It simply amazes me that the Ford Taurus is still in production. After many years of major transmission, engine, and general quality control complaints one would have thought this car would have landed itself in an early grave. Unlike many other cars that had caused their owners so much anger and grief, do to poor reliability, quality control, and lack of dealer support, i.e the Hyundai Excel, the Ford Taurus somehow made it past all those thousands of unhappy customers and is still being sold for the 2002 year with the claim that it is "one of the best selling cars in America."  
 
For the 2002 model year the Ford Taurus Sedan comes available in a multitude of trim lines that include the base LX, the SE, SES (tester) and SEL. The wagon is offered in SE and SEL trim. 2 powerplants are also available. All trims besides the SEL come standard with the reliable yet anemic OHV 3.0 Vulcan V6, while a DOHC Duratec 3.0 V6 is standard on the SEL and is an option on the lesser trim lines. Transmissions include a standard, clunky, unrefined, 4-speed automatic.  
 
Driving Impressions:  
 
My tester 'Taurus SES Deluxe' had the optional 3.0 DOHC Duratec engine (almost a $900 option). At one point in time (1996) I was impressed with this engine, but alas other companies have moved ahead with technology and for 2002 this engine just seems like it's lagging in the refinement department. Off-the-line acceleration with the Duratec V6 is fair, but the DOHC Duratec seems lackadaisical compared to the 3.0 V6 in the 2002 Accord and totally anemic compared to the 3.5 V6 in the Nissan Altima. On take-off the Duratec almost strains to get this 3,500lb vehicle up to speed. Don't get me wrong, the car is not slow by any means, it just has to work much harder to get up to speed than the competition. The 4-speed fully automatic transmission coupled to this engine only makes accelerating problems worse. The transmission, while loads refined over the AXOD tranny equipped in the 1986-1995 Tauruses still lacks the precise shifting associated with cars like the Camry or even the Chevy Impala. Clunky automatic shifting between 1st gear and 2nd is still noticeable, and shifting too soon (high gear around 30 MPH)is still annoying, as the car has virtually no power at this speed in high gear, so automatic down-shifting and up-shifting while driving through town is almost inevitable if you don't manually take it out of overdrive.  
 
Handling in the 2002 Taurus is good, however like most family cars on the twistys, this car tends to lean which can be quite prevalent around bends at high speeds. The 2002 Taurus SES is not a bad handler for what it is, but like the powertrain, most of the competition has the edge in this department as well.  
 
Cruising in this relatively large family sedan is not exactly another downfall for the Taurus SES but it's also not an attribute worth boasting about. When cruising at 60-65 MPH wind and engine noise can be heard in the cabin, but for the first time while in a Ford Taurus it did not bother me. With the older generation, wind and engine noise would get very annoying, and while it still can get annoying when accelerating under full throttle, the 2002 Tauruses are nowhere near as noisy, at least not with the Duratec engine. Since it's redesign in 2000, the Ford Taurus seems to take bumps much easier, and rattles are kept to a minimum; jolts are also much easier on the spine. I can remember driving the 96-1999 Tauruses and not believing how many rattles and unexpected jolts would be present on bumpy surfaces. There is a major improvement vs. the last generation in this dept. Hills are taken well. Surprisingly the Duratec V6 enables this heavy weight to tackle up to 7% grades without having to automatically down-shift to maintain 75 MPH, and can even gain speed up these sorts of inclines if given good 'right foot power,' again without the need for the automatic to down-shift.  
 
Braking in the 2002 Taurus SES deluxe is average-good. Despite this car having the infamous front disc, rear drum set-up, it has standard 4-wheel ABS which help assure good, safe stops. I was somewhat impressed with braking, however I still feel that with the price of the 'Taurus SES deluxe' 4-wheel discs with ABS should be standard equipment. Even with the tall gearing fuel economy is only average. The EPA is 20/27 which is lower than the larger, less sophisticated 3.8 OHV engined Chevrolet Impala.  
 
Fuel Economy. gov has more info on EPA ratings.  
 
 
Interior Accommodation:  
 
The interior of the 2002 Taurus SES is a mixed bag. While the car possesses many strong attributes, this car also has its obvious weak points. The interior vs its recent predecessor's is much more desirable, yet still remains cheap looking and the materials are still not up to par. For example, the dash seems dated, cluttered, and uninteresting. The instrument cluster is relatively small, but offers all the gauges you could want. Tachometer, temp gauge, etc. etc. are added for driver convenience and are very easy to read while driving. Some noteworthy 'options' on the deluxe SES include, AC, 6 disc in-dash CD player, adjustable pedals; these adjustable pedals may sound cool in theory, but I feel Ford should have saved the money and used it on the poor quality leather seating, WWW. CARS.COM has more info on all equipment that can be had with the SES deluxe trim. Standard amenities include your basic family bag. Dual air bags, 4 cup holders, remote keyless entry, power everything, and cruise control. All amenities can boast that they are ergonomically friendly, however the stereo system is very cluttered, much like the systems in the Volvo line-up. This system also falls short in the clarity department, and received terrible FM reception while driving through local mountain valleys. Seating is average, yet again falls short of the competition. My SES tester was equipped with optional front bucket 'plastic feeling' leather seats with a 'floor auto shifter' and console betwixt the driver and passenger. These seats offer good support and standard 6-way power adjustments, but due to the cheap feel they really put a hamper on certain aspects of my driving experience with this car. Wearing a T-shirt and the outside temp being 55 degrees (yes that's all it gets here during the day) my arms felt like they were resting on ice cubes while first trying to get comfy in these pleather seats. The quality of the leather actually reminded me of the poor leather seating in my 1989 Mercury Sable. The rear seats are made of the same cheap material, which offers a 60/40 split configuration. Like all Ford Tauruses room remains very good, front and rear passengers will enjoy more than enough room for long trips. Storage is also good. Tons of room for a family of 5s' weeks worth of groceries. There are also many storage compartments throughout the cabin.  
 
 
Exterior Innovation:  
 
The exterior of the 2002 Ford Taurus, while once looking like what many thought looked like a jelly bean back in '86, than a space ship in '96, has now joined the world of Plain Jane automotive design. There are large see-through effect head lamps, and angled tail lamps, but this car still looks like every car you see on the Hertz rental car lot. The 16" 5 spoke alloy rims, and optional spoiler do add some sport to this sedan, but still looks every bit the part of a car that was made to get lost in traffic. The loss of the dual exhaust system on the Duratec equipped models just makes it that much harder for this car to look sporty.  
 
Price, Reliability, & Warranty:  
 
 
With the 2002 model year coming to a close I'm sure there are rebates out there on these cars, however my tester had none, and was priced at a whopping $23,000 without taxes. Reliability with the Ford Taurus has almost always been poor. I always hear from Taurus owners that their new car has had no problems, but after 3 years they are in the shop getting a new transmission. This has been the norm for these cars for some years now, and I am now getting complaints that the '99 models are having reliability problems. Not sure if Ford fixed any of these problems, but if this car is a 'must' on your shopping list, and you can afford it, I would ask for an extended warranty, as Ford only offers a 3 year 36,000 mile warranty with roadside assistance. 
