Hi,
I just picked up a 2010 Taurus SHO a few weeks ago and so far I'm loving it. I traded in a 2014 Focus ST for the SHO. I needed something with AWD, a little bit bigger and I really wanted something with the 3.5. My brother has an F150 with the 3.5 and after driving it I was so impressed I wanted one but I didn't need a truck.
So my new SHO is Tux Black (same color as my ST was) non PP with the technology pack including ACC and the Massage seats. It has 122,000 miles on it but previous owners must have taken great care of it. No reported collisions and everything looks like new. The only thing that is broken is the rear sunshade which I read is normal in these cars. I have done an oil change along with PTU and RDU change. The PTU had been changed recently as it wasn't bad at all. The RDU needed it.
There is a big difference between the SHO and the ST. I loved the ST but it had some big drawbacks as well. The ST had much quicker steering response and far superior brakes. The manual gear box was fun at times and annoying at others. The Recaro seats also were great when doing some spirited back roads driving, but were not comfortable for long road trips. The 2.0 ecoboost has some serious torque for a 4 cylinder (I had full bolt ons and custom tune) but the first 2 gears were almost useless due to traction issues. The ST was pretty much useless in the winters we get here in Montana. I got stuck in my driveway many times.
The quiet, comfortable interior of the SHO are great. The AWD and smooth power delivery with no wheelspin is really nice. The SHO is obviously much larger but drives like a smaller car than it is. Especially comparing it in maneuvering in tight spaces. The backup camera makes up for weird rear window. The ST has bad rear visibility too and a really awkwardly large turning radius for a small car. Gas mileage is pretty close on the 2 cars so far I'd get 22 city and 28 highway@80mph in the ST and in the SHO so far I'm getting about 20 city and 26 highway going 80.
Overall I'm quite happy with the switch. They are definitely a different breed of car. My plans for the SHO are tune, dps, exhaust, brakes, coilovers, and maybe a few visuals like the grill and a bass upgrade, I miss the 3 Sundown 8's I had in my ST. I've read a ton on this forum and the knowledge base is excellent. I'm looking forward to being a member here.
