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Those with a sense of history - Ford Motor history - might be disappointed to learn that the 2010 Taurus SHO does not have the deliciously free-revving Yamaha V-6 of the original 1990 SHO. Don't be.

Twenty years on, Ford has discovered a new SHO formula and it's at least as hot-rod cool as the factory-built sleeper that baby boomer gearheads embraced in their 20s.

This time around, instead of a snarling Yammy under the hood, Ford has opted for twin turbochargers and direct fuel injection - what Ford calls EcoBoost - that has the 3.5-litre V-6 churning up 365 horsepower. All-wheel drive (AWD) is standard, so that thrust pretty much sticks to the pavement at launch, rather than slipping at the front wheels.

Moreover, the handling and equipment level here make the Taurus SHO ($48,199 base price) a reasonable rival for luxury sedans costing twice as much.

Yes, the SHO certainly lacks the cachet of, say an AWD Audi S6 ($99,500) or a rear-drive BMW M5 ($106,900), but compared to these top German road-eaters, this Ford is just as big and safe, equally well-loaded with gadgets, nearly as tight and well-balanced in the corners and half as much money.

View the rest of this news article at The Globe and Mail.

TAGS: FORD TAURUS SHO TURBO TURBOCHARGER AWD LUXURY SEDAN