1988 Ford Taurus L Wagon Goes for a Drive 

Its not much different than an early 2000s car. No wonder people in the 80s thought is was futuristic

I LOVE how the Brits try to understand our cars and culture. 😅

Thank you for doing this ! Old guy here in Ontario Canada. My wife of 42 years and I raised 3 children to adults and now have 5 grandchildren. We have had a long history of Fords ( MG's and a Corolla in the pre children days ) we loved them all. We had a 1988 Taurus wagon just like yours except in medium grey. What a work horse for a growing family. Like yours it to was bare bones ....we like it that way much less fiddly stuff to break and need $$$ to fix. Money was tight in those days and no nonsence cars that preformed as required 365 days a year.....start every time in sub zero Ontario winters kept us going. Ours was used.....a previous fleet rental car that helps explain the options. Very strong running....very comfortable car. Today we are driving an F150 pickup and a Focus......I do all the repairs on both to keep them going. Oil changes are the secret to long auto life it's that simple !

The Vulcan only has 140hp back then... 220 hp was the SHO figure.

The vintage estate car had so much to offer. SUV"s? Forget them!

I had a '94 Mercury Sable wagon (Taurus twin) and loved it. Ford really did nail the styling of the station wagons.

They definitely had a good look at the Audi 100 designer’s homework

Nice to see someone across the pond appreciating one of these. I have a 1992 GL wagon here in the States. Mine is very similar to this one -- the only differences are the seats, the dashboard, and the front past the windshield. The design was (and still is) excellent, and was largely carried over largely unchanged into 1995. Mine has the third row seat. The well in the floor was for a full-sized spare tire and I don't believe you could get the third seat with it, and the spare to the left was replaced with a storage bin. You could also get a picnic tray that folded out of the top of that lid in the back. Unfortunately, I do not have that. While the Vulcan is slow and underpowered by modern standards, it does what it needs to do. It absolutely screams when you floor it. I don't mind the position of the parking brake pedal, but the real problem is that stupid rubber block on the arm above the pedal. That whole rubber pad ends up melting and getting into the carpet. I believe air conditioning was an option, but you'd be a blockhead not to order it. The base radio was AM/FM only, however there was a base AM only radio for 1986. There aren't even any pictures that I can find of that. In general, most Tauruses past 1992 are decently optioned. Mine has the preferred GL equipment package, which includes everything from air conditioning, power locks, power windows, power drivers seat, etc. I do have a couple cupholders underneath the radio, but modern cups don't fit well, if at all. The console is much better, but lots of people stuck with the bench seat even though the console/buckets was a no-cost option. The Taurus used to be everywhere, but even now the third generation (1996-1999) cars are disappearing. I'm lucky if I see three as old as mine in a given year, and I live in a city of 500,000. In my humble opinion, this is the single greatest average car ever made. For what it is, it has no business being this smooth or comfortable. And yet it is. Sorry this comment is so long, but I thought I'd share some of my thoughts. After all, I do drive one of these myself.

After growing up with american cars my whole life I love all the chimes, the column shifters and the smell of the plastic interiors. I currently drive a 1999 Dodge Caravan and I love it.

I wish cars had column shifters and front split bench seating still.

As crazy as this sounds, I wouldn't mind having one of these.

Robocop had one, athough it was a sedan. Makes it awesome in my view.

Say what you will about the Taurus, Ford bet the house on the Taurus and hit a grand slam, and it saved Ford as we know it.

the ford tuarus went downhill after 1996 with that ugly styling, and in 2000 when they attempted to fix that, but most of them ended up in fleets.

It's nice to see you appreciate the Engine sound. Too many English motoring reviewers ignore charms like this and focus on finding fault. It's refreshing you enjoy the car for what it is and love it's quirks.

The first station wagon that you wouldn’t feel embarrassed being seen in. At least not compared to the 1978 Chevy wagon my family kept hidden in the backyard.

There's a strong hint of what would become the 'World car' - the Mondeo - about this.

