New Engine, New Face and New Name

Unveiled earlier this year at the 2007 Chicago Auto Show, the 2008 Ford Taurus X has begun reaching U.S. dealers, with executives keeping their fingers crossed that the updated seven-passenger crossover can power past its underachieving predecessor.

The tall wagon started life three years ago as the Freestyle, a companion to the Ford Five Hundred sedan. Both models have been rebadged and reworked for model-year 2008, resurrecting the familiar Taurus nameplate in an attempt to connect with Ford's past successes.

Choice of name aside, the Taurus X gets several critical upgrades, including a new front face that ties it directly to the Ford Edge, the company's popular midsize crossover. More important is a heart transplant: The Taurus X sheds the anemic 3.0-liter V6 in favor of the Edge's 3.5-liter unit, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.

The difference in output and acceleration is remarkable. The new 3.5 delivers 263 horsepower and 249 pound-feet of torque, versus 203 hp and 207 lb-ft for the outgoing 3.0 V6. Ford says the Taurus X has 44 percent quicker acceleration, thanks to the new powertrain combination.

Naturally, the Taurus X has garnered five-star safety ratings, thanks to such standard hardware as electronic stability and traction control and side curtain airbags.

Prices, of course, have risen. The base front-wheel-drive Taurus X SEL starts at $27,365, compared with $26,670 for the equivalent '07 Freestyle, while the top-of-the-line Taurus X Limited AWD stickers at $32,500, compared with last year's $31,805-range-topping Freestyle Limited AWD.