2009 Ford Taurus Quality Review

Reviewers like the 2009 Ford Taurus for the quiet, comfortable ride, but despite improvements, some still quibble about the quality of interior components.

The vast interior of the 2009 Ford Taurus makes it possible to seat five passengers quite comfortably, as reviews read by TheCarConnection.com note. ConsumerGuide remarks that "headroom and legroom are both six-footer ample" up front, "but some testers still want more rearward seat travel." Automobile Magazine reports that the front seats "provide that commanding view of the road that SUV owners were always going on about." Autoblog positively gushes that "the bottom cushion is so far from the ground that entering the vehicle is a matter of opening the door and sliding your butt to the right. Ford calls it Command Seating, and we dig it." The rear seats offer much of the same story, with Edmunds declaring that "legroom is plentiful," while ConsumerGuide notes that "three adults will fit but may feel cramped on longer trips."

The large dimensions also bestow the 2009 Ford Taurus with quite a bit of usable storage space. Automobile Magazine points out that the Ford Taurus has "more interior room than a Chrysler 300 or a Toyota Avalon," while Motor Trend simply calls the interior "cavernous." The trunk is equally large, and ConsumerGuide says that the "voluminous trunk has a flat floor, usefully cubic shape, a large opening, and non invasive strut-type lid hinges." Those features all combine to give the 2009 Ford Taurus "a whopping 21.2 cubic feet (think six golf bags) in the trunk proper, and a whole lot more if the split rear and front passenger seats are collapsed," according to Motor Trend.

Despite its many virtues, the 2009 Ford Taurus is far from perfect, as complaints about materials quality show. AutoWeek points out that "while the wood trim avoids the trap of warping it into shapes only a sculptor could love, it looks tacked on rather than integrated," and Cars.com claims the center armrest is "hard enough to dribble a basketball on." ConsumerGuide is more moderate, reporting that the Ford Taurus's "cabin materials are nothing special but are appropriate for the price and include many soft-touch surfaces." Cars.com also laments that the "overhead grab handles still slam against the ceiling when you let go—something most automakers addressed years ago with soft-shut handles."

When compared to the Ford Five Hundred, the new Ford Taurus is far more advanced in terms of build quality. This is probably best evidenced by the very subdued driving environment, which many reviewers praise. Motor Trend says that "foam pellets expanded into the A-pillars and new sound-absorptive material, called Sonosorb, swathed throughout the cabin" provide the improved noise reduction. MSN notes that it is "even quieter than the 2007 Five Hundred," in part because "revised outside mirrors that produce less wind noise." They also credit the new engine mounts that mean "Engine vibration is isolated...and doesn't transmit readily to the passenger compartment," although they warn "the Taurus Limited's 18-inch tires" can cause a bit of noise "on rough pavement." ConsumerGuide agrees somewhat, finding "tire noise intrudes only on coarsest pavement," but overall they consider the 2009 Ford Taurus "refined for a mainstream family car."