2009 Ford Taurus Limited

The first thing you’ll most likely notice when moving to the 2009 Ford Taurus Limited trim is its 18-inch chrome alloy wheels. Inside, upgrades are mostly centered around the driver’s seat, which is now leather, heated, and 8-way adjustable with lumbar support. The driver now also enjoys a memory system, which governs the driver’s seat, power heated mirrors, and power-adjustable pedals. The passenger seat is also heated leather, comes with 4-way power, and folds flat. The AM/FM/6-CD/MP3 changer still comes with satellite radio, but now offers an iPod adapter, Bluetooth, and voice recognition, and comes with integrated controls on the leather-wrapped tilt steering wheel. A rear-obstacle-detection system is now standard, as well as a universal garage door opener and dual-zone automatic climate control. Power windows and doors come with remote keyless and keypad entry. The visor mirrors are illuminated, and the rearview mirror has an automatic day/night function. The headlights are automatically activated by the intermittent front wipers, and along with foglights and a rear defogger, the view should always be clear. A trip computer, tachometer, compass, and outside temperature indicator are all standard. The award-winning Duratec 3.5-liter V6 is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission with traction control included. A center console splits the front buckets and leads to the split-folding rear. Safety features with the Limited trim include four-wheel antilock disc brakes with brake assist and an anti-skid system, a tire pressure monitor, a theft-deterrent system, dual front, front side, and curtain side airbags, the last of which come with rollover deployment.

By Michael Perkins