I was 16, looking at buying my first car, and the issue of the day was all American: Chevy versus Ford. Just a couple of years later, the issue became international: American versus Foreign, trying to decide between a Chevy and a VW Bug. My father had the deciding vote, so I bought Chevy the first time and American the second. Some things never change--we are still addressing the issue of American versus Foreign. Ford is setting up the feud with it’s re-creation of the Taurus.

I was invited to a gathering last evening to meet with several representatives of Ford to hear about and test drive the new 2010 Taurus. My first impression surprised me a little. The car has really impressive lines. Probably not the appropriate way to say it, but very BMW-ish. Actually, I would say something similar about its’ ride: tight and solid, like a Mercedes. I can’t help but make the comparisons to Foreign cars because that is all that I have driven for 30 years--after my father didn't get the deciding vote. In my experience, Foreign cars have outclassed American cars forever.  I think Ford is addressing that problem by having this 100 city tour to introduce people to their new Taurus. I think they have come up with a winner.

I particularly liked the feel of the cabin of the Taurus. The front bucket seat arrangement feels like sitting in a cockpit. Each seat has its’ own space, cradled by a high center console and surrounded by a dash that blends into the doors.  The leather is sourced from the same supplier for Coach handbags, and it is soft with bold stitching. The dash is flush with instruments, presented to the driver at a nice sloping angle as opposed to a square face. The rear seat had plenty of room and accommodated three men taller than 6 foot.

I did not drive the car for long, but long enough to appreciate its solid feel and responsiveness. It has really nice acceleration with just the right blend of engine noise.  It also has some very nice features. One that seemed particularly impressive was a system that works like the back up warning found in a number of other cars, but operates with a 360 degree radius using radar. It can be adjusted for distance and warns the driver of any obstacles in that range.

I think Ford has its’ job cut out for it to win back consumer confidence, but it created a nice contender in the war. And, you can’t beat that it starts out at $25K.  The new Taurus is being delivered to showrooms this week. Check it out.