Taurus is recognized by 80% of buyers as a car to stay away from.

BOLD STUPID MOVES.

I’ll pretend to be 1115 for this one:

“OMG its a conspiracy – Toyonda must be paying LLN to say bad things about their competition!!”

The flex is MUCH better looking than the Freestyle/Taurus X. The whole five-hundred project has been one big mistake, and yeah the Taurus name has been a positive thing, but a gold-plated turd is still a turd.

Do not laugh they probably are.

But seriously, This car is not appealing at all. It’s just too boring! The only derivative of this car that is any good, and It could well be very good, is the MKS. But this is lacks any pizazz, visual “oomph”, and just plain old cool. The mechanical might be good but the car is just a very dull lump. The Taurus was a very nice looking and cool looking car, even if the mechanicals sucked. This car is the opposite.

FORD do something about this! NOW!!!

It just goes to show the consumers aren’t as stupid as ford thought.

Ford Exec 1: “How will we increase sales of the boring, slow, entirely unexciting 500/Montego/Freestyle?”

Ford Exec 2: ” I’ve got a great idea! I call it ‘Badge’. If we simply change the ‘Badge’ on the boring, slow, entirely unexciting 500/Montego/Freestyle to something that resonates we’ll move millions of them!”

Ford Exec 3: “I just heard that we’ve got a warehouse full of Taurus and Sable badges”

Ford Exec 1: “That’s it!”

Memo to Ford: It’s the car, stupid.

Did they really think that would work? My God… who buys a car because of the name alone?

The car is priced wayyyyyyyyyy to high. It’s a good car though. It looks like they priced the car to match a similarly equipped Camry or Accord.

I don’t think it was a bad idea to switch it back to Taurus… but they didn’t have the rest of the marketing plan intact. But hopefully that will change now that Ford has picked up a great mind from Toyota.

The Taurus X is an okay vehicle except it looks to buff for what it is. The thing looks like it should be as capable as a SUBARU Forester but just isn’t.

The FLEX will likely do much better if handled like a proper family cruiser.

But If the Taurus brand is to succeed, the line needs to be treated like a serious product line and not a stopgap. Get back some of that slick styling that marked the line so well. Add some useful and enthusing performance and the Bull will have horns again.

No poop! Why would anyone expect something different? Renaming kaka into poop should improve bottom line? What an example of corporate arrogance. Ricardo, where are you to defend your favorite?

FoMoCo isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. What else is new?

This car was DOA as a 500, and DeaderOA as a Taurus. This should surprise no one.

About the Flex, after 3 months of gotta-have sales, it’ll also tank and fail. It has a style and presence that looks appealing and good if sized somewhere between a Scion and an Escape, but as a full-size it will come off as boxy, fleshy, over-sized, and undesirable … not to mention old-fashioned as the 500/Taurus also is. Too bad because all that effort will be going down the crapper when Ford can’t afford to waste it.

Ford has always thought that by changing the name of a vehicle that the company has created a new model. The public isn’t stupid and can usually see right through Ford.

The Five Hundred was released for the 2005 model year on a 1999 Volvo platform.
The Fusion was released for the 2006 model year on a 2003 Mazda platform (albeit a good one).
The 2008 Focus is a refreshed version of its original 1999 platform.
If Grandpa changed his name to Tom Brady, I don’t think he would make the team today.

Ricardo, am going blind? You are crapping on Ford? BTW guys have you heard of latest effort by Ford to sell to “alternative styles”? follow this http://www.boycottford.com/
for kicks and giggles. I am not against gays: if you want to lust after your buddy’s smelly parts god bless you, but reaction of some family friendly folks is funny to read.

Autonut, I call it as I see if regardless of manufacturer. I’ll give credit where it is due and call foul where it is due, and I’m not beholden to the image marques that play up to people’s inferiorities no matter what continent they come from.

You can call it the Taurus, the 500, or the 5 million. It doesn’t change the fact that it’s a ****ING PIECE OF ****.

Rofl Autonut, its funny how ignorant people are since it is a civil rights issue. The “Homosexual Agenda” part cracked me up. And the domain name is registered in some podunk Alabama town, figures right? Guess they had send their Dell computers since its a jewish coporation, Also wasn’t it Alabama that TopGear drove thru and almost got beatup for the Nascar sucks written on their car, and the whole Hammond homosexual ladyboy comments? I can’t wait to see what these people do when they learn Americas no longer an economic power with China being the new star soon. And with the forcasted marketcrash which will be upon us.

