Ford Motor's (F) Taurus X is a worthy contender in the brutally competitive crossover SUV market. That's saying something because it's not a new design, yet in features and function it holds up well against recently launched models.
Taurus X hit the market as a 2005 model, under the name Freestyle. For '08, Ford mechanically modified the vehicle, cosmetically tweaked it and renamed it Taurus X because the boss, CEO Alan Mulally, thinks people will warm to a vehicle with the Taurus name as they didn't quite to the Freestyle.
The X in the name is supposed to suggest a four-wheel-drive, SUV version of the Taurus sedan (Test Drive, Aug. 17).
The X is based on the Volvo XC90 SUV, though it uses a wholly Ford powertrain. Ford owns Volvo.
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