User:Sable232/G3 Taurus

This generation of Ford Taurus was completely redesigned from the ground up, and used a rounded, oval-derived design that was controversial at the time and is considered to be the main reason for this model's downfall in the market. It was designed this way to appeal to buyers of the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord - both of which were similarly styled - as well as to make Ford a design leader in the North American market, a title that was then attributed to the Chrysler Corporation. Among the most controversial features of the design were both the oval shaped rear window and the front fascia that was composed of separate circular headlights and turn signals.

The car was released for sale in late 1995 to mixed reactions from consumers. Despite this, the Taurus managed to retain its status as the best selling car in America through the 1996 model year. However, this was achieved through heavy sales to car rental companies, as only 49% of Taurus sales in 1996 were to private customers. In comparison, the majority of Honda Accord and Toyota Camry sales are to private customers. Because of this, the Taurus lost its bestseller status in 1997 to the Toyota Camry, a title that it hasn't recovered as of 2008. This generation of Taurus continued to be sold until 1999, when it was replaced with the Fourth-generation Ford Taurus.

Third generation development
Development for the third generation Taurus began in the early 90s, and its designers and engineers believed that they were faced with a daunting task; they compared completely redesigning the Taurus to repainting the Mona Lisa. Like the first generation Taurus, the new Taurus was developed by a team effort, in which the exterior and interior designers, engineers, and marketing staff had input on the new car.

Many designs were considered during the development process, from designs that resembled the second generation cars, to more radically styled cars. They eventually decided on a radical new styling scheme based upon oval derived design elements, which would prove to be the car's Achilles heel in the marketplace. Chief designer Jack Telnack, who oversaw the development of the first and second generation Taurus, said that his Taurus was designed the way it was to stand out in the marketplace, and that the use of the oval was becoming the new global design theme for Ford.

Breaking down and testing competing cars, as well as listening to customer input played a large part in the development of the third generation Taurus, just like it did during the development of the first generation. Many competing cars were broken down and extensively tested in order for the Taurus to be designed to be superior to them in terms of comfort, performance, and refinement; Most notably, the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord were extensively tested, and the Taurus' suspension was designed to emulate these cars' ride and handling techniques. Customer input played a large part into the design of the third generation Taurus' interior. The dashboard's design originated from a large number of complaints from customers that the previous Taurus' radio and climate control modules were cluttered with many small and similar feeling buttons, as well as small graphics, which caused the driver to have to look away from the road to be able to operate them properly. As a result, a large portion of the third generation's dash was devoted to the radio and climate control, with each button on these modules containing a unique design, making it easier for the driver to operate the radio and climate control without taking their eyes off the road. This would eventually lead to the creation of the Integrated Control Panel.

Making the new Taurus pleasing to the senses was a recurring theme throughout the third generation Taurus' development. Ford's engineers specially tuned every panel and component, so that every sound that the Taurus made, from the doors closing to the engine running, was acoustically pleasing. Ford's trim designers specially selected every one of the Taurus' interior materials, so that every surface, as well as every button and control, was pleasing to the touch.

Reception


The third generation Taurus sedan was unveiled at the 1995 North American International Auto Show, and garnered the most attention from journalists and publications than any other car at the show. The wagon was unveiled at the 1995 Chicago Auto Show, and garnered similar amounts of attention. After their respective unveilings, both vehicles became among the most anticipated new cars of the 1996 model year, similar to the first generation Taurus.

Reception to the new Taurus by automotive publications was generally positive. Road & Track gave the Taurus a good review upon its release, and found its handling and refinement impressive. Motor Trend also gave the Taurus a positive review, although they found the oval styling awkward upon first glace. Despite this, they found it to have many redeeming qualities. However, unlike the first generation Taurus, it fell short of their Car of the Year award, which was instead awarded to the Dodge Caravan.

Consumer reaction was mixed, however. Ford had hoped the radical redesign would lead to the same success it had with the 1986 Taurus, and went as far as predicting that the new Taurus would continue the outgoing model's record of selling over 400,000 units a year. Sales were somewhat slow at first, prompting Ford to add a low priced "G" model mid year 1996. It managed to keep its position as the best selling car in the United States in 1996, although this was because of heavy sales to rental fleets, which composed 51% of all Taurus sales for that year. This is opposed to the Toyota Camry, of which its largest amount of sales were through retail outlets to individual customers. In 1997, the Taurus lost its bestselling title, as it slipped to #3 behind a redesigned Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord.

