2000 Taurus Takes On New Contemporary Styling

For 2000, Taurus takes on new contemporary styling and builds on the previous model’s safety reputation by leading into production Ford’s Personal Safety System. The 1999 Taurus was the only mid-sized car to achieve the federal government’s highest frontal crash-test rating, five stars for driver and front passenger.

The Personal Safety System is a collection of a dozen components that allows the car to "think" about the crash, "understand" its severity, "examine" the driver seat position and if he or she is wearing a safety belt and "decide" how to deploy the safety systems. With the system, dual-stage air bags inflate at two different rates depending on the situation as described above. Additionally, safety belts are equipped with pretensioners and retractors that are designed to help reduce the risk of force-related injuries in a crash.

Safety Features

Taurus also comes standard with Ford’s emergency trunk release, designed to allow a child or adult trapped in the trunk to open it from inside. The glow-in-the-dark trunk release handle will be factory installed, standard equipment on all Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles starting this summer.

The 2000 Taurus was engineered to achieve the double five-star rating and adds a number of other features to enhance occupant safety. In addition to the standard Personal Safety System, Taurus features Ford’s Belt-Minder system which reminds unbelted drivers to buckle up with an intermittent chime and indicator light.

Head and chest combination side air bags are available to help reduce the risk of injury in a in a side collision. The side air bags are activated by separate sensors located near the car’s B-pillars. Energy absorbing trim surrounds the door frame and arm-rest areas for additional protection.

The 2000 Taurus is equipped with child-safety seat tether anchors to provide parents with an improved method to more securely buckle their safety-seat in place.

Power Adjustable Pedals

Taurus also becomes the first car in North America to offer power adjustable brake and accelerator pedals allowing drivers of smaller stature to move the pedals toward their feet rather than moving the seat uncomfortably and dangerously close to the steering wheel.

Functional Styling

The styling changes are driven by customer desire for improvements in functionality. All exterior panels on the 2000 Taurus are new with the exception of the doors. The grille opening is wider giving the car a larger, more substantial front end appearance.

Headlamps are larger and 20 percent brighter.

The greenhouse has been revised and offers an improvement of nearly 2 inches in rear seat headroom and nearly an inch in front headroom. The rear window is larger and rectangular for improved visibility.

The decklid is higher and wider at the opening giving customers an increase in cargo space of 1.2 cubic feet.

Ride and Handling

The chassis has been revised to give customers a smoother, more plush ride without adversely affecting handling. Larger, 16-inch tires and wheels are standard. Steering and alignment refinements give Taurus a better on-center feel and directional stability and reduce wind-wander.

Powertrain Improvements

The 2000 Taurus powertrains have been refined to increase power, improve mid-range torque and reduce noise, vibration and harshness. Two different 3.0-liter V-6 engines are offered in four configurations. Transmissions have been refined for smoother shifting.

• 153 horsepower @ 5000 rpm – an increase of 8 horsepower
• 182 ft. lbs. of torque @ 4000 rpm – an increase of 12 ft. lbs.

• 200 horsepower @ 5750rpm – an increase of 15 horsepower
• 200 ft. lbs. of torque @ 4500 rpm – an increase of 15 foot pounds

Both the Vulcan and Duratec engines meet Low Emissions Vehicle (LEV) standards in California and the 13 northeast states.