

• The 2011 Ford Taurus SHO should be in showrooms in late summer 2009.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE FORD TAURUS SHO

• If the mainline Taurus gets a styling update for model-year 2012 – some reports say it’ll come for model-year 2013 – so will the SHO model. This would constitute a mid-cycle freshening, which typically includes revisions to nose and tail, but no change to other body panels or major mechanical updates.

• The timing is predicated on possible model-year 2015 changes that would be far more sweeping, possibly even including introduction of the next-generation version of the Taurus platform. Incidentally, this basic architecture is also used by the Ford Flex crossover SUV, by the Lincoln MKS luxury sedan, and by Lincoln’s premium version of the Flex, the MKT. All three of those vehicles also offer a version of the EcoBoost V-6.

• The SHO, however, could get special attention, and it could come as early as model-year 2011. Ford may find the SHO’s 2010 styling doesn’t convey the car’s performance message. It could determine that potential buyers are unwilling to shell out a premium for a beefed-up car that looks too much like any other Taurus. If so, the SHO could see the wick turned up on its looks rather quickly: Ford can’t risking having this important performance and technology showcase languish.

2011 FORD TAURUS SHO COMPETITION

• Dodge Charger R/T and SRT8: Nothing subtle about the muscle versions of this aged but still-attractive full-size sedan. Priced a few thousand dollars below the SHO, the Dodge Charger R/T has a Hemi V-8 of around 370 horsepower and comes with rear- or all-wheel drive. Priced a few thousand above the SHO is the Charger SRT8. It’s rear-drive only but has 400-plus-horsepower Hemi. These sedans are slightly roomer than the Taurus, but don’t handle quite as well and use a bit more gas – much more in the SRT8’s case. New styling and possibly a re-engineering is in store for model year 2012.

• Chrysler 300C and 300C SRT: Charger’s upmarket platform-mate is no less boldly styled and also might be considered an alternative to the Lincoln MKS. The 300C mirrors the Charger R/T’s drivetrain choices, but its Hemi is detuned slightly. There’s less difference between SRT8 versions of the Charger and 300c. In all cases, the Chrysler editions carry a roughly $4,000 premium over their Dodge counterparts. The 300C is on the Charger’s model-year 2012 update schedule.  

• Acura TL SH-AWD: It isn’t a domestic car, it’s priced around $44,000, and it’s more properly considered a midsize sedan compared to Taurus’s full-size dimensions. But the TL Super Handling-All Wheel Drive accommodates four adults as well as the SHO -- and maybe better if you consider Acura’s superior-quality interior materials. The TL SH-AWD’s V-6 is down some 60 horsepower from the SHO’s, but it’s carting around some 350 pounds less curb weight and is working through a very sophisticated AWD system. Bottom line: both the SHO and TL SH-AWD have all the performance you could want for the public road, and both aim to put a special blend of speed and technology in your driveway.