RICHARD WILLIAMSON: Check out the 2008 Ford Taurus SEL

Ford has made a number of changes to the Five Hundred, primarily the number.

In a reverse of the "Secret Agent Man" formula, they've given it a name and taken away its number.

And what will we be calling the Five Hundred this season? Why not "Taurus," the name that was considered retired with the last generation in 2006?

Number crunchers at Ford figured they would have to spend half a billion bucks to make the Five Hundred name as meaningful as "Taurus," so they simply slapped the more mnemonic moniker on the 2008 version of the full-size sedan arriving in showrooms this month.

While the Five Hundred certainly qualified as a paragon of full-size value and dignity, the name never caught on as Ford struggled to identify itself as a car company as well as a truck brand. For some reason, the buying public was crazy about the Chrysler 300 but less fond of the Ford Five Hundred. Maybe it was because the 300 was visually stunning and the Five Hundred was merely respectable.

Two years after Five Hundred's arrival in showrooms, sales were down by half in August 2006 versus the same month in 2005. Even the disappearing Taurus outsold the Five Hundred by two to one. At the end of 2006, sales of the Ford flagship had fallen 22 percent compared to the previous year.

In the long history of Ford foibles, the Taurus holds a special place. Known as "The Car that Saved Ford," the Taurus became the nation's best seller from 1992 to 1997. (In some years, Ford had the best-selling car, the best-selling full-size truck in the F-Series, the best-selling small truck in the Ranger and the best-selling sport utility vehicle in the Explorer.)

Although tame by today's standards the original 1986 Taurus revolutionized the styling of family sedans and saved the blue oval from death by mediocrity.

Efforts to keep the image on the cutting edge failed, however. Overtaken by the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, Taurus never regained its place in the hierarchy before heading for the Henry Ford museum.

Then, a light went off in Dearborn. The Taurus was saved by virtue or the Five Hundred's fizzling name recognition. Sadly, such seat-of-the-pants marketing was symptomatic of Ford's problems. A nameplate given up for dead was inexplicably reborn. Are we having fun yet?

In retiring the Five Hundred name, Ford is having fun with the numbers game, citing 500 changes in the new model. The key words are: quieter, faster, safer.

Upgrades include new exterior styling, a new powertrain, a new all-wheel-drive system, more standard safety features and better crash protection.

The 3.5-liter, 263-horsepower Duratec V6 outpowers the preceding engine by 30 percent and delivers 245 foot-pounds of torque through a six-speed automatic transmission. Fuel economy improves by 10 percent.

With bounteous air bags and optional electronic stability control, the new Taurus is rated the safest full-size car in North America, Ford says.

Ford put a lot of effort into the sounds of the Taurus, providing latches that create a vault-like door closures. New sound deadening materials improve the quietness of the ride by 20 percent and the new climate control system is 50 percent quieter than the previous version.

Ride quality improves through revised strut towers that help increase front suspension travel by 10 percent, new dampers and springs in both front and rear, and a revised, retuned rear suspension.

Instead of mounting the engine to the subframe as in past years, engineers bolted the V6 onto the body to reduce vibration.

Designers also gave the cabin more leg room up front and a generally roomier environment.

Sold in two trim levels, SEL and Limited, the 2008 Taurus is available in front-drive or all-wheel-drive. The base price on the SEL is $23,995, including $750 destination and delivery. The optional Interior Convenience Package (including a 6-disc CD changer, dual-zone electronic automatic temperature control, wiper-activated headlamps with auto on/off, eight-way power driver's seat and wood grain appearance) adds less than $1,000.

Ford aims to beat the pricing for similarly equipped Toyota Avalon XLs by nearly $3,000 and Chrysler 300 Touring models by nearly $5,000.

All-wheel drive prices start at $25,845, more than $4,000 less than a Chrysler 300 with all-wheel-drive.

WHAT'S NEW: New generation Five Hundred with new name (Taurus); new styling, safety features, quieter interior.

PLUSES: Roominess, comfort, price, power.

MINUSES: Styling still somewhat tame.

BOTTOM LINE: Taurus may save Ford again.

Source: [url=http://www.sanluisobispo.com/business/national/story/114117.html]San Luis Obispo Tribune[/url]