New Car Overview of the 2005 Ford Taurus Mid-Size Sedan and Wagon

Description: Mid-Size Sedan and Wagon
Base MSRP Range: $20,485 - $23,345
Invoice Price Range: $18,772 - $21,345
Where built: USA

The popular family cars from Ford fit in the mid-size class and appear in configurations of a four-door sedan and five-door station wagon. All issues for 2005 line up in simplified trim sequences as SE or SEL.

Cabins for sedans hold five or six due to a choice in front seat style -- bench or buckets. The three-person front bench for Taurus SE contains a flip-down center back section that becomes a console when tipped forward. Two front buckets for Taurus SEL are split by a console that has an open bin in front and a closed compartment in back. The wagon version brings seats for seven or eight with an optional rear-facing third bench.

Engines for Taurus include Ford's 3.0-liter Vulcan V6, rated at 153-hp, and a dual-cam Duratec version available on SEL that rises to 200-hp. Ford's 4-speed automatic transaxle mates with either engine.

A premium package for SEL adds leather seats, a six-disc CD changer, electronic climate controls and automatic headlamps.