3 months worth of sales figures is not enough to gauge whether the car is a success or a failure. Period.

half the people in here must be 5th graders. dumbasses, they know nothing.

I’ve always been a Ford guy, but I have been so dissapointed at Ford for the past few years.

The Taurus is a nice car, but Ford could have done extensively better. The interiors nice, but lackluster and fairly boring. Why can’t the American auto designers figure out that interiors need a good “figure”? Just look at the Camrys interior, the dashboard sweeps into the center, and all vents and major components are dictated by this shape… don’t have the vents and components dictate the shape!

And the styling… Nothing amazing here either. The Camry looks much more sophisticated, and I hate to say it but even more exciting!

I can’t believe I just mentioned Camry and exciting in the same sentence… but anyways!

What kind of name is the “Taurus X”? The Taurus X is actually a very handsome vehicle, especially the limited trim with chrome wheels. And what’s up with that “handlebar” on the dashboard? People can board the vehicle without it, or even so what about simple handles near the doorframe? I would consider most people who buy this vehicle are active in the first place; why make it look like the framing and internal supports are sticking out of the dash?

I’ve owned Ford all my life, and all their cars have been very good to me. But I’m sorry Ford, if you don’t begin to play “edgy”, and put in some serious competition like you have for many many years (Taurus, F-150, etc.) then I will, and have been loosing faith in you. The Edge looks amazing, it’s a wonderful vehicle. But they could have even done BETTER in the Edge; specifically the interior, which is nice but could have been more dramatic.

here’s what a dealer told me when the name change was announced:

“The Taurus name conjures up (images) in many young people’s minds of a rental car, a salesperson’s car, an old person’s car,” he said.

Notice how the article mentions “more stimulating ads.” Ford just can’t sell!

Blakkar:
The mechanical might be good but the car is just a very dull lump.
When I had a “new Taurus” tester, that’s about what I got out of it. It started. It moved. I checked my pulse.
Now, as a consumer, I test-drove the Freestlyle/Taurus X, and it was OK. Nothing more, nothing less. But they wanted $34K for it.

atourya:
“I don’t think it was a bad idea to switch it back to Taurus.”
The Five Hundred was one of three vehicles Ford used to replace the Taurus.

What the company SHOULD HAVE done was heep the original Taurus fresh, and out of rental fleets.

autonut: I think Fred Phelps is a latent homosexual. I’ve always been suspicious of people who dedicate a lot of their time toward thinking about what other’s do in their own bedrooms. As far as I’m concerned, unless it involves children, small animals or my wife, I don’t give a damn!

deutschetouring1337
That’s some davedevil-type ****, badmouthing NASCAR in the South. But Australian V8 Supercar racing is a much better sport.

‘Lambo’, neither are you, ****head. Again, ironic that you’d be commenting on someone else’s intelligence, illiterate primate.

Nope, nothing else new from waste like you.

Most of us knew it wouldn’t work already.

2008powerstrokef450lariat:
I like where you were going with that…
The new Taurus/500 is a solid effort on mechanics, engine and safety but lacks in the karma department. It’s not the horrible vehicle that some here are claiming. A better sales/marketing program can do some good in time but unfortunately would have been a 1-2 punch if the sheet metal and some interior pizzazz would have been advanced more along with it. The content list is good and possibly better than many, but it never had a good dna foundation to work with-with Fords not so good first attempt and not so good first launch under different leadership. Mechanics say it is a solid car. The sum of it’s parts – just not exciting. Could come together but I think most of the regular market is moving on and not going there. I think Ford should be in the full size car business with an all around effort that is equal to an f-150 or Mustang product and launch. Ford, I hope you do it.

Decreased sales… no kidding. When people think of Taurus they think of a crappy rental car or a car that is really old and wasn’t that great in its last years.

I know the new 500/Taurus is supposed to be decent but renaming back to Taurus was a dumb move. Relying on Americans brand loyalty only works if you have a brand that continues to be sought after. The Taurus name was retired for a reason, it was not doing well in the later years. And that is what people remember, the last Taurus they saw. Either in rental form or on the lots years ago.

