Taurus might be discontinued
 

Ford Considers Killing off Taurus in 2018

Stupid SUV buyers. :rolleyes:

SUV = short, boxy, station-wagon, with all the bells & whistles of a full-size sedan.

When we bought our 2004 Pontiac Vibe, the state of Arizona initially called it a Compact Utility Vehicle (CUV)...now it's just 'Station Wagon.'

SUV = excess frontal area + poor fineness ratio + shaped like a barn + oversized tires for less fe

That's comedy gold right there.

Need to realize they're all fat.

The taurus should have been killed off back in the 80s...right around the time it first came out. They were major turds back then, to the point that I wouldn't touch something with the same name now.

I beg to differ. The ones I've had personal experience with were good cars, one of them might even qualify as great.

The 'problem' with the Taurus and other full size vehicles like that is that the basic sedan design comes from the 1950's.

Just great for long distance cruising or driving on country roads (dirt included) that aren't that great.

Influenced by the Renault Scenic in Europe and Japanese Vans (can't count how many models there would be), interior space has been maxxed out.

So in Europe, it's the German C-MAX that is the equivalent large vehicle:

http://www.ford.com/cmslibs/content/...etic_env_1.jpg

It's optimised for interior space, comfort and fuel economy.

Not as good for long trips or bumpy roads as they are pretty much a city car but that's where most live.

BMW, Mercedes, GM have all moved to the box-car format for this size of vehicle. The large format sedan is obscolete in many ways.

You mean the Taurus is still around? First news I've heard of it.

And even by then, the station-wagons could do it all with much more practicality and better use of space than the sedan they derived from.


Not to mention the commercial vans such as the Toyota HiAce, which is just a few centimeters longer than a current-model Corolla (the global one, not the JDM) but also narrower, and better use of space than, let's say, a Camry. But anyway, when it comes to cross-country abilities, even a minivan when properly equipped can actually fare quite decently on that matter. No wonder I see so many Argentinian and Uruguayan tourists roaming around on them during the summer.


Just look at this Venezuelan ad for the 1st-generation Fiat Fiorino made in Brazil, which I honestly don't know if that's just a fully-glazed cargo van (Vetrato) or the multi-purpose version with a foldable rear seat for 3 passengers (Settegiorni). Sure there is a whole difference between its featherweight Euro-designed driveline and the American boat-anchors, but even though the audio is in Spanish I guess you'll catch the message.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzZOWhEMUmk