13/06/2008 05:56. If the Taurus X looks familiar, it should. Most of the exterior is carried over from the outgoing Freestyle (not to be confused with Ford's late minivan the Freestar). X gets a handsome new Fusion-like 3 bar grille and taillights with an Edge motif. By far the biggest gripe with this rig when it wore Freestyle badges was the powertrain. That's been addressed with a 263-horse V6 that delivers 30 percent more power. Mercifully the old continuously variable transmission has been replaced with a conventional 6-speed. There are also changes to the frame up front for further refinement. 

These changes mean the very comfortable Taurus X is much more satisfying to drive now. The tranny no longer feels like it's slipping and sliding, which is a common complaint with efficient CVT transmissions.... // KING5.com