Best Reviewed
Family Cars
- Best family car overall 2012 Toyota Camry *Est. $21955
- Best family-car value 2012 Kia Optima *Est. $19500
- Best large family car 2012 Chrysler 300 *Est. $27470
Get info about new reports and updates
- Good-looking
- Luxurious cabin
- Roomy interior
- Capacious trunk
- Available all-wheel drive
- Powerful, turbocharged SHO trim
- Heavy
- Lousy rear visibility
- Lack of steering feel
- Fuel economy's nothing special
- Optional massaging seats don't massage back
Experts appreciate the cushy cabin and enormous trunk of the 2011 Ford Taurus, but its bulky, dull driving feel keeps it a runner-up to the top-rated 2011 Buick LaCrosse (Base MSRP: $27,130 to $33,205). The Taurus gets only a few minor equipment updates for 2011: a standard rearview camera for the Limited and SHO trims, three free years of the Traffic, Directions and Information feature for Taurus models equipped with Sync, and HD radio capability for the optional navigation system. Otherwise, the Taurus is unchanged from 2010; see our full report on the 2010 Ford Taurus (Base MSRP: $25,170 to $37,770) for more information.
Available turbo engine packs a lot of muscle
The most fuel-efficient 2012 Taurus is the base model, with front-wheel drive and a naturally aspirated, 263-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6 engine (28 mpg city/28 mpg highway/22 mpg combined). Opt for all-wheel drive, and fuel economy drops to 17 mpg city/25 mpg highway/20 mpg combined, with either the base engine or the twin-turbo version that makes 365 horsepower.
Solid safety scores
The 2011 Ford Taurus is once again a Top Safety Pick at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, earning the highest rating of "good" in all crash tests there – front, side, rollover and rear. At the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which introduced tougher crash tests for 2011, the Taurus now earns 4 stars out of 5 overall (4 for frontal crash protection and rollover resistance, and 5 stars for side crash protection). The 2011 Taurus comes with antilock brakes, traction and stability control and front, front-side and curtain airbags.
Prices have risen on the 2011 Ford Taurus, ranging from a base MSRP of $25,170 for the entry-level Taurus SE to $38,155 for the range-topping Taurus SHO (both $385 more than last year).
Our Sources
1. Edmunds.com
The Ford Taurus gets only minor equipment changes for 2011, but otherwise remains "an appealing reinvention of the classic full-size American sedan," Edmunds.com says.
Review: 2011 Ford Taurus, Editors of Edmunds.com
2. SaferCar.gov
The 2011 Ford Taurus earns 4 stars out of 5 overall in federal crash tests. It gets 4 stars for frontal crash protection and rollover resistance, and 5 stars for side crash protection.
Review: 2011 Ford Taurus 4DR FWD and AWD, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
3. IIHS.org
The 2011 Ford Taurus is a Top Safety Pick here, earning the highest rating of "good" in all crash tests – front, side, rollover and rear.
Review: Ford Taurus, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
EPA fuel-economy estimates are published here for most cars sold in the U.S. Fuel economy for the 2011 Ford Taurus ranges from a high of 22 mpg overall with front-wheel drive and the base engine to 20 mpg with the bigger engine and all-wheel drive.
Review: 2011 Ford Taurus, U.S. Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency
The 2011 Ford Taurus remains largely unchanged from 2010. Our full analysis of that model links to multiple expert reviews.
Review: 2010 Ford Taurus, Editors of ConsumerSearch.com, Sept. 2010
Family Cars Runners Up:
9 picks including: FuelEconomy.gov, Edmunds.com…
8 picks including: FuelEconomy.gov, Edmunds.com…
7 picks including: FuelEconomy.gov, Car and Driver…
7 picks including: FuelEconomy.gov, Edmunds.com…
6 picks including: FuelEconomy.gov, Car and Driver…
5 picks including: FuelEconomy.gov, Edmunds.com…
4 picks including: FuelEconomy.gov, Edmunds.com…
4 picks including: FuelEconomy.gov, Edmunds.com…
1 pick including: FuelEconomy.gov, Kelley Blue Book…