31 March 99

Ford uncovers the newest version of its Taurus family sedan at the New York

Auto Show and announces that the 2000 2000 model will include new safety

technologies Taurus - making it one of the safest cars on the road. click for

more For 2000, Taurus takes on new contemporary images. styling and builds on

the previous model's safety reputation by leading into production Ford's

Advanced Restraint System (ARS). The current Taurus is the only mid-sized car

to achieve the federal government's highest frontal crash-test rating, five

stars for driver and front passenger.

The ARS is a collection of a dozen components that allows

the car to "think" about the crash, "understand" its

severity, "examine" the driver seat position and if he or

she is wearing a safety belt and "decide" how to deploy

the safety systems. With the system, dual-stage air bags

inflate at two different rates depending on the situation

as described above. Additionally, safety belts are

equipped with pretensioners and retractors that are

designed to help reduce the risk of force-related

injuries in a crash.

"There's much more to the 2000 Taurus than meets the

eye," says Jim O'Connor, president of Ford Division and

vice president of Ford Motor Company. "To family car

buyers, safety is the number one priority and Taurus is a

leader in new safety technology."

Safety Features

Taurus also comes standard with Ford's emergency trunk

release, designed to allow a child or adult trapped in

the trunk to open it from inside. The glow-in-the-dark

trunk release handle will be factory installed, standard

equipment on all Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles

starting this summer.

The 2000 Taurus was engineered to achieve the double

five-star rating and adds a number of other features to

enhance occupant safety. In addition to the standard ARS,

Taurus features Ford's Belt-Minder system which reminds

unbelted drivers to buckle up with an intermittent chime

and indicator light.

Head and chest combination side air bags are available to

help reduce the risk of injury in a in a side collision.

The side air bags are activated by separate sensors

located near the car's B-pillars. Energy absorbing trim

surrounds the door frame and arm-rest areas for

additional protection.

The 2000 Taurus is equipped with child-safety seat tether

anchors to provide parents with an improved method to

more securely buckle their safety-seat in place.

Power Adjustable Pedals

Taurus also becomes the first car in North America to

offer power adjustable brake and accelerator pedals

allowing drivers of smaller stature to move the pedals

toward their feet rather than moving the seat

uncomfortably and dangerously close to the steering

wheel.

Functional Styling

The styling changes are driven by customer desire for

improvements in functionality. All exterior panels on the

2000 Taurus are new with the exception of the doors. The

grille opening is wider giving the car a larger, more

substantial front end appearance.

Headlamps are larger and 20 percent brighter.

The greenhouse has been revised and offers an improvement

of nearly 2 inches in rear seat headroom and nearly an

inch in front headroom. The rear window is larger and

rectangular for improved visibility.

The decklid is higher and wider at the opening giving

customers an increase in cargo space of 1.2 cubic feet.

Ride and Handling

The chassis has been revised to give customers a

smoother, more plush ride without adversely affecting

handling. Larger, 16-inch tires and wheels are standard.

Steering and alignment refinements give Taurus a better

on-center feel and directional stability and reduce

wind-wander.

Powertrain Improvements

The 2000 Taurus powertrains have been refined to increase

power, improve mid-range torque and reduce noise,

vibration and harshness. Two different 3.0-liter V-6

engines are offered in four configurations. Transmissions

have been refined for smoother shifting.

Vulcan 3.0-liter V-6

·153 horsepower @ 5000 rpm &endash; an increase of 8

horsepower

·182 ft. lbs. of torque @ 4000 rpm &endash; an increase of

12 ft. lbs.

Duratec 3.0-liter V-6

·200 horsepower @ 5750rpm &endash; an increase of 15

horsepower

·200 ft. lbs. of torque @ 4500 rpm &endash; an increase of

15 foot pounds

Both the Vulcan and Duratec engines meet Low Emissions

Vehicle (LEV) standards in California and the 13

northeast states.

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