2010 Ford Taurus SHO

Subhead: Buick is a status symbol in China. The last Emperor owned two and the young and wealthy aspire to own and be seen in one.

By Richard Russell

Wheelbase Communications

It's an old adage, but one that works: the only replacement for displacement in an internal combustion engine is forced induction, commonly known as supercharging or turbocharging.

The 2010 Ford Taurus SHO uses twin turbochargers to wring 365 horsepower from a 3.5-liter V6, making it the little engine that does. Fitted beneath the hood of a suitably equipped Taurus, it provides this big American sedan with the performance of a V8, without the thirst.

The SHO -- Super High Output -- is back.

The SHO's time began in 1989 when Yamaha built a special 212-horsepower V6 for a special Taurus. Sales of the most popular family car in the land (at the time) had started to fall and an attention-drawing halo model was called for. The SHO Taurus, a factory-built and warranted sport sedan was an instant success.

A second-generation model came along in 1992 and the formula continued to work until a watered-down third generation with a small V8 engine appeared in 1996. It was all over by 1999.

A little more than a decade later, there is a brand new Taurus accompanied by a new SHO halo model. In the same vein as the original SHO, the newcomer boasts a high-output small engine, this one developed in-house.

Ford has a corporate commitment to a line of force-fed smaller engines dubbed EcoBoost to replace larger existing units. By 2013, 90 percent of all Fords will have four- or six-cylinder EcoBoost engines. The Taurus SHO is among the first in this switchover.

The new Taurus's 265-horse, 3.5-liter Duratec V6 is replaced by a rip-snorting version that puts 102 more horses in the corral. Whether you pronounce it S.H.O. or "show," it is fast.

Two decades of engine management and turbocharger development has resulted in a refined powerplant devoid of throttle lag and the other idiosyncrasies previously associated with turbochargers.

Each bank of three cylinders gets it very own exhaust-driven water-cooled turbo. They share dense air that has passed through an air-to-air intercooler. Electronically controlled wastegates ensure intake pressures of up to 12 pounds per square inch above normal atmospheric pressure, but no more.

A high-pressure direct-injection system introduces a fine spray of fuel into the combustion chambers at the proper moment and the result is more than 104 horsepower per liter of displacement, and a whopping 350 pound-feet of torque from 1,500-5,250 rpm.

The "Eco" part of the equation means this engine, despite all that additional power, uses no more fuel than the standard Taurus V6. That's the theory, at least, provided the car is driven gently and smoothly. But it's so hard to maintain a civil throttle foot with all those ponies begging to be let loose that few drivers will even approach the laboratory-generated fuel-consumption numbers.

Since the Taurus is a front-driver, you might think that getting all that power will turn the front tires into molten rubber at the first sustained application of full throttle. It probably would if the SHO did not have a sophisticated full-time all-wheel- drive system. The system normally operates at a 55/45 front/rear split. But if needed, as is the case when you floor the right-side pedal, the system will divert up to 100 percent of engine output to the rear wheels.