2010 Ford Taurus

The 1986 Ford Taurus, with European-inspired styling that was almost as sleek as the stunning Audi 5000, was a huge success.

The high-performance SHO that followed was an enthusiast’s dream because it was fast, fun and reasonably priced.

Today’s Taurus is considerably more sophisticated, and its price reflects that. The 2010 Taurus makes the first one look like an antique, and the twin-turbo, all-wheel-drive SHO is light years ahead of the first one. Technological progress has its reward.

The new SHO is composed, confident and as solid as a billet of aluminum. The original Taurus SHO was quite a handful when you smashed the throttle because the front wheels struggled to grip the pavement. The new car pushes you back in the seat with a steady thrust when you flatten the throttle. The acceleration is strong but measured, similar to a Boeing 767 rolling towards liftoff.

Ford’s EcoBoost, twin-turbo V-6 delivers 355 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque. That’s more power and torque from 3.5 liters than the 4.6-liter V-8 in the Explorer.

Ford’s rationale is that a twin-turbo V-6 can produce the power of a V-8 without sacrificing fuel economy when driven normally. Fuel economy is rated at 17 miles per gallon in the city and 25 on the highway.

The transmission is a six-speed automatic that can be shifted manually with paddles on the steering wheel.

The Taurus has a 112.9-inch wheelbase, but it is not small. The body looks beefy because it is wide and tall. The extra height makes it easy to get in and out and gives the driver a nice, upright driving position. Older folks take note.

The nose is bold, and subtle character lines, from the power-dome hood to creases over the fenders, reflect a level of styling detail that is more like that of a luxury model.

Big Changes in Store for the 2011 Ford Explorer

2011 Ford Explorer – Ford Motor Company will be making a number of changes to their Ford Explorer SUV that many would not have seen coming few short years ago. The company had previously marketed the car as an off road vehicle, but studies suggest that a vast majority of owners use the car as a simple transportation vehicle, and may also use the vehicle for basic hauling tasks like picking up the groceries.

In one study, a Ford representative claims that the company surveyed Explorer owners recently, and when asked if they needed the ability to take the car off road, nearly all of those surveyed said ‘yes.’ However, upon further investigation, they found out that nearly 75% of owners never took the vehicle off road during the period that they owned it. Those numbers say a lot about what owners are actually looking for in an SUV, but also says a lot about what owners think they might need.

2011 Ford Fiesta : Ford brings popular European car here

The 2011 Ford Fiesta is a small car with big-car features and technology and a top mileage rating of 40 miles per gallon on the highway.

Best of all, the Fiesta gets the most out of every sip of gasoline without forcing buyers to pay a premium price for a hybrid powerplant or fuss with the inconvenience of finding diesel fuel in town.

Instead, the Fiesta uses an efficient four-cylinder gasoline engine, dual-clutch automatic transmission, careful weight control and selective features to claim the top highway mileage rating of all gasoline-powered, non-hybrid cars in the country.

Combined with a city rating of 29 mpg, the Fiesta's overall mileage rating of 33 mpg tops the previous best gasoline-powered, non-hybrid cars - the 2010 Mini Cooper and the Toyota Yaris that have a 32-mpg combined city/highway rating.

DUB Edition Ford Mustang

DUB Edition Ford Mustang
As part of its promotional activities in the US for the 2011 Ford Mustang, particularly the new meatier 300bhp V6, Ford has announced it will be putting a DUB Edition Mustang into production in August this year.

It’s based on the 2011 5.0-litre Mustang that DUB Magazine customized for Grammy Award-winning artist Nelly. The car features gloss black exterior paint, matte black racing stripes and 22-inch Pirelli tyres up front, with 24-inch at the back.

‘The Mustang is such an iconic muscle car and has always been a customizer’s favorite,’ said Myles Kovacs, co-founder and president of DUB Magazine. ‘The DUB Edition Mustang stays true to its roots, but I think we’ve successfully brought a ton of hustle to the muscle.’

Ford’s own DUB Edition will only be a V6-powered Mustang. Both Nelly’s car and the Ford edition will embark on a country-wide tour with the magazine.

2011 Ford Mustang

2011 Ford Mustang
The Mustang ranks right alongside the Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger as an icon of the “pony car” era from the late 1960s and early 1970s, but the 2010 model lagged behind the Camaro and Challenger in the way of horsepower.

2011 Ford Mustang
A little less horsepower might not seem like much of an issue, but performance has always been the key to a pony car. A V-6 Camaro had 304 horsepower, compared to 210 for the V-6 Mustang. The V-8 in the Mustang GT had 315 horsepower, whereas the Camaro SS had 426 horsepower. Ford set out to respond.

For 2011, the Mustang pony prances with its head high because two new engines are available. The 3.7-liter V-6 delivers 305 horsepower and the 5.0-liter V-8 now has 412 horsepower. The increases level the playing field once again.

The 2011 V-6 is rated at 29 miles per gallon on the highway and the V-8 is 26 mpg.

The Mustang was redesigned in 2010. The slightly sleeker exterior is an evolution of the previous generation, yet it looks fresh. The rear fenders have a more pronounced shape, and the Mustang emblem, redesigned for the first time since 1964, is larger. The interior was updated with higher-quality materials and better seats.

The 2011 V-6 test car, from Ford’s press fleet, was equipped with a six-speed manual transmission. The 3.7-liter engine delivers plenty of low-speed torque. It accelerates strongly without needing to be flogged, which is good because the engine felt a little coarse when revved hard. The manual gearbox was light and easy to use, but the engine rpm was slow to drop during high-rpm shifts, and that was less than pleasing. The automatic transmission would be smoother, plus it gets slightly better highway mileage.

The V-6 suspension has been upgraded to handle the additional power of the new engine, and it feels solid and well-anchored. The ride tends to be a bit stiff, and the rear axle hopped around over rough pavement. The brakes are bigger as well.