Ford Taurus reviews

1995 Ford Taurus Interior Features

Although the Taurus looks very much as it did in the beginning, the interior has had a number of revisions over the years, and the updates have kept the car current. Important controls are easily reached, and the analog instrument panel is in plain view. The large, simple dash-mounted light switch is more convenient than the stalk-mounted switches typical of Japanese cars, and power-window switches are easy to distinguish by touch.

Many conveniences have been made standard on the Taurus this year, including air conditioning, rear-window defroster, low-fuel warning light and solar-tinted glass to cut glare and heat. A nice touch in the optional center console is a removable rubber mat in the single cupholder, making it easy to clean sticky soda pop residue.

The Taurus is roomy inside and easy to enter and exit, with plenty of legroom up front and adequate room in the rear. The optional power moonroof in our LX test car cut headroom noticeably - a consideration for taller occupants - but otherwise the car is spacious for its size.

The Taurus has a relatively high cowl, with a dashboard that always hovers in your line of vision. This is unlike an Accord or Camry, for example, where the view is more glassy vista. Some find the high cowl claustrophobic; others find it gives them a sense of security.

The optional 6-way power seats make it easy to get comfortable. However, we found the seats a bit soft for long trips, and a little lower back support would have been nice.

Functional as it is, the interior does have some appearance problems. There are too many pieces in the dashboard and door panels, creating a number of bad fits and poor color matches and a generally cluttered, untidy appearance. And some optional items seem to be thrown into place. The controls for the power moonroof, for example, were housed in a tacky, oversize plastic box slapped between the sun visors.

The optional high-line JBL audio system in our test vehicle still had the old-style Ford faceplate with its multitude of tiny buttons. It's housed low in the console and is difficult to operate while driving. Fortunately, Ford has placed additional buttons high on the dashboard, allowing you to change the volume and station without taking your eyes off the road.