• Ford says the redesigned 2010 Taurus “showcases the best of what the Ford brand has to offer – expressive design, class-leading technologies, and an engaging driving experience with impeccable quality.”

• The 2010 Ford Taurus is equipped with Aggressive Deceleration Fuel Shut-off technology. When the system senses that the driver has suddenly lifted off the accelerator pedal, the amount of fuel delivered to the engine is reduced, saving gas and improving fuel economy.

• The 2010 Ford Taurus is equipped with a Grade-Assist rollback feature that holds the car still on a hill as the driver changes from the brake pedal to the accelerator pedal.

• The 2010 Ford Taurus SEL and Limited are equipped with Ford’s SelectShift transmission, which includes shift paddles on the steering wheel that allow the driver to manually choose gears. This transmission will hold a manually-selected gear rather than upshift automatically, and it will perform rev-matching on manual downshifts.

• The 2010 Ford Taurus is equipped with SecuriCode keyless entry technology. On the Taurus, the old, rubbery keypad on the outside of the door is gone, replaced by sensors embedded into the car’s B-pillar.

• The 2010 Ford Taurus is available with Adaptive Cruise Control, which employs radar to monitor traffic up to 600 feet ahead of the car, and automatically maintain safe distances in traffic when the cruise control is activated.

• When the 2010 Ford Taurus is equipped with Adaptive Cruise Control, it also has Collision Warning with Brake Assist technology. This feature delivers visual and audible alerts to the driver if the Taurus is closing too rapidly on slowed or stopped traffic ahead by flashing a bright red light onto the windshield and sounding an urgent chime. The system also pre-charges the braking system for maximum stopping power should the driver react at the last minute.

• The 2010 Ford Taurus’s optional Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) signals a warning to the driver when a vehicle is in the car’s blind spots. The signal is a light that illuminates in the side mirror on the appropriate side of the vehicle.

• Cross-Traffic Alert technology is included with BLIS on the 2010 Ford Taurus. It uses sensors to warn the driver about approaching cross traffic within three car widths of the Taurus when backing out of a parking space.

• The 2010 Ford Taurus can be equipped with automatic high-beam headlights. This system automatically dims the high-beam lights when sensors detect taillights within 500 feet in front of the Taurus, or oncoming headlights within 2,000 feet.

• The 2010 Ford Taurus is available with an optional navigation system. The system includes an 8-inch screen, voice activation, 3-D landmark mapping, audible route guidance, and the ability to personalize the screen with up to 32 personal photographs.

• The 2010 Ford Taurus is equipped with Sirius Travel Link when the navigation system is ordered. Travel Link provides current weather conditions, fuel prices, sports scores, movie listings, and other services.

• The 2010 Ford Taurus can be equipped with a premium, 12-speaker Sony audio system that has a 10-gigabyte hard drive that can hold up to 2,400 songs.

• The 2010 Ford Taurus is available with Multi-Contour Seats with Active Motion. In other words, you can get seats that massage the two front seat occupants.

• The 2010 Ford Taurus Limited can be equipped with heated and cooled front seats, and with heated rear seats.

• The 2010 Ford Taurus is equipped with an Easy-Fuel cap-less filler neck, which means you never need to unscrew or screw a fuel cap, or lose a fuel cap.

• The 2010 Ford Taurus is rated to tow 1,000 pounds.

• The 2010 Ford Taurus weighs 4,015 pounds with front-wheel drive and 4,224 pounds with all-wheel drive.

• New colors for the 2010 Ford Taurus include Candy Red Metallic Tint, White Platinum Metallic, Steel Blue Metallic, Ingot Silver Metallic, and the color on our review car, Gold Leaf Metallic.

• The 2010 Ford Taurus is built in Chicago. Its engine is made in Lima, Ohio.

Note: This review was published on October 21, 2009. It may not reflect data that has become available for this vehicle since that date.