Sometimes you’ve just gotta ask yourself, what in the blazes is Ford thinking? First they introduce the Ford Five Hundred, which should come with a lifetime supply of Geritol for the audience it reached out to. Then, they added a crossover version of the same car and called it the Freestyle. Problem was, they didn’t let anyone know it was available.
Now, the Dearborn geniuses have changed the Five Hundred name to Taurus. Sound familiar? It should. For several years, a decade or so ago, it was the best-selling sedan in the land until Toyota steamrolled them with the Camry. The Taurus nameplate was retired, but only briefly.
And because the Freestyle was such a good idea, Ford has created a crossover version called the Taurus X. But they’re keeping that a secret too. Maybe because it is so much like another Ford crossover, the Edge, which is similar but doesn’t have a third-row of seating.
It’s too bad because the X is a pretty nice vehicle. It offers seven-passenger seating with optional bucket seats in the center, enough glass in the roof to grow orchids inside and a 263-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6 with a six-speed transmission.
Despite behind six inches taller than the Taurus sedan, the X is easy to enter and exit. The ride height is almost the same as the sedan for a commanding view of the road ahead. The rear seats are easy to access as well and a bench seat is standard. The rear seating actually has room for real humans, something missing with a lot of seven-passenger crossovers. And you don’t have to be a gymnast to get back there. Both seats fold flat for additional cargo space.
Because of its size, the Taurus X resembles a Windstar minivan … another forgotten Ford product. But it’s still a large station wagon, although no one wants to be caught dead in a station wagon these days. That’s why they’re called crossovers.
The interior is clean and relatively simple with most of the controls coming straight from the Ford parts bin that supplies most of their other products, including the popular F-150 pickup. Deep consoles and plenty of cupholders offer plenty of storage area.
Available in both front-wheel and all-wheel drive, the Taurus X rides relatively smoothly on the road but the handling is a little loose in the corners. The engine improvement is a decided plus and the six-speed automatic transmission maintains the power curve smoothly. If there’s a chink in the engine’s armor it’s the fuel mileage figures of 15 city and 22 highway.
Towing capacity is rated at 2,000 pounds, which is anemic by most standards. But most people aren’t going to pull the boat or travel trailer with this vehicle anyway.
However, for a competent people mover with comfortable seating for seven, the Taurus X is a solid choice. But you’ll have to ask your Ford dealer to point one out to you, if he knows what it is.

Ryan’s Ride –
I admit it, I had to do some research to find out what the Taurus X even was when it arrived. We don’t go to the out of town major auto shows and I must have skipped, maybe missed, any mention of the X being added to the Ford family.
The X stands quite a bit taller than the Edge, which does get some marketing help from Ford. In fact, we had the Edge the next week. I’m not sure which I liked better. The decision probably would come down to whether I needed the extra row of seating or not. Other than that, there’s not much difference in them.
The price difference might make a difference as well. The top-of-the-line, all-wheel drive version runs in the mid $30,000 range, about $5,000 more than a similar Edge. And, for some reason, that’s also about $5,000 more than the Taurus sedan costs.
I actually liked driving the X. It handled decently, had enough power and shifted smoothly. There was added engine noise under heavy acceleration or climbing a steep grade, but otherwise, it was a quiet ride.
My only concern with owning the X would be its life expectancy. If the X suffers the same fate as the Freestyle, resale value would be practically nil. And, there are rumors that it will be replaced by another big idea from Ford in the near future.

Marilyn’ Moment –
I look at our test vehicles totally different than Ryan. I like the vehicles that are comfortable to drive, have plenty of storage areas and are easy to get in and out of.
The Taurus X accomplishes all three.
I don’t remember the Freestyle, so that wasn’t a big thing for me. I did like the X, however. It was roomy, offered useable cupholders and console storage areas and the operations were straight forward. Despite its tall stance, the X was simple to get in and out of. The rear tailgate opened up the rear storage area that can be expanded by folding one or two rows of seats. The rear seat is a 60-40 split, so that offers even more versatility.
We had the smaller Edge the following week and it just seemed much more cramped to me. And, it doesn’t have that third row seating, which could be important to some.
The interior isn’t plush by any means, but it’s more than acceptable.
I’d have to say the Taurus X has an edge over the Edge and many other recent crossovers we’ve tested.