I've owned TWO previous Ford Taurus SHO's. The first one I bought new, just after the Yamaha V6 was announced. They were only available as sticks. It was a great car, very reliable, good handling, decent power, decent economy (24mpg avg). I drove it for 140,000 miles. It was still going strong and the red paint was perfect when I sold it. I then bought a used green one which was a lemon and I dumped it in less than 4 months. The second gen with the V8 was a huge disappointment. It was a slow car, the transmission sucked out all the power, and there was no longer a stick available. NOT a real fun car to drive -- my most critical criterion.
The new one is a PORKER (oink, oink, oink). It weighs well over two tons, so the extra power and torque only bring mid-level performance, and the fuel economy sucks. I was excited about it until I saw the specs up close. Unfortunately, no stick this time, and probably not a serious driver's car. B/c of the weight I think it will offer NO threat to a 370Z.
Nevertheless, I will go test drive one when they are available locally. Maybe it will be a great driver like my first one? I'll post my impressions of the SHO in the "Other Vehicles" section after I get a chance to audition it.
I'd love to get a Caddie CTS-V if I could afford one. I did drive the previous model, and it was addictive. Clunky shifter, but great power & handling. A lot of axle tramp off the line, and not great reliability. Many stories of suspension issues/noise/failures and general looseness after only 50,000mi. Interior was not up to the "Standard of the World" either, very plastic. But it really was fun and a great driver.
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