Their is no NHTSA requirement for the mirrors to be different size, the Mercedes W201 and W124 have different size passenger mirrors also. The "objects may be closer than they appear" label is required for convex mirrors for legal liability reasons. The 85 mph speedo was only required from 1980-1982 but some manufacturers kept using it in their cars for some reason.

It's interesting how many design details you point out that we're remarkable when the model came to the market - we take so much for granted today. I'm not so impressed by the door handles, though. I'm glad to add a tiny fraction of a per cent to air drag for a set of sturdy door handles that rescue personnel can use to pull open the door with force when I'm sitting in a mangled car unconsciously after a bad accident. No door handle design should prevent you from applying force when needed...

This looks like the Ford Sierra, and late 1980s Australian Ford Falcon.

I’ve always kind of liked the first generation Taurus. The styling has actually aged quite well. You can’t deny how much the Taurus changed the automotive world. It’s too bad that the quality of them was poor. Even in America it’s so rare to come across first and second gen Tauruses anymore.

Ford used focus groups to name the Edsel in the mid 1950’s. Then ignored their recommendations

Speaking as a possibly "Anglophile Euro-centric" American, I'd say it was the Audi 5000 (which was the 100 over there) that gave us our first glimpse of the kind of styling the Taurus brought to Ford showrooms.

I don’t think those hubcaps are the stock ones. The Taurus all had aero-style hubcaps for this model line.

needs a paint job, that clear coat... but it wasn't a bad car...and funny enough MotorWeeks Review of that car is in the feed! lol.....oh yeah and then Robocop.

25:51 Why does it ding all the time? That's the reminder that the door is open AND the key is in the ignition. A reminder to take your keys so you don't lock yourself out of the car.

These were pretty good cars. Growing up, my family had a couple of these. I had one as a cheap beater when I was young. The transmission was the real weak point of the car - where most got junked when it broke. They're an incredibly rare sight even in Florida today.

Thank you for an interesting look back on the Ford Taurus. As I recall they were quite popular in the US but not so much in the base "L" trim. Typically they were GL and LX trims and were very nice comfortable and reliable vehicles. Great car for traveling the interstate highways in effortless comfort and delivered reasonably good gas mileage. Certainly a landmark vehicle for Ford that stunned the competition with brisk sales. It sent GM and Chrysler back to the drawing boards to craft updated designs. But the Taurus had little domestic competition for the first three years which also helped make it a great success.

Ahhh, the 1986 Ford Taurus L wagon! The very first car I ever financed on my own (at age 18). Mine was 3ish years old and was a vile color - non-metallic tan or beige. But I loved it! They were truly well styled. I loved the rear styling most. I apparently had a better optioned version than the one shown in your vid as mine had power everything and even a *GASP* cassette player! As most young people do, I owned it for about 6 months (wrecked it once after a month or 2 of buying it... hit a Chevy Chevette in the rear at a lowish speed... the Chevette sat perfectly between both fenders of the Taurus, just over the bumper, crushing hood, grill, radiator. It was an underride situation! In case you are worried, the Chevette ironically suffered no notable damage. LOL!). I traded it even up for a - wait for it - black (with RED interior) 1987 Ford Taurus GL sedan! Lordy, I was (am?) a strange kid. Thanks for the post and the memories!

The Vulcan V6 only has 140 HP and 170 lb-ft The 220 HP motor is the Yamaha sourced DOHC 3-litre V6 found in the Taurus SHO.

Bit like our Granada of the time which were fantastic cars.

My first car was a 2005 Ford Taurus SE with the Vulcan. Really slow car but for a teenager that car could take a beating. Miss it

Lovely design and must have been built sturdy to drive this good 32 years later. It really looks cavernous. Vulcan V6. Engines should absolutely have names. The spoked hub caps are certainly like nothing else. Well done Ford. The LTD before it was good looking in its own way but this moved the game on.

Oew I like this.. Timeless great cars and this one a beauty. I need one in my life..

