2010 FORD TAURUS

Ford Taurus has always been a pleasant, practical car.

That much hasn’t changed with the new 2010 iteration of this iconic model.

But boy, oh boy, just about everything else has!

You may say this car comes to life, thanks to a brand new design and an almost remarkable level of quiet, quality and security for a car that’s not thousands of dollars more expensive than the previous model.

The 2010 Taurus supplants the former Ford Five Hundred, which was renamed Taurus. But this new Taurus bears no resemblance to the dull model that it replaces.

Already, Ford has about 7,000 advance orders before the car even hits dealers’ lots — and I’m not surprised.

Despite the fact that it only took about two years to develop this car, it’s clearly no rush job. This is a full-sized car that is far superior to anything offered by competitors, including the Toyota Avalon and Chrysler 300.

The 2010 Taurus is rugged, robust and has an air of being rock solid. The last comparable full-sized Ford was the 1964 Ford Galaxie. Like the Galaxie, the Taurus has a strong, muscular grille that resembles an electric shaver head — a nice touch that suggests masculine strength. It also has the trademark single taillights and character lines and creases that create an overall effect of boldness.

Inside, there’s a level of substance and robustness that I haven’t seen in a long time from Ford. The massive, radically angled console gives you a sense of a jet cockpit. And the dazzling turquoise blue lighting and three dimensional look of the gauges suggests high performance from the minute you turn the key. There’s also lots of aluminum and chrome to this new Taurus — again reminiscent  of the 1964 Galaxie.

But the Taurus departs from the Galaxie — and many of its peers on the market today — with its sense of elegance and quiet. It’s almost eerily silent on the road and you can’t hear the engine running at idle. It has perfectly balanced steering that requires no correction on the road. Cornering is stable, almost flat.

Clearly, Ford intends to move upmarket but the jury is out as to whether it will prove popular with upscale shoppers or family car buyers.

Power comes from a 263 horsepower, 3.5 liter “Duratec” V-6, rated at about 18 mpg in the city and 28 on the highway for most models.

Among the features you’ll find on the new Taurus are adaptive cruise control and collision warning system, a blind spot information system, keyless entry, a capless fuel filler, seats that massages your bottom — an interesting sensation — as you drive, the popular Ford Sync system with 911 assist, vehicle health report and traffic directions. Also available is a 3.5 liter EcoBoost Twin Turbo V-6 engine with direct injection that was as fast as greased lightning on the SHO high performance model I drove.

The Taurus SE starts at $25,995, the Limited model starts at $31,995 and the ultra high performance SHO starts at $37,995.