Initial Quality – The 2010 Ford Taurus is completely redesigned, and had not yet been included in the J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study (IQS), which measures owner satisfaction with vehicle quality after 90 days of ownership, at the time this review was published.

Performance and Design – The 2010 Ford Taurus is completely redesigned, and had not yet been included in the J.D. Power and Associates Automotive Performance, Execution, and Layout Study (APEAL), which measures owner satisfaction with performance and design attributes of a vehicle, at the time this review was published.

Predicted Reliability – The previous-generation Ford Taurus, which arrived for the 2007 model year, was not included in the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS), which measures owner satisfaction with a vehicle’s reliability after three years of ownership, at the time this review was published. Based on the performance of previous Taurus models in our Initial Quality Study, JDPower.com gives the redesigned 2010 model 3.5 out of 5 Power Circle Ratings for predicted reliability.

Fuel Economy – The 2010 Ford Taurus is equipped with a 3.5-liter V-6 driving the front or all four wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission. According to the EPA, the Taurus is rated to return 18 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway in SE trim (SEL and Limited models come standard with a SelectShift automatic transmission, and get 18 city/27 highway) and 17 mpg city/25 mpg highway with all-wheel drive, operating on regular unleaded fuel. Our review vehicle, a Ford Taurus Limited with front-wheel drive, averaged 20.8 mpg in mixed driving with a highway emphasis. Combined with the Taurus’s standard 19-gallon fuel tank, this actual fuel economy figure results in an approximate 395-mile range between fill-ups of regular unleaded.

Safety – According to the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the 2010 Ford Taurus receives a 4-star rollover rating regardless of drive type. At the time this review was published, the NHTSA had not yet tested the Taurus for frontal or side impact crashworthiness.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) calls the 2010 Ford Taurus a “Top Safety Pick,” because it received a “Good” rating in the frontal offset crash test, a “Good” rating in the side impact crash test, and a “Good” rating for rear impact protection.

Environment – According to the EPA, the 2010 Ford Taurus consumes 15.6 barrels of petroleum annually with front-wheel drive (16.3 barrels with SelectShift) and 17.1 barrels of petroleum annually with all-wheel drive. Carbon footprint ratings are 8.3 (8.7 with SelectShift) and 9.2 tons of air pollution per year, respectively. The Taurus’s EPA air pollution scores were not published at the time this review was published.

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