Ford Taurus luxury car

Freshened for 2013, the Taurus is reminiscent of Ford’s top-of-the-line family sedans of yesteryear, cars such as the Galaxie 500, the LTD: big, comfortable, and quiet, with relaxed dynamics and respectable power. Plus interior appointments that border on luxury. But even though Taurus pricing can soar well above the $40, 000 threshold, Ford refrains from portraying it as a luxury sedan. As with its premium family-sedan forebears, luxury is the province of Lincoln.

Nevertheless, there’s lots of luxury here. Check the amenities in our $35, 240 all-wheel-drive SEL test car: leather seats with power adjustability and heat up front, dual-zone auto climate control, auto-up-and-down power windows, remote starting, AM/FM/CD audio with an auxiliary jack and satellite radio, power-adjustable pedals, ambient lighting, a rearview camera, updated MyFord Touch secondary controls with voice-activated Sync connectivity, a tilting-and-telescoping steering column, adaptive cruise control, and blind-spot warning with cross-traffic alert. (In addition, Taurus models offer a new self-parking feature, although this wasn’t a part of our test car’s equipment.)

Some of the foregoing is optional equipment. But it all adds up to a car that coddles its occupants with a rich and serene driving environment that makes ordinary commuting and cross-country driving very pleasant indeed.