For those of us who remember the introduction of the first Ford Taurus in the mid-80's, it brings back memories of a peculiar "rounded" design on a car that would become very popular. In fact, it became so popular that for years it was actually the best selling car in the country besting the popular Honda Accord and Toyota Camry.

Those days are long gone now, and although it may not overtake either of its former foreign competitors, it appears that Ford has done its due diligence in designing a winner.

The 2010 Ford Taurus which is slated to become available around August 1st has a distinctive design with sharp features and interior detailing to rival even some of the big boys from Audi and BMW. You'll pay for this upgraded vehicle as a well equipped Taurus will cost around $29,000, but all indications are that it's worth the money.

It was certainly a questionable move when Ford retired the Taurus name a few years back although at the time the car had become somewhat stale and uninspiring. It took a lackluster introduction of the Ford Five Hundred full-size car to revive the Taurus name. While the Five Hundred was not a bad vehicle, like many domestic cars over the years it was supposed to appeal to a wide audience. That of course meant that like many of its domestic brethren, it could attract a large group yet fail to inspire them. In the automobile industry, having a vehicle that may appeal to a large group yet fail to inspire any often leads to the road to nowhere.

Ford has always been the leader in trucks with its F series and now has a mid-sized winner with the Fusion and Fusion hybrid. It's also done well in SUV's, remember the Ford Explorer ? Now they are looking to get back in the full-sized game with the new Taurus. There is no expectation of selling 300 to 400 thousand Taurus's as they did in the halcyon days past, but they are targeting 80 to 90 thousand vehicles sold annually which would be a solid position in its class.

If you're a driving enthusiast and have an extra $10,000 to spend, you can drive the high performance Taurus SHO. Equipped with a 365-hp twin-turbo EcoBoost V6, this all-wheel-drive 6 speed Taurus would also get the twin-turbo, direct-inject engine that Ford promises will deliver V8 power with V6 fuel economy.

If you're in the market for a sporty, solidly built full size sedan with nicely appointed interior, check out the 2010 Ford Taurus. Who said, "You can't go home again?"

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