Rebranding the spacious Five Hundred onto Ford's robust D3 platform, the Taurus V re-established the badge as a commanding full-size saloon with an elevated seating posture and vast cabin room. Benefiting from attentive Ford Taurus maintenance to safeguard its all-wheel-drive components and transmission, this highway cruiser prioritized serene road travel. It competed directly against the Chrysler 300 and Toyota Avalon with superior boot capacity and elevated forward vision.
Motive force was delivered by the 263 hp 3.5-litre Duratec 35 V6 coupled to a smooth 6F50 six-speed automatic gearbox. On all-wheel-drive variants, torque was routed via the power transfer unit, creating a chronic risk of PTU all-wheel-drive transfer case fluid cooking due to exhaust pipe proximity and minimal 0.8-litre fluid capacity without a factory drain bung.