2013 Ford Taurus Review and Prices

Styling: The 2013 Ford Taurus will retain its same basic shape and dimensions that came on line with the car’s model-year 2010 redesign but assorted styling updates will freshen this big sedan’s appearance. Expect a wider oval-shaped grille and front-fascia opening, a muscular-looking new hood, and revised headlamps that extend into the front fenders. Revised LED taillamps will sit just aft of taller rear fenders and will flank a new decklid design. A rear spoiler will be optional for added visual flair and slightly improved aerodynamics.

(As before, a high-performance 2013 Ford Taurus SHO model will feature a few specific styling cues to help distinguish it as the sportier offering in the line. See our 2013 Ford Taurus SHO Review and Prices for full details.)

The 2013 Ford Taurus also will get a revamped interior that makes more extensive use of soft-touch plastics and other higher quality materials to deliver a richer look and feel. A new steering wheel promises to better-integrate ergonomically designed switchgear for assorted vehicle functions.

The 2013 Taurus’s dashboard will likely retain an angular, twin-cove design, eschewing the swoopy contours some automakers seem to favor these days. However, it’ll get a new electronic instrument panel that should be brighter and more legible than the previous setup. An LCD video screen will again top the center stack of controls and display audio-system information and climate-control settings. Two supplemental LED displays will be embedded within the instrument cluster to show trip computer data. A larger center dashboard screen will again be included with the optional navigation system.

Added cabin insulation should produce a quieter ride, but the 2013 Ford Taurus’s interior volume isn’t likely to change. It’ll continue to be less roomy on the inside than its exterior dimensions would suggest; new seat cushions at least promise added comfort. The 2013 Ford Taurus will continue to feature a large trunk, but since it retains a short trunklid, loading larger objects should still be challenging.

The 2013 Ford Taurus will offer multiple trim levels, each packaging an escalating level of features and escalating prices. Expect the lineup to repeat with the entry-level SE model, step-up SEL, and top-of-the-line Limited versions.

Mechanical: In contrast to its modest cosmetic revisions, the 2013 Ford Taurus will get significant updates beneath its bodywork.

The biggest news will be the availability of the 2.0-liter four-cylinder version of Ford’s EcoBoost direct fuel-injected and turbocharged engine. It debuted in the 2011 Ford Explorer SUV and in the 2013 Taurus will generate some 237 horsepower and 250 pound-feet of torque. That’s V-6-like thrust but the EcoBoost four should not suffer V-6-like fuel consumption. The four-cylinder EcoBoost engine will be offered as an extra-cost option on the 2013 Taurus; for model-year 2012 Explorer buyers paid an additional $995 for the engine.

What’s more, the 2013 Ford Taurus’s standard 3.5-liter V-6 will add variable valve timing that’ll help increase output by an estimated at 27 horsepower, bringing it to 290 horsepower with 255 pound-feet of torque. Ford says the improved V-6 will return slightly better fuel economy than the 2012 version’s 18/28 mpg city/highway and 22 mpg combined city/highway.
Both the EcoBoost four-cylinder and the V-6 will come with slightly different six-speed automatic transmissions that will each include a manual gear-select mode.

In addition, the 2013 Ford Taurus will include a number of added technologies and revised systems aimed at incremental gains in fuel economy. For example, “active” shutters behind the front grille will automatically open at low speeds to cool the engine and close at high speeds to improve aerodynamic efficiency and reduce fuel consumption. Other gas-mileage-minded enhancements include a low-tension accessory drive belt at the front of the engine, aggressive fuel shutoff during deceleration, a variable-displacement air conditioning compressor, and use of reduced-friction lubricants.

The 2013 Taurus will adopt electric power steering, which eliminates the performance- and fuel-economy-reducing drag of a belt-driven hydraulic steering pump. Road manners should benefit from the addition of Ford’s torque-vectoring control system. This applies slight braking force to the outside front wheel when accelerating through a corner to help improve handling. Ford says this feature will please driving enthusiasts and serve as a confidence builder for novice motorists.

