FORD TAURUS ALTERNATIVES ACROSS THE POND

After reviewing the 2010 Ford Taurus SEL AWD for GoodCarBadCar.net, my curiousity was piqued on numerous levels. Concluding that the Taurus's innards were recompense reward for its gargantuan dimensions ended the question of how people live with the problem of finding a garage big enough to hold it. Realizing that people of my generation don't need to buy the Taurus to like the Taurus; and that people of my generation liking the Taurus (even without buying it) is a very good thing for Ford helped allay my concerns over a name that is not well spoken of.

With those wonderings settled, I was left to muse upon one other stupefaction. If you wanted a Taurus but couldn't have one, what would you be left with as alternatives? Take money out of the equation, because you can afford it. Remove age from the debate, since you're over 40. That leaves geography as a reason for your lack of Taurus purchasability. You, yes you, live in Europe.

Here, then, are a handful of Ford Taurus alternatives available only Across The Pond.

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CITROEN C6: Nobody actually buys a large French car. That doesn't stop Renault, Peugeot, or Peugeot partner Citroen from releasing a new model every now and then. The C6 happens to be one of The Good Car Guy's 100 Favourite Cars, and to the best of my knowledge, that hasn't helped sales either. Its strange concave rear window, relexed demeanor, and punchy diesels would make the C6 feel about as different from the Ford Taurus as the Taurus is different from the Crown Victoria. Rumour has it that sales of the C6 in Germany, a fairly crucial market, have been about ten times smaller than Citroen had hoped would be the case. Were the Citroen C6 available in America, its pricing would likely overlap with the Taurus Limited and Taurus SHO while placing a greater emphasis on luxury.

Perfect American Owner: Gwyneth Paltrow

SKODA SUPERB: Volkswagen's Czech subsidiary has done a good job modifying the Passat platform. The styling is conservative; the design of the rear end revolutionary; the desirability factor negligible. However, Skoda is all about screaming value. A Skoda Superb kitted out with a corncucopia of luxury fittings and all the fuel economy you'd expect of a large all-wheel drive V6 sedan wouldn't be likely to surpass . Sales of the Superb in the UK in 2009 will be hard-pressed to be as high as Taurus sales in one good month in the U.S.

Perfect American Owner: An MIT Physics Professor

FORD S-MAX: Clearly not a large sedan - not even large in comparison to America's "mini"vans - the S-Max is a gorgeous MPV with dynamic talent and available turbocharged power. In Europe, flocks of former mainstream car buyers have turned to niche products. Many of those products are low-powered luxury-badged cars, others are MPVs like the S-Max or Renault Scenic, while more still are crossovers like the Ford Kuga or tall six-passenger hatches like the Honda FR-V and Fiat Multipla. The S-Max is a great way to find the space you need without sacrificing the style that, if lacking, could make you look a little too footballer's mum. Pricing sneaks in below the Taurus level. Sales figures are split amongst many Ford alternatives like the Focus wagon, C-Max, and Galaxy.

Perfect American Owner: Brad Pitt

WORDLE.NET WORD CLOUD FOR NOVEMBER

It seems like forever (August) since GoodCarBadCar.net published a Wordle.net word cloud. This cloud emphasizes the most recent activity on GCBC, allowing quick insight into what the conversation's really been about the last few days. Clearly fuel economy has played a large role of recent. So have brands from the Michigan area. Remember, the larger the word the greater the significance that word has stood for on GoodCarBadCar.net in the later part of this week.

WILL THE 2011 FORD POLICE INTERCEPTOR BE A FALCON OR TAURUS?

The upcoming demise of the Ford Crown Victoria and thus its role as a taxicab and police pursuit vehicle will see Ford replacing the Crown Victoria Interceptor in 2011, Ford announced today. Fuel economy, durability, safety, and performance are categories in which, Ford says, improvements will bemade over the Crown Victoria. For those not familiar with the current Ford police package, it rests on a vehicle which underwent its first facelift and engineering changes sometime during Taft's presidency. Of course, the Crown Victoria was the only car big enough to accomodate William Howard Taft.

All kidding aside, the Crown Victoria remains a beloved car in many police circles, at least the circles in which nobody was involved in a rear-end collision with an exploding Crown Vic. Ford's promise to efficiently phase out the Crown Victoria while phasing in a new police car inspires plenty of speculation in the automotive world.

Curious, isn't it, that so much of this speculation comes from people who love to drive fast cars fast? What, we care about which vehicles pull us over? Apparently. The Police section of GoodCarBadCar.net is one of this site's most popular zones. Regardless, the car you see pictured here is the Aussie-built Ford Falcon XR8 Police vehicle. The Falcon's one of those cars North American auto enthusiasts really want to see for sale here. You know the kind, like the Pontiac GTO (nee Holden Monaro) or the Pontiac G8 (nee Holden Commodore), both of which are classified in the "nobody bought them" classification. Regardless, the Falcon is certainly coolish and, with its rear-wheel drivetrain, is likely pleasing to the ears of cops.

