Jump LinksFor most of the 2010s, if you wanted a fast Ford with plenty of street cred, then you'd get your hands on the pony car Mustang. You could also take a look at some hot hatches. But in a quiet corner of the showroom, Ford had something else that could tempt you if you could manage to see beneath the bodywork to discover what was there. The Taurus full-size sedan that typically came in boring beige or silver colors and with bland styling had a version with all-wheel drive and twin turbos, with perhaps more power than Mustang GT V8s from a few years earlier. It didn't sound that impressive and certainly didn't look like much, but it was very ready to go when out on the open road. And perhaps the Ford Taurus SHO, which graced American roads between 2010 and 2019, was the ultimate Ford sleeper sport sedan from that era. A Forgotten Ford That Quietly Nuked The Left Lane FordFord revived the SHO badge in 2010 on the new, sixth-generation Taurus. The company installed a twin-turbo 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 beneath the hood, producing 365 hp and 350 lb-ft of torque, and it ran through a six-speed automatic transmission to standard all-wheel drive. There was heady enough performance, and the sedan could comfortably beat some competitor V8s, even putting the SHO in the same performance conversation as premium German sedans of the period.To back up those power figures, early tests suggested that the Taurus SHO could get to 60 mph in the mid-five-second range, with quarter-mile times in the low to mid-14s. That was seriously quick for a big full-size four-door and really surprising for something that didn't look remotely like a sports sedan. Power delivery was muscular and effortless, with plenty of mid-range shove, but Ford made only minor styling changes, leaving the Taurus SHO to fly completely under the radar. Big, Bland, And Selectively Ballistic Ford Ford's 2010 to 2019 Taurus was the ultimate conservative car, being large and upright, and with a high beltline that made it look overweight. The SHO trim did get a slightly bolder grille and different wheels with very discreet bulges, but it definitely looked like a fleet car rather than a performer. Yet underneath, this car had plenty of potential due to its twin-turbo 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 centerpiece, with its direct injection, dual overhead cams, and perky turbos. The six-speed 6F55 automatic wasn't a dual-clutch affair, but it could keep the engine well on track within its fat torque band, especially when it was in sport mode.You could also buy a Performance Package, although Ford didn't go overboard in trying to promote it. The option shifted the car's character by adding shorter final drive gearing, larger brake rotors, upgraded pads, more precise steering, and stiffer suspension. You could also choose performance tires in place of the standard all-season rubber, but the entire package didn't set the world alight for this big Taurus. Those tweaks did make the car feel a little more confident on your favorite canyon road, but this vehicle was still just a big sedan with some adventurous specs. It was far more than a predictable suburban Taurus for sure, but only in the right environments. Highways Allowed The SHO To Perform Ford Pure enthusiasts would likely be disappointed if they expected too much from their Taurus SHO. After all, this was never going to be a sharp rear-drive sports sedan with delicate steering, and the machine was severely hampered by its weight. You can't really expect something that weighed more than two tons to be agile on your favorite back road. The high cowl, thick pillars, and hefty footprint certainly made it feel substantial from behind the wheel. Even in Performance Package trim, you could feel every pound of that weight when you tried to turn it in, with the chassis leaning more towards understeer than playful rotation.But there again, the Taurus SHO was in its element in most everyday situations. After all, the average American spends more of their time in rush-hour situations and on long highway slogs than they may in chasing adventure for the sake of it. So, on the interstate, the car's size translated into a calm and planted ride that would easily soak up those pavement expansion joints or deal with challenging crosswinds. The cabin remained quiet while the EcoBoost V6 did its work, and the all-wheel-drive setup was always there if the weather turned ugly.The car was also very responsive from 60 or 70 mph, with the turbos available and the transmission kicking down nicely to turn this apparent cruiser into something with authority. It was able to quickly and easily pass slower vehicles when needed, before melting back into its sleepy persona for the boring parts of the journey.The car also worked quite well downtown, as Ford tuned the suspension to err on the side of comfort, giving passengers a controlled and compliant ride. Engineers had designed the brakes and steering to instill confidence and not necessarily thrills. Everyone Forgot About Ford's Invisible Sport Sedan Ford Ford's product and marketing department didn't want to waste too much of their time trying to push the Taurus SHO, as they had far bigger fish to fry. After all, this was a decade when buyers were starting to stampede toward crossovers or SUVs, and Ford was secretly plotting the demise of the Taurus SHO. Decision makers knew that the market was changing before their eyes, and there was hardly any point in building a cult around a sedan if the world actually wanted SUVs instead.Also, the SHO simply looked boring. While enthusiasts certainly buy the performance of a vehicle, they also want it to look the part. The SHO didn't have wide fenders or outrageous aerodynamic elements, and nothing that screamed that it was particularly fast. People who didn't know that the acronym SHO meant Super High Output would probably just walk right past the vehicle on a dealer's lot.Meanwhile, the car's price didn't particularly help the cause either, as the base sticker of the revised SHO nudged into the high-$30,000 range. You could easily crest into luxury car money if you bought a well-optioned example, and that put it in an awkward spot. It didn't have the brand cachet of a German badge in that price realm, and it was now certainly becoming too expensive for many mainstream sedan buyers.And don't forget that the SHO had to share its oxygen with more charismatic performance flagships within Ford's own universe. It was never going to compete with a Mustang, and, as it turned out, with the Focus ST, Fiesta ST, or Focus RS later in the decade. So, this big and anonymous-looking Taurus with an odd name and no track pedigree was definitely going to be a tough sell. The Taurus SHO Is A Sleeper Deal Now Ford The 2010-2019 Ford Taurus SHO has nothing to lean on when it comes to buying appeal in today's market, and when the average shopper sees the word Taurus, they may immediately think that it's an old fleet car. Without knowing the model's history, they certainly wouldn't know that the SHO has a twin-turbo V6 and AWD under the skin. This means that values today are quite attractive for enthusiasts. Generally, you can get an astonishing amount of performance and real-world usability for far less money than you'd spend on a comparable German sports sedan. As an example, Kelley Blue Book suggests a price range of $9,420 to $11,500 for a 2013 Taurus SHO.Remember that you're getting very high levels of performance alongside all-weather traction, comfortable seating for four adults, and a big trunk. And while the SHO does pretty much everything in daily life quite predictably, you can still open up the throttle on a freeway and watch most of the traffic fall away behind you, if that floats your boat.Still, it's important to take a close look at candidate vehicles before rushing into any purchase. To start with, remember that the twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 is quite sophisticated and punishes neglect, so you need to look closely at service records to see that previous owners kept up with the maintenance. You'll also need to pay attention to the cooling system and Power Transfer Unit health, as these could be grey areas with the car. Check to see if the brakes are still up to the job, and remember that decent tires for a potentially fast car like this are not cheap.Still, if you do opt to buy one, the SHO could give you something that's increasingly rare. It’s a full-size, powerful sedan that doesn't shout about itself, allowing you to blend into the background easily, even though it looks like a relaxed luxury cruiser for most of its time. However, when you really want to, you can begin to find out what “super high output” actually means, to leave other drivers in the vicinity scratching their heads and asking themselves what just happened.
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