Exterior
The exterior of the third generation Taurus was completely redesigned for 1996. It used a controversial new shape that chief designer Jack Telnack claimed was penned to make the Taurus stand out to sedan buyers, and compared the current Taurus to the likeness of a pair of slippers. This shape was based upon that of an oval, which was perhaps inspired by that of Ford's own logo, and while the previous Taurus used a flat, streamlined shape, this Taurus used a rounded shape similar to that of the Chrysler Concorde. Station wagons also got new sheet metal, although from the firewall back, the Taurus and Mercury Sable wagons again shared the same panels, with all station wagon doors being the same as those used on the Sable sedans. As the new-generation Taurus was aimed at a more mature, affluent customer base, its exterior contained many upscale styling touches. For example, the LX came with chrome alloy wheels, chrome dual exhaust tips, and the "Taurus" badge on the back was written in script, as opposed to the block letters used in previous generations. In 1998, the exterior of the Taurus received a slight redesign to make the shape more mainstream, in order to appeal to a wider customer base. The front bumper was redesigned to have a full length opening, as well as moving the Ford logo down onto a chrome bar mounted in the grill, similar to that of the third generation Taurus SHO. These years were also fitted with different front turn signal lenses, featuring completely clear lenses and a multi-reflector surface in the rear of the housing, around the bulb. The rear turn signal lenses were also changed from amber to red, to match the rest of the lightbar assembly.

Interior
The interior was also completely redesigned for the 1996 model year. Like that of the previous two generations, the interior was designed to be user friendly. The dashboard wrapped slightly around the driver; all of the main controls were placed within easy reach, and were designed to be recognizable by touch and to be operated by drivers without taking their eyes off the road. The controls for the radio and climate control were combined into an oval shaped "Integrated Control Panel" mounted in the center of the dash, which was created in response to many complaints from Taurus owners that they couldn't easily operate the main controls of the radios and climate control systems without taking their eyes off the road. Another new innovation was the "Flip-Fold" center console on bench seat equipped cars, where the middle seat cushion folded out into a console with a storage bin and cupholders, while the seatback folded down to become an armrest. A traditional center console with a floor mounted shifter was installed on cars equipped with bucket seats.

The new interior wasn't as configurable as that of the previous car. The G and GL models (see below) were only available with steering column-mounted shifter with a cloth front bench seat and the "Flip-Fold" center console. The LX came standard with bucket seats in either cloth or leather, with a center console and floor mounted shifter. The column mounted shifter and a cloth front bench was available as a no-cost option. In 1999, the interior was again available in three configurations; a front bench seat with a column mounted shifter, front bucket seats with a center console and floor mounted shifter, or front bucket seats with a center console and a column mounted shifter. Each configuration was offered in both trim levels.

Models and engines
At its launch, the Taurus was available in two models, the GL, which was the entry level/value model, and the LX, which was the top of the line model. The GL was basic, and didn't have many optional features, while the LX came with many standard features and was highly configurable. To close the price gap between the Taurus and the Ford Contour, as well as to increase sales, a entry level G model was added midway into the 1996 model year, as essentially a slightly de-contented GL. For the 1998 model year, the models of Taurus were completely changed. The G and GL were dropped, and the LX became the entry level/value model. The SE model from 1995 was revived, and it became the top tier model. The SE was offered with two special packages; the Comfort package which added chrome wheels carried over from the LX, automatic climate control, the Duratec engine V6 (see below), and bucket seats with a center console and a floor mounted shifter, or the Sport package, which contained all of the features in the comfort package, but substituted the chrome wheels for 5 spoke alloy wheels.

The 1996 model year was the first time that the Taurus did not have an optional engine. The base G and GL had the 3.0 L Vulcan V6. The LX got the new 3.0 L DOHC Duratec 30 V6, which produced 200 HP and was developed specifically for this model. When Ford rearranged the Taurus models for 1998, the Vulcan became the standard engine, and the Duratec became optional on all models. However, it was only available on the SE for 1999. Two variants of the same four-speed automatic transaxle continued from the previous generation: The AX4S was used only on Vulcans, while the sturdier AX4N came on all Duratecs and some Vulcans.

Export Models


As well as being sold in the North American market, third generation models were sent abroad to Australia, Hong Kong, Japan and New Zealand, in right-hand drive configuration. However, this action proved unsuccessful. In these markets, it wore Mercury Sable headlamps and a unique front bumper cover to conform to these countries' regulations regarding automotive lighting. Australians and New Zealanders tended to stay away from the cars, due to their high price; a well equipped, larger-engined rear-wheel drive Ford Fairmont cost around the same amount. While the Japanese market was offered the station wagon, Australian buyers could only opt for a single-spec sedan, known as the Taurus Ghia.