Unfortunately I don’t think new marketing will fix this problem. They have now tainted the 500 image with the Taurus name. Ford needs to change the car exterior enough to make it look different than the 500/Taurus. Then come up with a new name and relaunch with a new marketing strategy. Pretend it a whole new car even though you don’t have to change the mechanics.

Ford needs to slap some lipstick on that pig and rename it something new. Then they will have a chance at mediocre sales. It will never beat the old Taurus sales numbers because consumers are more savvy and the market is flooded with decent competition.

Ford is on the right track, they just need to tweak the approach a little. Instead of renaming cars from “500″ to “Taurus”, they should look at renaming the the entire company from “Ford” to “BMW”. That would boost sales like a M-F.

Taurus X/Freestyle -> done right this time around, or at least, loads better. Name change needed to get away from Ford’s E/F naming game and the fact that the Freestyle had as much style as, and sales reminiscent of, a marshmallow.

Sable/Montego -> done better, well executed redo. However, I would have kept the Montego name, added a 350-horse V8 option, AWD, and euthanised the FiveHundred altogether, giving Mercury a stand-alone model, which it desparately needs.

FiveHundred-> Kill it, bring on the Mondeo or theother gems for Ford’s Australian contingency.

Ford began booting this game when it opted to replace the Taurus with three different cars / nameplates: the Five Hundred, the Fusion and the Freestyle. Talk about pissing away brand equity in the most inefficient manner possible. Would Toyota replace the Camry with two or three new vehicles and nameplates out of left field?

A few years later, nobody knows or cares about any of these cars. (1,551 Sables sold in September? On track to sell 18,000 a year? HAHAhhahaha.) They’re not necessarily bad cars. They just have no public profile or “brand” associated with them, and Ford is doing its best to keep things that way.

Explain to me again why it makes sense to sell a Taurus X AND a Montego AND a Flex AND an Edge AND a Lincoln MKX AND an Escape AND a Mountaineer AND an Explorer AND a Mariner… for God’s sake. Building and advertising five different vehicles, I dunno HOW many nameplates, to service essentially the same niche in the marketplace is public drunkenness masquerading as management. These people are insane.

Hey Ford, I was waiting on the sidelines to buy a Five Hundred when the new engine came up but you had to piss all over it and rename it something all of my friends and family instantly associated with a crappy rental car so I bought another Honda instead.

TIMBER !

Ha! I knew the name game wouldent work!!”way forward” Ha!! What they should be saying is “Way to go Mark Feilds” maybe they should being back the name Model T that might help sales NOT!!!!

Just bring over the Euro Focus and Mondeo already. Stop embarassing a proud nameplate. Let US ops build trucks and SUVs or CUVs. While the euros and Aussies build the cars. Go Gronholm!!! WRC rules!!!

We shouldn’t be boycotting Ford for being Gay friendly. We should be boycotting them because the U.S. get all the crappy cars and the Europeans and Asia get all the cool cars.

stupid ****ing morons.

YIKES!! was that to me?? (leozug)

This is what I think Ford should do. Your input…..

Focus – replace with Euro Focus

Fusion/Milan/Mkz – update less boring (Falcon XR6 Turbo?)

New Taurus/Sable – Replace with Mondeo and Mondeo wagon

Minivan? bring over S-Max

Escape/Mariner replace upcoming Kuga

Ranger – Replace with Euro Ranger

Mustang – Keep they can do some thing ok.

Bring over Ford Transit to compete with Dodge’s
Sprinter

Ford Flex Dont bother

Taurus X Please Kill

Biggest problems with Ford, they make great concepts (427) and the only thing they keep is the grill? In an article on the new Ford Verve, they said it will probably not make it to the N.A., instead they will stick with a conventiona 3 box sedan. They have too many old people ruining Ford. I hate compacts but I would find an excuse to buy the Verve. Europe gets an Sti / Evo Fighting Focus qnd we get a redesigned Escort. Ford hasn’t won a magazine comparo in years, everything is solid and slow. I honestly think that that the majority of LLN posters (not the retarded ones) could turn Ford around if given the chance to run the company.

I agree, J-Cat, with your last sentence