Newly available as optional equipment on the 2013 Taurus will be Ford’s Curve Control system. Working in tandem with the standard antiskid stability- control system (now on all cars by federal mandate), Curve Control helps the driver maintain control by selectively applying the brakes if it senses the car has entered a curve too quickly.

Ford says a larger master cylinder for the 2012 Taurus’s standard antilock four-wheel-disc braking system will provide additional stopping power. Aluminum wheels will come standard in 17, 18-, and 19-inch sizes, depending on the trim level.

The 2013 Ford Taurus will continue to offer all-wheel-drive (AWD) as an alternative to the standard front-wheel drive for added traction on wet or snowy roads. AWD availability will likely be limited to V-6-powered SEL and Limited versions of the 2013 Taurus, though the system will feature a new rear differential that Ford says saves weight and helps boost fuel economy.

Features: Ford has been successful in recent years attracting younger and more technological-minded buyers with the innovative Sync hands-free multimedia control system it developed with Microsoft. Ford debuted a next-generation Sync control system in the 2011 Edge crossover SUV called MyFord Touch. This replaces conventional switches, buttons, and dials with a configurable menu-driven touchscreen LCD display and a series of tactile “touch points” on the dashboard.

However, in the Edge, and subsequently in the 2011 Ford Explorer, MyFord Touch’s operating system served to confound many buyers and Ford’s initial quality ratings from the J.D. Power & Associates car-owner survey firm dipped as a result. Ford is nevertheless committed to MyFord Touch and will offer two separate levels of the system in the 2013 Taurus. As a side note, Taurus buyers are probably among the oldest and least tech-oriented folks in Ford’s U.S. customer base.

MyFord Touch works in conjunction with the Sync system, but Sync will continue to be available on its own in the 2013 Taurus. It’ll be the latest version of Sync and will again be capable of delivering turn-by-turn navigation directions via the audio system and will include a USB interface for iPods and other digital devices, plus Bluetooth hands-free connectivity for mobile-phone communications and music streaming.

The 2013 Ford Taurus’s version of Sync may include additional connectivity with smartphones to stream music from the Pandora Internet music service and be capable of reading alound Twitter tweets via a synthesized voice.

An upgraded Sony audio system will be optional as will HD Radio for receiving higher sound-quality broadcasts (where available). The latter may also include with a song-tagging feature that saves artist and title information of tunes on a connected iPod or iPhone for later retrieval and/or purchase via the online iTunes music store.

A heated steering wheel will be added to the 2013 Ford Taurus’ options list. Also available will be Ford’s Active Park Assist system. This uses sensors to determine if a parallel parking space is sufficiently large, then takes control of the wheel to steer the car into the slot while the driver modulates the brake pedal to control its speed.

The 2013 Ford Taurus will continue with the standard features expected of a full-size car but will also again be available with amenities more typically found on luxury cars. These include a power tilt/telescoping steering wheel, power operated rear sunshade, heated and cooled front seats, heated rear seats, and massaging front seats that use inflating and deflating air bladders in the seat bottoms and backs to help reduce fatigue on long trips. Ford’s MyKey system allows fleet managers or parents of young drivers to encourage seat-belt use and promote safe driving by programming limits on audio volume and top speed. The company’s Easy Fuel system does away with a conventional fuel-filler cap for added convenience. An available ambient “mood lighting” system will again let the driver choose among several interior illumination color choices.

As before, the 2013 Ford Taurus will offer two collision-warning features as optional equipment. Ford’s Blind Spot Information System with Cross Traffic Alert (BLIS) warns the driver of other vehicles or obstructions in adjacent traffic lanes as well as those to the rear and sides of the car when backing out of a garage or parking space. The automaker’s Collision Warning with Brake Support system works with in tandem with the available radar-based adaptive cruise control system; it warns a driver if the car is coming up too fast on an obstacle or traffic ahead and automatically primes the brakes to full stopping power.