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~2010 .Taurus has itfs own persona see THE CAR on page B05 z Canopy with rollover sensor. 0- Fords Advance Trac electronic sta- -bility control (ESP) is standard across *the board. The Taurus cornes in four trim ev- els starting with the SE FWD at $29,999, the SEL FWD ai $32,299, the jSEL AWVD at $34,799 and the Limited at $40699. For the record, the SHO starts at $48,199. The Taurus Limited as tested here Jwas no lightweight ai 4,224 lb. Rather than feeling ponderous, this translates into a sense of great solidity reminding Sme of the Mercedes-Benz F350 4Matic not just in terms of pace, but also of interior space and appointments. Ihe arca around Asheville is a coin- bination of wide, rolling lreeways and tortuous backwoods two-lane black- top. The latter would be a challenge for any fuli-size car. Here, the normally aspirated 3.5-litre V6 had ils work cut oui for itself especially in the higher reaches of the Blue Ridge Mountains. 1 dont bother with paddle shifter transmissions as a rule but the ability to pick a gear and hold it, paid off when climbing up a steep incline. Out on the highway, the big Taurus was where it was meant t0 be, clicking off mile after mile in sixth. For cover- ing long distances in comfort, this car is bard 10 beat. And its quiet 100 thanks to things like triple seals and acoustically lami- nated windows. One thing 1 have to mention is the Taurus also puts you in the mood. Yep, you can dial in five different intenior illumination colours. If there was one gripe, il is thc thickness of the B pillar that is hard 10 see around if you dont use your mir- rors. But, this is solved in large part with the Blind Spot Monitoring System. What t ltke is it not only sees a car coming up in your blind spot and flashes as light on the outside mirror, but when passing, as soon as you get far enough in front, the light goes oui and you know uts sale 10 pull in. Ford set its sights pretty high by tryrng t0 match or bettcr cars like thc Audi and Lexus. Thankfulîy, this bas been largely accomplished but P'm per- sonaîly glad they did not try 10 buîld an Amenicanized A6 or ES350. The 2010 Taurus bas ils own per- sona and thats a good thing. Ford bas two big things going for il. Besides impressing the public by not taking a handout, Ford is also at the start of a whole new product life cycle. Well still be seeing the Fiesta sub- compact, the Lincoln MXT crossover, a new Focus and a new Mustang among others in the coming months. And Ieading the way will be Taurus; the flagship Ford hopes will once again be "the car that changed North Americas view of sedans." THIS SEASON, WE'RE MAKING IT EASY TO GEl IN AND DRIVE THE BESI VEHICLE WE'VE EVER BUILI. Offers vary by model. Not ail combinalions apply. See Gallinger Ford for details. ...lA.....i.. --7Z