I have owned 3 wagons. A 1990 Ford Taurus GL, a 1990 Mercury Sable LX (sister car) and currently drive a 1995 Ford Taurus GL with 86000 original miles. One of the things that I believe appealed to buyers was the stance of the car. It was a wagon, but the bottom angle from the rear wheels to the bumper had an upward tilt, making the wagon look lighter and more nimble versus a large Ford LTD Country Squire wagon. The other appeal of the car was the 4 speed OD transmission. Once up to speed you take your foot of of the accelerator and coast. My 1995 gets 26mpg on the highway, better than most new SUV's. Great video!

Looks amazing for its time. To get those features in U.K. or Europe, you would be looking at BMW 7 series. Except the missing electric windows lol. Did they do a V8 of this car? How fast would that be? I do drive an automatic-but with a regular parking/handbrake…..the Taurus was also sold with that 5 speed manual…..and back then, no hill hold….how do you do a hill start? PS I’ve never owned a car with a permanent live fuel gauge.

How we take those design features for granted on modern cars . Great review ! 👍

My Parents had a 1990 Taurus Estate in LA. I remember driving it to Santa Barbara, it was a quiet and comfortable family car. There was, however, an issue with the gearboxes of that model year and Ford did a recall to have the issue attended to.

My Audi 100 Estate was almost exactly like that and just as unreliable.

Nonono......the 3.0 Vulcan was 140 hp...its a pushrod ...the SHO was a 3.0 dohc 24 v 220hp

Now that really brings back memories! It's nice to see one still around. Such a great looking car. The latch that opens the cargo floor came with instructions printed on it, because the design changed. The original latch didn't have to be lifted up to close that compartment and didn't have anything printed on it. Ford recalled the original latch for free replacement seemingly because children could become trapped in there. I was quite surprised to see no rear seat there. I had no idea that was an option.

I've got a ford Taurus sedan which I've turned into an original RoboCop car :) I shipped it from California . Brilliant cars

So strane to see a Taurus here in the UK. I had one in the states and it was an amazing car to own, honest, dependable and practical. You are right this car shook the industry in 86, many compared it to the Audi 100. BTW never seen those hubcaps, those are not factory so not sure why they are on it. Odd to see one on UK roads, it makes me miss LHD cars, the proper way to drive!:-)

I love most American Fords, but struggle to love most the Europe models, I did love the Granada and Scorpio though.

In the UK, their equivalent is the Ford Sierra. Although the Ford Scorpio does bare a similar look to the Taurus first gens.

2:02 "bitty" , reminds me of a certain British comedy show. That word is tainted for me lol.

Great looking cars in my opinion. I think one featured in Uncle Buck, but it could've been the sister cars, the Mercury Sable.

Wonderful old barge, love the weird spec.

I grew up in the 90's with cars like these and you know what was funny, if my friends moms didn't have an Astro van or Aerostar they had a Taurus or both even. Even more hilariously I remember many people having transmission issues with these early on and it killed many a Taurus right up until the 05 model year

I just bought a 1994 Taurus wagon and it has the 3.8 V6 not the 3.0 V6

I inherited a '86 Mercury Sable from a family member...we drove around, then it died on I-20 in the dessert, transmission shaft broke...a usual flaw, among many, and we were relieved of it, happily. It had had a lot of problems, from prior owner...Consumer Reports did not like these Ford cars. thanks.

I quite like it. It looks modern and is a more modern design compared to the basic Aussie Ford Falcon wagon of the period. I have a secret desire for a big comfy luxo-barge wagon :-) Cheers

The 3.8 engine in them was a pile of junk,could not keep headgaskets in them

Excellent and informative piece - I used to read Car and Driver back in the 80s when these were launched. Would be interesting to look at the smaller but same era Ford/Mercury Topaz and Tempo too.

Tea? Tea shelf? The car was built in America, where coffee rules and tea is something you toss overboard, when you're feeling a little rebellious.

I'm under the impression the cargo cover is so low down to allow the third row seats to fold up without removing the cargo cover. My volvo has a cargo cover much higher up but the third row seats can't be put up with it installed.

