Description
The Taurus was one of the best selling cars in America for over a decade, after its first generation launch in 1986. The 1995 model came with a totally new design.
The first generation of the Taurus was built to replace the older Ford LTD and it represented the transition to front-wheel-drive for the mid-size family sedan. After nine years, the third generation was introduced and it had to continue the winning streak of the Taurus. But it didn't.
While its predecessors featured a conservative design, the fourth generation of the Taurus dared to be different. It was the era of biodesign and Ford tried that in a conservative market. The oval shape of the logo was the inspiration design element for the whole car. The dual oval headlights were accompanied by oval-shaped side windows and an oval rear windscreen.
The interior repeated the oval theme on the center stack where the climate controls and the stereo were incorporated into an oval-shaped black plastic. Even the instrument cluster was elliptical. Despite the design, the car featured sufficient room for up to six adults, with an intelligent front bench. In the rear, the Taurus featured a three-point seatbelt for the middle passenger, a first for its class.
For the engine compartment, Ford installed a choice of three V6 engines ranged from 3.0- to 3.4-liter with power up to 238 hp. All three versions were mated to a standard 4-speed auto, with a steering-column shifter.
