Although the Taurus looks very much as it did in the beginning, the interior has had a number of revisions over the years, and the updates have kept the car current. Important controls are easily reached, and the analog instrument panel is in plain view. The large, simple dash-mounted light switch is more convenient than the stalk-mounted switches typical of Japanese cars, and power-window switches are easy to distinguish by touch.
Many conveniences have been made standard on the Taurus this year, including air conditioning, rear-window defroster, low-fuel warning light and solar-tinted glass to cut glare and heat. A nice touch in the optional center console is a removable rubber mat in the single cupholder, making it easy to clean sticky soda pop residue.
The Taurus is roomy inside and easy to enter and exit, with plenty of legroom up front and adequate room in the rear. The optional power moonroof in our LX test car cut headroom noticeably - a consideration for taller occupants - but otherwise the car is spacious for its size.
The Taurus has a relatively high cowl, with a dashboard that always hovers in your line of vision. This is unlike an Accord or Camry, for example, where the view is more glassy vista. Some find the high cowl claustrophobic; others find it gives them a sense of security.
The optional 6-way power seats make it easy to get comfortable. However, we found the seats a bit soft for long trips, and a little lower back support would have been nice.
Functional as it is, the interior does have some appearance problems. There are too many pieces in the dashboard and door panels, creating a number of bad fits and poor color matches and a generally cluttered, untidy appearance. And some optional items seem to be thrown into place. The controls for the power moonroof, for example, were housed in a tacky, oversize plastic box slapped between the sun visors.
The optional high-line JBL audio system in our test vehicle still had the old-style Ford faceplate with its multitude of tiny buttons. It's housed low in the console and is difficult to operate while driving. Fortunately, Ford has placed additional buttons high on the dashboard, allowing you to change the volume and station without taking your eyes off the road.
When you turn the key and take off, you realize the Taurus' strongest point: It is an easy-to-drive, well-behaved, nicely balanced sedan. Like the Chevy Lumina, its base engine is a V6.
The standard Taurus 3.0-liter V6 gets several improvements for '95: thicker walls in the cylinder blocks and a re-designed crankshaft to reduce vibration, and improved seals, water pump and thermostat for better performance. The engine coolant change interval has been bumped from 30,000 miles to 50,000 miles.
Our test LX was equipped with the optional 3.8-liter V6. With the same horsepower as the 3.0-liter but more torque lower down (215 lb.-ft. at 2200 rpm rather than 165 lb.-ft. at 3250 rpm), the optional engine has much better acceleration.
However, unlike some base engines, the 3.0-liter V6 does a perfectly acceptable job. The 3.8-liter V6 provides extra oomph for passing and keeping pace in the stoplight races, and it's the engine we'd choose. But we also recommend that you try both engines, to see if you need to spend the extra money.
The Taurus handles quite competently. The suspension system modifications have produced a much improved ride - firm and secure - and the car stays flat and controlled during cornering and acceleration. Steering is a little vague, lacking the light, immediate responsiveness of the Accord, in particular, but it's comfortable and easy to adjust to.
The Taurus' standard 4-speed automatic transmission shifts smoothly and has no tendency to hunt between gears in long uphill climbs.