Anyone else excited about the SHO?

[GaToR]

There are those that think the old Taurus SHO was all that and a bag of chips. I'm no fanclub member, but I do want to thank them for their petitions to bring it backwith a vengeance!



The more I think about this car, the more excited I get. Everything about it sounds good. Not great, but then it doesn't have to be, because at $37K it'll be cheaper than a lot of its competition.

I'm thinking this is the next bang/buck alternative to a 335xi, S4, or G37X. Granted, the Taurus is a full-size, but modern Fords are notoriously lightweight despite their ample proportions.

As of next year, it should beat all the mid-range sport-luxury AWD sedans on power, torque, fuel economy. The only thing to wonder about is handling and interior comfort. And after reading Autoblog's glowing review of the Fusion Sport's torque-sensing AWD system, I think handling won't be much of an issue. Nor do I think the interior comfort will be lacking for the price.

[drwrx]

The new SHO's advanced engine turns a relatively small 3.5 liters of displacement displacement and a lot of pressure into 365 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 350 ft.-lb of torque at 3,500 rpm. That makes this version of Ford's 3.5L EcoBoost V6 the most powerful one available with 10 more horsepower than its other applications.

I had a good friend who had the original SHO and I always liked that car. If Ford can just make it handle well, this one looks to be a real winner!

Backing up the potent powerplant is a torque-sensing all-wheel-drive system mated to Ford's 6F55 six-speed SelectShift automatic transmission. The tranny is augmented by a manual mode that can be controlled either by the console shifter or paddle shifters, and will also rev match downshifts and hold gears even when the tach is bouncing off the engine's redline.

It just keeps looking better and better.

[Mr Kleen]

I'm glad it's coming out and I hope it does really well, but I don't think anyone will cross shop the SHO and an S4 or 335ix.

[drwrx]

I'm glad it's coming out and I hope it does really well, but I don't think anyone will cross shop the SHO and an S4 or 335ix.

Maybe not, but in these economic times, it may move some folks from a 535, E320/350, ES350, M35/45, A6, S60, CTS, 300 or Charger.

[chicken n waffles]

The more I think about this car, the more excited I get. Everything about it sounds good. Not great, but then it doesn't have to be, because at $37K it'll be cheaper than a lot of its competition.

in a rough economy, you're damned right it has to be great for commanding $37k, competition be damned.

[GaToR]

How much does a loaded STI run?

Subaru is often called an 'alternative brand'. It has developed a tuner niche market because its an alternative to cars costing X times as much.

In stock form the WRX is only slightly better performer that several cars. If you know how to turn a wrench, however, its no contest. You have a whole range from GT sedan to supercar to choose from, depending on how far you want to go.


The Hyundai Genesis V8 starts at $37K. It has similar power and torque ratings . And many dare to call that car good value because it doesn't have the $45K starting price of the 'establishment'.

I'm sure someone has called the 335i a good bang/buck relative to the M3... if you're a tuner that is.


I wasn't exactly suggesting that the SHO (likely built in limited numbers) is going to take over the market. It would take an act of God or Congress to get some buyers away from their favorite brand.

DCAWD is not an accurate representation of the entire auto market. And a reliable bang/buck AWD turbocharged car... with an almost guaranteed aftermarket... might be worth looking at.

That's all I'm trying to say. That's all I'm driving at. Really. If you think about it. That's all.



IN ADDITION: Ford might be the next tuner haven. That ecoboost TT V-6 is going in everything from the F-series to the Fusion by 2012. If you don't think the aftermarket won't be watching that one closely, you're nuts!

[drwrx]

IN ADDITION: Ford might be the next tuner haven. That ecoboost TT V-6 is going in everything from the F-series to the Fusion by 2012. If you don't think the aftermarket won't be watching that one closely, you're nuts!

I've known several Ford wrenchers. I had a buddy who worked over a SVO Mustang many years back and got that thing running 11s, and that was back when a 13 was world class. I will be watching the ecoboost TT V-6 development very closely. I think your going to see some big things move that way. Wouldn't we all think long and hard about a 340 hp Fusion for $27,000 that can be cheaply modded to 350-400 whp? Think what a used one will go for after a year or two? $18k?

I love my subies, but I would be all over one of those.

[WRXWagon2112]

I LOVED the original Taurus SHO! My dad had the lesser sibling - the Taurus MT5 - which was the only model other than the SHO that you could get with a manual transmission (albeit with a much weaker motor). He desperately wanted to trade up but it was just too pricey for us.

Unfortunately, Ford switched to automatic-only after the first two years and later dropped the Yamaha V6 in favor of one of their own engines. That was the death-knell for the SHO line. It was the Yamaha engine that really made that car what it was. I just hope that the new V6 can provide the kind of fun that the original engine did. I, for on, am looking forward to this. I'm with ya, Matt!

--Alan

[sirwilliam]

No. I am not excited about the new SHO.