Regarding the shift pattern, the overdrive lockout did not affect acceleration, rather it was to make it easier to control one's speed with the transmission when descending hills, which can be quite steeper here in these US.

Ghastly car. I love it. In New Zealand, Ford try to sell the oval, curvy version of these in the mid 90s. They were the ugliest car I have ever known. The first series was better looking

This was a LOVELY car in its day. It was so forward thinking, especially for the US, and for Ford. It was so ground-braking.

Owned two of the last gen models and they were both great cars, Good idea to search out a clean one now, Great video as a Ford guy I remember when they came out and we were all impressed by them , you were correct about GM, they couldnt understand why people bought them in droves. also the height of the Reagan era.and a baby boom, so once again like the Mustang the stars aligned well for Ford, also like the Mustang the style was timeless and hard to keep current.

The LTD was also unibody it was made from the fox body mustang

First of all, what a review! It's the length of a full half hour television show episode. Everything was covered. Our family had this car. 1990 Taurus L with the same engine. Bought in 1995 with 75k miles, we kept it until 2015 when an out of control car totaled it while it was parked (105k miles). We overhauled it in 2010 so we planned to keep it around for a while (even though I already had my own car at the time). The steering pump had to be replaced every 4 years or so. The transmission was never repaired. This car was great in the snow because of the front heavy weight distribution and it being front wheel drive. However, NOTHING beat this car on road trips. The amount of stuff that fit into the back was amazing. It was also a soft ride, and the seats were super comfy. The engine wasn't *that bad*, but the last time I took her on a trip, we had 4 adult males in the car and the back was loaded to the max, and with the AC blasting, merging and getting up to speed wasn't that pleasant. In 1996 when the optional duratec came out with 200hp it was a huge improvement. This was a great car and it did its job very well.

Family owned a 1995 example, I have never driven something so confident in the snow. We referred to it as the "tank" Before AWD was ubiquitous, on a snowy Canadian morning you usually only saw these and SUV's on the road.

😫🤢😩☠️ Id rather take the bus.....😊 But a good review, of a very weird design!

Great review! I love those Taurusses & Sables of that era. I drive the 2nd gen of its 'sister' model here in the Netherlands. '95 Mercury Sable. Great car!

I had an Audi 100 avant it looks like a 100 was molested one dark night by a Granada

Then Ford screwed it up and made the Taurus look like a dead fish.

Dad had an 86 gold mid trim wagon...the ride/handling balance was unlike any other american car at the time...smooth swift and quiet!

So much nicer than an Suv and one could live in it as well.

I saw this wagon in Home alone 3 (1997) I was 3yo and I still remember it! This is so cool you've been able to review one ! I'm not a big fan of the rear but always loved the front. Interior wise, panel gap is horrible though. Its look is more of the late 90's than late 80's so I'd say it aged very well !

I love this car! I want one, looks great and not that dated.

The Vulcan 3.0 got you to 60 mph in the wagon in about 10.5 seconds when it was new.

I still drive an '88 Taurus wagon. Comfortable as can be, and unbelievably reliable

"El Mejor auto hecho en América"✨

There was an optional digital dash on some of these tauruses.

A big , beige American estate car?? I love it 😅😅

I keep thinking about the original Robocop film. Is that an appropriate enough reference?

​​I thought that was a funny looking Ford Taunus from the thumbnail. I had to read the title again to realise it's taurus with a r instead of taunus!

A very in depth review and interesting, keep up the good work.

I have a fetish for regular American cars, and I loved this review, and if you ever want to take a look at another American car, I have what is possibly the only 1999 Ford escort ZX2 in the UK, it's a Mazda based USA escort coupe that is in the same category as your Rover coupe., Give me a shout if you fancy taking a look at 2 door coupe 2.0 escort.

I remember first seeing that car when it was first released from Ford and thinking; What is it and where is the front grill?

