The Chengdu Auto Show, which runs from September
6-15, was used by Ford to showcase some of its novelties for the Chinese
market.
Among them is the facelifted Taurus in range-topping
Vignale guise. We’ve already covered the exterior of the big sedan in a
previous post, so now we’ll focus on the interior as the U.S. automaker has
released photos of the refreshed cabin.
The revised dashboard is a far cry
from the initial version launched in China in 2015. The biggest change is the
addition of a 12.8-inch, tablet-style central touchscreen for the new SYNC+
infotainment system that takes over practically all of the center console’s
room and almost eliminates the physical buttons of the previous model.
Actually, there are still a few buttons at the lower
end, including a volume knob, rear defogger and three others whose functions we
can’t identify from the pics. Apart from these, the tablet display has
swallowed the climate control switches and pretty much all other essential
vehicle functions.
The instrument panel has been updated as well and
features two color displays — one inside the speedometer and a bigger one
extending from the rev counter to the speedometer. Ford says the 2020 Taurus
Vignale also gets a new 14-speaker B&O sound system which is said to set a
new standard for mid- to high-end cars.
Elsewhere in the cabin, we can spot a more upscale
leather upholstery, real wood trim, heated and ventilated seats (including at
the back), a rear center console housing cup holders and controls for the
climate and multimedia system, as well as illuminated Vignale tread plates.
The 2020 Taurus is powered by a 245 HP 2.0-liter
EcoBoost turbo-four mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. The Vignale
is priced from RMB 288,900 (US$ 40,600), but the base model starts
at RMB 228,900 (US$ 32,170).