[Mr Kleen]

I once test drove an SHO. it was in decent used condition, about 5 years old. the shifter was all rubbery (perhaps from being used) and she was a hefty girl, but she would hustle. I would have bought the car but the leather interior was in horrible shape, that killed the deal.

[zaxrex]

The old sho was a vary bad car. It did $9K in damage to my car. If Ford Gave me $9k credit on one, I'd buy it.

[complacent]

Wow, I'm sold.

[scheherazade]

I'm glad it's coming out and I hope it does really well, but I don't think anyone will cross shop the SHO and an S4 or 335ix.

That must be Ford's plan...

$38k (5 dollars short) for the base model SHO.

Look how close it is to base model 3 series.
335 i coupe - $42.2k
335 xi coupe - $44.1k
335 i sedan - $40.3k
335 xi sedan - $42.3k

A lot of people would stretch the 2k if they could "upgrade" to a German car.

All [mis]perceptions aside, I think this is a killer model. Kudos to Ford.

-scheherazade

[WRXWagon2112]

Don't forget: the 3-series is considered a compact car while the current Taurus is a full-size car. For less money you get a much larger vehicle.

--Alan

[drwrx]

$38k (5 dollars short) for the base model SHO.

If Ford follows the previous SHO patterns there will be little to no options outside of color.
The old SHOs came only one way, loaded.

[UpgreyD]

So that's why Conan sold his old SHO

[complacent]

New article regarding the car (with a few more pictarz) at Gear Diary of all places.

I'm intrigued. It looks (and sounds) pretty hot for a full size sedan.

[drwrx]

I'm holding my breath on this one.
I hope it's a massive success.

[WRXWagon2112]

AutoBlog has two "First Drive's":

1st First Drive / Preview:

...The new Taurus may not ignite the marrow in our enthusiast bones, but make no mistake – it is a very, very good car, and we can see its considerable attributes fitting the bill for a wide swath of consumers. ...

2nd First Drive

If we are beginning to sound a bit disappointed, well, we are. But perhaps it's our fault. By fixating on the "SHO" badge glued to the trunk lid, we duped ourselves us into thinking that this car would be different than what it turned out to be – despite the fact that we already understood that the regular-strength 2010 model intentionally orbits a wholly different planet than it did in the Eighties and Nineties. We thought we were getting something emotional – a genuine sport sedan. But real sport sedans respond to quick changes in direction like an Olympic gymnast. Real sports sedans ferret out corners like washing machines seek out pocket change. Real sport sedans are drawn to a pointed edge. But this SHO is safe-as-houses – it's all smoothed-off curves.

Don't get us wrong, Blue Oval faithful. There's plenty of meat here to get worked up over, but there's just not enough flavor to slake our red-meat enthusiast side. What Ford has wrought with the SHO isn't really a sports sedan at all – it's a four-door cruiser with sporty undertones. It's an "everything but the kitchen sink" approach to high performance. And while this big bull generates some pretty handsome numbers, it fails to inspire drivers to push harder, something that we desperately hoped it would do.

--Alan

[GaToR]

Odd that they charge so much extra for the Performance Package.

That would be like offering the GT-500 with regular Mustang brakes and suspension and then charging you $5K to go the rest of the way and actually get one that can handle all the power.


Glad to hear about the 'Torque Shelf.' Hopefully it finds its way under the hood of some other Fords as an option.

[Mr Kleen]

it weighs 4368 lbs!?!

[drwrx]

If the chassis is well balanced and not terribly front heavy a good set of springs and struts may radically change the character of the car for the better w/o ruining it's ride. So there still might be hope either from Ford's SVT parts bin or the aftermarket. I'm sure there will be lots of power mods coming down the pike for the EcoBoost. especially once it hits the Mustang.

[GaToR]

If the chassis is well balanced and not terribly front heavy a good set of springs and struts may radically change the character of the car for the better w/o ruining it's ride. So there still might be hope either from Ford's SVT parts bin or the aftermarket. I'm sure there will be lots of power mods coming down the pike for the EcoBoost. especially once it hits the Mustang.

Well apparently there already is a package that takes care of some of these items from Ford.


I just would have thought that in keeping with SHO tradition all the 'loaded' features would come standard on their full-size flagship.


And I had a reading comprehension fail, because it actually says in the article that its only an additional $1K. But still, if AB thinks the Ecoboost should not be paired to the base Taurus brakes on any SHO, I tend to agree.

[zaxrex]

That performance package seems to change the behavior quite a bit. Stiffer suspension made this weenie complain and should really only be for the enthusiasts.
First Drive: 2010 Ford Taurus SHO
But come on, getting a whole new final drive, suspension, and brakes for less than a grand? That is a pretty good deal for a package from a manufacturer.

But then that does bring the question, SHO's never had trim levels or option packages, why this one? I bet the answer is money. They have to make the SHO appeal to the widest market possible. the fact that they can offer a $1K package to capture another market subset, is gravy.

[Sabre]

Sounds like a pretty decent car!