My mother purchased a brand new burgundy colored Taurus LX wagon back in 86 as a 87 model. Car was the top of the line but was plagued with chronic electrical issues. After only owning the car about nine months and after Ford had to replace II transmission my mother traded it in 4 A Camry which she drove trouble-free 4/8 years before passing it down to me. Although the Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable twin cousin where vastly Superior in quality when compared to it's domestic rivals they never held up against the typical Japanese car. 1992 brought a much-improved Taurus / Sable model but even they we're plagued with chronic transmission and engine issues. The reason that one is still on the road is because of the fact that it has no options on it. Higher trim models head far more unreliable Electronics including a completely electronic gauge cluster, digital climate control, a larger V6 that was prone to blowing head gaskets, an electrically defrosting front windshield, power windows and locks, and worst of all a much more complicated four speed automatic transmission that like the one in my mother's car was almost assured to fail before the first 100K miles. More basic L trim levels were primarily designed for Fleet uses like rental car and state vehicles.

My parents had when i was a kid. It was definitely large and comfortable, and handled ok. That’s about it. Very unreliable

I think that horsepower rating is a bit off- this pushrod V6 should have only made 140 horsepower and maybe 160-170 ft lbs of torque. I think only the Duratec made 200 ponies- but that was only 96 and after.

This guy couldn’t pull out of the driveway in a suburban if he thinks a Taurus is big.

Very similar to Ford Mondeo estate in U.K. I had one for ten years, it was a good load carrier, the 2L version was reliable and had reasonable performance, went all across Europe without a problem.

To anyone who didn't go to or live in North America in the late '80s and '90s. It cannot be understated how popular these cars were. They were absolutely everywhere, they won award after award, and then almost overnight, they all disappeared. Finding one is almost impossible nowadays. After owning one myself (granted, it was a 2002 BUT with the old Vulcan engine) the only complaints I have are a poor factory sound system, and a transmission that failed prematurely. I absolutely loved it, especially with the front bench seat and column shifter. For a full size sedan, it was also very economical.

As somebody who lived in America in the ‘80s (and still does) I can vouch that this Taurus was everywhere! It was the right car at the right time - so good, even the Mark II Taurus that replaced it couldn’t come close in terms of sales or capturing the public’s interest in the car. The original Taurus was not the first aerodynamic jelly-shaped car in the US but it was the first in the all-important midsize family car market. Competitors were already front wheel drive by 1986 (Chrysler’s K-cars and GM’s A-cars, as well as the Japanese competition mentioned in the video) but Ford had played it conservative in this segment. Sure, the rounded Thunderbird (albeit an older rear-wheel drive design) and smaller Tempo (think of a conservative Sierra with fwd) ushered in the rounded age and told Ford that aero cars could sell over here but it was a serious risk in the more conservative midsize family car segment. As pointed out, Ford need not have worried. The Taurus was such an improvement over the previous generation Fox-platform LTD II that it truly was a revelation to middle America. Buyers loved the smooth design, almost Audi 100 (5000 in US) shape and relative quality of the cohesive design. It was truly a winner! The SHO version with a high-power V6 was unlike anything in the road at the time. It wouldn’t be quick compared to modern cars but in 1990, this was a screamer! Think Lotus Carlton, only more competitively priced, and you get the idea! The wagon/estate was not as big a seller as the traditional 4-door if nothing else because Americans were firmly fixated on minivans during this period. Ford had their own Aerostar van but the all-conquering Chrysler Corp minivans ruled the people-hauling end of the family market. Still, they did sell in respectable numbers and I still see the occasional Taurus wagon from this era on the road! The Atlanta factory where this Taurus was made was shuttered a decade ago. Ford still sells Tauruses (Taurii?) but they are in their final year with no replacement, and most seem to be sold to fleet buyer such as police and fire departments. Private buyers are no longer interested, unfortunately. You’ve made it this far...let me say watching this video was a pleasure. Thank you for making it and uploading.

