| 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
I've never readlly bought into the whole crossover thing. I'd prefer a wagon. So when I first bought a crossover, it was essentially a large wagon.
A handsome if derivative and bland design.
Much hard plastic inside. The related sedan had more soft surfaces.
| Compared to the QX50 | |
| Powertrain performance |
Better
Worse
|
In 2008 255 horsepower was pretty good for a 4400-pound crossover. Later on, though, the transmission started flaring some shifts and would occasionally bump. We changed the fluid a couple of times, and the problems with it never got worse.
| Quietness |
Better
Worse
|
Somewhat quiet. Could be quieter.
| Driving position & visibility |
Better
Worse
|
You sit high over a relatively low instrument panel. If anything too high. Some of the controls and the nav screen were too low to be safely viewed while driving. The wheel only tilted, it did not telescope.
| Rear seat room & comfort |
Better
Worse
|
The second row seat was mounted comfortably high off the floor.
| Cargo capacity |
Better
Worse
|
The Taurus X, unlike crossovers from companies other than Ford, had a deep well behind the third-row seat. As a result it could carry more luggage than competitors with the third row in use.
| Compared to the QX50 | |
| Fuel economy |
Better
Worse
|
In town we regularly got 15-16 mpg, and we rarely cracked 22 mpg on the highway. This was consistent with the 15/22 EPA ratings.
| Handling |
Better
Worse
|
The steering was fairly numb, and the Taurus X did not handle as well as many more recent crossovers.
| Compared to the QX50 | |
| Exterior styling |
The exterior styling is pretty boring. The Freestyle looked a bit better because of a different front fascia and five-spoke wheels.
| Color choices |
My wife never liked the sage green color. She said it just looked gray.
We liked the Taurus X well enough until it started rusting around the rockers and rear wheel openings. Good cargo volume behind the third row, more than other large crossovers.
