Ford Taurus is available as a four-door sedan or a station wagon. The sedan comes in LX, SE, SES, and SEL models. The wagon is available in SE and SEL versions.
Two different V6 engines are available, the old overhead-valve Vulcan V6 and the modern dual overhead-cam all-aluminum Duratec V6. Both are 3.0-liter engines, but the Duratec is more sophisticated and much more powerful. All models come with four-speed automatic transmissions.
LX and SE are powered by Ford's Vulcan V6. LX ($19,660) comes with air conditioning, power windows and mirrors, AM/FM stereo, six-passenger seating, tilt steering, and intermittent wipers. SE ($20,195) adds cruise control, a cassette player, remote keyless entry with perimeter lighting, and aluminum wheels.
SES ($21,380) is equipped with front bucket seats with six-way power and a manual lumbar adjustment on the driver's side, and an in-dash single CD player in place of the cassette. SES comes standard with anti-lock brakes (ABS) and the Vulcan V6. The Duratec V6 ($695) is optional.
SEL ($23,305) comes standard with the Duratec V6 and adds seven-spoke machined aluminum wheels, AM/FM/cassette with a six-CD changer, leather-wrapped steering wheel, dark paledo wood-trimmed interior, automatic electronic temperature control, and keyless keypad entry. Power adjustable pedals and side-impact airbags are optional.
Wagons are better equipped than their sedan counterparts. They are equipped with four-wheel disc brakes (an improvement over the rear drum brakes of the SE sedan). Wagons come standard with ABS and a rear anti-roll bar for better handling. The SE wagon ($21,630) features a six-way power driver's seat, a cleverly adjustable luggage rack, and a unique bumper shape with step pads at the rear. The SEL wagon ($23,455) has seven-spoke machined aluminum wheels, a six-CD changer, keypad entry and automatic climate controls. The Duratec V6 ($1,200) is optional.
Side-impact airbags ($390) are available as an option on the Taurus SEL and we highly recommend them. Taurus continues to earn a double five-star rating from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the highest crash rating NHTSA awards for frontal crash tests. In addition, Taurus is rated a "Best Pick" by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in its offset frontal crash test.