Car Reviews: 2001 Ford Taurus

It takes a lot for a car to become a best seller. Not just any car has the capacity to appeal to a wide range of people for a variety of reasons. A car has to combine many elements to attain such a wide range of appeal, and it is truly no easy task. However, Ford seems to have hit the mark with their Taurus model. From 2000 to 2006, the Taurus was consistently Ford's best selling car. However, even though best seller status is hard to obtain, that does not necessarily mean that a best selling car is a great or even a good car. Knowing that several Ford cars have had issues in the past, the only way to really know if the Taurus lives up to it's best selling status is to examine it first hand.

While the restyled Taurus for the 2000 model year is definitely more visually appealing, both inside and out, than the previous generation, their still seems to be a certain something lacking from the overall package. An optional rear spoiler seems to fix this issue somewhat, but some minor issues of proportion and some strange styling choices affect the exterior rating for the Taurus. Namely, the car's front end is massive, and the strange "dented side" design that has been relied on by Ford for a number of years fails to look stylish or even appropriate on the rather large body of the 2000 through 2006 Taurus.

If the exterior is a bit off, the interior both looks and feels right for a car such as the Taurus. The seats are wide and comfortable, and the car and roof are both roomy (remember that head clearance was somewhat of an issue with the older Taurus models). The audio and climate controls are easy to interpret and easy to reach, although the lack of a traditional shifter (the Taurus is generally equipped with a column shifter) seems to offset the otherwise nice looking interior. The dashboard has been fixed from the strange design of previous years, and the interior really does seem comfortable. It is one of the few cars that properly manages to stride the fine line(s) between luxury, comfort, and usability.