Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com Names Ford Taurus '2010 Best Redesigned Vehicle'

IRVINE, Calif., Dec. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- The expert editors at Kelley Blue Book's www.kbb.com, the leading provider of new and used car information, today announces the 2010 Ford Taurus has been named 2010 Best Redesigned Vehicle. The kbb.com editors praise the 2010 Ford Taurus sedan for its sculpted sheet metal, modern interior and long list of available technologies, standing in stark contrast not just to its predecessor, but its competitors, too. Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com Best Redesigned Vehicle for 2010 marks a second consecutive win for Ford. Last year, Ford's flagship pickup, the F-150, was awarded the 2009 Best Redesigned Vehicle accolade.

"The 2010 Ford Taurus delivers an ideal balance of engaging performance and passenger comfort, as well as a feeling of quality that positively pervades the vehicle," said Jack Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com. "With its impressive set of standard and available technologies, the Taurus adds convenience, connectivity, safety and value to the consumer."

The 2010 Ford Taurus offers features such as Blind Spot Information System (BLIS®) with Cross Traffic Alert, MyKey™ parental programmability, Ford SYNC® and Voice-Activated Navigation with SIRIUS Travel Link™.

Few products reflect the accelerating pace of change more than the automobile. Whereas many of yesterday's new models were not much more than styling updates, today's redesigns are more often leaps and bounds ahead of their predecessors in every way. Accordingly, it takes an exceptional product to be named Kelley Blue Book's Best Redesigned Vehicle.

"With its superior styling and overall performance, the 2010 Ford Taurus became a contender for this year's award during the very first drive, after which one of our editors wrote 'We haven't seen such a bold reversal of character since Ben Kingsley traded in his Ghandi robe to play a murderous gangster in Sexy Beast,'" said Nerad. "The Taurus isn't just the new best bet in the segment; it's one of the most impressive vehicles on the road."

The Best Redesigned Vehicle accolade honors the vehicle that best demonstrates improvement and superiority relative to its predecessor and competitors. In judging, the kbb.com editors consider exterior and interior styling, technology, comfort and convenience features, performance/capability, driving dynamics, safety, fuel economy, overall refinement and, of course, value.

Dozens of vehicles were redesigned for the 2010 model-year. In addition to the award-winning 2010 Ford Taurus, rounding out the top 10 finalists for kbb.com's 2010 Best Redesigned Vehicle were (in alphabetical order) the Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac SRX, Chevy Equinox, Ford Fusion, Lexus RX, Mazda MAZDA3, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Subaru Legacy and Toyota Prius.

Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com
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"Best Redesigned Vehicle" History
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2004 Ford F-150
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2005 Ford Mustang
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2006 Honda Civic
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2007 Chevrolet Silverado
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2008 Chevrolet Malibu
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2009 Ford F-150
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2010 Ford Taurus
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The year 2010 marks the fourth time in seven years that a Ford model has taken the Best Redesigned Vehicle title and is the second consecutive year Ford earned top honors. Honda broke Ford's initial streak in 2006 with the redesigned Civic coupe and sedan, and Chevrolet won back-to-back in 2007 and 2008 with the Silverado full-size pickup and Malibu sedan, respectively.

"Each model year, manufacturers continually raise the bar in providing consumers with the top notch vehicle technologies, performance and design," said Nerad. "With the Best Redesigned Vehicle award, we honor those models that exceed all expectations."

Vehicles usually are redesigned every four to five years, although some brands wait longer to redesign their models. For more information about the 2010 Best Redesigned Vehicle and the top 10 finalists, visit www.kbb.com/best2010redesign.

About Kelley Blue Book (www.kbb.com)

Since 1926, Kelley Blue Book, The Trusted Resource®, has provided vehicle buyers and sellers with the new and used vehicle information they need to accomplish their goals with confidence. The company's top-rated Web site, www.kbb.com, provides the most up-to-date pricing and values, including the New Car Blue Book® Value, which reveals what people actually are paying for new cars. The company also reports vehicle pricing and values via products and services, including software products and the famous Blue Book® Official Guide. According to the C.A. Walker Research Solutions, Inc. - 2009 Spring Automotive Web Site Usefulness Study, kbb.com is the most useful automotive information Web site among new and used vehicle shoppers, and half of online vehicle shoppers visit kbb.com. Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com also is a W3 Gold Award winner, sanctioned by the International Academy of Visual Arts. Kbb.com is a leading provider of new car prices, car reviews and news, used car Blue Book Values, auto classifieds and car dealer locations. No other medium reaches more in-market vehicle shoppers than kbb.com.

SOURCE: Kelley Blue Book

Web site: http://www.kbb.com/