2013 Ford Taurus and 2013 Lincoln MKS

2013 Ford Taurus

Here it is. This is the 2013 Ford Taurus and this is somewhat the Evos-fied facelift of the sixth generation Taurus, which is the best Taurus I have ever witnessed upon its three-year tenure. For this latest refresh, we'd expected a new face inspired from the Ford Evos concept car, new gizmos loaded depending on which variant, and some new choice of engines to expect. There is now the new and improved 2.0L Ti-VCT EcoBoost l4 engine, which generates about 240HP of power, 270lb-ft of torque, and estimated fuel economy of about 26MPG combined. A 3.5L 24-valve DOHC Ti-VCT V6 was offered and also the one that I quite like. It's the SHO Version which comes with the 3.5L Twin Turbo Charged Direct Injection EcoBoost V6 engine that peaks out about 365HP of power. All Tauruses have a conventional 6-speed Auto but the SHO comes with paddle shifters.

2013 Ford Taurus interior

Sure the interior remains the same but it appears the hard drive's have been completely new or in translation, Ford added the MyFord Touch with the a new head unit with 8" touch screen, steering wheel and interactive gauge cluster. There's more;  a heated steering wheel, all new Sony sound system featuring HD Radio and iTunes Tagging, Multicontour seats with Active Motion (massage), push-button start, auto high beams and a rear view camera were there to keep it a bit more luxurious. 

Anyway, word from the devil, the 2013 Taurus is a bit more refined for an average salaryman who wants to go out for work but for the SHO version this car is about as feistier as <! --metaphors involved!! -- > Nina Williams. Uh-huh, the sport-tuned shock absorbers, springs, stabilizer bars and strut mount bushings on the SHO really made it as sharp as a European sedan with added flying kicks. It's not as dynamic as an American muscle car but it's as mild as a Porsche and because it's 4WD, too much grip. No matter though, it's still more like a feisty female video game character I know but what if for those who don't want something feisty?

To put it this way, the standard 2013 Taurus costs about $26,600 up to $39,200 for the high-performance SHO. Actually this is a lot cheaper than any other European sports saloons I know but if the Taurus is not too luxurious, what's the point with this?

2013 Lincoln MKS

This is the 2013 Lincoln MKS. Even though this is a Ford Taurus in Lincoln's clothing, this facelift is a bit more...irritating to my eyes. It's like Cybermen vs. Daleks trying to design something but hey, this weird looking front face feels like it's even more scarier than the Weeping Angel but on the inside...well that's a different story.

2013 Lincoln MKS interior

That's a completely new interior for the 2013 MKS here. There's now the new MyLincoln Touch feature that allows me to make and receive phone calls hands-free, or even browse and play my favorite songs with voice recognition.

Although it uses the same platform as the Taurus, the MKS is offered with the 3.7L V6 engine or the high performance 3.5L EcoBoost V6 engine. Because I'm sticking on the EcoBoost story, that engine generates about 365HP of power, same as the 2013 Taurus SHO. While the 3.7 V6 is FWD (with the optional AWD), the EcoBoost variant is 4WD, same case but sadly, the Lincoln MKS doesn't have the adjustable suspension as the Taurus. I'm afraid the driving feel for the MKS is a bit of faff. A BIT OF FAFF. Didn't like how it behaves because it feels like a Japanese luxury car that was made for the accountants, geography teachers, and someone named Brian.

Another concern was its pricing as the standard MKS with the 3.7L engine on it costs about $42,810, twice as the normal Taurus. So then, it's your choice really, you can either have the feisty one or the one that is a bit of a faff. Sadly though, both of them will lose. Just saying...