Yet the new Ford Taurus is capacious in both the cabin and the trunk. And Ford boss Mark Fields did say this new car would be engineered in the USA. If that's going to be the Falcon, it'll be reengineered, and that could be what Fields meant.

After a few days with the Taurus last week, it seems to me that the Taurus would be a perfect police car. No police force is going to receive another body-on-frame package like the Crown Victoria so they might as well stop whining about its rugged nature. Though rear-wheel drive is great for a good many, it's not useful to have cops stuck on steep roads in the northern states or in Canada. Plus, the Taurus can be had in wicked fast SHO form, a perfect highway patrol chase car. And again, there's the roomy factor. In both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive formats, the Taurus could be one sublime Interceptor, a perfect alternative to GM's new Chevy Caprice PPV and perhaps a nice mainstream mainstay to put Carbon Motors out of business.

We shall see. One way or another, expect Ford to put up quite a fight. Dearborn's own sells between 45,000-60,000 Interceptors each year - about 75% of the market. That's revenue no automaker would want to lose.

KIJIJI FIND - PONTIAC G8 x3

The G8 is dead. Long live the G8. What was certainly Pontiac's best car in recent times - a car which was certainly one of Pontiac's best ever - was extinguished before it was even able to get its groove on. See, the Pontiac G8 was released to the masses here in North America just as the price of fuel was skyrocketing heavenward. Pontiac dealers struggled to sell the G8 despite the car's clean design, roomy cabin, and excellent dynamics.

Fast forward to General Motors' bankruptcy and it quickly became obvious that Pontiac wasn't going to make it through with Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC, and the Chinese favourite, Buick. Rumour was that the G8 would live on, perhaps as a rear-drive replacement for the Chevrolet Impala or the Buick Lucerne. Those rumours were extinguished, The Good Car Guy wrote his lament, and now GM Canada's website apologizes and asks you to take a look at the Impala. Uh.... er, no thanks.

Read previous Kijiji Finds here

Yet what do we find on Kijiji today? Yes, that'd be three '09 Pontiac G8s, at least one of which is a G8 GT with the V8 engine. All are lease returns, prices are around $29,000 with approximately 25,000 kilometres. For U.S. readers, that's about $27,500 with about 15,500 miles. Is it a good deal?

Hmm. Compared to what's available for $29,000 with zero kilometres.... perhaps. But this seller in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, is attempting to capitalize on the Pontiac G8s rarity. Exclusivity. You read that right. A rare Pontiac. With four doors. Priced under $30K; under $40K when new.

However mocking my tone must sound, the seller has a point. GoodCarBadCar.net doesn't profess to be an expert site for future antique cars, but it makes sense that the last great car from a dead brand could be worth something someday. Consider the fact that GM Canada only sold 2,166 Pontiac G8s in the first nine months of 2009 and the rarity issue certainly comes into play.

2011 BUICK REGAL GALLERY

Attempting to bring into play statistics from Chinese sales probably isn't the best way to convince North Americans of the greatness of your new car. But fortunately for Buick, they've got good looks on their side.

Indeed, 64,000 Regals have been sold in China since the car debuted eleven months ago. Buick's only sold about 81,000 total vehicles so far this year. Surely a beautiful new entry-level sedan would help.

Building on the Enclave's curvaceous ways, the LaCrosse arrived as a competitor in a slightly larger, slightly more expensive segment than the Regal's. Buick is positioning the Regal with two four-cylinder engines, a 182-bhp 2.4L and a turbocharged 2.0L with 220 horsepower.

Finding the Regal looks familiar? Take a look at what was once considered the next Saturn Aura, known in Europe as the Opel Insignia. In all but a handful of ways, that is the new Buick Regal. We even get to use the Interactive Drive Control System, allowing the driver to choose between three settings for unique dynamics. Normal, Tour, and Sport vary suspension settings, throttle response, shift pattern, and steering sensitivity. New GM or not, expect Sport to be absolutely necessary for a Buick if you want to come close to replicating the feel of your German sport sedan. Given this car's pedigree as an Opel, however, it's not too crazy to expect a substantially firmer Buick than in the past.

Though the LaCrosse has appeared on roads 'round here already, thus providing everyone with opportunity to see the car in real-world lighting and in base form, preliminary pictures of the Regal in the Gallery below make me think Buick strike a harmonious chord with the Regal. This car does make Honda's Accord, the Toyota Camry, and even Chevrolet's Malibu appear conventional, conservative, and cautious.