The Taurus/Sable were replacements for the Fox body LTD/Marquis, not the body on frame full-size LTD Crown Vic/Mercury Grand Marquis. The Fox body was a unibody chassis.

When I first moved to the US in 1990 I had one of these as a hire car - almost the exact same spec (maybe a GL). Then I had the misfortune later on to have a hand-me-down L saloon (sedan) version with the horrible 2.5l 4 banger/auto as a company vehicle for short while, until thankfully the transmission decided to grenade itself......

Wow, I didn’t know you could get one so basic! ’s). My parents were embarrassed’ Where’s your cornering lamps (small headlights on front sides that come on when the respective turn signal is on)? It doesn’t illuminate the key hole on the door when you pull the handle at night? I assume you have to turn the headlights on manually, and toggle the brights on and off if there’s car or city yourself, like a pleb? When you park at night, no dial to choose how long the exterior remain on after you lock it all up? Where’s the keypad so you can unlock your doors without a key? Are those... crank windows? I didn’t know they were even available. Same with manual locks. I know that’s not the premium sound system, but I didn’t know they made one THAT basic, without door speakers! ’ ’’ ’’

It seems like crazy that this was designed independently of the 1988 Australian (& still rear-wheel-drive) Ford Falcon! They didn't even share the same engine (I6 with crossflow head for the Australian car). Utter madness duplication of effort!

My first car was an E-reg Nova lol. This is very modern compared- the Taurus story is pretty damn good to be fair. Something quite appealing about the gold and beige lol. The wheels are vile mind haha. Great video and nice to see something very unusual on British roads

A really great period in Ford's design history. The Taurus, Sierra, Granada. (Not always to everyone's taste) but very innovative for all that. Many thanks Matt, great video.

On those red and white lights on the doors I'm not sure if that was mandated or not because remember plenty of cheap Econo box American cars that didn't have them. We had an 88 Ford Festiva proof that did not have them. I think it was just something a lot of Manufacturers put on mid size to full-size cars.

FINALLY!! Someone who UNDERSTANDS the TRUE significance of the first generation Ford Taurus / Mercury Sable. I was 15 years old living in Pennsylvania when this car debuted in late 1985. To say that I was awestruck is an understatement. The Taurus / Sable was so breathtakingly advanced that it felt like alien technology. Seriously. I looked at these cars and saw HOPE. They were truly from the future and the future was full of beauty and incredible technology. Fully heated "Insta-clear" front windshield, electronic climate control, digital dash, light sensor controlled headlights, and so much more. Just incredible attention to detail throughout the entire build of the car. In my 51 years there's never been another car that has impacted me more. dynamicscompared to other American wallowing mush box sedan suspensions. I owned the LS models and they were optioned out like high-end BMW's. The car felt SO much more expensive than it's sub $15K price tag conveyed. Later generations gave way to extreme cost cutting and middle-America driving dynamics. The Taurus / Sable became a shadow of it's first generation glory. Cheap, cheap monotone plastic interiors, over-boosted power steering, and soft handling. I owned a second generation Sable briefly and was deeply disappointed. Thanks for your enthusiasm for a car that created a paradigm shift in the American auto industry!

I had one in 96. Not really a cool car for a 16 year old but it was cheap and I needed a car, so I guess I just bought the first thing I found. It was white with dark red interior. Great video!

We had a 94 Taurus Wagon. Looked pretty similar to this one on the outside. Ours was equipped with the rear windshield wiper and sprayer nozzle. This spray nozzle was actually located in the center of the high mount center brake light resulting in that brake light needing to have two light bulbs one on either side of the nozzle. I used to think that was a dumb idea now that I drive a car I find that actually quite clever since most mini bulbs use for such lights are typically sold in pairs at least in America. The rear washer nozzle actually had a separate Reservoir which was a small hole what was revealed when you opened the hatch instead of sharing reservoir with the front washer nozzles. Eventually they did turn off honey more contemporary wheel covers Center very similar to what in finding a lot of today's cars that have steel wheels.

Looks like it is marking its territory.

This was my first car. Love it