2001 Ford Taurus “Kermit”

The 2000 model year brought the fourth-generation Ford Taurus, which softened the oval theme of the previous redesign into more conventional sedan and wagon styling. The engine lineup carried two V6s: the pushrod Vulcan 3.0 V6, tuned to 155 horsepower and offered throughout the generation, and the dual-overhead-cam Duratec 3.0 V6, offered from 2000 through 2005. Both used a four-speed automatic and front-wheel drive. The Vulcan was standard on the LX, SE, and SES trims, while the SEL received the Duratec. There was no SHO in this generation; the performance line did not return until the sixth-generation Taurus of 2010. Fleet and rental sales made up a growing share of fourth-generation volume, and the 2007 model year was sold to fleets only as Ford prepared to apply the Taurus name to the renamed Five Hundred for 2008. Fourth-generation production ran from October 1999 to October 2006. The Mercury Sable continued as the badge-engineered sibling through the 2005 model year.