In the transition from Five Hundred to Taurus, Ford completely redesigned the front end, with a large three-bar horizontal grille that fits in better with the Ford family look of the existing Fusion, the Edge, and the coming Flex. It's altogether a better looking and more contemporary design for the grille, with new, quieter mirrors, gigantic new headlamp units, big driving lamps under the new bumpers, with necessary changes to the hood and fenders. Decorative, nonfunctional gills have been added to the front fenders to add visual interest and take up some space on the huge fenders.

Likewise, the taillamps, rear quarter panels and decklid have been redone, and the rear bumper has been rejiggered to feature exposed dual exhaust tips.